No, none of the above. It's time for another Theme Post. That's right, ladies (there are a few of you out there) and gentlemen. Bored to death with the mediocrity? Challenge your brain cells a little.

In the recent past, I wrote a post on the theme of Escape in film, in film-music. Now I turn my sights to the theme of Brothers. (Studying mythology is a blast.)

There are several conflicts a hero has in mythology, Battle with the Father, Battle with the Dragon, and, for today's purposes, Battle with the Brother. Cain and Abel, Romulus and Remus...two men enter, one man leaves. Here's a rough-but-never-definitive-or-hierarchical list of 10 great Brother stories and their scores.

10. Gladiator. The score that inspired the post. Maximus and Commodus are not brothers in blood, but brothers in competition for the spectre of the Father. Maximus in spirit and love, and Commodus by greed and birthright.

9. Face/Off. Brothers are a common theme in John Woo films. Hard Boiled, Broken Arrow and Mission: Impossible 2 all share the brother theme, though Face/Off is probably the most dramatic and unique. The literal brothers, Castor and Pollux (Geminii--couldn't be more allusive), and the figurative brothers, Castor and Archer. A haunting score by John Powell.

8.The Godfather, Part II. As Michael assumed power from the Father in Part I, so the two remaining brothers come to conflict over the family power in a conclusion that is chilling and inevitable. A somewhat controversial score by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola.

7.Amadeus. Two men, composers both, vie for the gratitude of God, the Father, though one in earnest and one in ignorance. As great ironies go, guess which one is immortalized in popular rememberance? Not so much a score as a well-edited assembly of classical cues, perhaps the most memorable of which involves Frau Weber's ravings at her son-in-law accelerating into the "Der Hollerache" Queen of the Night aria of The Magic Flute.

6.Silverado. Many westerns have themes of brotherhood, though rarely could the theme weave through as many references as this film. Emmet and Jake (a reference to the director's own younger brother, Jake Kasdan)--the literal brothers--Emmet is pitted against his companion Paden romantically, Jake is pitted against hot-headed Tyree, Tyree is pitted against Paden...so many relationships in this film can be interpreted as brotherly conflicts. The return of the great western, at the time westerns seemed to be dying out--Broughton's score is a classic.

5.The Mask of Zorro. The conflict that rise in this story are all about brothers. Director Martin Campbell's follow-up to Goldeneye (A Bond film about brothers), and predecessor to Vertical Limit, which also involves brothers.) For love and revenge, both pairs of brothers, the elder generation and the younger generation come to bear. A refreshing summer adventure, with an epic western-swashbuckling score by James Horner.

4.The Prince of Egypt. "Animated musical drama" aren't commonly three words used to describe a particular film. Fate and Divine intervention place step-brothers on opposing sides of the fate of Egypt. Excellent songs and a divine score by Hans Zimmer save this soundtrack from its' ruination by the inclusion of pop-renditions.

3.Pushing Tin. A good movie nobody saw. John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton as air traffic controllers. How do you make a film about air-traffic controllers? This is the answer. It is in someways reminiscent of Top Gun wherein the "brotherly" competitors vie over who can maintain the coolest streak in a high-intensity situation without flinching. In this case, however, Billy Bob is the Ice Man, and Cusack is the Maverick. A bluesy and energetic score by Anne Dudley.

2.The Edge. Had to throw a Goldsmith-score in here, else suffer the slings and arrows....But a favorite of mine. A survival adventure, which challenges brothers of persistant wisdom against youthful agression over Elle McPhereson. <shrug>. There is a great jazz piece at the end of this soundtrack that didn't get in the film, understandably.

1.Legends of the Fall. Yes, another Horner scored-film, dealing most significantly with brothers. An early-American tragedy. In a sense, even Tristan and the Bear are brothers, slaying each other in the end like Orion and the Scorpion....

I left out Heat...another of my favorite "brother" stories. In fact, I'm not quite convinced that Vincent (Pacino) and Macauley (DeNiro) aren't literal brothers....it's never directly addressed.

- - - - - - - -
MACAULEY
"I got a brother somewhere...."

[and later--]

VINCENT
"If it comes between me and some poor schmoe whose wife you're gonna turn into a widow, brother, you are goin' down."

- - - - - - -
<shrug> It could be.

Anyway, this film is almost worthy of John Woo, but it's too long for Woo, and the action is too spaced out. That doesn't make it bad, however. Rather, this is Michael Mann's even-paced effort, which (I think) pays off, though some may not have the patience. A true crime drama. The score by Goldenthal is not highly memorable, but it is rather unique. (Perhaps most memorable is Moby's closing title music, "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters".)

quote:

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Originally posted by Lancelot:
There is a great jazz piece at the end of [The Edge's] soundtrack that didn't get in the film, understandably.

---

Yes it did... it is the end credits suite.

Great post. I thought 'The Edge' was more father and son (oedipal)than brotherly inclined.

Also, there is -
(1)Gattaca: battle of will-power (Vincent) vs genetic strength (Anton). Naturalism vs artificial etc.

(2)Frank and Jesse: thoughtful vs the wreckless - although never really at great odds with each. Rather, they're part of a dual continuum...north/south...triumphant/tragic...hero/murderer...family/posse...etc etc.

Regards,
Rochelle

When you look at elements like the passage of the knife from the "son" to the "father", (the surrendering of masculinity)....and the oedipal/freudian idea of wanting to slay the father and wed the "mother"...(Elle McPhereson as the mother...it humors me. Why not?)

I suppose I thought of it as fraternal in the sense that the conflict is ultimately between the two, and as the convention goes, the son usually suceeds the father, (though as Big Bear has pointed out in the past, the trick is knowing when to defy the convention...)

Been there....often. Empathize with you.

Ahem, continuing with the theme of Brothers (I think it is perhaps more of
a subject than a theme), I’d like to add an archetypal theme involving
the subject of brothers.. “AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER?”

Sometimes when parents die, the oldest brother must somehow become
a parent leaving him no personal life as he too soon assumes adult
responsibility. (An unusual blending of love and bitterness.)

Dominic and Eugene. Can Ray Liotta continue to care for his “slower”
brother (T. Hulce) and go to medical school? When can you have a life
of your own and not be burdened with a sibling? Score by Trevor Jones.

Whose Eating Gilbert Grape. A unusually straight-forward Depp cares for
his developmentally delayed brother and obese mother. Stunning performance
by a pre-Titanic Dicaprio.

Radio Flyer. How to protect an abused brother from a wicked
step father? Touching and bittersweet with
a nice score from Zimmer.

Betrayal.
The theme of brotherly betrayal is beautifully portrayed in On The
Waterfront magnificently scored by Leonard Bernstein. Couldn’t
Brando’s brother hear and see the anguished and illuminated
betrayal in the famous line, “I coulda been a contender; I coulda
been somebody.”

Twin Brothers:
Dead Ringers scored by Howard Shore. I can’t really get into this
movie about identical twins who are totally opposite in personality.
Juxtapose this movie with Twins, a comedy with Arnold and Danny.
Totally opposite in appearance and personality, but they are
bonded in the end by brotherly love.

quote:

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Originally posted by joan hue:
“AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER?”

Sometimes when parents die, the oldest brother must somehow become
a parent leaving him no personal life as he too soon assumes adult
responsibility.

---

Sometimes the younger brother assumes the paternal helm.
Rocco and His Brothers by Luchino Visconti.

After Rocco's family move from the peasant South to Milan - family unity and traditions become threatened. This comes to a climax when older brother, Vincent, murders a prostitute (also Rocco's girlfriend).

I'm not sure if there is an available score to this but in my post above... 'Gattaca' is by Nyman and 'Frank and Jesse' by McKenzie. Both great scores.

Regards,
Rochelle

[Message edited by cine-sin on 07-29-2001]

[Message edited by cine-sin on 07-29-2001]