The Help Varese Sarabande****

As one of the most "temped" composers in Hollywood, many film-makers use Thomas Newman's music to temporarily score their films before asking their chosen composers to write something similar. Despite almost a decade of imitation, Newman ( Wall-E, American Beauty, The Shawshank Redemption) retains the distinctive individuality of his film music by defying conventions. For this new film about race relations in the 1960s (see review, page 16), he avoids the expected grand themes and lush orchestration, choosing instead simple melodies, vibrant rhythms, bright electronica and an idiosyncratic array of instrumentation, including treated piano, violin, djembe, shakuhachi. In both sound and approach, Newman creates a densely textured and exquisitely coloured score that deftly balances dramatic urgency with musical dynamism. See colosseum.de

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