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RESOLUTION
819 (TV, 2008) CD Image music RTI 0195252IMA
The
civil war in Bosnia reach its top in year
1995. On July 11, General Mladic, chief
of the Bosnian-Serb army, takes the Muslim's
area at Srebrenica. This zone was on the
protection of the UN since the resolution
819 from April 1993. The Serbian army with
General Mladic enters violently Srebrenica,
and for that we have La fine del giorno
remembering the Mafia' style.
Under the “Blue Helmets“'s eyes, the Serbian
soldiers make a selection between women
and men, illustrated by a sad motive with
strings and wind instruments (Aggrediti
e deportati). At the same time the women
are driven out of the Serbian war front,
around 8000 men disappear. Mladic immobilizes
the UN soldiers, who take off their blue
helmets.
Several days later, a French policeman,
Jacques Calvez (Benoit Magimel), is in charge,
by the “International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia” (ICTY), to investigate
in order to know what they became. Having
taken off from Paris, he arrives in Tuzla
(Northern Bosnia), a grouping location of
Muslims. A strings music (Un canto di speranza)
is heard. He meets a woman interpreter,
Jasna Palic, at the location for the women
(Terreno minato, fosse comuni). He asks
questions to these women to get their testimonies,
to identify the disappeared people and the
guilty persons.
As Morricone does, it could be compared
to La battaglia di Algeri for the violence
of the army and people reached in their
culture and identity (without a genocide
of course). The rough Battiato's film although
has not the same strength and beauty. Pontecorvo
achieved a true film although its informative
and documentary elements, with both stylised
and realistic acting and pictures. But few
– and not Battiato for sure - could reach
this level ! Fortunately, Magimel's playing
is outstanding.
Of
course the purpose is dark and the music,
like the film, has no spectacular effects
: sober, withdrawn; how to manage it in
a different way to respect the pain and
the dignity ?...
Furthermore this music is very compact and
coherent as it is often in the same climate.
Some different ideas are noticed though
:
The
end title theme :
Un canto di speranza begins by notes on
synth and mandola, a first part not heard
in the end titles. Only the second part,
a quasi-theme on strings, was featured,
souding Eastern music (fifth intervals EM
cited). Poignant and moving indeed, well
achieved.
Arrestati e colpevoli on the same theme
appears to be more common, nothing special
to report about it.
Few presence of this main theme is noticed,
even if it is in some parts of tracks (bridges
from tracks 6, etc).
The
“action themes” :
Caschi blu : a long rhythmed track, which
seems to take the same idea from Karol e
gli invasori. Well done indeed with hard
scansions’ ostinato and syncopated rhythm,
a nice progression as he made often, though
in a more withdrawn, less powerful way than
Uomini e no, Rappresaglia, for instance.
The 2 following piece are very similar in
their Mafia ' style violence, very appreciated,
and would'nt have been put together (bad
sequencing !)
La fine del giorno much shorter, has a second
part in another style, slower with some
suspense, which make the whole very interesting
and not too long. Guerra etnica with its
4 min. is a little too long, but it is a
trademark.
The
moving themes :
The biggest surprise of the CD is to feature
feeling themes, far less heard in the film.
Donne sole with its flute and then its oboe
gives some warmth among a cold environment
to enjoy without limit.
Senza perdono and Tutte le donne has a female
voice treated in an “ethnic” way, a special
voice never heard before (it doesn’t sound
like the known singers, and in fact the
singer is new). Both are enchired by some
bridges or second parts with other colours
: end title theme for the first, string
and alto motive reminding Karol for the
second one. Good pieces indeed but giving
a sensation of coldness.
Clara as a quasi-love theme, has common
points with Cracovia from Karol : sweet
strings, with a beautiful alto solo added
though. The trumpet enters the bridge at
the middle, which made a rich track.
Less peaceful, more moving is Mediazione
: loud separate notes on strings make solennity
make the first and third part. Even it seems
to be simple, it impresses greatly, as some
miracles we are accustomed with. Oboe, trumpet
give again other colours of this excellent
track. And richness and surprises are not
finished, we are at the middle only !
Nei
sogni is again another theme, never reprised,
as if it would a pattern finally not used.
Sensitive and moving on mandola and strings,
it could have its role in the soundtrack,
as it is in the right vein. We understand
better the Battiato’s assertion about “too
much themes” !
Voglia
di giustizia for mandola solo with strings
but is sounding a little like Hungarian
cymbalum (featured in Fateless)
The
incidental or atmospheric pieces :
Mitragliatrice with pause and although the
gunshots similar to Gott mit uns is almost
calm and soft ! A very listenable and interesting
track surprisingly.
Mladic not used, Nuvole ad est, much used
in the film, are more incidental.
Terreno minato, fosse comuni and Aggrediti
e deportati are the great pieces of this
category as they are precisely written :
complex strings, some outburst of persussions,
special atmospheres created, very well done.
Enjoy the fisrt one, with his thin strings,
his progression for its climax ! The whole
is poignant and full of meaning : it concretely
illustrates, with few other pieces like
Un canto di speranza, Tutte le donne, Mediazione
the author’s engagement.
The
unclassified tracks :
Marcia dei fantasmi and Terza lamentazione
with their too different colours than the
whole soundtrack, couldn’t find their place
: a special rhythm and length make them
too far from the general rendition. Not
bad tracks, but “out of the tone” and too
long to be really convincing.
The
whole, being precisely written and with
many themes appears to be cold or at least
serious, avoiding easiness and warmth, and
withdrawn, due to the purpose. Since the
nineties, we have at least two sorts of
Morricone style for dramas/historical movies,
if we simplify a bit : one full of feelings,
warth and tears for the common TV movies
(almost all the Negrin, La casa bruciata,
Musashi, Il Papa buono, Cefalonia, etc)
and one more serious and cold, sophisticated
for later TV dramas (the 2 Karol, L’ultimo
dei Corleonesi, large parts of La provinciale,
etc). Résolution 819 belongs of course to
this second category.
The credits mention some musicians : Marco
Serino (violin), Fausto Anzelmo (alto),
Vladimiro Buzi (“mandoline” but it is mandola),
Gilda Buttà (piano), Miriam Megnaghi (voice),
choir by Nuovo Lirico Sinfonica Romano.
Were not used in the film : Marcia dei fantasmi,
Donne sole, Terza lamentazione, Arrestati
e colpevoli, Caschi blu, Mladic, Nei sogni
and many excerpts and bridges from tracks
6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 mainly, and parts
of other tracks.
A
strong engagement, where we find a great
interest from the Maestro to recent history
and its wars (specially WW 2), Mafia and
dramatic world events, both as man and as
citizen.
Purity versus purifying.
(Here)
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