Anthony Minghella's 1996 film The English Patient won nine Academy
Awards_, including one for Best Original Score. Though Gabriel Yared
had previously composed scores for several films, including Betty Blue,
Camille Claudel, and Vincent & Theo, his work on The English Patient
launched him into international public consciousness. His score for this
film testifies to the continued appeal of a classical, noncommercial
style of scoring, eschewing the use of contemporary pop music for a more
'timeless' sound. In Gabriel Yared's The English Patient: A Film Score
Guide, author Heather Laing offers the most in-depth examination to date
of the work of the composer. Laing examines Yared's approach to film
scoring, his compositional techniques and the impact of his partnership
with Minghella before and after The English Patient_through an
exploration of such films as The Moon in the Gutter, Betty Blue, Tatie
Danielle, IP5, The Lover, City of Angels, and The Talented Mr. Ripley.
The integral role of music in The English Patient is contextualized
within a detailed analysis of the film's narrative construction, themes,
and motifs. The soundtrack is examined as a whole, and the specific
'soundworlds' of each character, location, and relationship are drawn
out as the basis for the overall style and construction of the score.
Musical themes are viewed in both musical and narrative terms, and
musical connections between the themes are identified. A close analysis
of the placement and development of musical themes throughout the film
reveals the complex musical journey that forms a unique and integral
element of the characters.
