Signs Original Score composer: James Newton Howard label: hollywood released: 07.30.02 our score: 4.0 out of 5.0

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When customized and arranged to compliment the emotional journey of its story, a film score adds a level of depth to the connection the film develops with its viewers. Perhaps that's why filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, a man who is obsessed with driving home the morality and emotions of his films to his audience, takes such careful consideration in choosing the musical backdrop.

At the dawn of his career Shyamalan has shown a tendency to work with similar themes and actors he feels comfortable with. So it comes as no surprise that after successfully coordinating on both The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, Shyamalan would once again turn to composer James Newton Howard for the soundtrack of his latest film, Signs. Both men achieved critical and artistic success with their previous collaborations (both are multi-Oscar winners), and both have reached a comfort level with the other's capabilities.

Howard pays careful attention to the mounting stress and emotional roller-coaster the film carries its audience through, delicately arranging the music to enhance the audiences own reactions. The Signs soundtrack is laden with the string plucking, suspense-building sounds that have become synonymous with the extraterrestrial film genre, but Howard's arrangement of these sometimes tiresome audio clichés brings new life to familiar sounds, and paints a clear picture of the story to even those with their eyes closed.
18-Oct-2002 10:31 AM

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