Amazon.co.uk Review
Having won an Oscar for
Shakespeare in Love, Stephen Warbeck turns his attention from the world's greatest playwright to the most despised author of all. Yet while
Quills is a darkly comic historical drama about the Marquis de Sade, those expecting a film whose protagonist's very name spawned the word sadistic to feature nothing but nightmarish cacophony will be surprised by the diversity and imagination of this music. Preconceptions are undermined by the remarkable beauty and luxurious melody of the early tracks; there is a dignity and resigned grace to "The Marquis and the Scaffold", while the restrained choral elegance of "The Convent" echoes Preisner's
The Double Life of Veronique. When the inferno begins, Warbeck unleashes a fury which builds upon relentless, Herrmannesque strings, gaining full force in the mesmerising, continually escalating set piece "The Last Story". Making this score unique is the combination of orchestra, choir, ancient instruments such as the shawm, serpent and cittern, and specially invented new instruments to combine in a dislocated, insane symphony of the damned. The finale brings everything together in an extensive reverse overture, while several standout cues make exceptional use of percussion. The boldest, most remarkable score since Eliot Goldenthal's
Titus, only a masochist could fail to enjoy it. --
Gary S. Dalkin
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