The Prayer Cycle/Jonathan Elias/Pathfinder

[The Scarlet Parsnip]

I am still waiting for my copy of THE PRAYER CYLCE to arrive, its
third movement used for the trailer of Kingdom of Heaven... but knock
me over with a feather to discover I have already heard his music in a
ghastly film- but don't remember the music, and thankfully remember
little of the film PATHFINDER (another example of taking the Viking
mythos and screwing it up).
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Actually, the music for PATHFINDER is likely just what you might
expect. Brooding, pulsing, occasionally tumultuous - are all things
that might spring to mind. While PATHFINDER contains all of the above,
there is a surprising amount of thematic music. The end result is a
better-than-expected soundtrack presentation.

The overall tone for PATHFINDER is set in the first track, "Opening
Credits." Here we get our first dose of percussion, wordless vocals,
and tension building strings with brass accents. This instrumentation
is used most often in the more intense moments of the film (and there
are a lot of them). "Vikings Attack" (7) goes down this same musical
road before it ends with a surprising, soprano lead vocal. "Ghost
Fight" (9) treads the line of sounding more like a horror score (with
native american overtones) until things become quite industrial at
just at the 2/3 mark. Even more creepiness oozes its way into the
score in tracks such as "Eye for an Eye" (11) and "Cave Maze" (16).
This moaning didgeridoo found in "Eye for an Eye," among other places,
is the creepiest thing I've heard in a score in a long time. One of
the most powerful tracks is "First Kill" (10) where Elias really gets
the orchestra and choir going. The first half is bold and beautiful,
but by the second half we are returned to the staples of percussion,
electronic samples, and the obligatory anvil hits. Pathfinder goes
beyond the somewhat formulaic, action/thriller stuff and the few
moments of respite are met with some the scores most interesting
moments.

"Sanctuary" (4) is are first musical breather. Here we get a very
melancholy, lullaby-like piece lead by woodwinds and supported by
sumptuous string work. The love-theme is introduced in track 6,
"Starfire." It is a solid piece which Elias pushes, by track's end, to
a wonderful crescendo. This theme makes a brief, but welcome, return
at the conclusion of "Ice Lake" (19). It's a shame this theme didn't
get utilized more. Other tracks such as "Healing Ceremony" (13), and
"Moving on" (14), help round out PATHFINDER. Without such pieces, this
score would certainly fall into the crowded company of countless other
action/thrillers. The soundtrack comes to a very optimistic and
satisfying concluding track "Prophecy Fulfilled" (23). The hope and
brightness of this track truly stands out from the majority of this
score and gives glimpse of where Jonathan Elias can go when the
opportunity affords itself. Unfortunately, more often than not, he
has tied himself to darker films which rarely give him such open
doors.

With very personal works like THE PRAYER CYCLE, it's a surprise that
Jonathan Elias doesn't do more projects which allow him to utilize his
immense talent. It was my hope against hope that PATHFINDER would not
be full-on action...full-on thriller. Well my hopes were met in part.
Following on the heals of 300, PATHFINDER leaves a lot to be desired,
yet the score is might be more approachable than Tyler Bate's
hyper-aggressive work. There is some heart and tenderness in Elias'
work here...enough to warrant serious purchase consideration. In the
end, PATHFINDER, might end up with at least a nomination in the 2007
Cue Awards for "Surprise of the Year." Although it might not be true
for the film, the score for PATHFINDER could have been worse....much
worse.