Bad Education
Informed by a vintage Hollywood production sheen and flashback-fueled, identity-questioning melodramatics worthy of Hitchcock, Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar's sexually-charged film was quickly hailed as a mature masterpiece. The film's classic Hollywood conceits are deep-rooted, and Iberian composer Alberto Iglesias reinforces the film's often retro mood via a brooding, classically oriented score with an ear towards history. It may briefly excerpt Rossini's "Kyrie" to haunting effect, but the touchstone here is the Bernard Herrmann of Hitchcock's prime, with an emphasis on their epochalVertigoand especially the tense, dark strings ofPsycho(which "Escena Familiar" and "Cine Olimpo" echo with haunting grace). But while Iglesias capably evokes the color and spirit of those iconic touchstones, he crucially does it without sacrificing his own identity. Evocations of Spanish culture come mostly via vintage performances of "Quiza, Quiza, Quiza," "Cuoro Matta" and others, but on the expansive "Puerta Finale" the composer skillfully interweaves his Herrmann influences with touches of mournful jazz, flamenco and "Kyrie"'s choral echoes, creating a compelling, oft chilling post-modern new whole.-- Jerry McCulley