Matilda

Roald Dahl is a great writer, no doubt about it. When Matilda was released in 1996, many fans of the book were pleased at how much care was put into the movie. Director (and actor) Danny DeVito managed to actually find common ground in adapting the story while still modernizing it without going to far. To compose the music was a member from the musical Newman family, this time being David. While managing to create a fun score for this project, Matilda does get a little long in the tooth.

Alot of Newman's signature quirky writing style (also shared by his brother; Thomas) is present here. 'Home From the Hospital', 'Hair Tonic', 'FBI in the Garage', 'Brucie Eats it All', 'Let's Get Sticky' and countless other tracks use crazy melodies, guitar riffs, and strange combinations of sound. As for the more serious music, David Newman uses more conventional styles of writing. Matilda's theme, played on a clarinet, is soft but light-hearted. A piano melody is used to represent Miss Honey. As for the villain of the film, The Trunchbull, Newman exaggerates the orchestra, with loud brassy blasts fitting for a monster movie.

The main problem with this score is the fact that there really isn't anything to reccomend. For those who love David Newman's quirkier material, will definitely love this album. Otherwise, there really isn't anything that makes this stand out from any of his other comedic scores. The album starts off fun in the first half, but sadly becomes repetitive. There are some interesting moments; especially the tension filled parts ('Trunchbull's House' and 'End of Trunchbull') and the softer melodies work fairly well but 60 minutes for this score is a tad too long.