Cary Wong rightly gives a strong review to the soundtrack CD accompanying Wong Kar Wai's latest ode to social alienation. Umebayashi's score deftly moves in and out of the pre-existing material by Delerue, Preisner and Peer Raben. The new Raben piece is impressive, and the inclusion of the Siboney and Perfidia is a boon to fans of Wong's film Days of Being Wild, which sadly never resulted in a soundtrack album. The Casta Diva, Sinatra and Nat King Cole pieces take the whole thing to a level of pop culture awareness which is characteristic of all of Wong's soundtracks. The Secret Garden piece is possibly one of their best - strings and cor anglais is truly one of the most touching acoustic combinations I can imagine. The images of Faye Wong and Takuya Kimura embracing in 2046 (while travelling to 2046 in the year 2046) were stunningly romantic, and Wong was brave to match the romance of the image with the romance of the music.

There is a mixture of styles in the Umebayashi score - at times jazzy in its stylings, but often austere and classical, as in the march-like main theme. As in 'In the Mood for Love', where Umebayashi's formal but sinuous waltz for Yumeji's Theme characterised the relationship waiting to happen between the main characters, again dance forms are creatively used to depict the moral descent of Chow Mo Wan (Tony Leung) from romantic figure to user of women. Bossa Nova (Main Theme - Bossa Nova rendition), Polonaisse (Polonaisse), and the march of the main theme itself is a kind of solo dance.

One thing that does seem clear to me is that Umebayashi did some pieces that might have been intended as replacements for the pieces from previous soundtracks. 'Lost' seems to follow the structure of 'Decision' very closely, but is more epic in parts than Preisner's piece. 'Long Journey' seems to borrow some of the aesthetics of Peer Raben's material in 'Sisyphos at Work' - it's again more epic sounding than the original with timpani rolls and an expansive sounding saxophone solo. The 'Interludes' I can't place in the film - they are low string based pieces. What makes this particularly interesting is that Wong has commented that he often gets a composer to write before seeing the scene. So would he actually have given the pieces to Umebayashi as starting points which the composer could choose his degree of departure from?

The liner notes are possibly the most articulate for a film in recent time. The author goes to some lengths to tie the different pre-recorded pieces and original score cues to the characters and how Wong uses music to create an emotional response in the viewer which is hard to understand but very easy to feel anyway. (It's always my response to his films - I'm overwhelmed by it all, even when I don't know what's going on.) The story of the use of the Secret Garden Adagio on the set during the scene is accompanies in the final film is an inspiration - it's good to know there's a director out there with an assured audience who isn't afraid to use gorgeous romantic music. Think of it - this guy's temp track is Delerue, Peer Raben and Preisner!

2046 is an utterly amazing film, and WKW's use of music is as essential to its greatness as the story, the ravishingly gorgeous (and talented) cast and the lush, delectable photography.

Brave, as you say. It helps to be as good a filmmaker as Wong Kar-Wai is...I think there are few directors working now who could push for such romanticism without having it seem forced or hokey (though I would like to see more of them try). The music feels lost in time, just like the characters in the film, drowning in their own longing for the past, or their longing to forget it.

I really have to see this film again (and get the soundtrack).

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Originally posted by James:
Brave, as you say. It helps to be as good a filmmaker as Wong Kar-Wai is...I think there are few directors working now who could push for such romanticism without having it seem forced or hokey (though I would like to see more of them try). The music feels lost in time, just like the characters in the film, drowning in their own longing for the past, or their longing to forget it.

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Yes. Would that Delerue had been alive after Wong had come to prominence - finally a film-maker who would have given him gainful employment.