The Social Network
by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
The Social Network
Buy online
The Social Network Composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Promotional Release (2010)
Rating:
5/10
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“REZNOR AND ROSS' score for THE SOCIAL NETWORK is more of a retro-like
electronic trip; one that, at times, would seem a better fit into the
world of TRON..., rather than a score for a dramatic,
best-picture-buzz-worthy-film.”
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Review by Christopher Coleman
The story of Facebook, or rather the story of the man behind Facebook,
certainly wasn't a tale that one might expect to be made into a feature
film as early as 2010. The social site itself is only a few years old and
there likely remains a lot of story left to be told about both it and it's
founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Made-for-tv not withstanding, a feature
film about IT titans Steve Jobs or Bill Gates hasn't even been exploi...err
made yet. Now, if a feature film of about one or both of these
icons was to be done, I could see the likes of director David Fincher
taking the reigns. Instead, Fincher chose to adapt the book, THE
ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES (Ben Mezrich), which tells the tale of the young
Mark Zuckerberg and the inception of the global phenomenon, Facebook. THE
SOCIAL NETWORK provides us with a measure of insight into what took place
in those formative years; deep within the academic bowels of the Harvard
campus. Fincher's film paints Zuckerberg as a driven, yet slyly
vindictive young man, who also happens to be brilliant. The drive to
develop something that will truly set himself apart leads him down a
digitally dark path; a path which also happens to lead to great financial
gains and pains. As one might expect, THE SOCIAL NETWORK became one of the
most talked about films on the internet. No small part of that
conversation has been the somewhat surprising inclusion of Nine Inch Nail
leader, TRENT REZNOR, and composer ATTICUS ROSS' as creators of the film's
original score.
Coming off of the languishing and melancholy score from THE CURIOUS CASE
OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, aptly provided by Alexander Desplat, it was initially
no small surprise when it was announced that Reznor and Ross would be
composing the film's score. Reznor's band, NINE INCH NAILS, was hardly
known for being melancholy and ATTICUS ROSS' most recent effort THE BOOK
OF ELI was anything but languishing. If nothing else, it was a clever bit
of marketing to attach the name of "Trent Reznor" to the project, but
the most natural question to ask would be "What sort of original score were we in for?"
REZNOR AND ROSS' score for THE SOCIAL NETWORK is more of a retro-like
electronic trip; one that, at times, would seem a better fit into the
world of TRON (ah but that gig was of course taken), rather than a score
for a dramatic, best-picture-buzz-worthy-film. The score has the merit of,
in totality, not sounding or feeling like hardly any other score in recent
memory, but when taken outside the film, has little listenability. Those
who are already predisposed to the NINE INCH NAIL sound or who connect
strongly with the film will likely disagree on this point; nevertheless,
while it does add a very gritty and pensive texture to the film, it often
plays more like rhythmic sound-design with the occasional melodic
reference.
The first few measures tell us much about Reznor and Ross' take on this
film. Immediately, we get an almost-offputting bit of grunge that would
seem to beg the question "Why so serious?" But, of course, that's the
wrong genre altogether. Layered over the jokery-note is THE SOCIAL NETWORK's
main, and most identifying melody. This simple, 6-note idea injects the
strongest bit of innocence and embraceable characteristic of the
soundtrack. The juxtaposition is certainly an apt one; reflecting the
central figures own duality and inner conflict. We hear this melody three
times in the film and three times on the soundtrack. In addition to track
1, "Hand Covers Bruise", a variant of the simple piano melody is found in
"It Catches Up with You" (4), but here it becomes a bit more distant and
even antiquated. Finally, in "Hand Covers Bruise, Reprise" (16), we get
the original melody one last time, but the piano has faded even further
into the distance, being swallowed up within the countless wavelengths of synths and distorted squelches. The melody is short-lived, just as
Zuckerberg's simplicity and innocence is swallowed up in the legal and
relational turmoil he has created for himself.
Aside from these three tracks, which truly tie the soundtrack together,
there is a plethora of musical styles which range from minimalist drum and
bass to dance to shapeless sound design. While "In Motion" (2) will appeal
to one's "clubbin' side," tracks such as "3:14 Every Night" (7) will pull
your psyche down into the depths with its clicks, drips and it's horrific
swells of strings. Dotting and dashing their way throughout the score is
an interesting 8-bit synth element. While their inclusion seems a bit out
of place, it does help to bring some measure of lightness.
The blend of these divergent styles is somewhat interesting, but it is
definitely distracting, especially on the soundtrack. That said, easily the
greatest guffah of the soundtrack is REZNOR AND ROSS' treatment of the
recognizable "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (12). This piece plays
over the rowing race scene and sticks out like the sorest of thumbs. At
the behest of Fincher, the duo took this classic piece and was told to
"Wendy Carlos" it up. After taking that directive too literal, resulting
in something that's even worse than the final, the two delivered a piece
that I can find no rationale for.
THE SOCIAL NETWORK has had no shortage of award-buzz on the internet and rightfully
so. David Fincher has crafted another character driven drama, featuring
some award worthy performances. Whether the performance of TRENT REZNOR
and ATTICUS ROSS are equally worthy is debatable. I have to concede that
the use of the score within the context of the film worked well enough as
to not call attention to itself (aside from the aforementioned track 12),
but just how much did it enhance the story remains difficult to quantify
in my mind. Involving Reznor and Ross was certainly a bold move by Fincher; full of soundtrack
marketing goodness, but I'm not convinced that the emotional impact of the
film was maximized in it's score. If you already appreciate the work of Reznor and Ross (and or the film)
you'll likely latch onto this soundtrack. Likewise, those looking
for a unique listening experience might find THE SOCIAL NETWORK appealing,
but those in search of a more traditional, dramatic score may have a hard
time clicking the "Like" button.
