• Composed by Patrick Doyle
• MovieScore Media / 2011 / 38:51

A little-seen 2005 movie directed by Régis Wargnier, Man to Man stars Joseph Fiennes, Kristen Scott Thomas and Hugh Bonneville as 19th century anthropologists who kidnap a couple of pygmies from Africa and take them back to Scotland for research, initially believing them to be the missing link.  Needless to say, along with Wargnier came Patrick Doyle, who has scored seven films for the director, writing some of his very best music in the process (in 2011, La Ligne Droite was a perfect example).  Man to Man is certainly right up there, an adventurous score with a bit of an epic sweep about it, bolstered by one of Doyle’s most memorable themes.  The album opens with a suite, presenting a vaguely Barryesque sweeping version of that theme which is a real treat.

There are occasional hints of Africa in the music (through percussion) but mostly the composer lets the full force of the London Symphony Orchestra do the talking in traditional symphonic style, writing some of his trademark pulse-pounding action music in the process.  There’s a surprising amount of that exciting music, in fact, and even elsewhere in the score Doyle keeps things moving at great pace (and usually great volume).  The music is melodic throughout – there are a couple of secondary themes which aren’t as impressive as the main theme, but still pack a punch.  That epic sweep I mentioned is present on numerous occasions, the composer managing to inject a really impressive tragic air to his music.  This is a very fine album, filled with music of great pomp and passion, and will I imagine become a real favourite amongst Doyle fans.  ****

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