Some Random 1990s Asian Film Soundtracks

Some soundtracks work to evoke visuals memories of a film; others are simply background and go largely unnoticed; though others you can listen to and not recall much of it ever actually being in the film ('Music Inspired by,' my posterior! - not literally, of course). It's interesting to listen to a film's soundtrack in isolation, removed from the visual elements, to see what it makes you think: of the film; the music itself; or just a feeling of confusion.

The 1990s produced not only some good Asian cinema, but also some nice soundtracks to accompany them, whether original or specifically selected from one's CD collection (in the days when you required shelves to do such a thing). Here is an admittedly limited selection of soundtracks from the aforementioned decade and continent that can fit into one or more of the above categories, all with their own merits, though perhaps for differing reasons.

Maborosi (Maboroshi no hikari)

The thing I found most notable about Kore-eda Hirokazu's breakthrough feature is the use of colour and light. Seemingly filmed entirely in twilight to emphasise the sense of limbo of lead Yumiko, the film is all about mood. But strangely, despite this emphasis, I can't say I recalled too much about the soundtrack on first viewing.

But, recently listening to the soundtrack on repeat while staring at spreadsheets, the soundtrack is indeed as haunting as the visual elements of the film, and while not bringing any specific scenes to mind, it does conjure that same emotions when listing to it. Composed by Taiwanese musician Chen Ming Chang, this acoustic soundtrack combines proper guitar playing with piano and more traditional instruments to create a sound as if awakening from a meditative state, much as the film's conclusion alludes to.

The fact that the soundtrack doesn't particularly stand out on a first viewing is its strength, merging with the visual elements perfectly, for a singular audio-visual experience. While possibly blending into the background of the wider whole as part of the film, the soundtrack is worthy in isolation as a truly brilliant piece of music.

Hana-bi

The soundtrack for Kitano Takeshi's 'Hana-bi' is much more in the foreground. Joe Hisaishi's piano and orchestral accompaniment is a key feature of the film, notably the rostrum camerawork for Kitano's paintings used in the film. For these montages, it feels almost as if the paintings accompany the music, rather than vice versa. On listening, one can't help but recall Horibe's musings as he contemplates his lot.

This is a soundtrack that works on all levels: a prominent feature within the film; a stand-out piece of music in its own right; yet also evokes scenes from the films as listening. 'Painters' is a particular example of this: incidental, enjoyable and recallable all at once; as it 'Thank you...for Everything'. The tracklisting very much works like chapter headings for the film, forever associating the music with the film, but with the audio and visual elements working so well together, this is no bad thing.

The strongest of Hisaishi's collaborations with Kitano, this rivals any works he has composed for Miyazaki.

Dead or Alive (Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha) 

Both the beginning and end of the first film of Miike's 'Dead or Alive' trilogy are quite literally explosive. The in-between bits, however, are more a sombre, moody and character-driven in Sho Aikawa's atmospheric pursuit of Riki Takeuchi. And Koji Endo's soundtrack follows the brief, he was no doubt given, to follow suit.

To start, thrash guitars blast over a near-endless montage of sex, drugs, murder, guns, noodle-splatters, cocaine 'n' rock'n'roll. This gives the misleading belief that you will be treated to a film of endless energy. The reality is somewhat different, however, as Miike chooses a more measured route for most of the film.

The opening scene is mindless, and the repetitive guitar likewise. The remainder of the soundtrack is more incidental, atmospheric music, that - while an intriguing mix of different instruments and sounds - is not as easily recalled and standout in its own right. This is very much a film score.

Chungking Express (Chung Hing Sam Lam)

Wong Kar-wai's soundtracks are always a well-considered, hand-picked selection of local flavours, re-imagined pop classics and obscure rhythms that one can't exactly dance to. The soundtracks, therefore, are varied in style and tempo, though do have a consistency in quality. 'Chungking Express' is perhaps one of the more commercial soundtracks from his films, combining a number of well-known tunes, though not always in original form; the film's star Faye Wong covering a couple of  well-known songs from the hit parade.

The song perhaps dominating the film is the Mamas and Papas' 'California Dreamin''; Faye Wong's character playing it continuously on loop as she works the counter of her food stall. Though this is a film of two halves, and a soundtrack that is likewise. The first-half dominated by Takeshi Kaneshiro's lovesick detective giving a slicker, more noir mood, countered by the more lively second half of the film, with Faye Wong and Tony Leung's unspoken romance.

There has been more than one release of the soundtrack, naturally with pre-released songs featured, some were not originally included, though recent re-issues have seen them restored, but perhaps led to some 'filler' tracks not necessarily included in the film to feature on certain versions. The subsequent 'Fallen Angels' and 'Happy Together' had soundtracks in a similar vein.

Ghost in the Shell (Kokaku Kidotai)

In some films, the soundtrack can steal the show; all thoughts of the film bring you back to its sound. 'Ghost in the Shell' is a seminal anime for a number of reasons: its philosophy; the stunning visuals; and notably Kenji Kawai's soundtrack is with us throughout. After the infamous 'thermoptics' scene, with Major Kusanagi falling into invisibility at the film's start, the film is brought into life with the spine-tingling 'Making of Cyborg', reprised for the standout scene as Kusanagi wanders the cityscape.

Each scene is matched perfectly with the accompanying music to the point where even the silence is perfectly chosen; wonderfully atmospheric as the film moves. For all the film's strengths, when recalling key scenes, the sound is something that comes to mind as much as anything, playing along in the mind with the visuals. Sometimes it is worth watching simply for the soundtrack alone, though I've got it on CD, so don't have to.

The films of the 1990s were much less polished in them days, though there was a lot more artistry for it. Soundtracks are part of this. With the increasing decline in physical media, particularly in film, and the disposable nature of music in the new millennium, film soundtracks are something that could get easily lost and forgotten, when a good soundtrack can make or break the enjoyment of a film. While they have always been something quite difficult to get your hands on and for the purists, studying the soundtrack in isolation is an important part of film critique.

Hopefully the resurgence of vinyl will lead to an increase in re-issues of soundtracks to be enjoyed without having to stream, such as the re-release of the 'Chungking Express' soundtrack last year. Otherwise, you're forking out £200+ to enjoy some random music that most others have little-to-no interest in...Actually, you can maybe see why it's not such a viable commercial option...

Ghost in the Shell

There already is a live-action re-make of 'Ghost in the Shell': 'The Matrix'. I jest, of course, though you can see where the Wachowski brothers got some of their points of inspiration. There are many other versions of the 'Ghost in the Shell' franchise: the Masamune Shirow manga from the 1980s; the Mamoru Oshii anime films; the 'Stand Alone Complex' series; and the 'Arise' series of prequels.

Rupert Sanders' 'live-action' version, therefore, is placing itself into an already crowded market place for guises of the characters developed in the late Eighties. In his interesting piece upon its release, Andrew Osmond discusses how the trailer was designed to tug on our nostalgia strings for the 1995 anime, seemingly recreating some of its most iconic scenes in a 'live-action' form. Though to say this incarnation is 'live-action' is something of a myth, with Scarlett Johansson's face and voice added to an endless stream of CGI effects.

Spending a large budget in recreating a Japanese anime for a Western audience, however, is fraught with danger: Those that are not particularly fans of anime or the franchise will not be drawn to this against the endless stream of comic book franchise extensions already on offer; while fans of the franchise will no doubt find fault in an idea that has now perhaps had its day.

So, what of this new version? Well, to start, it is obviously visually quite impressive. Oshii's 1995 version was stunning to look at, and so this was a necessity. The use of huge holographic advertising across the cityscape create a similar image of a futuristic 'Hong Kong' as before, and the use of bird's eye view scene setting also works throughout. Though, perhaps, there is a little too much going on on screen, making it somewhat difficult to keep up with at times.

The plot is where the greatest differences lie. 'The Major', known to start as Mira, is a refugee from a sunk ship, where most people died. Her brain, saved, is placed in the body of a state-of-the-art cybernetic body, though the memory of her past is vague; mere flashes here and there. As part of cyber-terrorism squad, Section 9, her and her team follow the actions of Kuze, hacking individuals to take out members of the Hanka Robotics staff; staff that created The Major's body. With this connection, she takes a personal interest in the case, drawn to Kuze's accusations of the organisation that created her.  

This is a little more of a direct plot than the anime version, with its ending that draws few full conclusions; only asking more questions. Cutter, the head of Hanka, is a more conventional villain, less seen in the other incarnations, with the bad guys more misunderstood terrorists posing philosophical questions of the Major, which she is always willing to debate. Here, philosophical questions are posed, but in a somewhat different form, just as existential, but somewhat more simplistic - natural for a film aiming for a more universal appeal.  

As with the 1995 version, the focus is on a select few of Section 9: The Major, ever-faithful Batou and chief Aramaki. Johansson is perhaps a natural for the lead role (whitewash arguments aside), with Pilou Asbaek as you would expect of Batou and God himself, 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, as Aramaki, in what appears good casting. Togusa, being wholly human, always an interesting element of the team, is given less showing here. A shame, as Chin Han is likeable in the role. The rest of the team are afterthoughts, casting from all over the globe, giving the team a more global feel. Aramaki's dialogue in Japanese compared to everyone else's English, feels like an attempt to keep things a little Asian based on its roots, though is perhaps as much due to Kitano's language skills and may only fuel the fire of those questioning the casting.

The Major's past and her trying to uncover more from her flashbacks drives her character, with the source of Batou's eyes revealed. We are definitely being introduced to the characters here, Section 9 seeming a more fledgling squad finding its feet. This feels like a prequel, therefore, whereas the 1995 anime throws you in at the deep end.

The 1995 film had its flaws: its short running time missed out much character development, with somewhat budget saving dialogue scenes fairly static to accommodate the more impressive visual moments. The setting is less defined also, based on Hong Kong, though not particularly eluding to the exact location, as with the original manga. Ideas developed more in the Stand ALone Complex series. There is more in the way of narrative and character development here, natural with actors instead of animated characters, giving a more human feel.

The main question, however, is: does this offer anything over the original manga, two Oshii films, two 'Stand Alone Complex' series and 'Arise' prequels? This is a (I was) twenty-eight years old franchise, drawing on inspiration from previous sources, namely Arthur Koestler's 'Ghost in the Machine' and 'Blade Runner'; as well as inspiring subsequent works itself. A fifth awakening, after the weaker 'Arise' stories had probably put a couple of nails in the coffin makes it poorly timed for those in the know.

This review is perhaps a little preoccupied with Mamoru Oshii's 1995 version, though Sander's films haunted by the ghost of its past. Not enough elements from the manga and 'Stand Alone Complex', omitted by Oshii are added, taking three of the most famous scenes from Oshii and trying to shoehorn them into a new storyline. The Major's attempts to recall her past, finding only partial memories, serve as a metaphor for the self-aware referencing of the earlier work.

While visually impressive and not a bad film in isolation, the lack of enough new elements will fail to win plaudits among established anime fans - those putting production points aside that have made the effort to watch it; and the appeal of an anime remake will unlikely draw enough universal appeal over the numerous superhero franchises on offer, with initial box office results perhaps proof of this.