Ulysses' Gaze

As a movie, Theo Angelopoulous's Ulysses Gaze is, at the very least, epic in scale. For three hours, Harvey Keitel travels to and through war-torn Sarejevo seeking ancient film footage. The story labors, but its images are beautiful, as is its soundtrack--composed by Eleni Karaindrou and led by the haunting viola solos of Kim Kashkashian. The instrumentation accentuates the flick's somber setting: viola, oboe, accordion, and trumpet sound like they're all wailing away here. On the scores best cuts, the instruments all take alternate turns--these melodic conversations (as on track nine) give the disc its character. This is really music for rainy days, but it also lacks enough dynamics to make it memorable. "Ulysses Theme" shows up nine different times here--making this less a full-bodied score and more a disc of variations. As good as it is, you can't help but wonder if a little more sonic variety would have made this movie ponder just a bit less. --Jason Verlinde