MARK ADLER SCORES BOTTLE SHOCK


Mark Adler, Emmy Award winner for his score for HBO's The Rat Pack, has composed the score for Randall Miller's new film Bottle Shock, which tells the story of the early days of California wine making, and numbers among its cast the likes of Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman. Adler previously worked with the director of Nobel Son and Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School, for which he contributed a charming score.
The score of Bottle Shock features a select band of musicians, including Sid Page on violin, Larry London on clarinet, Peter Maunu on guitars, and the composer himself on a number of instruments, as well as providing vocals.
The composer's publicists, Costa Communications, kindly sent me a promotional CD which, though brief at under 16 minutes, provides a good flavour of the score. The film's "Main Title" is somewhat tentative, but also quite catchy when the principal theme is allowed to flow. "L'Academie du Vin" is an elegant, waltz-like piece, but also a little whimsical. Electric organ and guitars provide a warm feel to "Bent Axle.," continued and expanded romantically for piano and violins in "Sam and Gustavo," though the track takes a more purposeful turn on guitar. "Spurrier Arrives" is a light and bouncy mover, featuring accordion. "The Wine Turns Back!" opens expectantly, with expressive violin, but becomes ever more purposeful and picks up the main theme along the way. "Sam Kisses Bo" flows nicely with guitar and choir, with this all too brief selection concluding with a strong variation on the opening theme in "Bo Represents Napa."
To conclude, Bottle Shock is a pleasant little score, proving what we really knew all along (and that is all too often forgotten these days) that you don't have to have a symphony orchestra to write a good, serviceable film score.
Unfortunately, as I write, I have no knowledge as to the actual amount of score in the film and as to whether there will be a commercial release of Adler's music.