Film Score Christmas

by Lukas Kendall

Ho ho ho. It's 3:30 AM and so I must subject you all to another diary-like installment in this web site. Years from now I'll read all of these columns and it will be cool because I'll have a daily journal, with each one beginning "It's too late right now for me to write a good column."

News: Compass III (the label that released the Avengers score) is going to release Danny Elfman's A Simple Plan score.

We've mentioned it before, but the expanded Star Trek: The Motion Picture CD will be out from Sony Legacy on January 26 - for sure!

I hear The Thin Red Line stinks, but I'll see it anyway. Score by Hans Zimmer is very elegiac and lovely and will be out on RCA Victor in mid-January.

Hey, it's Christmas! Are you reading this web site today, or on the weekend? Get good presents? Hanukah Harry brought me a book of blaxploitation poster art with movies like "The Black Gestapo." All right, Jeff Bond got it for me. I can't believe there's a movie made that was called The Black Gestapo, but there was. 1975. It's in the imdb, too.

Gerald Fried Comments

We've shipped out the initial 100 or so orders we got for our newest Silver Age Classics release, a 2CD set of Gerald Fried horror music, and here's a nice letter we go. Go here for complete info

From: MarcGothic@aol.com

What can I say. The new Gerald Fried CD is nothing short of superb. What you guys have done is absolutely amazing. I am a horror junkie. I have been watching these films since I was a kid. Truthfully, I love the Hammer films of the era a lot better, but the main reason that I enjoy Return of Dracula is its score. Same goes for I Bury the Living and The Vampire(my VHS copy is just The Vampire). Except for the silent Caligari I never even heard of this 1962 film but the score was very enjoyable. Never did I even think that you guys would put scores out for pictures like these. Thankyou so very much. I have been reading your mag since the summer of 92. It used to be a quaint pleasure to get your magazine. Now it is an event. My heartfelt thanks for this CD and your continued success with the magazine, website and these great CDs. What devotion and love you put into these things!!! You guys are my heros. OK it's corny . . . but you know what, it's true.

Psycho Correction

Referring to a letter yesterday.

From: Christopher Nagel <rmos@csinet.net>

A quick correction to Brian T. Bilby's post about Psycho: Hitchcock was still under contract with Paramount to distribute his feature films when Psycho was originally released.

Golden Globe Kvetching

See last week's news column for the list of nominations.

From: mw <mwharr@worldnet.att.net>

It's amazing how people have different perceptions...I thought Jerry Goldsmith's score for Mulan was brilliant! It was 30 + minutes and 6 tracks of lean and interesting music that kept me entertained throughout. It was not too long, over produced or over composed like Horner or Williams are guilty of.

And speaking of Williams, it was his nomination that I'm critical of. His music for Saving Private Ryan was somewhat boring and uninteresting. It was only nominated because of its Best Picture status (and goes to show you why I have always felt most award shows are a joke–more a popularity contest than a function of sustance. ..). But as I say, people have different perceptions.

From: CyberKhan@aol.com

After reading over the nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, all I can do is pray that the Oscar Nomination Commitee can do a better job. Williams's score for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was subtle and appropriate, but in my opinion, it is far from being the best score of the year. Goldsmith has had a huge career as a film composer, but I'm afraid he's washed up. His films of recent years have been uninspired and dry. MULAN falls into this category.

I think the best score of the year is LES MISERABLES by Basil Poledouris. Perhaps the best score in his career, LES MISERABLES is filled with emotional power. This piece of music truly shows off the musical-mastermind of Poledouris.

From: "Chris Tilton" <Chris46@email.msn.com>

When I read the Golden Globe nominations for best score I was pretty upset, but not surprised. It's really not that big a deal because we all know that the Golden Globes and Oscars are just a bunch of BS and politics, but I'd figure I'd complain anyway. There isn't a single score that deserves to be on that list except for maybe Prince of Egypt. I love John Williams and all, but his score for Saving Private Ryan was hardly an orginal masterpiece, it was just some musical textures taken from Aaron Copeland that don't go anywhere, but it's Williams so he has to be nominated. The Truman Show score? Please, I thought it was an amusing score because it was so mundane, just like most TV music, but I seriously doubt it was intended to come out that way. I'm sure I don't have to say anything about Mulan and A Bug's Life. Sure, Mulan was entertaining, but best score? Then what should have been nominated? I didn't think that this year was very good year for film scores, but I'm curious to know what other people think the nominations should have been. I can't recall any scores that we actually really good this year, but if I had to pick 5 I'd choose The Prince of Egypt, Great Expectations, The Mask of Zorro (reluctantly), um....crap I can't think of anymore. This year sucked for new film scores!! There are some that I haven't heard that are probaby pretty good. Hey, this year had some great re-releases and re-recordings!! Let's hope '99 has some better scores besides the new Star Wars.

A Big Letter

From: Bellouise, MY3GEORGES@aol.com

My name is Bellouise and I've loved Filmscores since my father, a former movie projectionist, introduced me to the world of Korngold, Rozsa, Waxman and Steiner as a child, in the 60's.

I know film composing is a very intense and demanding career. To really appreciate the tremendous sacrifices these people (mostly men) make in order to bring their work to the public, I would be interested to know some revealing statistics about the "average" film composer -- such as the average age / cause of death of a film composer,( like heart attack or high blood pressure from too much deadline stress?), his average salary or if he died broke, whether he was married or divorced or ended up living alone all his life, whether he left any children behind or only his great works of art. It might not be a "pretty picture," but it would give aspiring composers a reality check about their proposed careers. And only the truly persistent (dare I say OBSESSED)! will make it in such a competitive field. I know these aren't Poll Questions for fans but it would make a great research project for some film magazine to do. If the answers were known, they would certainly inform the public of the great toll that composing takes on even its most prolific writers. They often have to give up a "normal" life. Many are very lonely people -- since not many women are willing to put up with "an absentee husband" who must spend so much time with his "mistress" ~ (MUSIC) alone in his studio or has to leave home for months at a time for work. It would help the fans see what their favorite composers often have to go through to bring us the music we love! And I am all for finding new ways to further the public's appreciation and respect for the art of filmscoring. It's NOT just about the music! These are real people here and not just great artistes who can crank out 6 or 7 scores a year. Too often their own humanity is forgotten, in the celebration of their marvelous work!

I enjoyed the article you wrote about film schools. However, I do disagree with you about young people not being able to know their true career path until they are much older.

I knew as a very little girl that I was born to be an entertainer and followed that dream all the way through grammar, middle, high school and college. I started piano work at 5, voice, dance and acting at 13. I don't think you can ever be too young to start doing what you love! (My 13 year old nephew is a deejay and already has his own weekly radio show - Music For the Walk - in Las Vegas on station K K V V)! I went on to train for 9 years before I got my first big professional show (working with Baryshnikov) and enjoyed a very successful career in stage work (Vegas Production Shows), TV, Film and Videos.

Some people recognize their unique gifts early and some learn about them later...the important thing is to stay focused, work hard and keep believing that God gave you these gifts ~ For a Purpose~ and that He WILL provide the best opportunity for you to utilize them! One's job is to be PREPARED and READY when "the big break" comes! I know it's easy to become disillusioned with one's dreams, especially in a town like LA. Only searching one's soul can tell you, if or when, it's time to give up! Sometimes we have to open our hands and let go of the old dreams in order to accept the new ones that God wants to give us! I don't know the future of your musical career, but you definitely have a talent for communicating your love of film music with others. That is a great gift to many of us and we appreciate it more than you will ever know!

Thanks for your long, thoughtful letter. I don't think there is a single "prototype" composer since there are so many different types of people doing film music now. All we can do is profile them one by one, which we have tried to do.

The people that brought you the Twelve Mile Reef Bernard Herrmann web site have now launched a new site devoted to Miklos Rozsa: check it out at http://members.tripod.com/miklosrozsa

Ho ho ho! Have a wonderful day. Happy holidays! I just realized that if not for all of you people who like to read about film music, I'd have to get a real job which I'd probably hate. Instead, I get to write about film music. I love you all. Joy to the soundtrack world.

MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com