Film Score Friday 11/27/98
by Lukas Kendall
I'll keep today's news column short because it's the holiday weekend
and I'm full of turkey. Aint It Cool News had a piece on the delayed-yet-again
Star Trek: The Motion Picture CD this week: see it at http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=2554.
According to the article, the album will be out January 26, but I haven't
been able to confirm this.
From: sharol <sharol@jps.net>
In response to a letter that mentioned a film composer that should
receive a first Oscar, you said Ennio Morricone should. Didn't Morricone
win an oscar for "The Mission"?
Actually no, but he was nominated for it. That was the year that Round
Midnight won, even though it was mostly other music, not Herbie Hancock's
score, that people were voting for. My college roommate and I once were
at a sushi restaurant in NYC seated next to Herbie Hancock and his huge
entourage. I just remembered that. Morricone has also been nominated for
Days of Heaven, The Untouchables and Bugsy.
The legendary "argh!" story about Morricone is that the score
he would have had his best shot of winning with wasn't even nominated...
somehow, the film company and/or his agency forgot to submit Once Upon
a Time in America, and so obviously it was not nominated. Isn't that
amazing? He must have been pissed. What a beautiful score that is.
Preston Jones News Friday
From: Preston Jones <pjones@fulpat.com>
In no particular order:
Today's (11/24/98) L.A. Times Calendar section contains a review
of the Long Beach Museum of Art's presentation of "Toccata for Toy
Trains," film by the Eameses with (of course) Elmer Bernstein's score.
People who've been clamoring for an interview with James Horner
can slake their thirst by reading one in the November issue of the British
magazine CLASSIC CD. (The cover touts the "talk with the world's most
successful Film composer," and also features a picture of Renee Fleming,
"Previn's New Girl.")
According to a review in Tower Records' PULSE (Nov.), of Helen Merrill's
Verve album of vocals, "You and the Night and the Music," "Fans
of Hollywood composer Victor Young will be pleased to find no less than
four of his compositions included."
The Motion Picture Academy will screen at its Goldwyn Theater on
Tuesday, December 1st, DUEL IN THE SUN, newly restored and complete "with
original roadshow overture by Dimitri Tiomkin." Star Gregory Peck
will appear in person.
Thanks for putting my query about Varese Sarabande's The Cowboys
CD in the Friday column. The attached, from the thoughtful Mr. Jack Lee,
was waiting for me when I came into work this morning:
There was indeed a channel reversal on earlier pressings, which
Varese rectified. The only way to tell which pressing you have is to look
at the disc itself (you know, that imprint thingy done by the pressing
plant, around the center of the disc). The first batch says "VSD5540";
the second run also says that, followed by a letter. I think it was "B,"
or "C" or something like that. Sorry I don't remember which letter;
I read about this three years ago (I have the "wrong" version).
But basically all you do is look for the letter. Also, although some felt
the sound mix wasn't especially strong (weak bass), this was *not* changed.
Trivia
From: Paul MacLean <skye@lightlink.com>
I like the idea of starting trivia questions in the website. Here's
one I've been wanting to test on people for a long time...
Question: What was the first film on which Steven Spielberg and
Jerry Goldsmith both worked?
"Duh, Poltergeist" most would answer.
WRONG! It was Ace Eli and the Rodger of the Skies, which Spielberg
co-wrote, and Goldsmith scored (notice I said "both worked on"
not necesarily collaborated on).
Thanks Paul. I did not know Spielberg's connection to Ace Eli.
I saw a few minutes of the movie once on cable... it's a cheesy early '70s
score with pop backbeats, but I was still like, "Is that Jerry?"
Extra Mulan Cut?
From: "RomanDeppe" <roman.deppe@metronet.de>
As MULAN opened now in Germany, I remember people complaining about
the soundtrack that the music where Mulan cuts her hair and takes her father's
sword wasn't on the CD. Now the German CD is released and that cue is in
fact feature here, it's called METARMOPHOSIS. As I don't know the cue listing
of the US-Version I can't tell for sure that it is the music the people
meant, but I am pretty sure. It's heavily electronic, an easy Zimmer-esque-piece,
but pretty heroic and cool.
If it is that music, then I am not surprised that i t is available
over here, because Disney used to do that already before, so does the CD
of LION KING feature a 5 minute extra cue by Zimmer (Hyens, a pretty scary
action cue).
So folks, if you really want that cue, buy the German release (maybe
over some import?), but to be warned, it's not very long and spending a
fortune just for 1 minute is something to think about.
Thanks for the info.
Enemy of the Schedule
From: Letterbox9@aol.com
Why was Hans Zimmer (longtime collaborator with Tony Scott), taken
off Enemy Of The State and replaced with Trevor Rabin? Did Zimmer have
conflicting schedules with other films and therefore just couldn't produce
a decent enough score? Or did creative differences arise during post-production
with Scott?
Zimmer has been tied up on Terry Malick's The Thin Red Line for
the better part of this year, and was unable to score Enemy for
that reason.
I Still Know Still...
From: Ben Green, Jbagreen@aol.com
The point of 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' and (I hope) the
sequel, is that it is merely a basis for all of us to watch Jennifer Love-Hewitt.
The story and any technical aspects are merely secondary. I think you should
give the film another chance and you might see the better points in it.
From: ADoughty1@aol.com
Subject: I Still Know that you did not like 'Last Summer'
Continually making sport of maligning "I Know What You Did
Last Summer" leads me to wonder: can shooting fish in a barrel be
all that much fun for you? Not that I didn't like the film--I did--but
should one even bother to blast a movie which so deliberately, eagerly
served up its smorgasbord of eighties cliches? I, for one, found the fact
that 'Summer' didn't disguise its real intentions refreshing in an age
when other post-Scream entries in this reinvigorated genre--such as 'Urban
Legend'--feel compelled to pile on the postmodern trappings to throw people
off the scent of their merely being technically polished gut-knotters,
roller coasters for the viscera. Sure, it's base, low-level catharsis,
but when 'Summer' has a great ol' time intentionally embodying that spirit,
it hardly makes sense to say, in effect, "Why, this is merely base,
low-level catharsis!" Kevin Williamson has said that 'Summer' was
the sort of film 'Scream' poked fun at, and in the same manner in which
the teens of that film and its sequel engaged in deconstructing slasher
conventions, the "pro-summer" crowd had a blast at "I Know
What You Did...," ogling all the in-your-face, surrealistically heaving
bosoms and noting how Jennifer Hewitt--she of the Uber-lungs--seemed to
be having a great time screaming her guts out. 'Summer' does wink lightly
at the audience; it's not totally unconscious of what it's doing. I mean,
there really are many, many breasts of mythic scope on parade in that film
(Hewitt's action figure packaged hers as an 'accessory,' in their own,
separate compartment...). But that light wink, a considerably more polished
look than 'Summer's' eighties progenitors, a cast of name, knockout "it"
girls and today's current be-slickered, hook-handed-bogeyman incarnation
of death, and you've got refit, "ritual" filmmaking for the end
of the millennium; the youth market's glam, stylized rendition of the eternal
dance/struggle of life, sex and death (not necessarily in that order).
So you can take Ms. Hewitt's breasts (...the "astonishingly dull"
part of the film for you? Gellar's?) or leave 'em. I'll buy my ticket for
"I Still Know...," grinning slyly...and something tells me you'll
be in line somewhere behind me. C'mon, tell me you're not going to see
this one! I don't believe you. "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
wasn't Kubrick, Carpenter, Cronenberg or Craven, but I'd swear there was
a tinge of De Palma--the ultimate 'style as substance' director--in a few
frames of it. Watch it again and see if you can spot where. Think "Blow
Out," and "Dressed to Kill". I know, you think I'm arrested--or
ought to be--on charges of over-analysis!
Okay, whatever.
Polls
From: "Wilson Maffetano" <wilfemaff@sti.com.br>
I really don't agree with your comments to Mr.Juan-Luis Sanches
poll propositions, regarding the Goldsmith's scores you've mentioned. I
believe that one of the worst scores he composed was "Link".
In fact, here in Brazil, it's his lesser wanted score, and those who have
it (including me), got it only to complete their Goldsmith collection.
And I still don't understand why this constant prejudice against ST.TMP.
I agree that it's overlong, slow and very predictable, with a screenplay
based on many episodes from classic Trek, but nevertheless it has great
images, a sense of mystery in many moments, and of course, the Enterprise
has never been so beatifull, before or after it. I consider "Rio Conchos"
the best music composed for a genuine dreadful movie. I listened the score
many years before seen the movie, and when I finally saw it... well, let's
shall we say I don't have enough words to express my deception... One could
mention "Take a Hard Ride" too. A great score in one extreme,
and a sauceless spaghetti western in other... Anyway, my compliments on
your excelent poll choices, although with really surprising results sometimes.
And here comes my sugestion: what about a poll about the best score among
less popular works, by genre?. Per example, in Sci-Fi: James Horner's "Battle
Beyond the Stars", Elmer Bernstein's "Spacehunter", John
Williams "Heartbeeps", Goldsmith's "Damnation Alley",
etc...
That would be hard to do, because people would vote for whatever the
Williams effort is, then Goldsmith, Bernstein and Horner, in that order
(or swap Bernstein and Horner). Thanks to all the people who have contributed
to the current Phantom Menace poll. We'll have some of the written
responses next week about it.
Hooray for Us
From: Louis Banlaki <lbanlaki@ciena.com>
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading your magazine.
I've been an avid film score lover since I was about ten years old. I guess
it was Jerry Goldsmith's score from PLANET OF THE APES that did it for
me. Now with a little over 115 scores of his in my private collection,
I still believe him as the master in this field, but John Williams comes
next. Of the younger generation of composers I firmly believe Joel McNeely
to be the best of the lot and his score from THE AVENGERS solidified my
belief. As to James Horner let's just say I've heard better. I do hope
you do some more articles on McNeely and Goldsmith in future. Keep up the
great work, guys!!
From: Rocco Iuele, LBUFFIE@aol.com
Hello people at film score monthly, just wanted to send best wishes
on a very special thanksgiving, you perform a great service to film soundtrax
collectors either just starting out or doing this for a long time.i also
remember your early issues, i used to make my way to manhattan, to footlight
records which was the only place that sold the mag, i still go every once
in a while to buy it there, when i make it to the city.i now live in new
jersey, so i travel there less lately.i do miss it though.i cant describe
how much you have helped in buying decisions, and your reviews are just
great.
From: Tony Buchsbaum, Ynotbox@aol.com
I can't recall a classier thank-you than Lukas's
on Thanksgiving Day.
But the real thanks should go to Lukas himself, who had the vision
and the determination to give all of us film-music geeks not just a forum,
but a magazine to look forward to every month (give or take). His hard
work on not just the paper version, but the net version and all the CDs...the
list goes on and on. He is someone to share ideas with, and someone to
admire, truly, for getting out there and doing it.
Again, Lukas, THANK YOU for it all.
Here's to an even better 1999!!
Thanks! Have a wonderful holiday weekend everybody. See ya Monday.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
| 
