Film Score Friday 9/24/99
by Lukas Kendall
Rykodisc's CD of For Your Eyes Only has been pushed back to 2000.
But the good news is that they've done this to be extra sure to have unreleased
music on the album, a la Living Daylights. Ryko is moving their offices
so cut them some slack.
Wow, was our attempt at a new message
board soundly rejected. We've reinstated the old one. The new one we'll
file away with New Coke and DIVX.
Still no word on whether there will be a CD of For Love of the Game.
A 20-25 min. promo CD was handed out at some industry screenings. The commercial
album on MCA only has one track of Basil Poledouris's score. Speaking of
which, here's a letter from an admiring fan:
From: movieeddie@webtv.net (Eduardo Abrahantes)
Just came back from viewing For The Love Of The Game and found myself
falling in love with what I feel is one of the most beautiful scores in
recent years.In the same way James Horners Fields Of Dreams score gave
us what it would be like to play ball in a corn field and dream and wonder
of those days when the game was young,Basil Poledouris takes us back to
the love of the game with a score that only shows us he is still one of
the most romantic composer around.
From the very begining we are introduced to Billy Chapel (played
by Kevin Costner)and find out just what baseball means to him, With Poledouris
we go along with that journey with every heart felt pitch of the ball.
I found it to be a wonderfull score and hope someone gives it the respect
it deserves by giving it a label release.Iam counting on you to please
keep us posted if this does happen. Once again, thank you for all the wonderfull
news and keep up the great work your doing with the site and the magazine.
Doyle TV Appearance
From: Preston Jones <pjones@fulpat.com>
FYI, Patrick Doyle was profiled on the wonderful CBS News Sunday
Morning program bright and early yesterday. Seems he's recovering nicely
from a threatening illness and is now, as they titled the piece, "Back
On Track." Also: Can't recall the name of the troupe, but in the LA
Times Calendar last week they reviewed a dance recital that had been performed
to the tune of Korngold's symphony...
What Dreams May Come
Here's a good question:
From: "Ed Wang" <pugsley@excite.com>
Something that's been bugging me: the end credits to "What
Dreams May Come" states that Chris and Annie's Theme (the melody heard
in the main titles) is based on the song "Beside You," composed
by Martin Fulterman and Michael Kamen. The song is contained on the soundtrack
album, but is credited to Mark Snow and Michael Kamen. Would this be "The
X-Files"'s Mark Snow, and was a pseudonym used in the movie's credits?
I think I know the answer to this, but as it's now midnight I can't
call Mark Snow himself to confirm. When Kamen did his What Dreams May
Come score, he did it at the last minute (he replaced a score by Morricone)
and used an old composition he wrote with Mark Snow, "Beside You,"
from decades ago, possibly when they were at music school (Juilliard?)
together. And I think Martin Fulterman is either Mark Snow's real name
or a pseudonym, as you surmise. Check out the ASCAP listing for Harry Fulterman
(http://www.ascap.com/ace/writers/detail.cgi?recNo=14828);
it's basically Mark Snow's credits (http://www.ascap.com/ace/writers/detail.cgi?recNo=14827).
I guess "Mark Snow" is a sexier name to build a career on.
Bond
From: "Brian McVickar" <Brian.McVickar@alltel.com>
I was curious to know if people are anticipating David Arnold's
new Bond score this fall for "The World Is Not Enough". I am
interested to hear if he'll continue augmenting his music with the contemporary
rhythm tracks, which are admittedly cool (like 'Backseat Driver'), or refer
more to the early Barry scores. What got me thinking was that I recently
rewatched "Diamonds Are Forever" and I am always impressed at
how well John Barry's music leads that movie along with being overt. There's
an early sequence in the desert with Mr. Kidd and Mr. Went when they drop
that scorpion down the dentist's back and it was incredible how subtly
creepy Barry makes this sequence with only a few sinister chord progressions
and that slinky flute tune. It's also great how much variety and color
he gets from the title song, one favorite version being the cue when Bond
arrives at the airport in Nevada with the body of Peter Franks. I guess
I'm just hoping that David Arnold is insightful enough to know how and
why Barry did what he did so well in the Bond films, being selective in
spotting and not too overbearing, which Arnold's music often was in "Tomorrow
Never Dies", especially in that motorcycle chase sequence. Any comments?
I think the best James Bond movies, the great ones of the '60s and early
'70s with Connery, bear no relation to the current movies.
Plans?
From: Robert Baum, cnm@pond.com
Does anyone know if there are ever any plans to release the score
from the 1984 film "Tightrope?" It is a decent Lennie Niehaus
effort along with some work by a group called the James Rivers Movement.
I wonder if this was an entity Clint Eastwood created so no one would know
that he did some music. Now I have no idea if indeed he did anything other
than give a heck of a performance and producing the film but I believe
that he wrote--or at least had a a hand in creating--music for "Pale
Rider," "Unforgiven," "A Perfect World," "The
Bridges of Madison County" and did some singing in "Bronco Billy,"
"Any Which Way You Can," and "Honkytonk Man."
I wonder if "Firefox" will ever be released. I was under
the impression that Maurice Jarre's scores will always be put out somewhere.Could
it be that some thought that releasing a synth score the same summer that
"Blade Runner" was released would be a bad idea?
In general, there are probably no plans to do anything you might want.
Sad but true. I love the Firefox score with the goofy heroic theme.
Preisner Appearance
From: "Iain Herries" <iainherries@x-stream.co.uk> (by
way of
On Friday 15th October, as part of the Leeds International Film
Festival, Zbigniew Priesner will be at the Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds,
discussing his collaborations with director Krzysztof Kieslowski. There
will be a showing of Three Colours:Red to follow.
For more information go to www.leedsfilm.com,
or e-mail filmfestival@leeds.gov.uk
or call the information line on 0113 247 0398, or for tickets the
Civic Theatre Box Office in Leeds on 0113 245 5505.
Jaws Piece
See the Jaws
overture article we recently printed.
From: Michael Matessino <mikem@sharplinearts.com>
The author of the JAWS article is obviously (hopefully) European,
since he identifies the Williams' ostinato heard at the beginning of the
film as alternating between F and F sharp. The European television system
PAL is based on a frame rate of 25 frames per second. In America it is
30. Here, films shot and projected at 24 f.p.s. are transferred to video
by repeating 6 frames out of every 24 to stretch it to 30. In Europe, they
simply transfer the film by playing it at 25 f.p.s, thinking no one will
notice. Visually it's not bad, but this increase of one frame per second
raises the pitch of the music by a semi-tone. The JAWS main title ostinato
was written and played as E, F, E, F, etc. On a European videotape, from
a transfer done at 25 f.p.s, it becomes F and F sharp. Personally, I find
this annoying and can't believe that composers haven't complained about
it in all these years.
Warning: Don't use this stuff to pick up girls.
From: Randall Derchan <DSPY007@aol.com>
Interesting article. It is no doubt that "Jaws" is clearly
one of the great commercial films of the century. William's music, any
cue, brings back a real nostalgic feeling in me. It was one of the first
soundtracks I ever bought and will always be cherished. It was music that
you could really sink your teeth into. Sorry.
The First Score
From: "JOHN O'LAUGHLIN" <jmolaughlin@worldnet.att.net>
Can you tell me what was the first movie score/soundtrack ever written,
when, and by whom? I have tried, to no avail, to find the answer to this
question. I hope you are able to help me. I need this information for school.
If you can't help me, can you direct me to a website that can?
I told John to start his life of crime already because I don't know.
It depends on the interpretation, but I seem to recall the first score
ever is for a 1906 or 1907 silent film, The Assassination of the Duke
de Guise, by Saens-Saenz. I think I just got all of that information
wrong. Well, too bad, somebody correct me.
Article...
If you're into digital orchestras and synths, check out an article at
Sonic Control:
http://www.soniccontrol.com/tech/midi/articles/090199/digitalorchestra.shtml
Have a nice fall weekend!
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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