Stamps Bag

Compiled by Lukas Kendall

Happy Monday Mail Bag. Here are the letters I got in repsonse to my recent column speculating on film composers stamps of the future.

From: Kyu Hyun Kim <kyukim@ucdavis.edu>

I honestly doubt anybody can dispute your choices for the Postally Honored Composers of the Future. I ain't even trying, pal, but like many goodly fun challenges posed by FSM over the years, your latest one got mine brainpan a-cookin'. I have absoultely no qualms about Henry Mancini being included; "Moon River," "Days of Wines and Roses," PINK PANTHER films, MOLLY MAGUIRES, HATARI!, (Remember "Elephant Walk?" ... maybe not) 10 ... I personally believe Blake Edwards-Henry Mancini partnership was as influential and trend-setting for 1960s as any pairing of Hollywood director and composer. I think the only regrettable thing that can be said about Mancini's career is that he was given so few chances to branch into large-scale symphonic scores. I think it would be interesting to see whether Maurice Jarre and Ennio Morricone in your Silver Age list are in any danger of being challenged by Alex North, Leonard Rosenman and Ernest Gold. Someone like Ernest Gold, who is probably not recognized by the sizable chunk of today's American filmgoers, if not soundtrack collectors, has in fact a lot going for them. He did seminal scores for such highly honored and popular (for the time) films as EXODUS and JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG; he has proven himself to be a versatile composer, conversant in a variety of styles. But you are right ... I mean it is goddamn AMAZING, for example, to sit down and go through my old (REALLY old) LP collections, some of which were purchased in Korea, like, 25 years ago, and discover just how many instantly hummable chestnuts of 1960s and 1970s were written by Jarre; DR. ZHIVAGO, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, ISADORA, IS PARIS BURNING?, oh dang, so many ... And then the guy evolves into this ethnic/electronic music guru in '80s with SHOGUN, YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY, WITNESS, etc. So Jarre and Morricone will probably sock their competitions in the gall bladder.

As for the "Digital Age" composers, my main quibble is inclusion of Alan Menken. I don't know whether filmgoers 50 years from now will remember the composer for Disney animated films. (I think Randy Newman has a far better chance) Even if they end up being cherished as contemporary classics, do we really remember who composed music for SLEEPING BEAUTY? DUMBO? I don't even remember who wrote the song "When You Wish Upon a Star." (Due strictly to my ignorance) I think aggressive institutionalization and impersonalization of Disney's cinematic output (they are "Disney musicals" rather than "Stephen Sondheim musicals") actually work against singling out contributions of a film music composer. Other than that ... I think it is really up for grabs at this stage. I am hoping that Howard Shore and Carter Burwell will get a lot of big-budget assignments which will boost their popularity. Personally I think being significant partners of David Cronenberg and Cohen brothers, respectively, for last 15-20 years is more than a sufficient proof of their overwhelming talents. So my vote still goes to Howard Shore being Bernard Herrmann of early 21st century.

From: olivier.leconte@tomao.fr (TOMAO - LECONTE Olivier)

Here's my personal pick for 'Digital Age' (six 90's composers) stamps (JW and JG excluded) :

- James Horner (of course), despite some of his somewhat redundant compositions.

- Christopher Young, for his imprint on horror movies scores and his delicate and sensitive 'lesser' scores.

- Thomas Newman.

- Rachel Portman (yes, a woman in this man-laden list), though she still has plenty of time to evolve to her full potential (and The Cider House rules proves that she's on the right track !)

- Hans Zimmer, who has all the know-how of putting music to images.

- Danny Elfman.

(Cliff Eidelman could be a good outsider for this list for his touching and melodic scores, a kind of worthy successor to the late George Delerue)

(Patrick Doyle and George Fenton could also be legitimate choices)

From: Kronospi@aol.com

I would cast my vote for Jerry Goldsmith, because of his continuing evolution of musical composition and experimentation.

I would love to have seen what he could have done with a feature assignment on a project like Titanic!

It would have been a better picture!

From: John, Dpslate@aol.com

Lukas, those are good additions and I agree with them. There are still a few from earlier that should have stamps though too:

Bronislau Kaper, Hugo Friedhofer, Victor Young along with Rozsa that you mentioned. Also add Skinner.

From: "FINN, BILL" <WILFIN@SAFECO.com>

Before going on to the Silver Age, Digital Age, etc. how about finishing up on the Golden Age? Now I understand why Rozsa could not be among the original stamps, because he has only recently been deceased, but has anyone else noticed who else is missing as well?

Like Victor Young for example? hmmm.. strange omission indeed. Although many people today don't always place him with the forefront of Golden Age composers, at the time he was composing, he was one of the most well known Hollywood composers by the general public, due in no small part to his success with popular songs (much like Mancini a generation later).

From: thomas <thomasc@nowtranslations.com>

Not only could I not improve on your Silver Age list, I couldn't improve on your comparisons between Silver Age and Golden Age types, e.g. Barry for Rozsa? Brilliant!

My quibble is for digital age. I think you left out the most deserving Newman; one is a slave to ethnic percussion and other do-dads whether they fit or not (Thomas); one has yet to prove himself in a wide-enough range of scoring chores (Randy). So while I still like both these boys, I opt for David Newman. His tastes and professionalism remind me time and again of Alfred and that MUST be worth a look in.

Sadly, I agree that James "I did not steal notes from that composer" Horner, the Bill Clinton of film scorers, probably has his stamp spot licked for now, he's not really allowed in the house here, so it's a troubling admission.

From: "Dennis Logsdon" <logied@mediaone.net>

I think your picks are pretty good for the right reasons. I know we are a site of score fans but I would like to mention the Broadway Composers series of stamps also. They go good beside the score collection and for the visual music arts make a nice framed set besides my music collection.

From: Randall Derchan <DSPY007@aol.com>

A Horner stamp, cooool. A Zimmer stamp, awesome. Hey wait, a Giorgio Moroder stamp, oh boy!

Just a little sarcasm to end the millennium with, just in case we face armageddon this weekend, I have to get one last jab. Wait, Armageddon, how about a Trevor Rabin stamp, ooooooh!

From: Mario Sánhez <orchestr@worldonline.es>

Miklos Rozsa isn't include in your list because he died in the mid-'90s, but I see that henry Mancini is in the list. Mancini died in 1994, a year before Rozsa. If a person has to have been deceased for ten years to be on a postage stamp, no Rozsa neither Mancini should be in a stamp.

Let me explain: Rozsa IS on my list. I used him to expand the number of Golden Age stamps from six to seven, and then picked seven Silver Age and "Digital Age" composers. Ah, it's all in the article. Check it out.

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