Film Score Friday 1/12/00
by Lukas Kendall
Milan is releasing a soundtrack to Frasier, the NBC TV series,
featuring a variety of jazz originals and standards relevant to the show
-- plus dialogue. Release date is January 23.
Following up on last week's partial announcement, Silva Screen's 2CD
Jerome Moross recording (Paul Bateman conducts City of Prague Philharmonic)
will contain themes and some extended suites from The Cardinal (23
min), The Proud Rebel, Seven Wonders of the World, The Jayhawkers, The
Captive and Close-Up. It's due February 27th. See www.silvascreen.co.uk
Coming January 23 from Telarc is a new recording of Aaron Copland's
film music: Celluloid Copland (Jonathan Sheffer cond. Eos Orchestra)
featuring The City, From Sorcery to Science, The Cummington Story
and The North Star.
James Horner is scoring John Woo's WindTalkers (MGM), starring
Nicolas Cage and involving Navajo Indian codes from World War II.
Our pal Recordman has been living it up on ebay. Through his good friend
Mike Murray he reports on some recent high-priced LP sales: John Barry's
The Wrong Box (stereo LP) just sold for $305, and the vinyl TV soundtrack
(1970) of Josie and the Pussycats just sold for $350!
Legend in L.A.
The American Cinematheque is screening the European release of Legend
this Saturday at 5PM at The Egyptian theatre in Hollywood. This is NOT
the full-length director's cut but it is the standard European version
with the Jerry Goldsmith score, not the Tangerine Dream score which replaced
it for U.S. release. See http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2001/directorscut.htm#legend.
Rozsa in Philly
Miklos Rozsa's Viola Concerto will be performed by Roberto Diaz and
the Philadelphia Orchestra on January 12, 13, and 16 (cond. Fruhbeck de
Burgos). Also on the program are works by Fall and Respighi.
Website Giveaways
Be sure to catch Andy Dursin's Aisle Seat column next Monday or Tuesday!
Andy has obtained a handful of copies of John Woo's A BETTER TOMORROW/A
BETTER TOMORROW II on DVD from Anchor Bay and will be giving them away
in a mini-contest.
Steven Spielberg & DreamWorks SKG Fansite and Varese Sarabande Records
are giving away soundtracks to DreamWorks' latest releases, An Everlasting
Piece and Cast Away. You can win 1 of 10 Everlasting Piece and 1 of 15
Cast Away CDs. See http://www.spielberg-dreamworks.com/Contests.php
BMI at Sundance
BMI is sponsoring a film music panel at Sundance this year, "Film Music
and the Creative Process," which will take place on Monday, January 22
at 11:30AM at the Prospector, 2200 Sidewinder Drive; admission is $15.
BMI's Vice President, Film/TV Relations, Doreen Ringer Ross is moderating
the panel which includes director Gus Van Sant, composer Danny Elfman,
director Tom DiCillo, composer Jim Farmer and Peter Golub, head of the
Sundance Composers Lab.
On Tuesday, January 23, there will be a film music dialogue at 10 am
at the Elk's Lodge, 550 Main Street, at the Sundance Music Cafe. Led by
Golub, the round-table discussion will also include composer Jeff Danna,
music supervisor Dawn Soler, BMI's Ross, and manager Derek Power. The event
will serve as a useful mixer of filmmakers and musicians.
Sundance has made a compilation CD entitled "Music From The Sundance
Composers Lab" featuring music from the last three Composers Labs -- workshops
for up and coming film composers. It will be distributed to all filmmakers
at Sundance, as well as at the Music Cafe discussion on the 23rd and it
is also available by request.
BMI will also host various events during the Sundance Film Festival;
see http://www.bmi.com/sundance2001.
Mail Bag
From: thomas <thomasc@nowtranslations.com>
Can someone help me out here. I could swear I heard a feminine
product commercial using a brassy cut from one of John Barry's EMI albums.
A short time later, a friend swore he herad the same thing (but also couldn't
quite remember the commercial). Anyone?
I don't know what this is. John Barry has scored some commercials with
original music in the past, the most famous being the "Girl with the Sun
in Her Hair" British shampoo ad which has been recorded several times.
This one of course sounds tracked with something but I don't know what
it is.
From: crowdog29 <crowdog29@earthlink.net>
Jeff, I also remember that CBS Family special opening that
you mentioned. I saw it back in the early 1970s but it was so long ago
that I couldn't remember what program. I really dug that saxophone lick
at the beginning. Does anyone know where I can get it on Videotape? I really
dug it.
I don't remember what this is in reference to -- sorry!
From: "Pulliam, Ron" <RPULLIAM@co.alameda.ca.us>
Some comments to add to Cary
Wong's overview [of recent Rhino movie musical CDs]:
First, in "Annie Get Your Gun," it is lamentable that the original
recording elements are archival, at best, and sound it. Some of the songs
from the OST were taken directly from the film's tracks to complete the
CD selections. Oddly, and thankfully, most of the Garland recordings are
in quality stereo sound. Additionally, the DVD features Garland's big production
number for "I'm An Indian, Too" and it's fascinating to see the production
values for that version pared way way down for Hutton's screen verstion.
Re: "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" -- Debbie Reynolds fought for the
role. She had to convince the studio bosses she could do it, and I believe
she paid for her own screen test. Some may have found her a bit over-the-top,
but the film broke Radio City Music Hall's box office records in 1964 AND
Reynolds was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her performance that
year.
"Molly Brown" did not arrive at the start of the decline of musical
popularity, though. Hollywood's history has many eras when musicals rose
and declined. The early 50s saw the decline of what had been MGM's finest
streak of musical supremacy. While each year saw fewer musicals being made,
MGM peaked with 1958's "Gigi."
"West Side Story" caught a lot of attention when it cleaned up at
the boxoffice and at the Oscars for 1961. "The Music Man" was a big success
the following year, along with "Gypsy" and "Billy Rose's 'Jumbo.'"
Pay tribute to both Jack Warner and Walt Disney for revving up interest
in musicals, though, in 1964 with both "My Fair Lady" (for which Warner
Brothers paid some $5,500,000 for the rights) and "Mary Poppins," respectively.
Publicity mills were running full-steam-ahead over Julie Andrews's being
snubbed for Eliza, but getting Poppins. WB masterfully captured and maintained
the public's attention over "My Fair Lady's" production, while the gossip
columns started a feud/rivalry between Andrews and Warner and Andrews and
Audrey Hepburn (where none existed).
"My Fair Lady" and "Mary Poppins" were critically acclaimed, made
tons of money and walked away with 8 Oscars and 5 Oscars, respectively,
in the same year. Musicals had NEVER been so popular. This was not a decline.
In 1965, 20th Century-Fox, still financially strapped over the "Cleopatra"
debacle, pinned its hopes on three roadshows -- "Those Magnificent Men
in their Flying Machines," "The Agony and the Ecstasy" and "The Sound of
Music." The studio heads believed "The Agony and the Ecstasy" would be
their big hit of the three. No one -- despite many claims to the contrary
by David Brown in recent interviews -- had any idea what "The Sound of
Music" would become. By the end of 1965, having been in release 9 months,
the film was the highest grossing movie of all time. It ran in major city
theaters around the world for four years, consecutively, and broke box
office records in smaller cities everywhere.
"The Sound of Music" saw the musical film at its pinnacle of popularity.
Sadly, the signals the film sent to the studios were not acted upon with
reason or any degree of artistry. Many millions of dollars were lost in
the next five years as the musical film saw a huge decline in popularity.
Budgets were overinflated and box office was middling. In 1968, both "Oliver!"
and "Funny Girl" kept the musical production concept alive as both scored
major box office rewards and "Oliver!" took home the major Oscars. The
most expensive film of the year -- Fox's "Star!" -- was a disappointment
on all levels. This was the last successful year of the traditional Hollywood
musical -- 1968....after a notable 7-year run! One of the best musicals
of that period was considered a failure: "Finian's Rainbow." However, it
consistently earns high praise from critics when it comes up. Interestingly
enough, it was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It was Fred Astaire's
last musical film (not counting his appearance in one of MGM's "That's
Entertainment" segments). And it marked the first time (and last, to my
knowledge) that choral master Ken Darby received a solo screen credit.
Wow! You should write a book.
From: JVO33@aol.com
I've come to notice that Varese Sarabande has recently
released two "newly recorded" film scores that are already currently availible
in their original form... Jaws and The Last Of The Mohicans. Jaws, which
has been wonderfully updated (I'm a little disappointed in its packaging)
by Decca/Universal...and Last Of The Mohicans, a score that's been one
of the more commercially successful releases.
I really don't understand these releases, I do know they did a similar
thing with John Barry's Body Heat and Raise The Titanic [actually that
was Silva Screen -- LK] ..but those scores haven't been readily availible
before. There are a number of film scores (especially by John Barry) that
have yet to become availible on CD. I'm sure there are all sorts of legalities
and publishing rights involved that hinder such releases.
I'd like to know if you can better explain Varese Sarabande's decision
on these two releases and if they have plans to do the same with other
previously unreleased scores in the future.
I don't work for Varese but I would assume that the re-recordings they
do of widely available music are for commercial reasons. Scores like Jaws
and Last of the Mohicans are perennial sellers so it benefits Varese
financially to have a recording on the market, even though it's not of
pressing interest to collectors. Then they can use those profits to justify
re-recording more obscure titles that a handful of collectors will love
while the general public will not be interested.
From: Scott Norwood <snorwood@nyx.net>
Quick correction to your "Herrmann and Williams in Harmony"
article: The film "Williamsburg - Story of a Patriot" has played at the
Colonial Williamsburg Visitors' Center pretty much continuously since it
opened in 1957, not "through 1994" as the article states. They continue
to show it daily...
Thanks! Again, I'm sorry I don't recall what the original article was,
but we always appreciate updates.
Links
Film Music Review has selected our All
About Eve/Leave Her to Heaven CD as one of the best releases of the
year (even though we released it in 1999 -- not that we're upset!). See
http://hometown.aol.com/MusBuff/page12.htm
Cinema Concerto has a new review of our From
the Terrace CD now at their site. See http://members.aol.com/marcgothic/terrace.html
Visit George S. Clinton's official site, http://www.georgesclinton.com,
for photos from the scoring session to 3,000 Miles to Graceland.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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