CD Reviews Gypsy and La Leggendia della Pianista
Gypsy (1962) ***
JULE STYNE AND STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Warner Bros./Turner Classic Movies Music
22 tracks - 69:56
I've had to listen to boys in Greenwich Village piano bars bitch about
this one for years. Now I'm going to exact a bit of artistic revenge
and tell the world how I really feel: I don't think there's much wrong
with Warner Brothers' splashy 1962 film adaptation of the 1959 Broadway
musical milestone Gypsy.
Before I'm stoned in the streets by legions of fanatical Ethel Merman
admirers, I will readily acknowledge that The Merm's indelible
interpretation of the unstoppable Momma Rose is justifiably worshipped.
Ethel's overbearing stridency perfectly conveyed the ferocious ambition
and roaring angst of the ultimate stage mother. To hear Merman belt "I
had a dream..." as she launches into "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is
undeniable proof that there is a God and she was born in Astoria,
Queens in 1908.
Although Merman was inexplicably passed over for the movie of Gypsy, her volcanic spirit hovers
over the film like a furious specter. The controversially cast Rosalind
Russell, a consummate talent in her own right, gamely tries her best as
Jack Warner's Momma Rose, wisely relying on her sublime comedic
abilities to carry her through. The vocal demands of the role were far
beyond Russell's range, however and the star wasn't completely
forthcoming in her 1977 memoir Life
Is A Banquet when she wrote, "That's Roz, and nobody else, as
Rose on the soundtrack of Gypsy."
What cinema audiences and soundtrack devotees actually heard was an
amalgamation of voice double Lisa Kirk (mostly) and Russell (very
sparingly).
Unlike Marni Nixon, who loaned her lilting soprano to Deborah Kerr for The King and I and Audrey Hepburn
for My Fair Lady, Lisa Kirk
(1925-1990) hasn't received nearly the same attention for her own ghost
belting achievements. Hand-picked by Cole Porter to originate the role
of Lois Lane in the original Broadway production of Kiss Me Kate, Kirk enjoyed a
successful career as a nightclub chanteuse and Great White Way
favorite. It's unclear who's idea it was to utilize Kirk for the Gypsy dubbing but she produced a
respectable though never truly electrifying Rose Hovick.
The invigorating "Some People" is one of the most eagerly anticipated
numbers in the score and the presentation here is something of a
letdown -- not only are the seams showing on the Kirk-Russell patchwork
but Kirk's subbing seems too sluggishly paced to project the requisite
fire necessary for the quintessential "get outta my way" anthem. On the
poignant and winsome side of things, Kirk is far more effective with
two endearing Styne-Sondheim ballads, "Small World" and "You'll Never
Get Away From Me." When Merman was subtracted from Gypsy, her sonic boom chutzpah was
forfeited but a certain warmth and humanity was regained. As Rose
savors the words "small and funny and fine" at the conclusion of "Small
World," Kirk is arriving at a genuine emotional discovery whereas
Merman (on the original Broadway cast album) is still steamrolling.
"We can say she wore black-and-white pumps and that's about it," is how
Arthur Laurents, the author of Gypsy,
has glibly dismissed Russell's performance in the film. A handful of
unadulterated Roz vocals are collected at the conclusion of this Warner
Bros/Turner Classic Movies Music edition of the soundtrack and the
painful quality of most of these tracks would seem to validate
Laurents. However, that gorgeous nervous breakdown known as "Rose's
Turn," inspires Russell to previously unscaled heights and she earns
her rightful place in the National Diva Registry by fully committing to
a spirited and impassioned delivery. Light the lights, indeed.
For my money, there is no more exhilarating overture in the history of
the American musical theater than the instrumental introduction to Gypsy. The circus-like aspects of
show business, Rose's dazzle-or-die determination and the desperation
of the mother-daughter disunion at the center of the story are all
orchestrally in evidence. As arranged and conducted by Frank Perkins,
the movie's overture is in some ways more vibrant and commanding than
its theatrical equivalent. Equally sublime is the Warner Brothers
Studio Orchestra's sizzling accompaniment of Natalie Wood's reprise of
"Let Me Entertain You." As burlesque goddess Gypsy Rose Lee, Wood's
hopeless attempts at vocalizing are ironically on target in
underscoring her character's discomfort as she's cruelly exploited by
the unrelenting Rose.
This remastered release also retrieves (at last) the memorable
"Together Wherever We Go," which was deleted from the release print in
an effort to shave a few minutes from the picture's running time. It's
puzzling why this ditty was deemed expendable as Russell, Wood and even
the woefully miscast Karl Malden are all in peak comedic form.
The cover of the liner notes booklet is graced with the original poster
art and not the garish collage featured on the jacket of the original
LP issue. All things said and done, this adaptation of Gypsy wasn't the four-star classic
it could have been but it's certainly not the devastating catastrophe
that some boys on their third vodka stinger would have you believe...
How do you like them egg rolls, Mr. Goldstone?
-- Mark Griffin
La Leggenda della Pianista and other
Music for Film ****
ENNIO MORRICONE
DigitMovies CDDM006
24 tracks - 73:18 (22 tracks; 2 commentary Tracks: 10:02)
When the phrase "recorded live" appears on an Italian production, it
generally sends shudders down one's spine. La Leggenda is a live piano concert
recording from 1998 featuring Gilda Butta (who played on The Legend of 1900 soundtrack)
performing music from a variety of Morricone films from Gott Mitt Uns (1969) all the way
to The Legend of 1900 (1998).
The "Four Studies" for piano will catch some casual Morricone fans off
guard. They're harsh, dissonant musical expressions of contemporary,
atonal piano writing. The same goes for the "Rag frantumi" (1988).
These lay in harsh contrast to the thematic selections from Love Affair (which sounds like the
published version available in recent sheet music collections) and Cinema Paradiso.
In addition to selections from Cane
Bianco, Stark System
and other films less familiar in the U.S., there are five tracks
devoted to the aforementioned The
Legend of 1900. The exquisite "Playing Love" gets a show
stopping performance, followed by the remarkable "Moto Perpetuo," which
brings the disc to a satisfying conclusion. All the selections are well
performed and extremely close-miked, with precious little hall ambience.
For those who do not speak Italian, Digitmovies has graciously included
a translation of Morricone's comments in the booklet. Unfortunately,
these don't offer any additional information on the music. Still this
is a fine disc that illustrates the many faces of this master composer.
It's a limited edition disc available at www.digitmovies.com.
-- S.A.K.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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