FILM SCORE FRIDAY 1/14/05
By Scott Bettencourt
This February marks the 80th anniversary of Sam Peckinpah's birth, and
this spring Columbia will be releasing a recently discovered longer cut
of his dark 1965 Civil War-era adventure MAJOR DUNDEE, the film
he directed between his classics Ride
the High Country and The Wild Bunch, to selected theaters.
What is most unusual about this re-release is that Columbia has commissioned
an entirely new score, by a selected-but-not-yet-named composer (an unknown),
to replace the film's original Daniele Amfitheatrof score (which was reportedly
hated by Peckinpah, who was not involved in the film's final cut). The
film's upcoming DVD release will feature the new score as well as the Amfitheatrof
score on separate audio tracks.
Peckinpah expert Nick Redman is preparing a multi-box DVD set of Peckinpah
films to be released later this year. One of the highlights for film music
fans will be the DVD of THE GETAWAY, which is expected to feature
the film's rejected Jerry Fielding score isolated on a separate
audio track, spotted exactly as Fielding intended. The supplementary material
will include one sequence from the film with Fielding's music mixed back
in, and a documentary on Fielding's collaboration with Peckinpah and the
rejection of the Getaway score, featuring interviews with Fielding's
wife and daughter.
If this isn't enough for Peckinpah fans, Redman and film editor Paul
Seydor (Cobb, Tin Cup) will follow up their Oscar nominated documentary
The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage with A Simple Adventure Story:
Sam Peckinpah, Mexico and The Wild Bunch, a new documentary which will
feature newly discovered color outtake footage from The Wild Bunch
as well as new footage exploring the Mexican locations where the film was
shot. The documentary will premiere at the American Cinematheque in late
February and also show at the Cannes Film Festival. Also at Cannes will
be a new cut of Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
The Critics Choice Awards has given Howard Shore
their Best Composer award for THE AVIATOR, with Michael Giacchino
(THE INCREDIBLES) and Rolfe Kent (SIDEWAYS) as
runners-up.
The second annual PARK
CITY FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL will be held in Park City and Salt Lake City,
Utah, January 20-30, 2005. This is the first film festival in the world
singularly recognizing the contribution of composers and their music to
film, and is the first of such festivals in the Americas.
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
The Aviator - Howard Shore - Decca
Meet the Fockers - Randy Newman - Varese Sarabande
The Merchant of Venice - Jocelyn Pook - Decca
Racing Stripes - Mark Isham - Varese Sarabande
Spanglish - Hans Zimmer - Varese Sarabande
IN THEATERS TODAY
Appleseed - Paul Oakenfold, T. Raumschmiere, Ryuichi Sakamoto
Coach Carter - Trevor Rabin - Song CD on Capitol
Dolls - Joe Hisaishi - Score CD on Universal (import)
Elektra - Christophe Beck - Score CD due Jan. 25 from Varese
Sarabande
Racing Stripes - Mark Isham - Score CD on Varese Sarabande
COMING SOON
January 25
Assault on Precinct 13 - Graeme Revell - Varese Sarabande
Elektra - Christophe Beck - Varese Sarabande
The Great Train Robbery: The Deluxe Edition - Jerry Goldsmith
- Varese Sarabande (street release)
Timeline - Jerry Goldsmith - Varese Sarabande (street release)
February 15
Constantine - Brian Tyler - Varese Sarabande
Date Unknown
The Big Empty - Brian Tyler - La-La Land
Extreme Prejudice - Jerry Goldsmith - La-La Land
The Film Music of Clifton Parker - Clifton Parker - Chandos
The Film Music of Ron Goodwin - Ron Goodwin - Chandos
Filmmusik - Nathan Larson - Commotion
Foxes of Harrow - David Buttolph - Screen Archives
Hitman/Hitman 2 - Jesper Kyd - La-La Land
Killer Klowns From Outer Space - John Massari - Percepto
Lock Up - Bill Conti - Intrada Special Collection
Marjorie Morningstar - Max Steiner - Screen Archives
Son of Fury - Alfred Newman - Screen Archives
We Are Not Movies? - Mark Mothersbaugh - Commotion
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
January 14 - Hans J. Salter born (1896)
January 14 - Elmer Bernstein begins recording score to The
Great Escape (1963)
January 14 - Dave Grohl born (1969)
January 14 - Fred Myrow died (1999)
January 15 - Alessandro Cicognini born (1906)
January 15 - Kenyon Hopkins born (1912)
January 15 - Les Baxter died (1996)
January 16 - John Carpenter born (1948)
January 16 - John Williams begins recording his score to The
Fury (1978)
January 17 - Ryuichi Sakamoto born (1952)
January 17 - John Williams begins recording his score to Return
of the Jedi (1983)
January 18 - W. Franke Harling born (1887)
January 18 - Cyril J. Mockridge died (1979)
January 18 - Joseph Gershenson died (1988)
January 19 - Bjorn Isfalt died (1997)
January 19 - Gerard Schurmann born (1928)
January 19 - Jerome Moross begins recording his score to The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960)
January 19 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording electronic cues
for Logan's Run (1976)
January 20 - Emil Newman born (1911)
January 20 - Franz Waxman begins recording score to Untamed
(1955)
January 20 - Bronislau Kaper begins recording score to The
Prodigal (1955)
January 20 - Gerry Mulligan died (1996)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
WHITE NOISE - Claude Foisy
"As the actors try to enliven their parts, director Sax and cinematographer
Chris Seager divert themselves with bizarre setups and tracking camerawork,
demonstrating a perplexing obsession with overhead shots. Concurrently,
production designer Michael S. Bolton plays fancily with psychological
color schemes, while the score drones in a fit of soap opera mysticism
and the lighting and images seem afflicted with permanent fog, both outdoors
and in."
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
ON OSCAR
PREDICTIONS AND OTHER END OF THE YEAR LISTS
FROM: "David Moraza"
Subject: Title Design
Scott Bettencourt, you may have missed the title design of 'BAD
EDUCATION'. One immediately thinks of Saul Bass, Bernard Herrmann, and
'Psycho'.
I definitely considered the terrific opening titles of Bad Education,
but there were too many other fine titles to choose from. (The Grudge
also had a particularly good title sequence).
FROM: "Brad Arrington"
Subject: "Impossible dream wish list of CDs to come out
in 2005."
In regards to your "Impossible dream wish list of CDs to come out
in 2005"....all I can say is "I'm with you brother!!"
FROM: "Mr. Chriswell"
Think you're a bit off on the score nominees. My prediction:
The Aviator - no way this isn't going to get nominated. Might even
win
Finding Neverland - lovely, another possible winner.
Harry Potter 3 (can't spell Azkawhatever) - no one liked The Terminal
that much, and this Potter score was different.
The Incredibles - John Barry pastiche that it is.
Sideways - because people just can't stop overrating this movie.
Hate to disappoint you, but The Aviator score won't be nominated.
The AMPAS Music Branch rules exclude scores "diluted by the use of tracked
or pre-existing music" and/or "diminished in impact by the predominant
use of songs," so Aviator was disqualified because, terrific as
it is, the Shore score is only a minority of the prominent music in the
film. Also I think Harry Potter's sequel status will hurt it (even
though it's a better score than The Terminal), while The Terminal
score's charming, old fashioned quality is likely to appeal to the
older branch members despite the film's lack of popularity. And by law
they have to nominated Williams for something.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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