Have to agree with your assessment of Night Games - glad this entertaining thread is back again!
Me, too: an excellent score for a rather weak - I'm being kind - film (it does have its moments ...) and I often play it without listening to the companion score (Game Of Death) which is of a totally different style.
I was given, many years ago, a cassette tape recording of - presumably - the whole score which runs for about 60 mins. I used to play that a lot but the CD release superseded it with far better sonics, etc. There is some some more music, not just repeats, though a lot - in the early part - is a version of a traditional song Skip To My Lou which did not make it to the CD release. Perhaps it's time to give that other version a play after all of these years ...
Is there going to be a new thread for Barry's next birthday, or is this one just going to continue ? Seriously, there are still many scores by John Barry that need to be preserved and released on CD. Many should be expanded. I am hoping one day soon that this will happen. Legend of the Lone Ranger, I will not even try. I could go on and on. John Barry is the best.
Has anyone else noticed that those projects John has gravitated towards with a particularly English pedigree (for starters, “Zulu”, The Historical Quartet, “Chaplin”) seem to have inspired him to come forth with efforts a mite more, shall we say, pertinent in their personal poignancy?
Up until recently one of the more breathlessly anticipated Grand Barry Grails, it’s a prime example of an altogether memorable score that pretty much single-handledly almost rescues this titanic shipwreck of a film.
From its gorgeously atmospheric main title – which encapsulates, demonstrates and escalates the ship’s grandeur, opulence, scale and class – then masterfully eases into the underworld search for the wreckage, it’s apparent from the first frame you’re in for a remarkable aural experience. (You could almost call it “Thunderball”’s Twin Brother with its extensive underwater footage, but there’s no hint or musical recapitulation of the earlier Bond opus other than the sweeping, patient exploration of the questing themes).
As to that, John gives the film more than its share of intensely dramatic turns, reflective moments that give (against all odds) a touching ambience virtually missing from any other aspect of this misbegone, misfired, misconceived and all around barmy disaster.
It also contains one of those definitive Barry moments that belong on his All-Tyme Terrific Sequences List, the sequence where they come upon the wreckage – the musical build-up and fabulous flourish is nothing short of masterful (and puts the royal rebuttal to Andre Previn oft-expressed disdain that film scoring doesn’t allow composers enuff room to develop their themes. Mebbe not in your tyme, bub!)
Regarding that poignancy we were on about awhile ago: witness how, with subtle sensitivity JayBee manages to imbue the visit to the grand staircase with a mournful, melancholy but still moving majesty whose quiet quality speaks volumes of its virtue.
Natch, we’re right grateful for the recent refurbishment of this heretofore lost musical heirloom -
take a richly deserved bow, the intrepidly enterprising Mr. Raine!
But, as the saying goes “there’s no place like home” and, if’n you wanna experience the fully unfiltered musical accomplishment as it originally appeared, there’s nothing like viewing the film itself. Then again, whichever choice you make, there’s no gainsaying this remains a major musical feather in JayBee’s artistic bouquet ...
irrevocably, absolutely and (some say unalterably) changed:
77.
Director: Jeannote Szwarc.
When Laurie called us at the office extending another scoring session invite, we’d no idea what we’d be observing would prove so profoundly pivotal in light of everything that’d gone before and – especially – all that would come after in her husband’s august career (when we inquired if we could bring along a compadre who’d just arrived in El Lay, she was immediately affirmative ; R.I.P., gifted writer-director and, Above All, Friend – ADH).
It’s an incredibly yearning, lushly poetic, suffused with melancholy sorrow masterpiece musical mirroring of characters fated to be tragically tested yet inevitably transcending their mortal trials via the virtue of their ever-lasting love. John imparts a dimension of depth and fibred emotional foundation that it’s damn near impossible to imagine the movie being able to theatrically breathe without its wonder.
Among his other artistic attributes, John has always been (we feel first and foremost) an unabashed, unapologetic R.R.R. (Right Royal Romantic), and no other film so perfectly demonstrates this characteristic distinction as what he came up with here: who knows how many love affairs, marriages – hay, even children! – were consummated und conceived listening to the unforgettable theme (and overall music) he bestowed upon this time-travel love story.
One of the perverse pleasures of attending these sort of things is when the Writer’s Third Eye (or, in this case, ear) is alert and functioning on all cylinders ‘cause you hear the most ridiculous, asinine, confounding and downright unbelievable statements being made – particularly from some of the notorious nitwits otherwise nefariously known as Studio Suits.
We overheard one critter-without-a-clue miserably muttering to his cohort, “He really needs to have more happy music”.
Happy Moosic????!!!! It’s a tragic love story, fer cryin’ out loud, ya musically-illiterate idjit dum-dums!!!!!
On the other hand, this is also the occasion when John spontaneously came forth with one of our all-tyme favorite statements: “Well, what do you know? A producer actually has a GOOD idea!”]
And this one’s for you, M&M: You’ve gone on record sharing which JayBee piece you want played at your funeral – well, here’s our ALL-TYME FAVORITE NUMBERO UNO FOREVER AND ALWAYS consummate cue we aim to have played at our wedding (and the sequence we watched being scored that Burbank afternoon in speechless admiration):
(Now, mind you, not everyone’s a fan. Although his stature as a superb actor is indisputable, when he tries playing an eminent music critic Christopher Plummer stupendously sucks.
There’s an abundance of riches available within these two marvelous momentos, also.
If there’s any single pre-eminently paramount reason this film has achieved an elongated life probably never even envisioned by those involved with it, it’s because of one exemplary Artist
whose creative style and musical career would never be the same again …
I know the score well, very well (I should do: I replaced the vinyl LP with my first CD - before I had a CD player - and have since re-purchased the OST twice more (in the hope of getting ever better quality). Add to this the VS re-recording and numerous suites on various albums.
As I said to an uncle when I gave him a JB compilation tape (about 15 yrs ago): the film may be far from perfect but romantic film scores don't come any better than this. It's a score my parents asked me to play on several occasions (compare with Star Wars when - after side one (of four) - they asked me not to play it again!)
As for your earlier posting: Raise The Titanic ... a truly lovely score - I love the music which plays when Richard Jordan is seen walking through the ball-room. I've watched the film several times just for the music and used to have a cassette tape recording of the major music cues. The Silva re-recording is excellent but ... as ever, I'd go for the OST if I could.
I owned a rare Japanese 45rpm release - by the Larry Nelson Orchestra - of the main theme (the b-side was awful) and when I first got into internet buying and selling I sold it to a guy in France for Eur 10,00 (incl. P&P). I naively sent him the record and asked him to pay ... I never did get the money, so if you're reading this, --------, you still owe me Eur 10,00!
Regarding that cherished Richard Jordan cue you mentioned, that was the one we spotlighted with this passage:
Regarding that poignancy we were on about awhile ago: witness how, with subtle sensitivity JayBee manages to imbue the visit to the grand staircase with a mournful, melancholy but still moving majesty whose quiet quality speaks volumes of its virtue.
As fer The Man of My Dreams, with apologies, substitute Woman –
Tho, dammit, Ari Nicole Parker’s already taken, you lucky sod Boris…
If’n there’s ever a tyme when we’ve absolutely zip to do, watch, go or be, mebbe – muscular MEBBE, at that – we just might detract another coupla hours from our allotted life span to actually track this one down and at least sample what the musical take on it was.
Then again, depending on the other title it’s known by ("Bells"), we might haveta enlist the aid of that guy with the whip and hat to ferret it out. Either way, we won’t be losing overmuch sleep lacking its non-essential mo’om pitcher vitamins. (Tho if anyone else has seen it, by all means be our guest and don’t be bashful ‘bout sharing yer sentiments) …
79.
Director: William A. Fraker.
This was John second collaboration with the eminent cinematographer, and Mr. Fraker’s instinct was still unerringly clicking on all burners since what JayBee came up with – aside from still remaining on the “WhenoWHEN Will We Ever - If Ever” get a suitable release list – is by far his most vibrant and energetic Western contribution till his consummate career triumph at nine years ahead.
Actually, the music imparts more of a thematic context and atmospheric anchor than the emaciated script supplies. With a cast (Klinton WHOOOOOO?), that brings virtually no chemistry, let alone sense, to the entire enterprise
it’s pretty much left to the visuals
and composer to supply what substantial anchor exists, and here John does his duty with many cues that are alternately thrilling to hear, fun to witness and an aural pleasure all the way around.
One can still corral the original soundtrack via Ebay and other avenues and, tho it’s not the full-course musical meal one hungers for, it’ll still make your thoroughly delightful day …
An Olympian Understatement of Herculean Proportions Department:
John once commented something along the lines he’d had unusually good luck with first films from directors, and this particular example for extortion is an incredible substantiation of that thesis. Not only was Kathleen Turner’s dynamite debut one of the most unforgettable by an actress ever,
Mr. Kasdan’s marvelously moody, sensuously sweaty and top-notch original screenplay benefits not only from the overall excellence of its two leads
but also benefits tremendously from John’s smoky, intriguing,
seductively manipulating music
that anchors and elevates the nefarious doings this mutually lethal duo instigates.
A great double-bill would be paring John’s evocative offering here with
’s equally momentous catalyzing contribution to
Baseball isn’t exactly high up there on the English scale, but there’s definitely no denying JayBee hit this one outta the musical park; it’s also WAYYYYY up there on his list of accomplishments, also.
Another pat on the back, Neo. I've just taken the time to go back and look at the You Tube clips - a fantastic addition, even if it does make slightly more challenging the notion of printing this off and sending it to JB...
I particularly enjoyed Follow Me, with Michael Jayston, a favourite actor of mine.
"Murder By Phone" remains one of Barry's most mysterious projects. It was not the type of film a composer of Barry's stature would normally accept. Is it possible that the composer was intrigued about scoring a horror film? It certainly is the closest Barry got to writing a horror score.
Murder By Phone / Bells is a score I know nothing of ... I don't recall ever seeing the film advertised in any format in the UK. But, maybe one day ...
The Legend Of The Lone Ranger is not one of my JB favourites though it has several very good cues. I doubt we will ever see a legitimate CD release which is a shame as I'm certain I'm not the only potential customer. I did see the film (or part of it, I can't recall now) many years ago and I'd very much like to see it again.
Body Heat ... simply superb. And the film is pretty good, too! No, the film is great (I recently watched it for the first time in many years and thought it was great entertainment). The score doesn't rank in my JB top-ten but that's only because there are so many others I love more.
Bells is kinda interesting as a curio studied in retrospect. I don't think too many people would have been thrilled when it was 'the new Barry'.
When I first heard Legend Of The Lone Ranger I was disappointed that it seemed light and fluffy, with no real drama and - eek! - a Country and Western styled main title song.
However, over the years I've come to really like that score - I admire the way Barry makes that score 'musical'. Whether or not you like the song as-is, the music the underlies it is worthy of a show tune. And he uses that oh-so melodic theme to great effect.
When I saw the film, I kinda hated the film but my appreciation of the score grew.
You’ll get no argument outta us on this score, Stephen – even the song itself never really bothered us (tho, truth be told, we prefer the catchy “Man in the Mask” bereft of the lyrics altogether).
As to that, our favorite cues are the rousing “The Valley Chase” and, especially, the thrilling “Breaking of Silver”.
As fer yer comments, TeeGee, we don’t figger we haveta overly worry about including the YouTube extracts when this finally makes its brilliantly-belated way to John; it’s enuff he actually LIVED it
as opposed to really having ta watch it all over again! …
Now with the pedigree of talented pros involved with this production, we can’t wait to see how this particular enterprise (not the Starship ) turned out. Till then, we're gonna haveta pull a Tennessee Williams and rely on the kindness of those non-strangers fortunate enough to've already sampled this film’s wares
will just haveta pinch-hit for us and offer their own impressions, cinematically and musically.
As to that, we did like what we heard of the portions provided via
and we’re looking forward with acute anticipation securing this recent addition, as well.
But don’t let that stop you from sharing your eagerly-solicited sentiments, done deal? …
I've seen the film Hammett two, or three, times but I struggle to get through to the end of it (next time I must avoid alcohol before/during watching). It's very entertaining, certainly in the first half or two-thirds but I can't recall how it works out (other than being double-dealing, etc.)
As for the score: a real cracker! The Silva re-recording is nice but the OST Main Titles just blows it away. And the sound quality is superb ... one of the best albums I have. I suggest you either omit the Bonus tracks (for a short concise listen) or program the tracks into the score. They're well worth hearing and the mixture of jazz and ethnic Chinese instrumentation is wonderful.
And being it's from Mr. Barry, it's kept simple and melodic. A real pleasure to hear so maybe when NP:Not Without My Daughter finishes ...
Another Impressive First Film Blessed with an Extraordinary Score Department:
82.
Director: Graeme Clifford evidently promised himself that when he made his directorial debut, uppermost in his mind was having JayBee compose the music, and the former fabulously followed through on making that definitive dream an even richer reality because this is one of those intimate scenarios full of emotional angst and frustrated feelings our Honoree excels at.
Although Hollywood typically subscribes to the nitwit notion Big is Always Best (or The Bigger the Better), it’s no wonder illustrious peers ala
would always lament how they wished they’d been given the opportunity to score more smaller-scaled projects in order to investigate the highs and lows of the interior human scenario. And whilst there’s no denying wide-open western vistas or the endless infinity of space has brought forth some of our favorite composers most magnificent cinematic contributions, it’s also accurate to note there might be even more of a satisfying challenge providing the aural anchorage mirroring the psychological and emotional terrain under scope.
This is what John accomplishes with such intense poignancy here, underpinning what we feel is Jessica Lange’s bravest, most compelling and committed performance as the tragic Frances Farmer. The music never overplays its hand but stays quite subtle in accentuating the escalating meltdown the actress is experiencing (as witness the excerpt below).
We had the profound pleasure of winning one of the CeeDees offered on the John Barry: A Life in Music website a few years ago, and being reintroduced to one of our Top Thirteen Barrys was simply sublime.
What we weren’t aware of was the supposed existence of a demo John composed around the main theme called “Close Your Eyes” that’s warbled by none other than Sarah Brightman. The more enlightened Barry experts who abound can debate whether this is the actual article (meaning singer) or not but we felt it was kinda novel, whichever way the authenticity falls.
I don't know whether it's really Sarah Brightman but I do know this ... I was once contacted by a Sarah Brightman fan club (to see if my copy of this song was in better nick than theirs - the truth is they probably all started from the same source) and they certainly seemed to think it was her.
I also don't know whether it is accurate to call it 'rejected'. That would presuppose it was written for inclusion in the film.
I love Frances. Whenever I want to remind myself of just how lucid, well-written and dramatically effective Barry can be, I just have to play Frances.
This was John’s third collaboration (and Mr. O’Toole’s second) with the director they’d triumphed with on that wintry “Lion” of the late Sixties. We recall watching it when it first aired on CBS with rather mixed emotions; the saga of a faded Broadway star who takes an aspiring singer under his mentorship had its moments but didn’t seem to really jell when all was said and done.
JayBee’s musical stewardship was versatile as ever, whether it was the songs Ms. Foster sang
with heretofore unexpected finesse.
Given the talents involved, it’s nowhere near unwatchable and it’s an interesting historical piece vis-à-vis Ms. Foster
yet one’s left with an overall appetite not fully nourished …
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