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"...perceptive and entertaining liner notes" you say?
I wish I could read them. I think I need a new pair of reading glasses, or something, I can't make anything out without a lot of squinting.
That's what you get when you're an old collector of Golden Age film composers. And what you also get is a stunning new Newman recording that's heaven set courtesy of VSBD.
After consuming the new Delerue, latest Herrmann, Williams & Fielding, these and more, putting Newman on the cd platter, a giant who's always been in the upper echelon of my all time favorites, will serve as a comforting reminder to me, as we close out the last few days of the year, of what movie music used to sound like.
And how far we've gone from it.
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Posted: |
Dec 13, 2008 - 8:46 AM
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By: |
Hellstrom
(Member)
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I just want to give another shout-out to my terrific partner-in-crime Mike Matessino, who is not only leading the way at the sharp end of the technological bell-curve, but his dedicated meticulousness, key to the success we are achieving in the new high-standard of vintage score restoration both for CD and isolated tracks on DVD and Blu-ray, is a daily delight, and very much appreciated by fellow professionals and fans alike.
I also must make mention of my dear friend Julie Kirgo's unusual and funny take in her liner notes for this title. An exceptionally gifted writer, her womanly teasings are superbly blended with the facts to produce a fresh and funny take on both gorgeous music and the heady giddiness that comes with listening to, and writing about it. I don't know why Bob Townson saw fit to make the text microscopic in size, but for those whose eyesight can stand it, thse words are worth the corneal strain involved in deciphering them.
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Rose of Washington Square and the other old Fox musicals were sourced from 1/4" protection elements that were made in the 1980s. The challenge with them is that these 1/4" tapes were seemingly made at random, as if someone closed his eyes and grabbed a reel off a shelf. So each 1/4" tape can have bits of many scores on it and a sometimes a dozen or more reels have to be called in to acquire every piece from a given score.
Transferring to digital is time consuming, and then, because the sources are analog and were made at different times on different machines, the speed is all over the place, sometimes within the same reel, and just about every cue has to be adjusted to reconform it to the film. It's even more laborious when there are vocals, which need to sync to picture and line up with other tracks, and then If the push/pull stereo process is involved, it adds yet another layer to the work.
In this regard it would easier to do these kind of titles for CD, because precise sync is not a priority (and edits made in the film don't have to be recreated) but thankfully the DVD iso-score is a way of getting this material assembled and presented on titles that would not sell well on CD or for which the song clearances would be prohibitive.
Nick has tirelessly campaigned for Fox to continue with these and the amount of work involved would not be possible without his unswerving support. The stunning results are also quite inspiring! I should also add that during the past year Neil Bulk has participated in this process and in addition to doing great work he has made a huge difference in enabling us to meet some challenging deadlines.
In doing a quick inventory I find that, unbelievably, we have done almost 50 iso-scores over the past three years (several have been completed that have not been announced yet-in addition to the one Nick announced above!), and thankfully Fox has maintained an interest in music-related special features.
Mike
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Unfortunately there don't seem to be any extras but at least it's finally being released again and the outdated transfers from nearly two decades ago can at last be retired.
Mike
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Unfortunately there don't seem to be any extras but at least it's finally being released again and the outdated transfers from nearly two decades ago can at last be retired.
Mike
Since this is Warners, the transfer may still look outdated - I'm hoping it's not just another brown mess of a transfer, like all their recent work.
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I saw an HD transfer on satellite over a year ago, and while perhaps there might be things to nitpick once we have it on DVD, it was light years ahead of anything we've seen; at least the orientation was right and there was detail in the image. It's my understanding that this is the master we'll see on disc.
MIke
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Posted: |
Dec 14, 2008 - 8:02 AM
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By: |
sammyp
(Member)
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Rose of Washington Square and the other old Fox musicals were sourced from 1/4" protection elements that were made in the 1980s. The challenge with them is that these 1/4" tapes were seemingly made at random, as if someone closed his eyes and grabbed a reel off a shelf. So each 1/4" tape can have bits of many scores on it and a sometimes a dozen or more reels have to be called in to acquire every piece from a given score.
Transferring to digital is time consuming, and then, because the sources are analog and were made at different times on different machines, the speed is all over the place, sometimes within the same reel, and just about every cue has to be adjusted to reconform it to the film. It's even more laborious when there are vocals, which need to sync to picture and line up with other tracks, and then If the push/pull stereo process is involved, it adds yet another layer to the work.
In this regard it would easier to do these kind of titles for CD, because precise sync is not a priority (and edits made in the film don't have to be recreated) but thankfully the DVD iso-score is a way of getting this material assembled and presented on titles that would not sell well on CD or for which the song clearances would be prohibitive.
Nick has tirelessly campaigned for Fox to continue with these and the amount of work involved would not be possible without his unswerving support. The stunning results are also quite inspiring! I should also add that during the past year Neil Bulk has participated in this process and in addition to doing great work he has made a huge difference in enabling us to meet some challenging deadlines.
In doing a quick inventory I find that, unbelievably, we have done almost 50 iso-scores over the past three years (several have been completed that have not been announced yet-in addition to the one Nick announced above!), and thankfully Fox has maintained an interest in music-related special features.
Mike
I greatly appreciate the iso tracks, with vocals, for the Fox musicals. I would certainly prefer and would support CDs of this material. But the DVD tracks are the next best thing. I am a bit surpised that after all these years, offical CD sets of relating to Grable's, Miranda's and Faye's Fox vocals have not been released. I expect low sales expectstions and rights issues got in the way. I hope this feature is included more often in upcoming releases. I do wish THE GANG'S ALL HERE included this feature.
A question: Early on in DOLL FACE, Vivian Blaine begins a jazzy reprise of "Someboday's Walking in my Dream" but is interuppted mid-way. The iso track also halts to a stop. I am wondering if a complete recording was made and why it was not allowed to continue on the iso track. There was no immediate music track following to get in the way. I suppose a CD would allow the complete performance. This must be the limitations and decsions to be made with these presenations.
Thanks!
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Only that fragment was recorded, since it was planned for the scene as filmed.
Gang's All Herewould have been a good one. Unfortunately the musicals are very time consuming and deadlines were such this year that Nick and the Fox folks had to pick and choose.
Mike
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Posted: |
Dec 14, 2008 - 3:22 PM
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By: |
Rozsaphile
(Member)
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Add my huzzahs to the queue for this splendid, revelatory release. Mid-period Newman is a mix of adaptations, “theme only” contributions, song scores, and of course a number of great original masterpieces. Most of the latter we all know and love already. It’s thrilling to discover another. This score is a remarkable “bridge” effort in Newman’s American catalog, which stretches back at least to Young Mr. Lincoln and forward to the great summation of How the West Was Won. Intermingled with the American material are echoes of biblical drama (David and Bathsheba) and even of Emily Bronte’s moors (the theme of Wuthering Heights itself and Ellen Dean’s narrative). Both of these elements are nicely developed in track 3. Yet the score hangs together with admirable unity. Yes, without seeing the picture I’d gladly wager that The President’s Lady is another of his masterpieces.
I could, however, wish for just a little more information about the movie and the score. Like who directed it, for starters! Are all the musical materials original with Newman or did he adapt traditional airs, as in HTWWW? If the story is not about Jackson’s presidency (as the title would seem to suggest), then what is the plot? Does “The Robards” refers to the couple (the Robardses) or to their household (the Robards’). What happens in that episode to evoke such passion (suggestive of biblical plagues!) from the composer? Who is Judge Hutton and why does the music pause to mourn his passing? Who fights “the duel”? This is an obscure movie. One can look up the historical events, but the real issue here is what the filmmakers, including Newman, have done with the raw materials of history and biography. Newman at least has done very well indeed. I’d love to know the whys and wherefores. The annotator’s heartfelt appreciation for Newman is manifest in her notes. But purchasers of this album likely share her feeling already. We don’t need to be reminded of Newman’s fabulous career. We want to know more about his achievement right here in The President’s Lady.
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Posted: |
Dec 16, 2008 - 2:07 PM
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By: |
sammyp
(Member)
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And yes, Sammy P, THE ROBE will have an isolated score along with a commentary track, substantially about the music, featuring Jon Burlingame, Julie Kirgo, David Newman, and myself.
Blu Ray cover for upcoming THE ROBE:
also, surprise, SOUTH PACIFIC is coming to Blu Ray as well. Will it have an iso score?
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Posted: |
Feb 19, 2013 - 2:24 PM
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By: |
Rozsaphile
(Member)
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Add my huzzahs to the queue for this splendid, revelatory release. Mid-period Newman is a mix of adaptations, “theme only” contributions, song scores, and of course a number of great original masterpieces. Most of the latter we all know and love already. It’s thrilling to discover another. This score is a remarkable “bridge” effort in Newman’s American catalog, which stretches back at least to Young Mr. Lincoln and forward to the great summation of How the West Was Won. Intermingled with the American material are echoes of biblical drama (David and Bathsheba) and even of Emily Bronte’s moors (the theme of Wuthering Heights itself and Ellen Dean’s narrative). Both of these elements are nicely developed in track 3. Yet the score hangs together with admirable unity. Yes, without seeing the picture I’d gladly wager that The President’s Lady is another of his masterpieces.
I could, however, wish for just a little more information about the movie and the score. Like who directed it, for starters! Are all the musical materials original with Newman or did he adapt traditional airs, as in HTWWW? If the story is not about Jackson’s presidency (as the title would seem to suggest), then what is the plot? Does “The Robards” refers to the couple (the Robardses) or to their household (the Robards’). What happens in that episode to evoke such passion (suggestive of biblical plagues!) from the composer? Who is Judge Hutton and why does the music pause to mourn his passing? Who fights “the duel”? This is an obscure movie. One can look up the historical events, but the real issue here is what the filmmakers, including Newman, have done with the raw materials of history and biography. Newman at least has done very well indeed. I’d love to know the whys and wherefores. The annotator’s heartfelt appreciation for Newman is manifest in her notes. But purchasers of this album likely share her feeling already. We don’t need to be reminded of Newman’s fabulous career. We want to know more about his achievement right here in The President’s Lady.
It's Presidents Day (well almost), so I'm hoping that somebody may be able to address some of these questions from 2008. The movie itself, as far as I know, remains out of circulation.
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