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I believe there should be two Goldsmith releases every month for the remaining 11 months of the year as well.
The sound on the clips make the other recordings sound flimsy...
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Unbelievable. Finally THE BLUE MAX gets the treatment it deserves... the Intrada treatment.
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Posted: |
Jan 18, 2010 - 6:00 PM
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By: |
Wedge
(Member)
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Here's what I wrote about this score in FSM's Goldsmith tribute issue (I was comparing it to other 1960s masterpieces, including A Patch Of Blue):
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In many ways, the demands on Goldsmith for The Blue Max were very different from A Patch of Blue. Whereas Selina D’Arcy is complex and undergoes significant character development, the antihero of The Blue Max, Bruno Stachel, is virtually transparent: he lusts to be the best pilot in the German Air Force, a rank symbolized by the prestigious "Blue Max" medal – all other concerns are secondary. If anything, Goldsmith’s primary theme – an exhilarating musical essay on the thrill and majesty of flight to rival anything by John Williams – serves to convincingly humanize Stachel (something perhaps beyond the reach of actor George Peppard). But Goldsmith does not overlook the tragedy of Stachel, whose love of flying is also his doom. Thus the primary "flight" theme also imprints itself, through melodic fragments, on the score’s two other major themes: the love theme for his shallow affair with a commanding officer’s wife; and the dirge-like theme that speaks to the darker side of war and obsession.
The thread that relates this score to A Patch of Blue (and to Goldsmith’s musical philosophy in general) is that the music remains intensely personal, chiefly associated with Stachel and his exploits, informing the audience as to which aspect of his personality is presently dominant. This comes across in the finished film in spite of the fact that most of the battle music Goldsmith wrote for the film’s elaborate combat scenes – including the astounding six-and-a-half minute cue "The Attack" – has been removed. It seems impossible that this should be a reflection on the quality of Goldsmith's music, which is incredible – pounding, dynamic, and some of the finest action set-pieces he ever wrote – and more on a post-production decision to let the majority of these scenes play with nothing but sound-effects. Presumably, this was to enhance the realism. Unfortunately, the humanity of these scenes suffers somewhat due to the removal of Goldsmith's score. For example, "First Blood" cuts off rather obviously as soon as the fighting begins, and resumes with "First Victory" as soon as it is completed. What is missing is a passage in which Goldsmith expounds tense variations on the flight theme ... the thrill of flying put through the wringer of combat. Likewise, "The Attack" montage would benefit from Goldsmith’s music. One of the special problems of montage as a technique is how to present a unified idea via a battery of different scenes and images. Music can be the unifying element. Without music, "The Attack" seems to emphasize the stark reality of war. With music, it fully captures the drive and ambition of Stachel to exploit this chaotic arena for the harrowing glory of flight and victory.
Nonetheless, Goldsmith’s music remains one of the film’s greatest assets. The composer, in turn, was provided with a rich canvas – the beautifully photographed film was shot Cinemascope. Goldsmith later drew on this score to craft a terrific five-movement concert suite, which showcases much of the music cut from the film, and which can be heard on Silva’s "Goldsmith conducts Goldsmith" CD (SSD1135). The score itself has seen a number of releases and re-releases; the best of these is probably Sony Legacy’s 1995 issue (JK 57890) which contains the complete score plus source cues, including unused music.
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I am thrilled to be able to retract that last sentence! 
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One of the biggest gripes about previous issues has always been the sound, that being the reason I kept the old Varese cd as it had an edge over the Sony. I guess since that 1985 THE BLUE MAX is the first and oldest cd in my collection, I have to keep it for senitmental reasons- the SONY?
OUT IT GOES....
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Posted: |
Jan 18, 2010 - 6:21 PM
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By: |
Wedge
(Member)
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That's the font from the original 1966 poster ... not that I think they look all that similar. That said, I don't doubt George Lucas would have been a fan of this film, given his love of all things aerial combat. It's a pretty notable entry in the "flying ace" genre. In fact, I think I recall reading somewhere that Lucas drew some inspiration from THE BLUE MAX's dogfight scenes. That could just be my memory playing tricks on me, though...
EDIT: Ah, here we go. From the book "George Lucas: Interviews" (although this particular quote is from Gary Kurtz):
"We used a lot of documentary footage," Kurtz says, "and some feature film footage. We looked at every war movie ever made that had air-to-air combat, from The Blue Max to The Battle of Britain. We even looked at film from Vietnam. We were looking for the reason each shot worked, the slight roll of the wings that made it look real."
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It's nice to see efforts expended to improve on a previous release such as this.
A tangential question: Does anyone know if "The Bridge" was used as a piece of temp score for STAR TREK TMP's "Leaving Drydock" sequence? I’ve never synched it up but it just has a similar feel.
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Let's see how many times I have bought THE BLUE MAX-
Citadel lp reissue 1976 (with shitty cover)
Citadel/Varese lp reissue with Mainstream cover 1980
Varese initial cd release - 1985
Sony expanded cd release 1995
Intrada definitive cd 2010
Let THIS be the last time I ever buy this score....
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Yet another landmark Intrada release. THE BLUE MAX and ISLANDS IN THE STREAM within 36 hours of each other! What could be next?
Good days to be a film music fan.
SCOTT
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