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Kritzerland is proud to present a new limited edition release
DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS
Composed and Conducted by Franz Waxman
Demetrius and the Gladiators was a shrewd attempt to capitalize on the historic success of the first CinemaScope picture, The Robe. Even before The Robe opened, the canny Twentieth Century Fox production chief, Darryl F. Zanuck, had Demetrius and the Gladiators under way. Robe veterans, writer Philip Dunne, producer Frank Ross, art directors George W. Davis and Lyle Wheeler, and actors Victor Mature, Michael Rennie, and Jay Robinson were now freshly energized by newcomers; director Delmer Daves, cinematographer Milton Krasner, and composer Waxman replaced their counterparts still occupied on The Robe: Henry Koster, Leon Shamroy, and Newman.
The surprise is that, while The Robe eclipsed its successor in its day, decades later, it looks like Demetrius is, in fact, what screenwriter Philip Dunne called it: “a far better pure movie.” And one of the true pleasures of the film is Franz Waxman’s tantalizing score, which, while incorporating several of Alfred Newman’s incomparably majestic themes from The Robe, nevertheless manages to display a modernist élan and power all its own. Demetrius and the Gladiators was this fabulously versatile composer’s first Biblical epic; as usual, he adapted his talents to a new genre with superbly dramatic dexterity. Beginning with a pulse-pounding “Prelude” which twines Newman’s themes with his own, Waxman moves on to one stunning cue after another.
Demetrius and the Gladiators has undergone a long overdue full digital restoration using the best that state-of-the-art audio technology can offer. Restoration and remixing was undertaken at 96k 24bit resolution. Sadly, three cues from the score had completely deteriorated by the time the original reels were transferred in 1997: “Kneel to Your God” (6m3/7m1), “Temptation” (7m2), and “The Kiss” (8m1). Using the original 4-track stereo audio for the film itself, we have rescued brief segments of these, which were unmarred by dialogue and sound effects and included them in the program in order to present as much of the score as possible. An additional excerpt of “Temptation,” with sound effects but no dialogue, is included as a bonus track. Also in the bonus section is the deteriorated stereo version of the cue “Claudius and Caligula,” while the main program features a more sonically palatable monaural mix. Every effort has been made to bring out its original brilliance so that, as a listening experience, Demetrius may take its rightful place beside recent musical restorations of other Fox Biblical epics of the period.
Demetrius and the Gladiators is limited to 1000 copies only and is priced at $19.98, plus shipping.
CDs will ship by the first week of March, but we’ve been averaging three to five weeks early in terms of shipping ahead of the official ship date. To place an order, see the cover, or hear audio samples, just visit www.kritzerland.com.
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Mr Kimmel, no need to reserve this time.
I've just ordered through Kritzerland directly.
But what Kritzerland edition differs from 2002 FSM edition, I wonder.
P.S. Thank you for your assistance for The Buccaneer & Alien Nation again! I've just got it today!
It's all in the new release info above, but completely redone from scratch by Mike Matessino - a lot of very damaged cues that were bonus tracks on the previous release, have been helped a LOT and now appear in the score sequence where they belong. A few additional cues, too.
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Wow, no posts and few views. If this score's complete overhaul isn't something of interest to those on this board, we may as well give up the Golden Age ghost. Doesn't matter it was released over a decade ago - it would be like keeping a DVD of a film that's had a brand new restoration - why? Well, orders are coming in nicely so maybe it's just this board or the people who only like the 80s stuff. It's weird to me because The Buccaneer got lots o' comments and this really is no different.
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I've just listened to the samples, Bruce. This is superbly remastered. I will be ordering this ASAP.
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Mike Matessino's complete technical comments about this release are worth reporting:
Demetrius and the Gladiators has undergone a long overdue full digital restoration using the best that state-of-the-art audio technology can offer. The original 1954 elements had survived only on full coat
35mm magnetic tape, which, by the late 1990s, were deteriorating. As part of 20th Century Fox’s ongoing music restoration efforts, those elements had been archived to the 2” 24-track format in 1997. This element, in turn, has been digitized for this project and restoration and remixing was undertaken at 96k 24bit resolution. Many of the orchestral cues had been finalized as three-track mixdowns, while others required the combination of “stems” for chorus, percussion and other components.
Sadly, three cues from the score had completely deteriorated by the time the original reels were transferred in 1997: “Kneel to Your God” (6m3/7m1), “Temptation” (7m2), and “The Kiss” (8m1). Using
the original 4-track stereo audio for the film itself, we have rescued brief segments of these, which
were unmarred by dialogue and sound effects and included them in the program in order to present as
much of the score as possible. An additional excerpt of “Temptation,” with sound effects but no dialogue,
is included as a bonus track. Also in the bonus section is the deteriorated stereo version of the cue
“Claudius and Caligula,” while the main program features a more sonically palatable monaural mix.
Although the age and condition of the recording is somewhat apparent throughout, every effort has
been made to bring out its original brilliance so that, as a listening experience, Demetrius may take its
rightful place beside recent musical restorations of other Fox Biblical epics of the period.
— Mike Matessino
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Just ordered this via PayPal on your site! Ready to support all of your Golden Age releases, and for that matter, any other label who puts their blood into releasing scores of this historical significance.
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Posted: |
Jan 27, 2014 - 1:00 PM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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Wow, no posts and few views. If this score's complete overhaul isn't something of interest to those on this board, we may as well give up the Golden Age ghost. Doesn't matter it was released over a decade ago - it would be like keeping a DVD of a film that's had a brand new restoration - why? Well, orders are coming in nicely so maybe it's just this board or the people who only like the 80s stuff. It's weird to me because The Buccaneer got lots o' comments and this really is no different.
I'm sure we are all thrilled by the upgrade to this Waxman score, but it's hard to find something NEW to say about a score we've loved for so many years. In slightly less than 5 months, the score and the film will be celebrating their 60th Anniversary!!!
I saw the film the week it originally opened; I was fourteen at the time. The 2.55-1 CinemaScope and 4-track mag stereo were wondrous, and I was delighted at how well the film tied into THE ROBE, which I'd seen about 9 months before, in September of 1953. But DEMETRIUS took off in a very different direction and the featured stars, Hayward and Mature, while maybe not as "classy" as Burton and Simmons (at least in the minds of the "upper-crust"), were bigger movie stars of that day than Burton/Simmons, and I had certainly seen more films featuring them by that time, particularly Hayward.
In the early '50s, Hayward was particularly "hot," both pictorially and commercially, and I had especially enjoyed her in DAVID AND BATHSHEBA, WITH A SONG IN MY HEART, WHITE WITCH DOCTOR, THE PRESIDENT'S LADY, and THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO in that period. (Considering their fame then, it's astonishing to me today to note that people---particularly on the internet---confuse Hayward with Rita Hayworth---also a top star of that era---going so far as to refer to each as "Rita Hayward" and "Susan Hayworth". The mind boggles---at least mine does---but the world moves on and these stars are of a far distant era even though they are fresh and young in MY mind.)
Even then I was impressed with how well Waxman had managed to strike out on his own, yet still keeping the overall concept of tieing his score to Newman's. The occasional interweaving of Newman's melodies into his own score really brings the two films together quite well. (Over the years one of the things that always surprised me was that in sub-releases after both films had been through their first runs, Fox never seemed to pair them as a double-bill, either in sub-run or reissue. They never did it on VHS, laser, or DVD either. Wonder why.
The photography of the Fox pictures in that time, both the Technicolor "flat" films, and the CinemaScope extravaganzas was quite elegant as achieved by such great Golden Age cameramen as Leon Shamroy, Milton Krasner, Charles G. Clarke, Joe MacDonald, and others, and I saw a lot of Fox films during this period. One of the delights of going to the movies every week and seeing films from the same studios was that things became familiar to you, and they were like old friends. Some of the sets from THE ROBE were also in DEMETRIUS, obviously, but they were also in films like PRINCESS OF THE NILE and DESIREE, and contemporary-set films like THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE. It was fun to spot these over and over again, and for some unexplainable reason, didn't seem to detract from the moviegoing experience, but, rather, add to it.
I will be getting this, probably through SAE, where I can pair it up with another Twilight Time Blu-ray. That seems to be my current process.
Oh, by the way, the Kritzerland DEMETRIUS CD cover, as adapted from the original poster art, is spectacular. The FSM covers in this earlier period, while efficient, were not as striking. I wonder how many other posters are often "sold" on a release by bright and colorful and compelling cover art.....
I see no reason why this release of DEMETRIUS should go begging. Bruce has obviously expended much time and love on really upgrading it from the original and I'm looking forward to hearing it in a different way again.
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I will definitely order this soon -- I love the score and am thrilled that it has been remastered/restored. Thanks!
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Wow, no posts and few views. If this score's complete overhaul isn't something of interest to those on this board, we may as well give up the Golden Age ghost. Doesn't matter it was released over a decade ago - it would be like keeping a DVD of a film that's had a brand new restoration - why? Well, orders are coming in nicely so maybe it's just this board or the people who only like the 80s stuff. It's weird to me because The Buccaneer got lots o' comments and this really is no different.
Bruce, I'll be ordering soon. Waxman was one of the first composers I listened to back in the days of the Gerhardt Classic Film score series days. This is a welcome release as I listen to the old FSM disc once or twice a year. I'm looking forward to hearing the differences between the two.
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