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Those of us who grew up in the heyday of roadshow attractions tend to forget that many people today have no direct experience of what exactly was meant by a film “Overture”, “Intermission/Entr’acte” or “Exit Music”. That’s sad, because there’s little doubt that cinema presentation has deteriorated alarmingly.
Presentationally, one of the worst things about modern cinemas is that they no longer have proscenium curtains – just a white blank screen; the view of which would have been anathema to cinema managers of the past. Also the picture quality of films has regressed following the demise of 70mm, which most roadshows were presented in. Although 35mm film stock has improved, it doesn’t compare to the sharp, pristine grain-free appearance of 70mm.
Incidentally, that Wikipedia link posted above listing Overtures is far from complete. Good previous thread on the subject of roadshows: http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=43842&forumID=7&archive=0
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I never knew there were so many films with Overtures. My first experience was Star Trek The Motion Picture and Black Hole. I always thought it was really cool, it got me in the mood for what I was about to watch. Yet I always loved film music anyway. Some seemed confused when music began to play, but the screen was black. They thought something was wrong with the film.
Screens were not black during the Overture. The Overture began with the curtains still drawn and the auditorium lights on, with people still taking their seats. It was only the final 30 seconds or so that the lights began to dim and then the curtains opened as the Overture music came to an end. Many people were barely aware of the Overture music and would not have appreciated that it was composed especially for the film.
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It's nice that TCM and many (yes?) DVD issues do include an epic movie's overture--often with a sign on the screen that says "Overture" so we don't think our TV has malfunctioned.
When we replace our 37-inch LCD flatscreens with 37-foot flatscreens, some semblance of the majestic roadshow experience will return.
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Screens were not black during the Overture. The Overture began with the curtains still drawn and the auditorium lights on, with people still taking their seats. It was only the final 30 seconds or so that the lights began to dim and then the curtains opened as the Overture music came to an end. Many people were barely aware of the Overture music and would not have appreciated that it was composed especially for the film.[/endquote
Greystoke Overture was exactly like that.
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To clarify a few points for those in the process of discovering this aspect of film/scoring history:
Whenever you see a TV/home video presentation with the word "Overture" (or "Entr'Acte" or "Exit Music") on screen, this has been created specifically for video... generally for the aforementioned reason of avoiding potential confusion by viewers who might think there is a malfunction. Those words don't appear on the original films.
During the era when Overtures were common, the film was generally black and played over a closed curtain (the lamp on the projector could also be off while this was going on). Many times the Overtures were EQ'd with extra high end to compensate for the dampening of the sound by the curtain. (Sometimes this needs to be adjusted to a more normal EQ in video mastering.)
Director Robert Wise did not like how overtures sounded through closed curtains and so he had the graphic designed for West Side Story and the live performance image for Star!. Similarly, Alfred Newman is seen conducting the orchestra on film for the overture to How to Marry a Millionaire. I'm sure there are other instances where there is an actual image on screen during the overture.
Also... do not be fooled by the use of the word "Overture" as a track title on a soundtrack album. This does not always mean it is an actual overture heard in the film presentation. Sometimes they give that name to the Main or End Title or an album arrangement (Capricorn One, Back to the Future).
Conversely, there are also Overtures on a few films that were not separate compositions but other sections of the score cobbled together editorially (Gone With the Wind, reissue prints of The King and I... and this latter had an "Overture" recorded for the soundtrack album that was not otherwise used). Finally, there are also some films where the Overture and Entr'Acte are identical (2001, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia.)
Mike
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Finally, there are also some films where the Overture and Entr'Acte are identical (2001, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia.)
Mike
Actually, the Overture for 'Ben-Hur' is not at all identical to the Entr'Acte. If you listen to the Rhino you'll see that the Entr'Acte has a totally different ending, the 'Anno Domini' motif in tutti, to replace Miriam's theme and the 'Friendship' motif, and the quieter 'Anno Domini'. This may well be cut'n'paste, but the first 'identical' half is not the same performance as the Overture either, since it's faster and louder.
Plus there was a second rejected Entr'Acte for BH which never made any 'official' release including Rhino, and which contains thematically unique material. Some of this material is reperformed in the Sony 'Prologue' from their old 2CD.
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The Overture is really good. It relies far less on the main thematic elements from the film than does the Main Title or the Entr’acte or the Exit Music (which is almost a copy of the Main Title). The Overture begins as a string ostinato, imparting an air of anticipation and suspense, which gradually increases in intensity as the complete orchestra takes up the original string figure. The music becomes agitated as the percussion and brass become prominent and take up some of the battle music for the bulk of the 2.30 minutes. It ends on a partially unresolved crescendo. The complete roadshow version is available on the latest DVD and Blu-ray disc. The full length score would be a great release for FSM but the film was a co-production between Warner Bros and Cinerama Inc so I suppose that makes music clearance difficult.
Sounds great. I love Frankel's gift for creating a sort of brooding, underground, seething discontent as if something's about to 'break through' either psychologically ('Night of the Iguana') or physically ('Battle of the Bulge'): there's a struggle in his music, and it is often unresolved.
I wonder why the reconstructors left it out. I suppose it's a long CD as it is.
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