Hi again - I'm not posting much these days. Going through a busy spell at work. However, I do occasionally find time to glance at the Face of the Book - that thing for people with no attention span - and despite my Neanderthal reservations about the whole idea of Bookface, I can't deny that there are millions of tantalising snippets of info on it, and a LOT of documentation which seems unavailable elsewhere. Whatever - this is not me giving birth to another rabbit, but rather a little notification about the upcoming issue of "Little Shoppe of Horrors".
On Facebook (as I believe it is called), "The Little Shoppe of Horrors" page has announced that its next issue (Number 38, Spring 2017) will be exclusively (or almost exclusively) devoted to the 1973 TV Movie FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY. A lot of us Ancient Brits of a certain age will remember how it marked our childhood when shown on consecutive Christmasses in 1975 and '76 (I think). I caught up with it again and it is still a remarkably strong film. And, if I may repeat myself, the Gil Mellé score was and is simply amazing. I recall that Cinefantastique (I can't remember the author of the piece) was extremely enthusiastic about the production, even singling out Mellé's marvelous music as particularly noteworthy.
I get the feeling that all that has been written before will pale in comparison with the upcoming issue of "Little Shoppe". It's a spectacularly well-produced publication in general, and I'm really looking forward to its in-depth study of the making of FRANKENSTEIN. But what REALLY interests us on this side of the Board is the score - and I was delighted to read that there will be extensive coverage of that particular aspect. I was even more delighted to read that the musical coverage has been undertaken by JAMES ANTHONY PHILLIPS, also known as jpteacher plus a few other pseudonyms. Now, if you know James' writings (and his tireless endeavours to get Gil Mellé soundtracks released, often ending in frustration) you'll know that we're in for a treat when it comes to charting the finest details of the story behind the music. On Facebook, it is mentioned that some information will come from James' own conversations with the late great Gil Mellé, never before published.
I promise I'm not getting paid for this blurb. I just want to share my enthusiasm for something which I'm sure will be of enormous value and interest to some of you here at least. Have a look on Little Shoppe's FB page for ongoing comments. And if you don't "do" FB, here's the link to the main page of the publication on the "normal" Internet. No specifics about the upcoming issue there though.
I really miss the 'old school' film magazines and think it's great that LSOH is still plugging away. I also remember this TV movie from the mid 70's (I was around 10 but the folks let me stay up to watch it). Cos I haven't seen it in eons, my memory is sketchy of the film and I don't recall a note of the music. But I remember really enjoying it (the film). On a side note, when I was in L.A for my 40th (that would have been May 2005) we bumped into Michael Sarrazin in Barney's Beanery pub and had a chat about his films and stuff. He seemed to enjoy the attention. We mentioned our love for Jerry Goldsmith's music (he was in FLIM-FLAM MAN and PETER PROUD). I can't recall what he said about that (we were on our way to drunk) Thanks for the info Graham (I don't do that FakeBook malarkey).
NBC broadcast the television movie FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY in two parts on 30 November & 1 December 1973. The film, which featured Leonard Whiting as Frankenstein and Michael Sarrazin as the Creature, was directed by Jack Smight.
The telefilm ran 185 minutes but Universal edited it down to about two hours for its foreign theatrical release.
I loved this so much when I saw it that I bought the paperback of it (actually the screenplay, if you can believe it) from the Scholastic Books magazine in 1974.
I had already read Frankenstein when I saw this at age 12; an early example of undestanding how far an adaptation could travel from its source and still be worthwhile in its own right.
I've never seen this magazine to my knowledge, but I'll be seeking this one for sure. Thanks, Graham.
I really miss the 'old school' film magazines and think it's great that LSOH is still plugging away.
Indeed Kev. That feeling ties in quite nicely with the musings of The Incontinent Rabbit (or whatever its name is) on the "What Does The Future Hold For Our Hobby?" thread (or whatever its name is).
Little Shoppe of Horrors is a wonderfully-produced publication. The design, the wealth of detail, the content... it's all so painstakingly obviously a ... (cliché alert)... labour of love.
Sean, if you are unfamiliar with it, and are interested in the classic horror genre from the UK, I wholeheartedly recommend it. I'd hate to have to sit and look at all that on a computer screen.
Back to Gil Mellé's music score. Does anyone remember the Cinefantastique review which praised the music, comparing it to (somehow) "the teaching process"? I'm not sure how that idea is expressed, or how the connection is made, and the issue in question is 2,000 miles away. Why aren't these things on-line (tee hee)?
This score was actually the first time I took note (literally - I scribbled it in a jotter) of the composer's name. That was back in December 1975. I also scribbled that the music director was Philip Martell, whose name I knew from the Hammer films. I'm pretty sure the score was recorded in London, but we'll have to wait for James' article to be published in order to learn the details. I don't think the issue will be published before May. These things take time, and the results show the amount of work and research that goes into each number.
There's a thread about The Last Run. I thought it was The Last Chase with Lee Majors and Burgess Meredith. Music NOT by Jerry Goldsmith. Hmmm. Who DID do the music?
This thread inspired me to pull out the DVD and watch The True Story again for the first time in ages. I had never realized until this time that the screenplay was written by Christopher Isherwood (writer of the stories behind I Am a Camera and Cabaret) and his long-time companion Don Bachardy.
Since homosexuality was an important thread in his writing, I must say this time the relationship between Victor and the Creature took on a new dimension, especially as Victor becomes repelled as the Creature begins to deteriorate, or "lose his looks"...something Polidori notes in the second half. (And there also seems to be quite a bit of homosexual metaphor in Polidori's lifestyle as well.) I don't want to overstate this, or suggest that this is a crypto-gay adaptation, but it was striking. I wonder if the magazine will reference this.
I'd forgotten much of the score, which would make a wonderful listen on its own. A much gentler and more contemplative score overall than I had remembered, and used judiciously. There are plenty of important scenes without music, and they work very well. It shares an idiom with Allyn Ferguson's music for the TV Dumas films with Richard Chamberlain, especially The Man in the Iron Mask, one of my treasured soundtrack albums from Prometheus.
Watching this last night reminded me of a wonderful TV Guide "background" article about this that I clipped out and saved for years. Sure enough, I found it folded up and tucked neatly into the paperback referenced above. Did a search online about it first, and found I'm not the only one. Here is a link to another full copy...very much worth a read, especially the amusingly snarky captions to the pictures.
This thread inspired me to pull out the DVD and watch The True Story again for the first time in ages. I had never realized until this time that the screenplay was written by Christopher Isherwood (writer of the stories behind I Am a Camera and Cabaret) and his long-time companion Don Bachardy.
Since homosexuality was an important thread in his writing, I must say this time the relationship between Victor and the Creature took on a new dimension, especially as Victor becomes repelled as the Creature begins to deteriorate, or "lose his looks"...something Polidori notes in the second half. (And there also seems to be quite a bit of homosexual metaphor in Polidori's lifestyle as well.) I don't want to overstate this, or suggest that this is a crypto-gay adaptation, but it was striking. I wonder if the magazine will reference this.
I'd forgotten much of the score, which would make a wonderful listen on its own. A much gentler and more contemplative score overall than I had remembered, and used judiciously. There are plenty of important scenes without music, and they work very well. It shares an idiom with Allyn Ferguson's music for the TV Dumas films with Richard Chamberlain, especially The Man in the Iron Mask, one of my treasured soundtrack albums from Prometheus.
Hey Sean, we're in "real time" here. It's almost like "real life".
Last time I watched it, a few weeks ago, I thought that the homosexual undertones came through quite clearly, and although I knew about the Isherwood-Bachardy partnership, I wouldn't say that I was particularly on the lookout for any subtext of that nature in the film - but it came through anyway. There was one particular review which I read way back (no idea who wrote it) which seemed to spend an inordinate amout of time tellling us that the homosexual angle was most definitely intentional from the outset, and how could it not be with Isherwood and Bachardy doing the screenplay? I don't know if that was merely the critic's own interpretation, or if the "intention" has been documented.
Oh yes, and what a music score! You're right - it is quite judiciously spotted, which makes the music, when it does appear, all the more effective. There's an absolutely gorgeously haunting theme for the creation of Prima, and the stark scoring for the Arctic climax is spine-tingling. Must admit I never noticed an Allyn Ferguson connection. I always found Ferguson's music to be somewhat anonymous (compared to someone as audacious and distinctive as Gil Mellé anyway), but I'm intrigued enough to have a listen to the TV scores for the Dumas adaptations.
I've kind of "stopped" clamouring for CD releases of scores I love, but I'll make an exception in this case.
Hi, Graham. I don't want to overstate the Melle/Ferguson connection, but the "iron mask" theme has been bouncing around in my head since watching F the True last night. You can hear it in this trailer and see if it resonates at all.
That odd leaping and falling theme, almost like a call for the Wild Hunt, is Ferguson's most distinctive moment that I've heard.
There's a documentary on Isherwood and Bachardy that I think ran on Netflix, that references Frankenstein: The True Story and the gay angle. The score is one of my favorites and richly deserves a legitimate release.
Thanks for the mention of the new issue (Sean's back issue copies will go out Tuesday after the ice storm passes). LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS has been publishing since 1972 (when I got out of the Army and went back to college). 45 years later, with bits of interruptions for marriage, kids, divorces, lost jobs, etc. we are still at it. My lovely Nancy Emdia/the LSoHgirl, these last 16 years, has been the power behind the throne to get two issues out a year for the last 10 years.
The upcoming issue on FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (LSoH #38/out in May) will be 120 pages with a wraparound and fold out cover by Rondo winner, Mark Maddox. An interior foldout cover by the famous Bruce Timm (another F:TTS fan). We expand out interior color pages to 16! With over 20 interviews including key ones with Leonard Whiting (Frankenstein), David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett and co-writer Don Bachardy, this is some fascinating stuff. My designer is working very closely with Sam Irvin (a Hollywood director who fell in love with this film in 1973), the man behind most of the materials. Sam worked with James Anthony Phillips on the Gil Melle feature, and Sam visited Melle's widow this last week for more info and images. She also has the original tapes for the music score and would love to see it released commercially.
The homo-erotic subtext to the film is certainly there, although not blatant. As well as Isherwood and Bachardy being a long time gay couple, the producer Hunt Stromberg Jr. was also gay. It is an amazing Frankenstein story. Ordering info will be on my website sometime in April, once we have all the final covers.
glad to discover this chat site. Nancy and I have bought tons of CDs from FilmScore so am glad Sean pointed us this way. (by the way, my avatar image is a rough for the front cover - for the Diamond Comics solicitation - not the final front cover by Mark Maddox.)
"Sam worked with James Anthony Phillips on the Gil Melle feature, and Sam visited Melle's widow this last week for more info and images. She also has the original tapes for the music score and would love to see it released commercially" ------------------------ Graham can't come to the computer right now. He's lying on his Spanish floor (with a smile on his face) - breathing through a plastic bag!
"Sam worked with James Anthony Phillips on the Gil Melle feature, and Sam visited Melle's widow this last week for more info and images. She also has the original tapes for the music score and would love to see it released commercially" ------------------------ Graham can't come to the computer right now. He's lying on his Spanish floor (with a smile on his face) - breathing through a plastic bag!
Nah Kev, I gave up the old hanging myself in the wardrobe with a bag of glue routine decades ago. But I can't say that I'm unhappy at the prospect of a legit release of the score. Early days yet... old age has dulled me and made me overly prosaic. These things take time and money. But if it happens before I shake off my mortal coil, I'll be an extremely contented old git.
Oh, and nice to see the post from the new member, whose moniker is actually a subtle anagram of "diaklem", which as all you German scholars know translates as "Richard Klemensen", who is the personification of a horrific little shoppe.
I also saw this during its U.S. broadcast in 73 when I was an impressionable eight years old and it really made an impression. I was fascinated and repelled, which I imagine was just the reaction it's creators were hoping for. I recently revisited it and found it a bit more tame than my wild, distant memories recalled. Back then I was on the verge of discovering soundtracks in earnest but I do recall being intrigued by Mellé's sonorous music.
Little Shoppe's Facebook page has started announcing info on the upcoming issue. For those of you who don't "do" FB (I only do it a bit m'self), I'll keep you updated here.
The contents page looks absolutely great. Every aspect of the entire production seems so be covered throughout the publication's 120 pages. I'm sure it'll be a fascinating read for those who like the film. I may have mentioned before that I think it's "almost" brilliant. Some of it falls a bit flat, and not all the ideas work, but in a way I'd call it a flawed masterpiece.
No "almosts" about the music score. What a wonderful... creation. And for those of us on the FSM Board, what we're really looking forward to is -
"The Gil Mellé Chronicles: On Creating the Music for Frankenstein The True Story, by James Anthony Phillips".
Just a quick update - although there's no real news! You're going to have to be patient. I'm following the announcements on Bookface, and it's adding little pieces of artwork now and again. A painstaking process, and I'm sure the results will be... "beautiful". At the moment it's set for an early-June release.
Sean - did you ever get those back issues you ordered?
Repeating myself again - anyone recall the Cinefantastique coverage way back, which mentioned the score as functioning on a kind of "teaching" level? I know that's a very fuzzy statement, but it was something like that.
Revisiting the film (on the Tube I'm afraid), and it's got a stack of great things in it. Not least the absolutely magnificent music score. Don't forget that this is getting substantial coverage in the upcoming issue by J.A.P.
I'll keep bumping this until you're blue in the face.
