I've found that the older I get, the fewer surprises are left to be discovered in films, mostly because I've (seemingly) seen almost everything. Or so I thought. Last evening I played the Blu-ray of Carol Reed's 'ODD MAN OUT', seen by me for the first time in any medium. For 2 hours I was sitting upright, transfixed to the screen in following the pursuit and eluding of a gang-member wounded in a bank robbery gone wrong, (James Mason in a smashing performance). The Northern Irish Police search en-masse across the unnamed city (Belfast), while Mason's character, 'Johnnie', crosses paths with many strangers over the course of a single evening. Filmed mostly at night by the Oscar winning Robert Krasker, the cinematography here is among the very best of any Black & White film, EVER. After the film ended, I viewed all the supplements including one solely for composer William Alwyn, then viewed the film all over again, something I've never done before for any film. William Alwyn is a name I recognized, but didn't have any of his music in my c.d. library. His score for this film is truly marvelous. He composed a theme for James Mason's character, 'Johnnie' that is simple, yet memorably haunting. I haven't had a film be able to 'crack into' my Top Ten Film list in decades. This film is now in that list.
Thanks for bringing this up, Dave. I agree with you; it is a superb film, and James Mason was excellent in it. It shows what a true master Carol Reed was. I have long been a fan of Alwyn; I have all of his symphonies and most of his orchestral output. The only recording of the score that I know of is on Chandos; it is not the full score but a substantial suite; I listen to it often.
This film deserves its own thread. Thanks for bringing it up. I agree wholeheartedly with you, Dave. A mesmerizing movie that starts as a heist-gone-wrong crime thriller and gradually turns into something much more (or different)... Fantastic work in every department, not least of all Alwyn's music. I also own the Chandos with its suite and have just listened to it a few days ago. "Reed-wise" I prefer ODD MAN OUT to THE THIRD MAN.
A brilliant film. Alwyn was also brilliant and this, for me, is his best score and there's a wonderful suite of it on the first Chandos William Alwyn CD - there are now four volumes in that series and while the sound of the subsequent three is that washy Chandos sound (the first volume with a different conductor is great-sounding), they're all worth having and you should also seek out his classical works with him conducting - they're on Lyrita (don't get the Chandos versions) and all available.
Does anyone remember the name of the 1950s seminal book on film-scoring which uses Alwyn's score as well as Rozsa's Julius Caesar for in depth chapters on scoring, complete with staves? I don't have a copy, but it's well known.
Mason famously staggers in the snow past the Albert Clock, and many, though not all, of the outdoor locations were shot in Belfast. The famous 'Crown Liquor Saloon' pub, very ornate, impressed the production team so much that they made a complete reconstruction in one of the London studios, though many tourists and locals believed they were seeing the actual pub on screen:
Does anyone remember the name of the 1950s seminal book on film-scoring which uses Alwyn's score as well as Rozsa's Julius Caesar for in depth chapters on scoring, complete with staves? I don't have a copy, but it's well known.
Mason famously staggers in the snow past the Albert Clock, and many, though not all, of the outdoor locations were shot in Belfast. The famous 'Crown Liquor Saloon' pub, very ornate, impressed the production team so much that they made a complete reconstruction in one of the London studios, though many tourists and locals believed they were seeing the actual pub on screen:
Mr. MCCRUM, thanks for the link to the actual pub. As much as I love the Black & White imagery of the film, the interiors are truly, truly gorgeous in color. In the film I thought the 'private booths' doors came up to chest-level of the characters. And you said the entire pub was reconstructed on a sound stage, THAT surprised me because it looked like the interior of an actual pub. But in the color photos (in the link), the tops of the the doors of the booths appear to be much higher. Then again, if the booths doors were actual height in the film, the actors couldn't look into the booth to see who was inside, right? Also, I thought that the pub in the film was in the middle of the block, but in the photo it's on a corner. Or, am I mistaken?
This film deserves its own thread. Thanks for bringing it up. I agree wholeheartedly with you, Dave. A mesmerizing movie that starts as a heist-gone-wrong crime thriller and gradually turns into something much more (or different)... Fantastic work in every department, not least of all Alwyn's music. I also own the Chandos with its suite and have just listened to it a few days ago. "Reed-wise" I prefer ODD MAN OUT to THE THIRD MAN.
As much as I love Reed's 'The Fallen Idol', 'ODD MAN OUT' in my opinion is his best work, and my favorite. I can admire much of 'The Third Man', and I do, for it's set-pieces primarily. Everyone seems to name The Third Man as Reed's best work, but I strongly disagree. 'Odd Man Out' is also somehow strangely romantic as well, or is it just me? The romance between the woman who decides to leave the world at the same time as her Johnnie at the end of the film just tore my heart out. 'Suicide by Police' - the first time I've seen this in such an old film, though it seems to be more prevalent in real-life these days.
Thanks for bringing this up, Dave. I agree with you; it is a superb film, and James Mason was excellent in it. It shows what a true master Carol Reed was. I have long been a fan of Alwyn; I have all of his symphonies and most of his orchestral output. The only recording of the score that I know of is on Chandos; it is not the full score but a substantial suite; I listen to it often.
THANK YOU! Both you as well as Hainshisway have directed me to it and I've found it at Amazon. The cover seems different from the other Chandos recordings of Alwyn music, but I think this is what Hainshisway was alluding to about the subsequent Chandos recordings of Alwyn's music.
Thanks for bringing this up, Dave. I agree with you; it is a superb film, and James Mason was excellent in it. It shows what a true master Carol Reed was. I have long been a fan of Alwyn; I have all of his symphonies and most of his orchestral output. The only recording of the score that I know of is on Chandos; it is not the full score but a substantial suite; I listen to it often.
THANK YOU! Both you as well as Hainshisway have directed me to it and I've found it at Amazon. The cover seems different from the other Chandos recordings of Alwyn music, but I think this is what Hainshisway was alluding to about the subsequent Chandos recordings of Alwyn's music.
Yes, this was an early Chandos film music album. When the subsequent conductor became the conductor of choice they came up with a more uniform design for the film series.
As much as I love the Black & White imagery of the film, the interiors are truly, truly gorgeous in color. In the film I thought the 'private booths' doors came up to chest-level of the characters. And you said the entire pub was reconstructed on a sound stage, THAT surprised me because it looked like the interior of an actual pub. But in the color photos (in the link), the tops of the the doors of the booths appear to be much higher. Then again, if the booths doors were actual height in the film, the actors couldn't look into the booth to see who was inside, right? Also, I thought that the pub in the film was in the middle of the block, but in the photo it's on a corner. Or, am I mistaken?
It's on a corner now, next to a small cut-through with a courtyard where a restaurant is now attached, but this may not have been then.
'Reel Street' site has this set of old location shots:
Both ODD MAN OUT and THE FALLEN IDOL are brilliant films and have great scores by William Alwyn.
William Alwyn should have scored Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN. I absolutely hate that zither trash that Karas "composed" for the film. It almost ruins the film for me. I first saw THE THIRD MAN in the early 1970s in a Boston revival movie theatre. The audience loved the film but moaned and even laughed when that stupid zither noise keep coming on. When I watch the film at home on DVD I have to keep lowering the sound when the zither comes on. Great film, horrible zither noise! Anyone agree with me?
William Alwyn should have scored Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN. I absolutely hate that zither trash that Karas "composed" for the film. It almost ruins the film for me. I first saw THE THIRD MAN in the early 1970s in a Boston revival movie theatre. The audience loved the film but moaned and even laughed when that stupid zither noise keep coming on. When I watch the film at home on DVD I have to keep lowering the sound when the zither comes on. Great film, horrible zither noise! Anyone agree with me?
Not I. At least about Karas' score. I agree that THE THIRD MAN is a great film, as is ODD MAN OUT.
Oh come on, Peter, count your blessings. At least they didn't have Karas score FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN.
(Count me among the millions -- yes, millions -- who have loved both the Carol Reed film AND its score ever since it first appeared in the 40's. I'm sorry the score doesn't work for you, but as Mark Twain said, and I'm fond of quoting, It's a difference of opinion that makes horse races. So, I respect your right to your own opinion, but for what it's worth, I've seen THE THIRD MAN with large and small audiences and have never witnessed the reaction you describe. I'll bet we've all had the unfortunate experience of watching a favorite film with some audience that just doesn't "get" it. All I can do at such times is chalk it up to mob psychology.)
