During the last 10 years (approximately) of his life, Stanley Myers (1933-1993) collaborated on over a half-dozen films with director Nicolas Roeg. Roeg's working relationship with composer Myers must have been special, since Roeg seems not to utilize a film composer more than once (both before the '80s and after Myers' death).
Of their collaborations which follow, which among them do you like?:
I've gotten both INSIGNIFICANCE and CASTAWAY on LPs, but it's the suite of COLD HEAVEN on Intrada (which is coupled with "Trusting Beatrice") that I like most of all these. Not because it's a suite, but it's Myers' music for COLD HEAVEN which best exemplifies the off-kilter perspectives of the Roeg films.
I think Hans Zimmer played synths or did additional music on at least half of these. Castaway weaves effortlessly between classical orchestral and a kind of textural, ambient, new age style, all at the same time. I think it's thoroughly ahead of it's time. The arrangement of Clair De Lune is pretty interesting too.
I like how in 1995, Zimmer came back to score Two Deaths for Roeg after Myers passing.
Of those, I've only seen THE WITCHES. Pretty good film that I saw in the theatre as a kid, but to be honest, I don't remember much of the music. Myers has always been one of those I've wanted to check out more. He's not just the "Cavatina" guy!
Zimmer worked on Eureka, Insignificance and Castaway. Haven't heard Eureka, Insignificance is interesting but quite peculiar, and what I have heard of Castaway seems really nice.
THE WITCHES is a great score and one I'd like to see it get a release some day. Not familiar with the others. I fully agree THE WITCHES is -believe it or not- one of my HOLY GRAILS (besides WHITE FANG) and I'd buy this release instantly!
THE WITCHES is a great score and one I'd like to see it get a release some day. Not familiar with the others. I fully agree THE WITCHES is -believe it or not- one of my HOLY GRAILS (besides WHITE FANG) and I'd buy this release instantly!
I wish the film would get the proper widescreen DVD treatment as well. I haven't seen it in 20 years because I refuse to watch it panned/scanned. Boo.
I wouldn't mind some other Myers (non-Roeg) film scores, like for "Dreamchild" and "The Lightship." But that's me.
I, too, would like any and all available music written by Stanley Myers to be issued onto albums. Myers' TAM LIM is one of my personal favorites, but this is virtually unknown to most people due to the film's unsatisfactory distribution. I've only spot-lighted these Roeg films because these collaborations are of high standards. Myers also collaborated with a number of other directors, like Volker Schlondorf and Jerzy Skolimowski and John Hough. I would love, too, Stanley Myers' horror scores from the Pete Walker movies during the mid-'70s - these score rise above the tawdry flicks and are worthy of a box-set CD treatment...
