FSM Board: Nelson Riddle's "El Dorado"

FSM HOME

SEARCH FSM


LOG IN

Forgot Login?

Register



	General Discussion • Trading Post • Non-Film Score Discussion
	Profile • Preferences • Community Rules • Help/Contact • Search Board


Search Terms:
Search Within:	search tips

You must log in or register to post.

Go to page:

General Discussion: Nelson Riddle's "El Dorado"

Last Post


	Posted:	May 6, 2013 - 3:27 AM
	By:	Regie (Member)

This is an absolutely splendid opening song for "El Dorado", composed and conducted by Nelson Riddle. The film is almost a total remake of "Rio Bravo", though not nearly as good a film. All is forgiven because it was directed by my beloved Howard Hawks. But the music is very affecting, with its stoic version of masculinity:

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/177958/El-Dorado-Movie-Clip-Opening-Credits.html

I showed this film once in high school to a group of boys who were skeptical about a film from the 1960's and when that song played in the opening credits two or three of the boys commented on how much they liked the song!! It was male-orientated and, therefore, interesting to them.


	Posted:	May 6, 2013 - 3:59 AM
	By:	Dimifan (Member)

Agreed, The song is great. I think it was sung by George Alexander and the Mellow Men. Was very excited when I purchsed the soundtrack LP in the early 80s. But when I found out that the song was performed by a ´soft´ chorus I was so disappointed. Hope that someone is working on a proper release...

Overall the movie is very enjoyable. Although a variation of Rio Bravo it makes really fun to watch due to a good portion of irony which was found in many of the 60s Wayne western movies. Rio Bravo was more of a ´serious´ western. And the cast Wayne, Mitchum, Caan...


	Posted:	May 6, 2013 - 4:06 AM
	By:	CinemaScope (Member)


	Posted:	May 6, 2013 - 5:27 AM
	By:	Regie (Member)

As a movie I prefer El Dorado to Rio Bravo, but I don't think much of the score. There is that great title song, & what a voice! But the rest of it almost sounds like out-takes from Batman ('66), & I am a fan of Nelson Riddle (who wouldn't be!).

Point taken about the background music in the film, which wasn't all that good. It's the song at the beginning which is excellent. Agree about Nelson Riddle!!

"Rio Bravo" is a far superior film to "El Dorado", according to all critical opinion. I've read Hawks' biography (a huge tome) by Todd McCarthy and Leigh Brackett, the writer of "El Dorado" complained to Hawks that it was exactly the same film. Hawks said, "if they don't like it give 'em their dime back" (a now-famous quote!). "Rio Bravo" is possibly the finest western ever made, IMO, and Dimi's score is so touching and poetic and there is quite a lot of diegetic music in the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uuAjwvtxEM

Another problem with "El Dorado" was the tendency in mid-60's to late 70's of ZOOM IN/ZOOM OUT - less reliance on beautiful, subtle crane and tracking shots and more on the lens. Gave these films a rather cheap look, IMO.


	Posted:	May 6, 2013 - 11:41 AM
	By:	James MacMillan (Member)

Oh, no - not the "d" word again.


	Posted:	May 6, 2013 - 8:33 PM
	By:	Bill Finn (Member)

I always loved the track: "La Noche y Las Estrellas (The Night And The Stars)". I think it is track 2 on side B. And of course the Main Title music. I just never really cared for the film that much.

Riddle was an exceptionally talented musician. Perhaps film scoring wasn't his first love or his best
case (he was Frank Sinatra's music director and conductor, he did the arrangements and conducted for the three Linda Ronstadt albums of the American Songbook material, etc.). Still, I think he did
a fair job on EL DORADO and I would love to have a CD of the EPIC album, as it is one of the few LPs I own with pops and scratches.

Riddle's use of what sounds like two bass trombones (F or Eb) in the Main Title definitely give it a weightier sound than usual. Lovely soundtrack for a not so great film I think.


	Posted:	May 6, 2013 - 10:51 PM
	By:	Regie (Member)

The title song is quite lovely, especially that shift in key in the second section where it starts, "My daddy once told me what a man ought to be..." The melody entirely follows the vocal line, so it's quite a simple little tune.

Nelson Riddle worked on orchestration with Conrad Salinger on "High Society" and I've often thought the former's arrangements for Frank Sinatra were very directly influenced by Salinger himself and all his orchestrations from the MGM musicals of the late 40s and 50s. (I commented on this fact last week in my lecture on Conrad Salinger.)

When I was still in my teens I saw "El Dorado" at the cinema when a boyfriend took me after I said I wanted to see a Howard Hawks/John Wayne film. He wanted to whisper sweet nothings into my ear and I wasn't one bit interested - all I could think about was that compelling theme tune, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and my dearly beloved Howard Hawks. The suitor in question who took me to the movies didn't get a chance because "the godliest mortal you ever will know is the one with the dream of "El Dorado"!!! In short, he had to be a film fanatic!!


	Posted:	May 6, 2013 - 11:03 PM
	By:	Regie (Member)

I cannot get the "edit" function to work. In my posting above I meant that Salinger INFLUENCED the arrangements of Nelson Riddle - just to clarify. (I see the damn thing worked right after I posted this! Technology! Sheesh.)

General Discussion: Nelson Riddle's "El Dorado"

First Post



	General Discussion • Trading Post • Non-Film Score Discussion
	Profile • Preferences • Community Rules • Help/Contact • Search Board

You must log in or register to post.

Go to page:

	© 2024 Film Score Monthly. All Rights Reserved.
	Website maintained and powered by Veraprise and Matrimont.