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Posted: |
May 30, 2021 - 8:16 PM
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By: |
bobbengan
(Member)
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Just wanted to share word of the existence of this large-scale, ambitious and exotic-tinged orchestral effort for a pretty trashy and irrelevant 80's adventure picture - penned by composer Mort Garson, a name totally unfamiliar to me. I discovered the film for its Rifftrax inclusion but was so gob-smacked by the music from the onset that I had to seek out more information, and to hear the music more 'cleanly' minus the riffing.
In the first ten minutes alone, we're treated to not only a lengthy main title with its robust, driving main theme, followed by a nice suspense/action cue and then a terrific "flying" theme for Bradford Dillman's character and his plane. It all only gets more colorful from there; throughout the film we're treated to adrenal action music, sunny exotica-type material a la Baxter, suspense cues and varied statements of that great main theme. Even for 1985, the score sounds like something from an earlier era, like a cross between a 50's jungle adventure score and the aforementioned lush exotica sound. I just love the bucolic, joyous spin Garson puts on the main theme for the last few minutes of the film, before bookending what he started with a bombastic reprise of the main title music.
The full film can be seen at the below link:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x242ohi
A little internet research reveals that Garson is apparently otherwise best known as an arranger/bandleader and for a series of electronic compositions from the early 70's (as well as scoring "Beware! The Blob"); if this effort is any indication, the man had some serious symphonic chops as well - this is BOLD scoring, clearly designed to bolster the scope and excitement of an undeserving picture.
Reminds me of a similar situation with "Tarzan, The Ape Man" from 1981 - another sadly-unreleased, ravishing jungle adventure score from a composer (the late Perry Botkin Jr.) otherwise totally unassociated with this 'sound'.
Any enterprising labels care to look into the whereabouts of this one?
- BB
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I found two copies on YouTube, but one had a knock-off bad "Mystery Science Theater 3000" commentary over it (with knock-off black cut-outs in a theater), and the other was in another language like Czechoslvakian; the guy reading the opening credits paragraph is so lazy and bored. It sounds like he woke up from a drunken blackout to go pee and somebody told him right as he got off the couch he had to, "Here -- read this before you piss."
I'm listening now. Terrific opening credits.
EDIT:
The "Good guys" of our film are introduced by flying around and murdering birds with a plane in the sky, for shits and giggles...
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And some bouncy boobies. Those and the score … probably the only things that will be good about it when I'm done skimming it for the score.
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Just finished going through it. Awful awful awful film. Even the "Happy" ending is, as you might say, reprehensible.
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Editing audio now. It'll take two suites since I am limited to fifteen minute limits.
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Editing audio now. It'll take two suites since I am limited to fifteen minute limits.
Since when did YT limit you to 15 min. vids?
Jay
If you don't verify your account with a phone number or some such thing, there is a fifteen-minute limit. This was imposed somewhere about ten years ago.
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You can see the lengths by clicking on the videos.
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