Brazil is pretty great but I'd say Munchausen tops it. But of course nothing touches The Crimson Permanent Assurance. Hell that might Gilliam's best film ever.
I was thinking the same thing; Baron Munchausen & Brazil are both overdue for a better release. Especially Brazil, minus the dialogue. I suggested as much to LLL just last week, after listening to Die Hard With A Vengence. Almost forgot how great that score was.
My Favourite Gilliam movie and one my Favourite Kamen scores. I have the Vinyl release and later found the CD for $5 at a second hand shop in Sydney in perfect condition.
Obviously, not one of you have ever heard the much-superior score for the the original Baron Munchhausen composed by Georg Haentschel? The Kamen music is, well, just fine, but not a patch on the original (nor is the flawed film).
Here is a brief sample of some of the beautiful music and theme from the German 1943 version. It is a great film and Gilliam borrowed from it heavily. If they ever released this score, I would buy it so fast your head would spin!
Here is a brief sample of some of the beautiful music and theme from the German 1943 version. It is a great film and Gilliam borrowed from it heavily. If they ever released this score, I would buy it so fast your head would spin!
This film is available on Kino video and is just as magical as the Gilliam version is. Highly recommended.
The full film is also available on YouTube, apparently.
There was a giant stink made from the surviving family members of the '43 producers when Gilliam's version went into production. They sued, and there's an addendum at the end of the credits because of it.
When I saw the film during its initial release I was not a fan.
Many years later I gave it another chance (during a recent Gilliam-high, revisiting all his work) and I found it extremely delightful and entertaining. Kamen´s score is brilliant, and I couldn´t help myself ordering it via amazon-marketplace.
Have I jinxed it enough so one label will now re-issue it?
Here is a brief sample of some of the beautiful music and theme from the German 1943 version. It is a great film and Gilliam borrowed from it heavily. If they ever released this score, I would buy it so fast your head would spin!
Always loved this score, although I found the chunky suites presentation a bit unwieldy at times. I'd love an expanded, cleaned-up edition, with everything separated and more user friendly. Once again, I'm sure, if it was easy, it would have been done already.
The score is all over the place, sometimes lyrical and beautiful, other times frantic, yet other times atmospheric, then other times mickey mousey and goofy. There's parts I cut out for sure. The balloon ride music is serene.
Hopefully, Kamen's "Baron Munchausen" doesn't fall under the Sony Music jurisdiction just because it is a Sony Pictures property.
Let me see if I have this right?
If a CD-album company wanted to do an expanded edition of "Baron Munchausen," they would have to get a license from WaterTower Music to release the music cues already released on the Warner Bros Records album and to release the score's remaining music cues, the album company would have to get a license from Sony Pictures--not Sony Music.