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Posted: |
Mar 16, 2020 - 1:36 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In 1978, after five seasons, the police show “Kojak” finished its run. Seven years later, “Theo Kojak” (Telly Savalas) was back on television reprising his character in THE BELARUS FILE, which found the lollipop-loving Greek detective trying to solve a series of murders related to concentration camps in Nazi-occupied Russia, almost half a century earlier. Susan Pleshette appeared as Kojak's unofficial assistant and possible love interest, and guest star Max von Sydow played “Peter Barak,” an elderly concentration camp survivor.
Robert Markowitz directed the film, which aired on CBS on 16 February 1985. Joseph Conlan and Barry De Vorzon provided the unreleased score. Although six more Kojak telefilms were to follow, THE BELARUS FILE marked the final appearances of series regulars Dan Frazer as “Frank McNeil,” George Savalas as “Stavros,” Mark Russell as “Saperstein,” and Vince Conti as “Rizzo.”
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Posted: |
Mar 16, 2020 - 2:02 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Woody Allen’s HANNAH AND HER SISTERS takes place between two Thanksgivings two years apart, during which “Hannah” (Mia Farrow) sees her husband “Elliot” (Michael Caine) fall in love with her sister “Lee” (Barbara Hershey), while her hypochondriac ex-husband “Mickey” (Allen) rekindles his relationship with her sister “Holly” (Dianne Wiest). Max von Sydow appears as “Frederick,” a reclusive, curmudgeonly painter who is Lee’s intellectual tutor.
Barbara Hershey, Max von Sydow, Daniel Stern, and Michael Caine in HANNAH AND HER SISTERS
The structure of this movie, centering around holiday gatherings, was based on FANNY AND ALEXANDER (1982) by Ingmar Bergman. Woody Allen had long been an admirer of Bergman's movies. This may also explain the inclusion of Max von Sydow, a Bergman regular, in the cast. In fact, von Sydow had wanted to be in FANNY AND ALEXANDER, but demands, made on his behalf by his agent, prevented his involvement.
After Max von Sydow and Barbara Hershey finished filming their characters' break-up scene, the crew gave them a standing ovation. Allen wrote and directed this 1986 comedy-drama, which in one scene had “Frederick” (von Sydow) complaining bitterly, while watching television, that if Jesus were to come back and see what religion had become, "he'd never stop throwing up.” The film had a tracked song score.
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Posted: |
Mar 16, 2020 - 3:54 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In 1969 New York City, "Dr. Malcolm Sayer" (Robin Williams) arrives at Bainbridge Hospital in the Bronx. Although he has come to apply for a research position, Dr. Sayer is informed by the hospital head, "Dr. Kaufman" (John Heard), that Bainbridge is a chronic care hospital with no research department. Despite his lack of clinical experience, Sayer is hired to treat patients. Later, experimenting with a drug called L-Dopa, Sayer finds that it can cause remarkable AWAKENINGS in some brain-damaged patients, in particular a post-encephalitic patient named "Leonard Lowe" (Robert De Niro). Sayer visits “Dr. Peter Ingham” (Max von Sydow), who treated encephalitic patients, most of whom died during the acute stage of the disease. He says the survivors showed signs of severe brain damage within five to fifteen years of recovery. Although Ingham believes Sayer’s patients have lost their “higher faculties” and are unaware of their surroundings, Sayer sets out to disprove him.
Director Penny Marshall at first wanted Bill Murray to play Leonard Lowe. Murray was interested in the project, but Marshall ultimately decided against it because she didn't want audiences expecting a comedy. Marshall then recruited friend Robert De Niro to star as Lowe. Randy Newman's score for the 1990 film was released by Reprise.
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Posted: |
Mar 16, 2020 - 11:38 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In director Lars von Trier’s EUROPA, “Leopold Tressler” (Jean-Marc Barr) is an American sent to Frankfurt in October of 1945 to work alongside his uncle (Ernst-Hugo Järegard) for the Zentropa Train Company. Leopold is to be a sleeping-car conductor. His very occupation is that of ferrying passengers from one place to the next while they sleep. So, too, could all of EUROPA be a dream. We enter the movie under cover of night, a single light illuminating the train tracks that our eyes scan, as the voice of narrator Max von Sydow plants the hypnotic suggestion that will transport us to Germany alongside Leopold.
Perhaps because a year earlier, another European production called EUROPA, EUROPA had been released in the U.S., when Miramax released von Trier’s film in America in 1992, they retitled it ZENTROPA. Joachim Holbek’s score was released by Virgin Records in France.
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Posted: |
Mar 17, 2020 - 12:06 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In the sleepy seaside town of Castle Rock, Maine, a mysterious newcomer from Akron, Ohio, opens an antique shop called NEEDFUL THINGS, which piques the interest of local residents. The owner is the elderly but sophisticated “Leland Gaunt” (Max von Sydow). He doesn't ask his customers for money. He asks them to play a prank on someone else in town. The catch is that these pranks are specifically targeted towards the petty, jealous, and paranoid citizens so that they will automatically assume that a particular person had perpetrated the trick. Soon, the townspeople are at each other's throats (literally) and “Sheriff Alan Pangborn” (Ed Harris) must not only attempt to keep the peace, but also figure out what is causing the unrest. Can he keep things under control while also watching over his fiancée, “Polly” (Bonnie Bedelia)?
Bonnie Bedelia, Max von Sydow, and Ed Harris in NEEDFUL THINGS
In 1991, Castle Rock Entertainment paid a “record-setting” $1.75 million for film rights to Stephen King’s yet unpublished novel, Needful Things. Peter Yates was attached to direct, with filming expected to start in Maine that fall. However, Yates did not stay with the project, and Fraser C. Heston was hired as his replacement. Although he had never before directed a feature film, he had extensive experience directing, writing, and producing films for cable television.
With the majority of pre-production already completed, Heston was left to cast the picture, and he immediately thought of actor Max von Sydow, who worked with his father, Charlton Heston, in THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965). To convince von Sydow, Heston flew to Sweden to meet the actor and discuss his plan for the material. Once Sydow agreed to star, Heston held a similar meeting with actor Ed Harris in New York City.
Patrick Doyle’s score for the 1993 film was released by Varese Sarabande.
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Posted: |
Mar 17, 2020 - 3:08 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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The made-for-cable film CITIZEN X opens in early 1982, when “Lt. Viktor Burakov” (Stephan Rea) begins tracking the victims of Russia’s most prolific serial killer, one “Andrei Chikatilo” (Jeffrey DeMunn). Supervising Lt. Burakov is “Col. Mikhail Festiov” (Donald Sutherland), a career military politician who has long ago stopped caring about anything. Supervising Festiov is the most decadent Politburo ever captured on film. Chief among them is “Bondarchuk” (Joss Ackland). When given the initial report that there is a serial killer currently haunting the children of Russia, Bondarchuk snaps, “The Soviet Union doesn’t have serial killers! It is a decadent, Western phenomenon.” Max von Sydow plays “Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky,” a hesitant, frightened but determined psychiatrist.
Max von Sydow in CITIZEN X
Chris Gerolmo directed and co-wrote this 1995 film, which premiered on HBO on 25 February 1995. Randy Edelman’s score was released by Varese Sarabande.
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Europa has a wonderful score. If only they could release and expanded edition.
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Posted: |
Mar 17, 2020 - 9:30 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS, “Ishmael Chambers” (Ethan Hawke) publishes the local paper. Flashbacks reveal that he once had a relationship with “Hatsue Miyamoto” (Youki Kudoh), the wife of “Kazuo Miyamoto” (Rick Yune), who is on trial for the murder of Carl Heine, a local fisherman. Hatsue ended their relationship once World War II began, but Ishmael still pines for her. Ishmael is also dealing with living in the shadow of his father “Arthur” (Sam Shepherd). Arthur ran the newspaper before Ishmael, and presented a tolerant view of the Japanese community. In the present trial, prosecutor “Alvin Hooks” (James Rebhorn) squares off against defense attorney “Nels Gundmusson” (Max Von Sydow). Gundmusson seems to be an elderly, confused attorney, but mentally he is extremely sharp.
Director Scott Hicks and Max von Sydow on the set of SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS
Max von Sydow said of his role "I loved the script very much. It's a wonderfully intelligent, rich story with many levels which are cleverly interwoven. It deals with real people that you care about, whom it's possible to understand. Also, Nels is a man of common sense and that's very appealing."
Scott Hicks directed this 1999 drama. James Newton Howard’s score was released by Decca.
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Posted: |
Mar 17, 2020 - 10:02 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In Dario Argento’s SLEEPLESS, police in Turin investigate two murders that appear to have the hallmarks of a serial killer from the 1980s known as The Dwarf Murderer. However, the Dwarf Murderer, “Vincenzo de Fabritiis,” is dead, his body having been pulled out of a river back in 1983. The police ask the advice of “Ulisse Moretti” (Max von Sydow), the now retired police inspector who investigated at the time. Also brought back in is “Giacomo Gallo” (Stefano Dionisi), the now adult child who witnessed his mother being murdered, although he did not see the killer’s face. Moretti and Giacomo combine forces, retracing old ground to see if the dwarf is still alive or if the killings were blamed on the wrong person.
Max von Sydow in SLEEPLESS
Max von Sydow insisted that the parrot in the 2001 film be called “Marcello,” after Marcello Mastroianni whom he got to know after making several films in Italy.
After a 22-year hiatus, in 2000, the progressive rock group Goblin, led by Claudio Simonetti, reformed to score SLEEPLESS. The soundtrack was a great success and showed that the group could still make great music, much to their fans' delight. The group were later scheduled to perform in Tarrytown, New York for the infamous Cult-Con, but failed to appear. Simonetti did however appear at the show and informed fans that old wounds resurfaced during their brief reunion. With his horror theme tribute band Daemonia (formed by Titta Tani, Bruno Previtali, Federico Amorosi, and Simonetti himself), he performed a nine-song set from the films of Dario Argento. Goblin later officially disbanded. The SLEEPLESS score was released by Cinevox.
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Posted: |
Mar 17, 2020 - 11:24 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In RING OF THE NIBELUNGS, “Siegfried” (Benno Fürmann), the orphaned son of a king, is raised by a blacksmith, “Eyvind” (Max von Sydow), and taught to make great swords. He meets and defeats “Brunhild,” the queen of Iceland (Kristanna Løken), who proclaims her love for him. While she waits for him, he journeys to Burgund, where he slays a dragon, takes its cursed gold, befriends “King Gunther” (Samuel West), and swallows a magic potion that causes him to fall in love with “Princess Kriemhild” (Alicia Witt). With Gunther seeking Brunhild for his wife, and the king’s half-dwarf advisor, “Hagen” (Julian Sands), secretly obsessed with the gold, tragedy seems inevitable.
Uli Edel directed this 2004 three-hour made-for-television European co-production. Ilan Eshkeri provided the unreleased score. In some countries, the film played in its original length on television, in others it played theatrically (sometimes broken into two parts), in Britain it played in an edited 132-minute cut, and in the U.S. that shortened version went straight to DVD.
The film also went under different titles. It was THE SWORD OF XANTEN in Britain, THE CURSE OF THE RING in South Africa, and DARK KINGDOM: THE DRAGON KING on the U.S. DVD.
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Posted: |
Mar 18, 2020 - 2:37 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In 1954, U.S. Marshal “Teddy Daniels” (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner “Chuck Aule” (Mark Ruffalo) make the stomach-churning journey by water to Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, with a hurricane closing in on Boston Harbor. “Dr. Cawley” (Sir Ben Kingsley), who oversees the facility, reveals that one of the patients (Emily Mortimer) has escaped and no one has any idea how she could have disappeared without a trace. Examining the cell, Teddy discovers a scrap of paper bearing the scribbled words: “THE LAW OF 4. WHO IS 67?”; It’s the first of many mysteries. As the cops interview the staff, including the threatening “Dr. Naehring” (Max von Sydow), Teddy and Chuck begin to sense that something is terribly awry on SHUTTER ISLAND. As paranoia grips the men, Teddy becomes convinced that Cawley and his security team are secretly holding an additional patient hostage somewhere within the hospital’s crumbling walls.
Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Max von Sydow, and Ben Kingsley in SHUTTER ISLAND
Martin Scorsese directed this 2010 mystery. Rhino Records released a 2-CD set of the classical and popular music used for the film’s score.
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