This film and its score made a profound impression on me back in 1967. I think both stand the test of time, and I have always loved the music of Richard Rodney Bennett!
Tracklist:
A1 Far From The Madding Crowd A2 Fanny And Troy A3 Bushes And Briars A4 Bathsheba And Troy A5 Boldwood A6 Tinkers Song B1 Overture And Storm B2 Bathsheba B3 I Sowed The Seeds Of Love B4 Fanny Robin B5 The Coffin B6 The Bold Grenadier B7 Far From The Madding Crowd
For me the main theme is one of the most beautiful ever written for the screen (and the opening cue from Ghormengast is one of the most beautiful ever written for TV). I've been a huge Bennett fan ever since Murder on the Orient Express.
This score is my favorite of his. I also think The Billion Dollar Brain is one of the best spy scores of the 60s, a very nice theme. Despite his career as a composer--and his secondary career as a performer of pop standards--he managed to compose a small but high-quality batch of film/tv work. Why is there no CD of Nicholas and Alexandra?
Marvelous score, much underrated film. Aside from a Sony CD release, which included tracks taken from the actual film, there has never been a proper expanded release. I saw the original roadshow at least 3 times. (Roadshows! Now there’s a forgotten moviegoing experience!)
A masterpiece, plain and simple. But I love everything he did.
Bennett is a composer praised by virtually anyone and yet the most recent releases by specialty labels I can think of right now are Kritzerland's EQUUS in 2010 (coupled with a John Barry score to increase interest) and Quartet's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS in 2013. Is there little prospect of selling enough copies or is the rights situation particularly different or what is the reason?
RRB has what most film composers do not--a cachet with the classical audience. Plus, film music buyers on this thread tend to love big orchestral scores for historical epics, which makes Nicholas and Alexandra a viable candidate.
Another very impressive score is L'Imprecateur, available on CD
I have always said that English cinema has something sublime, and the English film music is an absolute excellence.FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD reproduces both these conditions and remains indelibly imprinted on me, for the story, the visual, the sound effects, the acting, and the Bennett music so discreet, effective, never intrusive, so masterfully descriptive of the intimate English life and world. Really a moving masterpiec. I saw it at theater and revisit it regularly on TV, especially now that I have got a copy in High Definition. A true reference point.
I've always loved this film and score back from its original release. I just within the last month got the blu-ray and watched again (and of course pulled out my CDR from the LP to listen to again). It still holds up. The newer version with Carey Mulligan is also very good, although the score doesn't quite match the heights of Bennett's masterpiece. I like Armstrong's take well enough, its just hard to re-do perfection. Both films are fairly faithful adaptations (given the time constraints) of the novel, which I just re-read within the last year, along with "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", my fave Hardy books.
I'd say this contains some of Bennett's most beautiful, romantic music, and the "Overture and Storm" is one of his most visceral creations. The film is top notch too.
A few years ago I was talking to a friend of mine who is heavily into English literature, and she mentioned she had recently watched Far From The Madding Crowd, and went off on how much she hated Schlesinger's film, and that "Julie Christie was much too old to play a 17-year-old!" etc.
Then she crossed the line, when she lambasted "that AWFUL music!"
We're still on speaking terms -- though just barely!
A wonderful film with perfect casting and a superb score. Brilliant opening title especially when viewed on the wide screen in a cinema and the scene in the rain in the church yard at Fanny's grave is so sad.
I'd say this contains some of Bennett's most beautiful, romantic music, and the "Overture and Storm" is one of his most visceral creations. The film is top notch too.
A few years ago I was talking to a friend of mine who is heavily into English literature, and she mentioned she had recently watched Far From The Madding Crowd, and went off on how much she hated Schlesinger's film, and that "Julie Christie was much too old to play a 17-year-old!" etc.
Then she crossed the line, when she lambasted "that AWFUL music!"
We're still on speaking terms -- though just barely!
It's surprising to me that someone who is "heavily into" English literature did not realize that the music was heavily influenced by (and contained several) authentic Dorset folk songs of the period. Thomas Hardy was a collector and researcher of Dorset music. Armstrong's score also used Dorset tunes.
Then she crossed the line, when she lambasted "that AWFUL music!"
We're still on speaking terms -- though just barely!
It's surprising to me that someone who is "heavily into" English literature did not realize that the music was heavily influenced by (and contained several) authentic Dorset folk songs of the period. Thomas Hardy was a collector and researcher of Dorset music. Armstrong's score also used Dorset tunes.
And she's actually a musician too -- though admittedly more of a pop singer. Her classical / English folk music knowledge is limited.
in the book Richard Rodney Bennett: The Complete Musician there is a letter from Schlesinger to RRB, thanking him for his score and commenting that the royalties from the LP, apparently selling well, would enable the composer to be "lounging ala John Barry." Schlesinger referenced the Daily Mail while making this remark--there was probably a photo of Barry and Birkin on some beach. Bennett is quoted in the book saying that Schlesinger was very demanding and very specific with his reactions to the score.
