Love it, a Rozsa smorgasbord. And here's some custom cover art I created, using various posters of wildly differing condition. Took forever and included building the font from scratch, but it was worth the effort.
Love it, a Rozsa smorgasbord. And here's some custom cover art I created, using various posters of wildly differing condition. Took forever and included building the font from scratch, but it was worth the effort.
The film has merits, although they do not include the smooching costars. Lana was sulking over the nonrenewal of her M-G-M contract and Moore at that stage of his career had the excuse of inexperience. Nor was the "pomp" particularly worthy. It's useful to compare YOUNG BESS, set in the same period and telling an analogous story: love triangle complicated by royal status. The earlier film sticks to the personal characterizations -- all fine actors, effectively directed in tight interiors. There is virtually no "spectacle" except that implied by Rozsa's epilogue. DIANE was pumped up for CinemaScope with fairly meaningless exteriors and plentiful red herrings in the plot. Aside from the music, we may still admire Marisa Pavan's moving performance and Walter Plunkett's magnificent costumes. Note how Diane is almost always seen in black and silver. This is literally because she is usually in mourning for somebody, but symbolically because the colors evoke the moon goddess.
The score is not as finely crafted as YOUNG BESS, but the highlights are incomparable. The last five minutes are one of Rozsa's supreme achievements. The various motives interact and unwind just as beautifully as in BEN-HUR. If the album version needs serious pruning . . . well, that can be said of most film scores. There's much to choose from.
Oh yes, I've been enjoying this for years, along with the FSM Knights Of The Round Table/The Kings Thief (& not forgetting Valley Of The Kings), I can't get over just how good these mid-fifties scores sound, with great stereo (I can't remember ever seeing Diane, if Warner Archive ever released it, I'd have to buy it).
Another great score from Rozsa. As the detailed liner notes by Lukas point out, there are many themes here as was Rozsa's habit. You'd be lucky to get two decent themes in one of today’s scores!
Another great score from Rozsa. As the detailed liner notes by Lukas point out, there are many themes here as was Rozsa's habit. You'd be lucky to get two decent themes in one of today’s scores!
Wrong..........today's scores would render 'no themes' just a lot of jumbled up musical notes
Just got this 2CD this week (during the FSM sales at SAE) as I was strongly recommended by a group of fellow FSMers from here. Cant wait to delve into this Rozsa treasury!
Bhowani is important to me because it was shot on location in my country Pakistan [And my paternal] grandfather was ADC to the cast and assigned to Ava Gradner and Stewart Granger. A hotel where Gardner stayed has a dedicated suite named after her even today known as the 'Eva Gardner Suite'
DIANE is one of Rozsa's finest scores. What surprises me is that after 20 years the 3,000 copies still haven't sold out. On the one hand it's good that the CD is still available for prospective purchasers who may not have discovered the score. On the other, it's a sad reflection on tastes when one looks at what other CDs quickly sold out from the FSM catalogue. Of course popularity of a score tends to be closely tied with the film and DIANE is not a well known film. Hardly surprising I suppose because the film is uninspiring with poor dialogue and acting to match from the two main players. It's not surprising that MGM released Roger Moore from his contract after such a bland performance. It's mainly the music which makes the film worth seeing.
DIANE is one of Rozsa's finest scores. What surprises me is that after 20 years the 3,000 copies still haven't sold out. On the one hand it's good that the CD is still available for prospective purchasers who may not have discovered the score. On the other, it's a sad reflection on tastes when one looks at what other CDs quickly sold out from the FSM catalogue. Of course popularity of a score tends to be closely tied with the film and DIANE is not a well known film. Hardly surprising I suppose because the film is uninspiring with poor dialogue and acting to match from the two main players. It's not surprising that MGM released Roger Moore from his contract after such a bland performance. It's mainly the music which makes the film worth seeing.
