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Posted: |
Mar 23, 2020 - 4:46 PM
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By: |
SBD
(Member)
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MORITURI
Music Composed by JERRY GOLDSMITH
Conducted by LIONEL NEWMAN
INTRADA ISC 445
Intrada's latest release is a reexamination of Jerry Goldsmith's 1965 score for the World War II drama Morituri, from the 20th Century-Fox library. Morituri is part of a set of war films scored by Goldsmith in the '60s, including The Sand Pebbles, In Harm's Way, and The Blue Max. While originally released by the Film Score Monthly label, due to poor condition elements and limitations in technology of the day, that album featured some compromised sound and intercuts from mono sources in order to make the score presentable. Under the detailed eyes and ears of producer Mike Matessino, this new release has been restored from the complete stereo elements and features dramatically improved sound over the previous version.
As Tim Greiving writes in his notes, "This is a score of suspense and action, tension and explosion. Tricks like quivering tremolo strings and rhythmic ticking accomplish the former, and Goldsmith got creative in how he chose to fuel the latter." While the first half of the film is sparsely spotted, Goldsmith relied on his trademark Asian-flavored sound to orient the viewer to the Tokyo and Calcutta locales. Throughout, a theme first introduced in the main title on zither, reoccurs throughtout in various guises, tying the score together.
Adapted from a 1960 German novel by Werner Jörg Lüddecke, this morality thriller is set on the high seas during the reign of the Nazi regime. A German man, hiding in luxury in Switzerland, is blackmailed by the English army into posing as an SS officer on a merchant vessel carrying a valuable shipment of rubber from Japan to Germany. His mission: disable the scuttling charges protecting the ship so the Allies can attack it and scoop up the cargo. The film stars Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner.
INTRADA ISC 445
Barcode: 720258544506
Retail Price: $19.99
Note: Due to local restrictions related to the pandemic, shipping time may be slower than usual
For track listing and sound samples, please visit http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.12121/.f
01. Main Title/Tokyo (2:11)
02. Assignment In Macao (2:06)
03. Bon Voyage / Hot Wire (3:41)
04. Boat Drill (1:18)
05. What To Do Next (1:09)
06. Theme From Morituri (1:50)
07. A Change Of Face/Sneak Attack (1:55)
08. Nine Days Out (1:38)
09. Traffic Jam/Caught In The Act (4:51)
10. Boarding Party (1:07)
11. The Meeting (1:01)
12. The Prisoners (2:45)
13. Change Of Command (1:02)
14. Prepare For Mutiny (3:38)
15. A Lost Cause (1:37)
16. A Change Of Heart (2:11)
17. Break Out (3:10)
18. Abandoned Ship (4:00)
19. End Title (1:16)
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What is it with the late Janet Margolin being all over the recent soundtrack releases?
First, the Nevada Smith/Paramount Westerns collection, with Miss Margolin being in Nevada Smith; then the very fine score release of David and Lisa/The Collector, Miss Margolin having turned in a knockout debut opposite the equally excellent Keir Dullea in David and Lisa.
Now, a Goldsmith score from a Brando film I never even knew existed, with this CD featuring her on the alternate cover.
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Does anybody know what the humming of the theme at the end of the last track of the Morituri FSM CD is?
I used to think it was the composer himself on the soundstage between takes, revealing approval of his own work. But since it was Lionel Newman who conducted MORITURI, maybe he's the hummer. Lukas might know for sure.
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Does anybody know what the humming of the theme at the end of the last track of the Morituri FSM CD is?
I used to think it was the composer himself on the soundstage between takes, revealing approval of his own work. But since it was Lionel Newman who conducted MORITURI, maybe he's the hummer. Lukas might know for sure.
I dimly recall it was specifically recorded by a professional singer for use in the film—not an outtake from the session, though we might have given the impression it was such (sorry).
Lukas
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I'll go so far as to say that I didn't really like Morituri much when I heard the FSM edition. The pairing of David Shire's Raid on Entebbe was a much more enjoyable score and totally overshadowed it. Morituri may have been my least-played Goldsmith score that FSM released!
But this new Intrada edition is a revelation. I listened to it on good headphones and my goodness, this score is chock full of interesting ideas and textures I wasn't able to appreciate before. It really is a work of depth and fascination, if you take the time to sit down with it.
I'm really glad Intrada gave the score another look, almost two decades after the FSM release. And while I will always keep my FSM for the excellent liner notes, I want to say that Tim Grieving's new notes for the Intrada edition are also superb and insightful!
In case it's of interest to anyone here, The Goldsmith Odyssey recently put out a special podcast going into all the wonderful Goldsmith releases we've gotten recently (this, U.S. Marshals, The Swarm from LLL, etc.) and we play samples of our favorite parts of this score and others, while discussing our opinions about it. It's a pretty fun and informative listen, if I do say so myself, and might be helpful to anyone on the fence about re-buying Morituri or the other recent Goldsmith editions:
http://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/3459226-gold-nugget-6-expanded-archival-collection
Yavar
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