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| This is a comments thread about FSM CD: Point Blank/The Outfit |
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Posted: |
Aug 19, 2009 - 1:19 PM
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By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
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Somehow I get the feeling that this isn't one of FSM's best-selling CDs. 
It only took me seven years to finally love the music on this tough and uncompromising disc, a prickly, brutal, but effective stew concocted by the great Johnny Mandel.
For POINT BLANK, it helps if you already like the sonic landscapes of Leonard Rosenman or the experimental side of Jerry Goldsmith. However, there's enough melodic, loungey, string-laden tracks to keep things balanced as far as a stand-alone listening experience goes. Even if you haven't seen POINT BLANK, one can still get a good idea of what it accompanies.
THE OUTFIT is great Fielding. Reminscent of The Mechanic at times, but more low key. And I love the songs here! Steve Gillette has a great voice, too. "Quentin Blue" is endlessly catchy, and "Through the Fields of Summer" reminds me of so many montage sequences of early-70s TV shows. There are those who bitch about things being "dated", but I like dated!
I'm thrilled that Lukas had the good taste to release this wonderful doubleheader.
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Somehow I get the feeling that this isn't one of FSM's best-selling CDs.
It only took me seven years to finally love the music on this tough and uncompromising disc, a prickly, brutal, but effective stew concocted by the great Johnny Mandel.
For POINT BLANK, it helps if you already like the sonic landscapes of Leonard Rosenman or the experimental side of Jerry Goldsmith. However, there's enough melodic, loungey, string-laden tracks to keep things balanced as far as a stand-alone listening experience goes. Even if you haven't seen POINT BLANK, one can still get a good idea of what it accompanies.
THE OUTFIT is great Fielding. Reminscent of The Mechanic at times, but more low key. And I love the songs here! Steve Gillette has a great voice, too. "Quentin Blue" is endlessly catchy, and "Through the Fields of Summer" reminds me of so many montage sequences of early-70s TV shows. There are those who bitch about things being "dated", but I like dated!
I'm thrilled that Lukas had the good taste to release this wonderful doubleheader.
Hey Walker,
I bought it when it first appeared because anything related to Neo Noir and The Underworld are most welcome.
This was "Point Blank" that got me first:
the trance-like state in "At the Window/The Bathroom" with the sensual and hypnotic voice of Sharon Acker.
the dissonant leaning in "Opening", "Nightmare", "Chris Scores", "End Title".
the intense smooth grace in "Nostalgic Monologue".
There is an underground-like soul music performance in "Mighty Good Times"!
If you like the esoteric writing of "Point Blank", get immediately "The Sandpiper" which contains some in a light vein:
http://filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/421/The-Americanization-of-Emily-The-Sandpiper-Drums-of-Africa/
Read the notes:
http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/notes/sandpiper.html
And when FSM will decide it, get "Harper", Lew baby!
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Fielding-wise, the greatest track of "The Outfit" remains the dense (8:57) and fabulous “Mansion Gates/Assault on Impregnable Fortress of Anti-Social Adversary/Surprise While Shaving”: a hell of a masterpiece!
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Ive seen so many cuts of The Outfit - not the one that finishes in the mansion like you describe, but always with the freeze frame of them laughing in the ambulance. The bit they usually make a mess of is the hand incident in the card game. One minute Milner is holding his cards, next he has a bloody bandage on his hand.
What i love about this film - apart from the very believable underplaying by duvall and Joe Don Baker, is the nonchalant way the hoods deal with other.
"I got braced by a couple of fellas"
"Try and get me on this side, I gotta a bad left ear"
"They wouldve been okay - but you wouldnt have"
"he's dead, its over, you're unemployed"
if you were responsible for writing dialogue like this, then I think you could look at yourself in the mirror and feel very proud of your achievement.
I bought the CD for the Outfit - remembering that Point blank was a little dissonent in the movie. Truth is, I love the Outfit music, but all these years Ive never really got into Point Blank yet. Ive seen the film a few times now, unimpressed with it first showing, have warmed to it over the years, but still cant dig the music apart from a couple of tracks. I probably should play it more.
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Posted: |
Aug 21, 2009 - 6:22 PM
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By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
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Ive seen so many cuts of The Outfit - not the one that finishes in the mansion like you describe, but always with the freeze frame of them laughing in the ambulance. The bit they usually make a mess of is the hand incident in the card game. One minute Milner is holding his cards, next he has a bloody bandage on his hand.
What i love about this film - apart from the very believable underplaying by duvall and Joe Don Baker, is the nonchalant way the hoods deal with other.
"I got braced by a couple of fellas"
"Try and get me on this side, I gotta a bad left ear"
"They wouldve been okay - but you wouldnt have"
"he's dead, its over, you're unemployed"
if you were responsible for writing dialogue like this, then I think you could look at yourself in the mirror and feel very proud of your achievement.
I bought the CD for the Outfit - remembering that Point blank was a little dissonent in the movie. Truth is, I love the Outfit music, but all these years Ive never really got into Point Blank yet. Ive seen the film a few times now, unimpressed with it first showing, have warmed to it over the years, but still cant dig the music apart from a couple of tracks. I probably should play it more.
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Give POINT BLANK another chance--it isn't as "out there" as its rep might suggest.
Though I've only seen it once, the atmosphere and overrall "feel" of THE OUTFIT has stayed with me. I like the stripped-down...everything. I'm sure it didn't have a huge budget, and I'm aware of the "TV movie" accusations it gets, based on John Flynn's direction, but that works in favor of the film. In fact, it's what has stayed with me whenever I think of the film. Ive got some "Parker" novels on order and I'm betting that THE OUTFIT is very much in the stripped-down spirit of the books.
And Sheree North never looked better, either. 
This score has what has become one of my favorite ending cues, as "Finale" is a great rendition of "Quentin Blue." I love the song, too, so having the uplifting instrumental at the movie's end is great.
Anyone who hasn't bought this release shouldn't be surprised if Walker/Macklin bursts into your room and shoots your mattress. And you'd damn well better have his 93 grand.
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[SheriffJoe edited your post to remove the spam message. Thank you for your time.]
SheriffJoe
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"....I dont want this cracker a**hole following me round the country with a shotgun..."
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watched POINT BLANK last nite again that i taped from TCM sometime back. with all this discussion it peaked my interest. and the film is riveting. the same with score. it has everything that one could want in music for the film and it also can stand alone as just great listening. MARVIN gives one of his top performances, along with ANGIE DICKINSON . well for that matter the whole cast is great. it keeps u glued to the screen, no mean fete. thanks jim for the reminder of this great film and score. POINT BLANK is being shown tonite on TCM at 6 pm {est} like jim said , hope all who want will be able to see it.
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Posted: |
Sep 12, 2009 - 7:25 PM
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By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
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Watched Point Blank tonight, marking the first time I've seen it since buying the score. Mandel's music fits perfectly with the Mid-Century Modern architecture of 1960s Los Angeles and the dreamlike sequences and artsy direction. I was surprised at how much of the score isn't heard, but what's there is so effective.
Liked the film a lot more this time around and as for the common thought that Lee Marvin's Walker is dreaming of revenge is blatantly clear, at least to my feeble brain.
What a cast: John Vernon, Lloyd Bochner, Carrol O'Connor, Angie Dickinson, Sid Haig, Kathleen Freeman (look fast or you'll miss her), James Sikking (he's been around forever!), and Michael Strong.
And of course, Lee Marvin. 
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