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The Appointment (1969)
Music by John Barry, Stu Phillips
The Appointment The Appointment
Click to enlarge images.
Price: $30.00
Limited #: 3000
View CD Page at SAE Store
Line: Silver Age
CD Release: June 2003
Catalog #: Vol. 6, No. 11
# of Discs: 1

Released by Special Arrangement with Turner Classic Movies Music

The Appointment was a 1969 drama starring Omar Sharif as a lonely Italian attorney who romances and weds a beautiful model (Anouk Aimee)—all the while suspecting that she is a highly priced prostitute. Although directed by Sidney Lumet, The Appointment was a troubled production that led to its receiving three fully recorded scores by four composers. FSM's premiere release of the original soundtrack features selections from each—making for a rare and fascinating look at three different approaches for a single film.

Score #1: Michel Legrand, recorded in Paris. Then at the peak of his powers (Ice Station Zebra, The Thomas Crown Affair), Michel Legrand provided a single 12-bar theme orchestrated for vibes, flutes, keyboards, guitars and harps, evoking Sharif's single-minded obsession. Legrand's (deliberately redundant) score was discarded after the film's initial screening for M-G-M executives, and is presented as a 2-track suite running 18:59.

Score #2: John Barry & Don Walker, recorded in London. The Appointment was released internationally with a symphonic score consisting of a 32-bar theme by John Barry, adapted and lushly orchestrated by Don Walker (a Broadway arranger who subsequently worked on Barry's musicals). This is the version of the film approved by Lumet and presently in circulation. Barry's theme was released on a French 45rpm single, both tracks of which are included within the 26:19 program on this new CD.

Score #3: Stu Phillips, recorded in Culver City. When The Appointment was released in the U.S., it was in a shorter version premiered on CBS television as the late night movie on July 20, 1972. The new cut was scored by Stu Phillips who provided a contemporary, rhythmic feel, including two songs with lyrics by Bob Stone (presented in a 31:48 program). The style is roughly that of Phillips's pop/symphonic score to the 1970 cult classic, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

FSM's CD of The Appointment is presented entirely in stereo, remixed from the original master elements. Liner notes by Lukas Kendall chronicle the production and differences between the scores.

John Barry Scores on FSM
About the Composer

John Barry (1933-2011) is a five-time Oscar winner and one of the most successful and beloved composers ever to write for the movies. His career encompasses everything from the James Bond films to Hollywood epics like Out of Africa and Dances With Wolves. His style is marked foremost by melody but also by a thoughtful economy of gesture that has always added a great sense of style and scope to his projects.FSM has released on CD as many of his scores as possible, from intimate dramas like Petulia to the classic Born Free, the 1976 King Kong and the obscure 1968 gem Deadfall. IMDB

Stu Phillips Scores on FSM
About the Composer

Stu Phillips (b. 1929) is best-known for his television music of the 1970s and '80s (including Battlestar Galactica, Knight Rider and The Fall Guy), with their distinctive themes and pop culture impact. He is also a veteran film composer, songwriter, arranger, record producer ("Blue Moon"), teacher and author, having published his memoirs, Stu Who?, in 2002. For more information, see the composer's officlal site at www.stuwho.com. IMDB

Comments (11):Log in or register to post your own comments
This is the only live-action imagery connected to the film I've ever seen. The YT poster is familiar with the FSM CD:

https://youtu.be/Nuo3qUsFXgk

There's this, too: https://youtu.be/Qx6W_ZvRSo8


When we did the CD, we were given a VHS tape of the cut with the Barry-Walker score. That seems to be the only one still available and in limited circulation (evidently it ran on TCM, per these youtube clips). The edit with the Phillips score I think was done for its American television premiere. A very disappointing film, sorry to say, especially from the great Sidney Lumet.

Lukas

That might have been so in another era, Lukas, but when you've seen nothing but lockdown for as long as I/we have, anything that provides a snapshot of the way we were tends to go down a treat. At least it does for me. Besides I'm from the 60s, and this movie end-points the decade where I'm from. I can 'smell' the interior of those cars in the scene!

As far as the FSM CD content goes, the Legrand opener is like a figure of eight. It kind of goes round and round and round. But, I don't mind. I can hear it on automatic and it tends to be hypnotically soothing. The Barry stretch is a bit monotomous in the sense it ends up being tremendously mournful and the mood the film put him in comes right on out in the music. Stu's play is obviously more conventional, however, he had the complication of having to add in vocals so his effort kind of reminds me of the type of easy listening records where there would be 'lookers' eyeing you back on the covers and the songs would incorporate male and female singers - funnily enough, I'm having difficulty trying to extract a prime example of the genre even though it keeps teetering on the end of my tongue - perhaps something along the lines of the James Last singers - you know, stuff typical of that other era. Did Stu actually hear JB's score before entering the fray because by golly, they're not quite the same in overall outlook. One is undoubtedly european/continental in approach and the other is not. I can only think Stu might have had Valley Of The Dolls as a close fitting type of benchmark upon which to base a temp track in catering for the stateside interpretation. I like Stu's entry because it has The Beauty Of Beginning, which is the central 'sweetening' point of his version of the score for me. Actually, I can't decide whether I prefer the instrumental over the song because they both have something the other doesn't.

Edit: For some reason, I was reminded of Ray Conniff and the typical album covers that would grace his records when thinking of Stu's score. Must be some sort of generic style identifier in the singer/orchestral arrangements, or something.


Yes, Stu screened the movie with the Barry-Walker score and recalls he asked the studio's Margaret Booth, who was responsible for the re-edit, "What exactly do you want me to do that John Barry didn't do?" And the answer was to make it more contemporary and hipper. I like his score quite a lot and am proud of this weird CD!

Lukas

It's a fascinating listening experience: three scores for the same film. It could be mandatory listening for film music students.

I just wish Lukas had left Barry's voice at the end of the restaurant source cue, in which the composer says: "the bill, please", or something to that effect (BTW, that piece was written by Barry, as confirmed by a 45 RPM single release).

Alex

I have been in love with Barry's theme since first hearing it on this "Ready When you are, J.B." album.

That said, I love all three scores but find myself going back to the Legrand more often than not. There's just something so unusual about it that it always fascinates me. I'm extremely glad this rarity was uncovered. Same for Legrand's score for THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING.

J

This is a compelling CD, offering the listener 3 different takes on the same film.
The Legrand theme is okay, if a tad annoying to me, due to its harmonic structure, and the repetition of it over the 19 minutes quickly wears out its welcome to me.
It's my least favourite (and least played) section of the CD.
The John Barry theme is much better, if hardly one of his strongest or most memorable efforts and it's nice to have something like the Cafe Music track, to at least break up some of the monotony of Barry's 26 minute portion.
My favourite score of the 3 is the Stu Phillips take, mainly due to my preference to his main theme, first heard in the catchy opening song Solo e Triste.
But I also find his score the most varied and least repetitive.
I really like its light pop sensibilities sprinkled throughout the score tracks.
It's also the most dramatic.
It sounds akin to something Lee Holdridge might have done, had he been on the scene around that time ('69 Dude!!).
A great collection overall though.

I'm sorry to say it but the Legrand score bores me.

Please don't let my honesty about my personal reaction mean anything to anyone else though.

I am a Barry devotee as you know and I think his score for THE APPOINTMENT is an under-rated gem.

That said, I must confess that the Stu Phillips score, with it's greater variety and bounce, may actually be the most enjoyable of the three.

Cheers

By the way, I met Stu Phillips at an event in Birmingham, England, about ten years ago.

Apart from telling us how everyone though the Battlestar Galactica manuscripts were lost until somebody remembered it was called "The Saga of Battlestar Galactica" when it was filed ...

I presented him with The Appointment CD to sign and he made the familiar joke, "So you're the one who bought it!"

He then went on to tell us how he once had a job doing arrangements of Barry's early pop tunes, although in the advancing of years and my age, I can't really remember what he told us.

Cheers

By the way, I met Stu Phillips at an event in Birmingham, England, about ten years ago.

Apart from telling us how everyone though the Battlestar Galactica manuscripts were lost until somebody remembered it was called "The Saga of Battlestar Galactica" when it was filed ...

I presented him with The Appointment CD to sign and he made the familiar joke, "So you're the one who bought it!"

He then went on to tell us how he once had a job doing arrangements of Barry's early pop tunes, although in the advancing of years and my age, I can't really remember what he told us.

Cheers[/endquote]

I recorded an instrumental titled "Black Stockings" which John Barry wrote and recorded in England. I recorded an American cover version. The irony that rises from this event is that the sheet music of the tune has my picture on the front. Not John's. Don't know about England. This was back in the early 1960s...before Barry became one of the top composers.

rerunkr

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Track List
Instruments/Musicians
Click on each musician name for more credits

Leader (Conductor):
Stu Phillips

Violin:
Henry Arthur Brown, Bobby Bruce (aka Robt. Berg), Salvatore Crimi, Jerome Kasin, Bernard Kundell, Alfred Lustgarten, Joy Lyle (Sharp), Linda Rose, Ambrose Russo, Marshall Sosson, Heimann Weinstine, Walter S. Wiemeyer

Viola:
Cecil Figelski, Allan Harshman, Virginia Majewski, Reuben Marcus

Cello:
Lester Harris, Raphael "Ray" Kramer, Frederick R. Seykora, Gloria Strassner

Bass:
Max R. Bennett, Mario Camposano

Bassoon:
Howard P. Terry

Woodwinds:
Gene Cipriano, James R. Horn, Wilbur Schwartz

French Horn:
John W. "Jack" Cave, Vincent N. DeRosa

Trumpet:
Carroll "Cappy" Lewis

Trombone:
James R. McQuary, Richard Noel

Piano:
Douglas Clare Fischer, Lincoln Mayorga

Guitar:
Dennis Budimir, Thomas "Tommy" Tedesco

Fender (electric) Bass:
Ray Pohlman

Harp:
Gayle Levant

Accordion:
Carl Fortina

Drums:
Hal Blaine, Larry Bunker, John P. Guerin, Wallace Carl Snow

Orchestra Manager:
James C. Whelan

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