Vaughn,
To answer your question, Miklos Rozsa died about 20 years ago. I believe his very last film score was for the Carl Reiner/Steve Martin Film Noir parody “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”. That was a very interesting film compositionally as well. What Rozsa did there was absolutely brilliant; as amazing as anything he ever did. As most everyone on this blog knows, “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” involved using actual clips from dozens of old films from the 30’s-50’s. Those old movie clips and all the Golden Era stars therein were all inserted as real time characters with whom Steve Martin’s detective character interacted. Therefore, as Rozsa scored “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”, he was also composing original music for numerous clips from earlier films…many of them were even clips from movies where he had been the composer originally. Now he was writing music for some of those same scenes and actors quite differently than what he had been asked to do originally. He was helping to create and advance emotions from those same actors as they now portrayed new characters in the new film. His score totally honors that. It was brilliant work from him, even though he was quite sick and didn’t feel well enough to conduct the orchestra. BTW Vaughn, even though Rozsa and many other great film composers are gone, I think there are some fantastic composers working in film currently, it just takes more years of being in the business for many to be recognized. The advantage to the older Studio system was that many more films were being made in an era of Double Features (sometimes two different Double Feature bills each week). A given composer might often do 8 or 10 films in a year; that doesn’t happen today. Also, many of those composing jobs came as assignments from the head of a Music Department (think Johnny Green at MGM or Alfred Newman at Fox). While “office politics” could play a role, these Music Dept. heads were often more skilled at matching a composer with the right film than the Director of the film itself. Many of these early “arranged marriages” introduced certain composers to specific directors and resulted in long time successful collaborations between artistically like-minded composers and directors. Now it is all about individual composer agents and deal-making. Many more chances to work and the likelihood that your skillset as a composer perfectly met the artistic needs of at least some of those films to which you were assigned created more chances for the composer to hit a home run. Vaughn, while you correctly mention important big budget films like Ben Hur and El Cid and their large grandiose scores, Miklos Rozsa and other during his time also worked on B Films, Film Noir and Programmers. Some of those little budget films and their scores became iconic classics as we look back. Those kinds of films generally aren’t made any more. Even with the rise of Independent Film, there is either no money for a composer and orchestra, or the sensibility of many smaller films might be violated if it seemed too slick and polished per ”Hollywood”. In my opinion, what works against many blockbuster films now on the music end is in the hunger to make the Billion Dollar Gross and the next trendy franchise, rather than the best movie that you can make. Studios make far fewer films and put all their eggs in only a couple of baskets. A film can be mis-scored, over-scored and sometimes silence is also best. Even when a fantastic composer is now engaged to do a score, the composer is often more limited in scope and music use within the film than ever before. Sound effects take up more sonic space than ever before. An even bigger change is that Songs, musical performers or particular instrumental cues from other artists are often inserted into big films solely for the synergistic marketing value of the famous creators of that content, rather than advancing the artistic needs of the film. A great composer like James Newton Howard is far less likely to be invited on a chat show talking about creating the score for The Hunger Games, than Taylor Swift. She was making the rounds on various shows a few years ago talking about how exciting it was to be composing for the very same film. Most studios are also conglomerates and often times their music divisions will want to place bits of music from new artists into a big movie to help “break” the artist or a new Sound Recording release. This can also be a backdrop for their upcoming touring, TV appearances, websites and twitter feeds. All of this musical help is designed to create buzz for a film ( read:MONEY ). While sometimes it results in totally perfect and fantastic music for a film, more often it doesn’t. In my opinion, the marketing/pastiche approach to film music generally causes the film’s score to be less effective in supporting the storyline. It can also cause the film to sound dated much, much sooner. There are composers working in film today who are every bit as brilliant and creative as those of yesteryear, they are just less integral to the process in many contemporary films. Happy 2015 to All From: MoPo List [mailto:mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU] On Behalf Of Vaughn Mann Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 5:54 PM To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Re: [MOPO] My 2014 MOPO THINK-ABOUT-IT QUESTION Phil, That is, indeed, an interesting story. .....and I guess (?) that means no more magnificient sound tracks from the great composers such as the sounds of Miklós Rózsa. (Ben Hur, El Cid, etc.......). Who, I believe, is no longer with us. Truly Sad on both counts! Vaughn Mann -----Original Message----- From: Kirby McDaniel Sent: Dec 31, 2014 6:06 PM To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU <mailto:MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> Subject: Re: [MOPO] My 2014 MOPO THINK-ABOUT-IT QUESTION Great post, Phil. This is an interesting story. Have a Happy New Year. Kirby McDaniel On Dec 31, 2014, at 4:34 PM, Phillip Ayling <mro...@earthlink.net <mailto:mro...@earthlink.net> > wrote: Greg, Forbidden Planet is a great choice. Greg, as you are a guitarist and you also mention the amazing music in Forbidden Planet, I thought I would write a bit about the score for the film that is not well known. In 1956, MGM, which was the Production Company behind Forbidden Planet, had a full-time and tenured Symphony Orchestra on staff at the studio. During this time all of the other major Hollywood studios also had their own unique full-time staff orchestras per agreements with the Musicians Union ( American Federation of Musicians). MGM also had its own group of famous composers and arrangers on staff from the 30’s through the 60”s. Before David Rose became famous as the composer for Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and songs like Holiday for Strings and The Stripper, he was doing arrangements and rehearsal piano work at MGM. In fact, it was during this time at MGM that the considerably older David Rose became involved with the teenage Judy Garland. Though still married he gave Judy Garland an engagement ring on her 18th birthday, which was kept under wraps at the time by MGM. Later, after his own divorce from Martha Raye became final, David Rose then became Judy Garland’s first husband. Anyway, after various composers were considered and approached about doing the score for Forbidden Planet, eventually the assignment fell to David Rose. David Rose and the MGM Orchestra recorded music for Forbidden Planet, but almost all of it is now lost. Dore Schary who was head of MGM, didn’t particularly like Rose’s melodic approach and threw the score out. It is not clear if Dore Schary had ever expressed to David Rose his desire to have an avant-garde type of score for the film. Anyway, Dore Schary had secretly engaged the husband and wife team of Louis and Bebe Barron who were involved in early experiments with electronic music to do some demos of electronic music for the film. They worked on it for many months. The Barron’s used early synth-type gear of their own design, ring modulators, reverb and tape delay effects to create the unique sonic landscape that we hearin Forbidden Planet. When Schary decided to use the Barron’s work in Forbidden Planet instead of the score from David Rose and the MGM Orchestra, the Musicians Union objected because they felt it wasn’t ‘real music’. Their real concerns were also about future employment for the MGM Orchestra as well. The MGM Symphony would eventually be dissolved about 12 years later. The Barron’s work was the very first electronic “sound design” style score and even they weren’t sure what to call it. Nonetheless, the original screen credit was supposed to read: “Electronic Music by Louis and Bebe Barron” The Musicians Union was furious and they absolutely did not want the credit to have “music” in it. They had an ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement with MGM that gave them standing on the issue. Legal on both sides worked out a settlement and the Barron’s final credit on the film was as “Composer(s): Electronic Tonalities”. While that may not seem like a big change, it was. Absence of the word “music” meant that this revolutionary score for this big budget and now iconic Sci-Fi film couldn’t even be nominated for an Academy Award for music, let alone win. Contrast that with the synth/sound design score of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network, which in my opinion is far from revolutionary or even great in context for the needs of the film. That score was both nominated and won the Academy Award for music a couple of years back. In the case of Forbidden Planet, it isn’t about the “Robber Barons”, but rather the BARRONS was robbed! Best Wishes and Happy New Year to All From: MoPo List [ <mailto:mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> mailto:mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU] On Behalf Of Gregory Douglass Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 8:40 AM To: <mailto:MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Re: [MOPO] My 2014 MOPO THINK-ABOUT-IT QUESTION Pardon me for weighing in late on this question, but it has been the busiest December EVER for this self-employed guitar picker (21 live shows total, and that’s with no New Year’s Eve gig!) Add a recently acquired bad cold to the mix and you get a guy whose recreational computer time has been minimal. Unquestionably, the film that completely hooked me on cinema, the horror/sci-fi genre, AND movie posters, all during one trip to the El Rey theater in Walnut Creek, CA when I was six, was “Forbidden Planet”. I can recall snippets of films that my parents took me to prior to that, but I remember every moment of this sic-fi classic. While some of the Freudian subtleties were obviously lost on me…or maybe not, come to think of it…the sheer spectacle of the film left an indelible impression on me. When Robbie the Robot came into the picture, my Freak Flag was being stitched inside my six-year old psyche; by the time the monster from the Id came into terrifying view, the Freak Flag was completely unfurled and blowing proudly in the smoke-filled confines of the little theater my dad lovingly referred to as “The Flea House”. I recently re-watched the film in HD, and it did not disappoint. Given the context of the time period, the special effects were beyond brilliant, and the “music” is still so radical that I can honestly say I’ve never again heard anything like it. As I walked out, I saw the 40X60” poster from the film with the iconic image of Robby holding Anne Francis, and I wanted to wake up every morning looking at it. Crap. Still have never owned any significant poster size from this title and, given the present price range on even a title card, it STILL probably ain’t gonna happen. But I still have the fabulous memory of the 90 minute gift from MGM that permanently altered and enriched my inner landscape. A belated and heartfelt Happy Holidays to all my fellow poster dorks out there. 2014 was the best year ever for this old geek, and 2015 promises to be even better…..hell, maybe that “Forbidden Planet” poster will finally be in my hands after all! Greg Douglass In wet, beautiful Escondido, CA On Dec 23, 2014, at 11:41 AM, Susan < <mailto:filmfantast...@msn.com> filmfantast...@msn.com> wrote: It is a great question Kirby. For me there are so many, but two movies that had a huge impact on me as a child were Them and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane...just couldn't shake those movies for years. The movie that had the most impact on me overall and led to my career in writing and film was To Kill a Mockingbird, which is still my favorite film to this day. It always amazes me that this southern woman, who grew up in the Depression south, had such an amazing spirit to write this story and it impacts me every time I watch it..it is still a film for me that, after a stressful day at work, I can go home and it brings me solace...Happy Holidays everyone.........Sue - Hollywood Poster Frames _____ Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:03:15 -0500 From: <mailto:vma...@earthlink.net> vma...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: [MOPO] My 2014 MOPO THINK-ABOUT-IT QUESTION To: <mailto:MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Kirby, Great Question, When I was a kid visiting my grand parents in CT while on summer vacation, my grandfather to me to Town (Mancheser, CT) and he dropped me off at the local theatre (single screen, of course) and I saw Wm.Wellman's "The Next Voice You Hear" w/ James Whitmore and Nancy Reagan.(1950) I am not sure what moved me,but that movie has stuck with me all these years and still now and then, pick it up and watch it. Perhaps as a child it opened up a great deal of questions for me and the manner it was delivered. Number two is and early film; not sure when I saw it, but it, the love and generosity of the theme "stuck with me" again, all these years. "Sunday Dinner For A Soldier" w/ Anne Baxter, John Hodiak, Jane Darwell and Charles Winniger (1944). Let's just say, I loved the films and didn't remember them for a week or so after leaving the theatre, but remember them until this day....................Vaughn -----Original Message----- >From: Kirby McDaniel >Sent: Dec 23, 2014 10:06 AM >To: <mailto:MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU >Subject: [MOPO] My 2014 MOPO THINK-ABOUT-IT QUESTION > >Mopolians, > >Is there a film that CHANGED YOUR LIFE? Maybe not in a big way, but somehow >affected a change in you permanently? > >This is not a “best-movie-you’ve-ever-seen” question, although the best movie >you’ve seen may in fact qualify. > >And you may have more than one - but just pick one that stands out in your >experience. > >It’s really hard to know. It’s easy to say that movies changed my life - I >think that collectively they help to shape us, but that’s >not what I’m fishing for here. > >I mean a film that SHIFTED something in you, maybe good, maybe not-so / maybe >big, maybe small. So that you could say “after I saw X, I never liked this, or >I loved this, or I never felt the same about thus and such.” > >Think about it. > >I’m not necessarily asking you to post your answer, either. This could be >something private for you. It’s just a question I thought about recently. > > >Kirby McDaniel >MovieArt Original Film Posters >P.O. Box 4419 >Austin TX 78765-4419 >512 479 6680 mobile 512 589 5112 > <http://www.movieart.com/> www.movieart.com > <https://www.facebook.com/movieart.austin.texas> > https://www.facebook.com/movieart.austin.texas > <http://www.pinterest.com/movieartaustin/> > http://www.pinterest.com/movieartaustin/ > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at <http://www.filmfan.com/> > www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > > Send a message addressed to: <mailto:lists...@listserv.american.edu> > lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. _____ To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: <https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1> https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 _____ To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: <https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1> https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 _____ To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: <https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1> https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 _____ To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: <https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1> https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 Kirby McDaniel movieartaus...@gmail.com <mailto:movieartaus...@gmail.com> _____ To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L <https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1> &A=1 _____ To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L <https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1> &A=1 Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
