Harrison Ford can’t escape the two-and-a-half-minute fanfare that John Williams composed for his most famous cinematic hero, Indiana Jones. “As I often remind John, his music follows me everywhere I go — literally,” Ford says. “When I had my last colonoscopy, they were playing it on the operating room speakers.”
Creating those big, bold, brassy musical moments has become Williams’ trademark over his seven-decade career. Without his symphonic genius, some of the most indelible images in movie history — from E.T.’s flight across the moon to the ravenous shark zeroing in on an unsuspecting swimmer — would have lacked their singular power.
This year, Williams is resetting the record books again with his Academy Award nomination for best original score for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” It’s his 54th nomination, which is the most ever for someone not named Walt Disney, and thus the biggest tally for...
Creating those big, bold, brassy musical moments has become Williams’ trademark over his seven-decade career. Without his symphonic genius, some of the most indelible images in movie history — from E.T.’s flight across the moon to the ravenous shark zeroing in on an unsuspecting swimmer — would have lacked their singular power.
This year, Williams is resetting the record books again with his Academy Award nomination for best original score for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” It’s his 54th nomination, which is the most ever for someone not named Walt Disney, and thus the biggest tally for...
- 3/6/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
For Oscar-winning film composer Michael Giacchino (“Up”), Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is the defining movie of his life. It’s what sparked his love of movies and film scores, and what started him on his path to becoming a successful composer, all thanks to John Williams’ rousing, orchestral masterpiece.
Giacchino, who most recently scored Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” and Juan Antonio Bayona’s “Society of the Snow,” and is prepping a remake of the giant ant movie “Them!” as his directorial feature debut, first saw “Raiders” as a 13-year-old in New Jersey when it opened the summer of 1981. He went back about a dozen times and even sneaked a tape recorder into the theater so he could replay it every night. He also had the soundtrack on vinyl and later bought a second LP containing score, dialogue, and sound effects.
“I think that record,...
Giacchino, who most recently scored Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” and Juan Antonio Bayona’s “Society of the Snow,” and is prepping a remake of the giant ant movie “Them!” as his directorial feature debut, first saw “Raiders” as a 13-year-old in New Jersey when it opened the summer of 1981. He went back about a dozen times and even sneaked a tape recorder into the theater so he could replay it every night. He also had the soundtrack on vinyl and later bought a second LP containing score, dialogue, and sound effects.
“I think that record,...
- 8/15/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
This article appears in the new issue of Den Of Geek magazine. Get your copy here.
James Mangold did not say no, exactly, to Indiana Jones when the man in the fedora came knocking. But he didn’t open the door at first either. Instead, during those precious few months before a pandemic changed the world, Mangold experienced the surreal sensation of having his filmmaking idols Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, and Kathleen Kennedy approach him about directing the fifth Indiana Jones film—and essentially turning them down.
“There seemed like a lot of danger on a project like this,” Mangold recalls about that early discussion, “a lot of Mount Rushmore heads of greatness around me and a kind of pressure that I’m used to, but the point for me is always why are we making this movie? What does it have to say? Like, I know why a corporation...
James Mangold did not say no, exactly, to Indiana Jones when the man in the fedora came knocking. But he didn’t open the door at first either. Instead, during those precious few months before a pandemic changed the world, Mangold experienced the surreal sensation of having his filmmaking idols Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, and Kathleen Kennedy approach him about directing the fifth Indiana Jones film—and essentially turning them down.
“There seemed like a lot of danger on a project like this,” Mangold recalls about that early discussion, “a lot of Mount Rushmore heads of greatness around me and a kind of pressure that I’m used to, but the point for me is always why are we making this movie? What does it have to say? Like, I know why a corporation...
- 5/25/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Tár writer/director Todd Field discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
You Only Live Twice (1967) – Dana Gould’s trailer commentary
Tár (2022)
Man With A Movie Camera (1929)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
The Big Parade (1925)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Crowd (1928)
Star Wars (1977)
The Servant (1963)
Parasite (2019) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
The Three Musketeers (1973) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Figures In A Landscape (1970)
M (1931)
M (1951)
I Am Cuba (1964)
The Cranes Are Flying (1957) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Letter Never Sent (1960)
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
The Towering Inferno (1974) – George Hickenlooper’s trailer commentary
The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
The Sting (1973)
The World of Henry Orient (1964) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Thelma And Louise (1991)
Murmur Of The Heart (1971)
The Silent World (1956)
Opening Night (1977)
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
You Only Live Twice (1967) – Dana Gould’s trailer commentary
Tár (2022)
Man With A Movie Camera (1929)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
The Big Parade (1925)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Crowd (1928)
Star Wars (1977)
The Servant (1963)
Parasite (2019) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
The Three Musketeers (1973) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Figures In A Landscape (1970)
M (1931)
M (1951)
I Am Cuba (1964)
The Cranes Are Flying (1957) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Letter Never Sent (1960)
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
The Towering Inferno (1974) – George Hickenlooper’s trailer commentary
The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
The Sting (1973)
The World of Henry Orient (1964) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Thelma And Louise (1991)
Murmur Of The Heart (1971)
The Silent World (1956)
Opening Night (1977)
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s...
- 1/10/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The public considers the Academy Awards as a Hollywood event. True, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is headquartered in Southern California, and most of the best pic contenders are American and/or in the English language. But Oscar history proves they have been an international event from the beginning.
In the first year (1927-28), there were nominations for directors Herbert Brenon (born in Ireland) and Lewis Milestone (born in Moldova), plus a special award to Charlie Chaplin (from the U.K.).
The next five years saw two noms apiece for directors Ernst Lubitsch (Germany) and Josef von Sternberg (Austria). And the second best actress Academy Award was given to Canadian Mary Pickford.
The early years of Oscar featured a slew of non-Americans. Aside from mega-star Chaplin, the list of early Academy Award winners includes Emil Jannings, George Arliss (U.K.), Claudette Colbert (raised in the U.S. but...
In the first year (1927-28), there were nominations for directors Herbert Brenon (born in Ireland) and Lewis Milestone (born in Moldova), plus a special award to Charlie Chaplin (from the U.K.).
The next five years saw two noms apiece for directors Ernst Lubitsch (Germany) and Josef von Sternberg (Austria). And the second best actress Academy Award was given to Canadian Mary Pickford.
The early years of Oscar featured a slew of non-Americans. Aside from mega-star Chaplin, the list of early Academy Award winners includes Emil Jannings, George Arliss (U.K.), Claudette Colbert (raised in the U.S. but...
- 1/22/2022
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be taking a trip to Vienna for a six-week programming initiative including a symposium and film series with a distinct cinematic connection to that fabled Austrian city.
The museum announced today the series launch on December 10 and running through January 31. It is designed to explore what the museum describes as the “large community of predominately Jewish, Austrian-born film artists and professionals who helped shape the films and industry of classical era Hollywood.” Titled “Vienna in Hollywood: Emigres and Exiles in the Studio System,” the series is presented in collaboration with the USC Libraries and the USC Max Kade Institute. The Austrian Consulate General in L.A. also is offering support.
Bill Kramer, director and president of the Academy Museum, said: “During the classical Hollywood era, so many beloved films and so many components of the movie industry were developed and shaped by Austrian émigrés,...
The museum announced today the series launch on December 10 and running through January 31. It is designed to explore what the museum describes as the “large community of predominately Jewish, Austrian-born film artists and professionals who helped shape the films and industry of classical era Hollywood.” Titled “Vienna in Hollywood: Emigres and Exiles in the Studio System,” the series is presented in collaboration with the USC Libraries and the USC Max Kade Institute. The Austrian Consulate General in L.A. also is offering support.
Bill Kramer, director and president of the Academy Museum, said: “During the classical Hollywood era, so many beloved films and so many components of the movie industry were developed and shaped by Austrian émigrés,...
- 10/25/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced Vienna in Hollywood, a new six-week program launching on Dec. 10 that explores the history of the predominantly Jewish, Austrian-born community of filmmakers and professionals who helped shape the classical era of Hollywood.
Jewish immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe including actor-director Erich von Stroheim and composer Max Steiner were major players in the early establishment of the American film industry in the 1920s. Due to Nazi persecution, a larger wave came in the ‘30s and ‘40s, bringing in talent such as the directors Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang; actors Hedy Lamarr and Peter Lorre; producers Eric Pleskow and Sam Spiegel; screenwriters Vicki Baum and Gina Kaus; and composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Ernest Gold. With a symposium and film series, Vienna in Hollywood will pay tribute to these artists and many more.
The two-day symposium is titled Vienna in Hollywood: The Influence and...
Jewish immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe including actor-director Erich von Stroheim and composer Max Steiner were major players in the early establishment of the American film industry in the 1920s. Due to Nazi persecution, a larger wave came in the ‘30s and ‘40s, bringing in talent such as the directors Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang; actors Hedy Lamarr and Peter Lorre; producers Eric Pleskow and Sam Spiegel; screenwriters Vicki Baum and Gina Kaus; and composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Ernest Gold. With a symposium and film series, Vienna in Hollywood will pay tribute to these artists and many more.
The two-day symposium is titled Vienna in Hollywood: The Influence and...
- 10/25/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Writing the script for 1977’s Star Wars, George Lucas drew inspiration from late-romantic symphonies by Richard Wagner and Antonín Dvorák and the ravishing film scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood).
He wasn’t sure what his space epic would sound like, but he knew he didn’t want it to have one of those modernist, atonal scores that had accompanied sci-fi films since 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (composed by Bernard Herrmann and featuring a theremin). Lucas’ plan was to emulate Stanley Kubrick, who on 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey abandoned a ...
He wasn’t sure what his space epic would sound like, but he knew he didn’t want it to have one of those modernist, atonal scores that had accompanied sci-fi films since 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (composed by Bernard Herrmann and featuring a theremin). Lucas’ plan was to emulate Stanley Kubrick, who on 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey abandoned a ...
- 1/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Writing the script for 1977’s Star Wars, George Lucas drew inspiration from late-romantic symphonies by Richard Wagner and Antonín Dvorák and the ravishing film scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood).
He wasn’t sure what his space epic would sound like, but he knew he didn’t want it to have one of those modernist, atonal scores that had accompanied sci-fi films since 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (composed by Bernard Herrmann and featuring a theremin). Lucas’ plan was to emulate Stanley Kubrick, who on 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey abandoned a ...
He wasn’t sure what his space epic would sound like, but he knew he didn’t want it to have one of those modernist, atonal scores that had accompanied sci-fi films since 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (composed by Bernard Herrmann and featuring a theremin). Lucas’ plan was to emulate Stanley Kubrick, who on 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey abandoned a ...
- 1/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
First the movies were silent, and then early Hollywood composers like Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold filled them with sound. By the time “American Graffiti” arrived in 1973 with a chart-topping soundtrack that ranged from Fats Domino to The Beach Boys, it was clear that songs — and not just scores — could be woven into the auditory fabric of a film. Since then, the cinematic relationship between image and music has only grown more exciting, more open-ended, and more liable to get lost in translation.
Fortunately, a brilliant new breed of interpreter has emerged over the last few decades: the music supervisor. And no music supervisor has been more instrumental in shaping the best movies of the last 30 years than Randall Poster. After producing an unsuccessful indie called “A Matter of Degrees” with some of his friends in the early ’90s, Poster realized that his passion for (and encyclopedic knowledge of...
Fortunately, a brilliant new breed of interpreter has emerged over the last few decades: the music supervisor. And no music supervisor has been more instrumental in shaping the best movies of the last 30 years than Randall Poster. After producing an unsuccessful indie called “A Matter of Degrees” with some of his friends in the early ’90s, Poster realized that his passion for (and encyclopedic knowledge of...
- 12/3/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The slate of awards hopefuls is new each year, but there is always a sense of continuity, of new contenders’ connections to the past.
For example, Alexandre Desplat, a strong Golden Globes and Oscar possibility this year for his score to Sony’s “Little Women,” can trace the influence of his predecessors on his work. Growing up in Paris, Desplat knew he wanted to be a film composer. “When I was very young, I was collecting soundtracks and it was an education. I learned to listen to music outside the film. When home video arrived, I would watch a movie over and over, to figure out when the music started and when it stopped and why.
“I listened to Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone, John Barry, Maurice Jarre. And my parents had earlier scores, by George Duning, Bernard Herrmann and many others. I was also very much into the earlier Hollywood composers: Max Steiner,...
For example, Alexandre Desplat, a strong Golden Globes and Oscar possibility this year for his score to Sony’s “Little Women,” can trace the influence of his predecessors on his work. Growing up in Paris, Desplat knew he wanted to be a film composer. “When I was very young, I was collecting soundtracks and it was an education. I learned to listen to music outside the film. When home video arrived, I would watch a movie over and over, to figure out when the music started and when it stopped and why.
“I listened to Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone, John Barry, Maurice Jarre. And my parents had earlier scores, by George Duning, Bernard Herrmann and many others. I was also very much into the earlier Hollywood composers: Max Steiner,...
- 11/20/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Rudy Behlmer, author of “Memo From David O. Selznick” and nearly a dozen other film-history books, died Friday at his home in Studio City, Calif. He was 92.
Behlmer was among the most widely respected historians of Golden Age Hollywood, in part because of his insistence upon researching “primary source material” and not relying on faulty memories or exaggerated press accounts of the time.
“Memo From David O. Selznick,” which Behlmer edited from thousands of Selznick’s private letters, telegrams and memoranda, was a best seller in 1972. Behlmer first interviewed the “Gone With the Wind” producer for a 1963 article for “Films in Review,” one of dozens of magazine pieces he wrote over the decades.
Other books followed: “Hollywood’s Hollywood: The Movies About the Movies”, “Inside Warner Bros. 1935-1951” (1985), “Behind the Scenes: The Making Of…” (1989) and “Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck” (1993).
Behlmer’s first book, co-written with fellow film historians Tony Thomas and Clifford McCarty,...
Behlmer was among the most widely respected historians of Golden Age Hollywood, in part because of his insistence upon researching “primary source material” and not relying on faulty memories or exaggerated press accounts of the time.
“Memo From David O. Selznick,” which Behlmer edited from thousands of Selznick’s private letters, telegrams and memoranda, was a best seller in 1972. Behlmer first interviewed the “Gone With the Wind” producer for a 1963 article for “Films in Review,” one of dozens of magazine pieces he wrote over the decades.
Other books followed: “Hollywood’s Hollywood: The Movies About the Movies”, “Inside Warner Bros. 1935-1951” (1985), “Behind the Scenes: The Making Of…” (1989) and “Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck” (1993).
Behlmer’s first book, co-written with fellow film historians Tony Thomas and Clifford McCarty,...
- 9/27/2019
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Grand action entertainment bursts forth on the high seas, showing us how much production value Golden Hollywood could lavish on an exciting, artful swashbuckler. Errol Flynn is at his glorious best, backed by greats like Flora Robson, Henry Daniell and Claude Rains in fine form. The special effects and full-sized ship sets impress in ways that computer generated images never will. And the rousing music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold seals the deal — the term ‘Timeless Classic’ was invented for marvels like this.
The Sea Hawk
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1940 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 127 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, Flora Robson, Alan Hale, Henry Daniell, Una O’Connor, James Stephenson, Gilbert Roland, William Lundigan, Julien Mitchell, Montagu Love, J.M. Kerrigan, David Bruce, Fritz Leiber, Francis McDonald, Pedro de Cordoba, Ian Keith, Jack La Rue, Halliwell Hobbes, Victor Varconi,...
The Sea Hawk
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1940 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 127 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, Flora Robson, Alan Hale, Henry Daniell, Una O’Connor, James Stephenson, Gilbert Roland, William Lundigan, Julien Mitchell, Montagu Love, J.M. Kerrigan, David Bruce, Fritz Leiber, Francis McDonald, Pedro de Cordoba, Ian Keith, Jack La Rue, Halliwell Hobbes, Victor Varconi,...
- 12/22/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
You’ve seen Phantom Thread, perhaps multiple times. You’ve been playing Jonny Greenwood’s score on repeat. And now you’re wondering what to do until the Blu-ray arrives this April. Well, Paul Thomas Anderson has you covered. In special screenings around the country, you might have heard a few songs play before the film begins, and now Tiff has revealed those were hand-selected by the director for a special pre-viewing playlist.
They’ve now revealed the full list of songs, clocking in at 23 and ranging from Beyoncé to Bruce Springsteen to Rihanna to Neil Young to Carly Simon and far beyond. Of course, there’s also some Bernard Herrmann thrown in for good measure. Ahead of 70mm screenings at the Tiff Bell Lightbox starting Friday, they’ve collected the tracks into a Spotify list, which can be listened to below, followed by a round-up of recent extensive Phantom Thread talks with its creators.
They’ve now revealed the full list of songs, clocking in at 23 and ranging from Beyoncé to Bruce Springsteen to Rihanna to Neil Young to Carly Simon and far beyond. Of course, there’s also some Bernard Herrmann thrown in for good measure. Ahead of 70mm screenings at the Tiff Bell Lightbox starting Friday, they’ve collected the tracks into a Spotify list, which can be listened to below, followed by a round-up of recent extensive Phantom Thread talks with its creators.
- 2/28/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Paul Thomas Anderson is here to help you set the mood before your “Phantom Thread” viewing. While Jonny Greenwood’s Oscar-nominated score is well worth numerous streams, the director has curated his own mixtape of 23 songs he suggests you listen to before watching his romance drama. Anderson shared the playlist with Tiff., All 70mm screenings of “Phantom Thread” at the Tiff Bell Lightbox theater will play the songs before showtime.
The mixtape is pretty incredible on its own, featuring hits from Beyoncé, Rihanna, Carly Simon, Neil Young, and more, but it’s even better for those who have seen “Phantom Thread” and understand the relationship between Daniel Day-Lewis’ Reynolds Woodcock and Vicky Krieps’ Alma. Rihanna’s “Stay” is especially appropriate for the two lovers.
The full “Phantom Thread” playlist is below, courtesy of Tiff. The film is up for six Oscars at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
The mixtape is pretty incredible on its own, featuring hits from Beyoncé, Rihanna, Carly Simon, Neil Young, and more, but it’s even better for those who have seen “Phantom Thread” and understand the relationship between Daniel Day-Lewis’ Reynolds Woodcock and Vicky Krieps’ Alma. Rihanna’s “Stay” is especially appropriate for the two lovers.
The full “Phantom Thread” playlist is below, courtesy of Tiff. The film is up for six Oscars at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
- 2/27/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Los Angeles Philharmonic today announced details of The Oscar Concert, a special, one-night-only celebration of film music at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Wednesday, February 28, 2018, at 8:00 p.m.
As part of the Oscar week celebrations for its 90th anniversary, the Academy, in partnership with the La Phil, presents an exclusive one-of-a-kind celebration of film music, including never-before-heard arrangements of this year’s five Original Score Oscar nominees.
Curated by composers and Academy Governors Michael Giacchino, Laura Karpman, and Charles Bernstein, the evening offers an insider’s look at film scoring across the decades, with select scores performed live by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by conductor Thomas Wilkins, and special guest Terence Blanchard (trumpet), with additional special guests to be announced. The Oscar Concert explores the history of film music through special arrangements of beloved scores by composers including Tan Dun,...
As part of the Oscar week celebrations for its 90th anniversary, the Academy, in partnership with the La Phil, presents an exclusive one-of-a-kind celebration of film music, including never-before-heard arrangements of this year’s five Original Score Oscar nominees.
Curated by composers and Academy Governors Michael Giacchino, Laura Karpman, and Charles Bernstein, the evening offers an insider’s look at film scoring across the decades, with select scores performed live by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by conductor Thomas Wilkins, and special guest Terence Blanchard (trumpet), with additional special guests to be announced. The Oscar Concert explores the history of film music through special arrangements of beloved scores by composers including Tan Dun,...
- 2/1/2018
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Now restored to perfection, this genuine classic hasn’t been seen intact for way over sixty years. Michael Curtiz and Robert Rossen adapt Jack London’s suspenseful allegory in high style, with a superb quartet of actors doing some of their best work: Robinson, Garfield, Lupino and newcomer Alexander Knox.
The Sea Wolf
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1941 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 100 min. uncut! / Street Date October 10, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Alexander Knox, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Gene Lockhart, Barry Fitzgerald. Stanley Ridges, David Bruce, Francis McDonald, Howard Da Silva, Frank Lackteen, Ralf Harolde
Cinematography: Sol Polito
Film Editor: George Amy
Art Direction: Anton Grot
Special Effects: Byron Haskin, Hans F. Koenekamp
Original Music: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Written by Robert Rosson, from the novel by Jack London
Produced by Hal B. Wallis, Henry Blanke
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Chopping up films for television was once the...
The Sea Wolf
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1941 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 100 min. uncut! / Street Date October 10, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Alexander Knox, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Gene Lockhart, Barry Fitzgerald. Stanley Ridges, David Bruce, Francis McDonald, Howard Da Silva, Frank Lackteen, Ralf Harolde
Cinematography: Sol Polito
Film Editor: George Amy
Art Direction: Anton Grot
Special Effects: Byron Haskin, Hans F. Koenekamp
Original Music: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Written by Robert Rosson, from the novel by Jack London
Produced by Hal B. Wallis, Henry Blanke
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Chopping up films for television was once the...
- 10/14/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Banished by Josef Goebbels and threatened by the Reich, the creative core of the German film industry found itself in sunny Los Angeles, many not speaking English but determined to carry on as writers, directors and actors. More than simply surviving, they made a profound impact on Hollywood moviemaking. Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 2009 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 117 min. / Street Date April 12, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Cinematography Joan Churchill, Emil Fischhaber Film Editor Anny Lowery Meza Original Music Peter Melnick Written, Produced and Directed by Karen Thomas
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood is the perfect docu to introduce people to the way film and world history are intertwined... and also to generate interest in older movies and classic cinema. Instead of a story about the making of movies, it's about a fascinating group of filmmakers forced to abandon...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood is the perfect docu to introduce people to the way film and world history are intertwined... and also to generate interest in older movies and classic cinema. Instead of a story about the making of movies, it's about a fascinating group of filmmakers forced to abandon...
- 5/10/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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Some brilliant scores accompany movies that don't always deserve them. Here are 25 examples...
Can a film soundtrack rescue a movie that is otherwise a lost cause? One thing’s for sure: throughout the history of cinema, music has often been the redeeming feature of many an underwhelming movie. Here are 25 amazing film scores composed for films that, frankly, didn’t deserve them.
25) Meet Joe Black (Thomas Newman, 1998)
This somnambulistic three hour romantic drama should really feature an extra screen credit for star Brad Pitt’s fetishised blonde locks. Rising way above the torpid melodrama of the plot is one of Thomas Newman’s most hauntingly melodic and attractive scores, one that leaves his characteristic quirkiness at the door to paint a portrait of death that is both melancholy and hopeful. The spectacular 10-minute finale That Next Place remains one of Newman’s towering musical achievements.
24) Timeline (Brian Tyler,...
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Some brilliant scores accompany movies that don't always deserve them. Here are 25 examples...
Can a film soundtrack rescue a movie that is otherwise a lost cause? One thing’s for sure: throughout the history of cinema, music has often been the redeeming feature of many an underwhelming movie. Here are 25 amazing film scores composed for films that, frankly, didn’t deserve them.
25) Meet Joe Black (Thomas Newman, 1998)
This somnambulistic three hour romantic drama should really feature an extra screen credit for star Brad Pitt’s fetishised blonde locks. Rising way above the torpid melodrama of the plot is one of Thomas Newman’s most hauntingly melodic and attractive scores, one that leaves his characteristic quirkiness at the door to paint a portrait of death that is both melancholy and hopeful. The spectacular 10-minute finale That Next Place remains one of Newman’s towering musical achievements.
24) Timeline (Brian Tyler,...
- 3/29/2016
- Den of Geek
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Diverse, awe-inspiring and memorable treasures that have sadly fallen off the radar
The noughties were a tough decade for film music fans. Not only was there the unprecedented loss of four great masters in the form of Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, Michael Kamen and Basil Poledouris; the nature of the industry itself began to go through some seismic changes, not all of them for the better.
With the art of film scoring becoming ever more processed, driven increasingly by ghost writers, electronic augmentation and temp tracks, prospects looked bleak. However, this shouldn’t shield the fact that there were some blindingly brilliant scores composed during this period. Here’s but a small sampling of them.
25. The Departed (Howard Shore, 2006)
When it came to the sound of his Oscar-winning crime thriller, director Martin Scorsese hit on the inspired notion of having composer Howard Shore base it around a tango,...
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Diverse, awe-inspiring and memorable treasures that have sadly fallen off the radar
The noughties were a tough decade for film music fans. Not only was there the unprecedented loss of four great masters in the form of Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, Michael Kamen and Basil Poledouris; the nature of the industry itself began to go through some seismic changes, not all of them for the better.
With the art of film scoring becoming ever more processed, driven increasingly by ghost writers, electronic augmentation and temp tracks, prospects looked bleak. However, this shouldn’t shield the fact that there were some blindingly brilliant scores composed during this period. Here’s but a small sampling of them.
25. The Departed (Howard Shore, 2006)
When it came to the sound of his Oscar-winning crime thriller, director Martin Scorsese hit on the inspired notion of having composer Howard Shore base it around a tango,...
- 3/3/2016
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Olivia de Havilland on Turner Classic Movies: Your chance to watch 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' for the 384th time Olivia de Havilland is Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” star today, Aug. 2, '15. The two-time Best Actress Oscar winner (To Each His Own, 1946; The Heiress, 1949) whose steely determination helped to change the way studios handled their contract players turned 99 last July 1. Unfortunately, TCM isn't showing any de Havilland movie rarities, e.g., Universal's cool thriller The Dark Mirror (1946), the Paramount comedy The Well-Groomed Bride (1947), or Terence Young's British-made That Lady (1955), with de Havilland as eye-patch-wearing Spanish princess Ana de Mendoza. On the other hand, you'll be able to catch for the 384th time a demure Olivia de Havilland being romanced by a dashing Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, as TCM shows this 1938 period adventure classic just about every month. But who's complaining? One the...
- 8/3/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Sea Hawk
Written by Howard Koch and Seton I. Miller
Directed by Michael Curtiz
U.S.A., 1940
Under the Warner Brothers banner, Errol Flynn leaps, bounds and rouses hearts to the tune of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s winning score and the direction of taskmaster Michael Curtiz. Following on the coattails of Captain Blood (1935) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), it’s easy to dismiss The Sea Hawk (1940) as just a studio swashbuckler, another outing of a tried and true formula that Bosley Crowther called, “an overdressed ‘spectacle’ film which derives much more from the sword than the pen.” Admittedly, this loose adaptation owes more to the seafaring adventures of Sir Francis Drake than the original Rafael Sabatini novel of the same name, but it owes even more to the politics surrounding its production. On closer examination, the film stands as a testament not only to Flynn in his booming...
Written by Howard Koch and Seton I. Miller
Directed by Michael Curtiz
U.S.A., 1940
Under the Warner Brothers banner, Errol Flynn leaps, bounds and rouses hearts to the tune of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s winning score and the direction of taskmaster Michael Curtiz. Following on the coattails of Captain Blood (1935) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), it’s easy to dismiss The Sea Hawk (1940) as just a studio swashbuckler, another outing of a tried and true formula that Bosley Crowther called, “an overdressed ‘spectacle’ film which derives much more from the sword than the pen.” Admittedly, this loose adaptation owes more to the seafaring adventures of Sir Francis Drake than the original Rafael Sabatini novel of the same name, but it owes even more to the politics surrounding its production. On closer examination, the film stands as a testament not only to Flynn in his booming...
- 4/17/2015
- by Diana Drumm
- SoundOnSight
Paul Henreid: From lighting two cigarettes and blowing smoke onto Bette Davis’ face to lighting two cigarettes while directing twin Bette Davises Paul Henreid is back as Turner Classic Movies’ Star of the Month of July 2013. TCM will be showing four movies featuring Henreid (Now, Voyager; Deception; The Madwoman of Chaillot; The Spanish Main) and one directed by him (Dead Ringer). (Photo: Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes on the set of Dead Ringer, while Bette Davis remembers the good old days.) (See also: “Paul Henreid Actor.”) Irving Rapper’s Now, Voyager (1942) was one of Bette Davis’ biggest hits, and it remains one of the best-remembered romantic movies of the studio era — a favorite among numerous women and some gay men. But why? Personally, I find Now, Voyager a major bore, made (barely) watchable only by a few of the supporting performances (Claude Rains, Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nominee...
- 7/10/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Warner Archive Collection 4th anniversary DVD / Blu-ray releases The Warner Archive Collection (aka Wac), which currently has a DVD / Blu-ray library consisting of approximately 1,500 titles, has just turned four. In celebration of its fourth anniversary, Wac is releasing with movies featuring the likes of Jane Powell, Eleanor Parker, and many more stars and filmmakers of yesteryear. (Pictured above: Greer Garson, Debbie Reynolds, Ricardo Montalban in the sentimental 1966 comedy / drama with music The Singing Nun.) For starters, Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds play siblings in Richard Thorpe's Athena (1954), whose supporting cast includes Edmund Purdom, Vic Damone, frequent Jerry Lewis foil Kathleen Freeman, Citizen Kane's Ray Collins, Tyrone Power's then-wife Linda Christian, former Mr. Universe and future Hercules Steve Reeves, veteran Louis Calhern, not to mention numerology, astrology, and vegetarianism. As per Wac's newsletter, the score by Hugh Martin and Martin Blane "gets a first ever Stereophonic Sound remix for this disc,...
- 3/27/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
David Jalbert J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations (Atma Classique) Young Canadian pianist David Jalbert’s rendition of the Goldberg Variations has been growing on me for two months. In the wake of last year’s dazzlingly athletic version by Minsoo Sohn, this seemed less momentous. Well, even if it’s not overthrowing my #1 choice -- Murray Perahia’s supremely refined rendition with its wonderful palette of timbres -- or surpassing a couple of Gould’s, or Sohn’s, it is deeply satisfying: technically and interpretively impressive, imaginative without crossing the line into quirky. It has a certain kinship with Gould’s 1981 recording (slow aria, generally sprightly tempos featuring counterpoint of crystalline clarity) but without Gould’s tendency to make his piano as dryly harpsichord-like as possible; Jalbert’s tone is quite pianistic without ever seeming anachronistically Romantic, and he sometimes spins out beautifully legato lines with a singing quality. Most of all,...
- 6/16/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Thor: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
CD | MP3
By Patrick Doyle
Buena Vista Records
Release Date: May 3, 2011
One of the things I love most about seeing a movie for the first time is experiencing its music score. I have many favorites but the ones that affect me the most are the great adventure scores, from Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s jaunty and propulsive The Adventures of Robin Hood to John Williams’ endlessly hum-worthy Raiders of the Lost Ark. The best of these scores tend to plant themselves deep in my mind and always pipe up at moments when I need those sounds the most and my MP3 player is nowhere to be found. They calm my soul and motivate me to conquer each of life’s challenges, be they minor or potentially life-threatening, with a hearty laugh and my arms jutted forward like I could take off flying at any moment...
CD | MP3
By Patrick Doyle
Buena Vista Records
Release Date: May 3, 2011
One of the things I love most about seeing a movie for the first time is experiencing its music score. I have many favorites but the ones that affect me the most are the great adventure scores, from Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s jaunty and propulsive The Adventures of Robin Hood to John Williams’ endlessly hum-worthy Raiders of the Lost Ark. The best of these scores tend to plant themselves deep in my mind and always pipe up at moments when I need those sounds the most and my MP3 player is nowhere to be found. They calm my soul and motivate me to conquer each of life’s challenges, be they minor or potentially life-threatening, with a hearty laugh and my arms jutted forward like I could take off flying at any moment...
- 5/7/2011
- by Robert Morgan
- Geeks of Doom
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
The Sammy Awards (or Sammys) are named after movie lyricist Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), who received 4 Oscars for his songs, and was nominated more than any other songwriter, 26 times in all. Cahn said he was “flattered and honored” to have these movie music awards named after him. His Oscar-winning songs are: “Three Coins in the Fountain”; “All the Way”; “High Hopes”; and “Call Me Irresponsible.” All four songs were recorded by Frank Sinatra, a big fan of Sammy’s lyrics. Now in their twenty-third (23rd) year, the Sammys are the longest running awards for film music recordings.
The Sammys are chosen each year by Roger Hall, a film music historian, member of the International Film Music Critics Association, author of the book, A Guide to Film Music – Songs and Scores, and editor of the long-running online magazine, Film Music Review – www.americanmusicpreservation.com/fmr.
The Sammy Awards (or Sammys) are named after movie lyricist Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), who received 4 Oscars for his songs, and was nominated more than any other songwriter, 26 times in all. Cahn said he was “flattered and honored” to have these movie music awards named after him. His Oscar-winning songs are: “Three Coins in the Fountain”; “All the Way”; “High Hopes”; and “Call Me Irresponsible.” All four songs were recorded by Frank Sinatra, a big fan of Sammy’s lyrics. Now in their twenty-third (23rd) year, the Sammys are the longest running awards for film music recordings.
The Sammys are chosen each year by Roger Hall, a film music historian, member of the International Film Music Critics Association, author of the book, A Guide to Film Music – Songs and Scores, and editor of the long-running online magazine, Film Music Review – www.americanmusicpreservation.com/fmr.
- 2/14/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
With a few jabs of orchestral strings, composer Bernard Herrmann created one of the most iconic themes in all cinema. Jeff celebrates 50 years of Psycho…
A classic horror soundtrack doesn't need much to become iconic. A simple two-note ostinato did it for Jaws. A recurring staccato keyboard and synthesized drone became Halloween. Harry Manfredini's ghostly reverberating voice haunted Friday The 13th. But ask anyone the most memorable scary film music of all time, and you'll likely get the stabbing strings underscoring Janet Leigh's murder in Psycho, which recently turned 50 years old.
Composed and conducted by the legendary Bernard Herrmann, who trained at Julliard and later broke into the filmmaking world with Orson Welles via the Mercury Theater and Citizen Kane, Psycho is more than just a musical effect. It's a fully realized score that's perfectly married to the psyche of the film and its characters.
Herrmann claimed that...
A classic horror soundtrack doesn't need much to become iconic. A simple two-note ostinato did it for Jaws. A recurring staccato keyboard and synthesized drone became Halloween. Harry Manfredini's ghostly reverberating voice haunted Friday The 13th. But ask anyone the most memorable scary film music of all time, and you'll likely get the stabbing strings underscoring Janet Leigh's murder in Psycho, which recently turned 50 years old.
Composed and conducted by the legendary Bernard Herrmann, who trained at Julliard and later broke into the filmmaking world with Orson Welles via the Mercury Theater and Citizen Kane, Psycho is more than just a musical effect. It's a fully realized score that's perfectly married to the psyche of the film and its characters.
Herrmann claimed that...
- 8/5/2010
- Den of Geek
Ridley Scott’s newest epic, his own take on Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe, opens in theaters Friday, May 14. While the classical lore of Robin Hood has him stealing from rich to give to the poor… the trailer suggests Scott has turned the Robin Hood tale into one helluva Gladiator-sized period action flick complete with sword fights. So, anticipating quite an awe-inspiring onscreen display of steel blade clashing, we’ve compiled our top ten list of the best sword fights captured on film.
Reader’s Choice: The Princess Bride – In an effort to show we value our reader’s opinions, we’ve included a Reader’s Choice selection this week.
In response to the overwhelming reaction to this film somehow shamefully slipping through the fingers of the Movie Geeks on this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, The Princess Bride has been added as a Reader’s Choice pick. The...
Reader’s Choice: The Princess Bride – In an effort to show we value our reader’s opinions, we’ve included a Reader’s Choice selection this week.
In response to the overwhelming reaction to this film somehow shamefully slipping through the fingers of the Movie Geeks on this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, The Princess Bride has been added as a Reader’s Choice pick. The...
- 5/11/2010
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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