Happy Easter, everyone!
If we were to do a quick free association on the topic, I would venture to guess it wouldn’t be long before someone mentioned “Easter Parade.”
Here’s a somewhat lesser-known Irving Berlin classic. All the eggs this morning are sunny-side up!
This week on “Picture Perfect,” in this season of wall-to-wall Biblical epics, enjoy a bit of counterprogramming in the form of music from films about faith, conscience, and grappling with self-abnegation.
Bruce Bereford’s “Black Robe” (1991), based on a novel by Irish-Canadian writer Brian Moore, tells the tale of a Jesuit priest who treks through 1500 miles of Canadian wilderness on a mission to convert the native tribes of the Huron and the Algonquin. The evocative score is by Georges Delerue.
“Black Narcissus” (1947), a Powell-Pressburger classic, is one of those startling films that just sort of sneaks up on you. Psychological tension abounds in a tale of repressed nuns struggling to maintain their composure in a voluptuous Himalayan valley. Eventually, the wheels begin to spin off the tracks, to spinetingling effect. The stunning cinematography is by Jack Cardiff. Incredibly, the entire film was shot in England, mostly on soundstages at Pinewood Studios. The music is by Brian Easdale, of “The Red Shoes” fame.
Audrey Hepburn gave one of her most impressive performances in Fred Zinnemann’s “The Nun’s Story” (1959). A young woman enters a convent of sister-nurses and undergoes many trials in the hopes of becoming a missionary in the Belgian Congo. The film also features Peter Finch, Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, and, in a memorable early role, an unhinged Colleen Dewhurst. The music is by Franz Waxman.
Finally, Ennio Morricone composed on of his most-beloved scores for “The Mission” (1986). Jeremy Irons plays a Jesuit priest, who ventures into the South American rainforest to convert the Guarani to Christianity. Robert DeNiro is a reformed slave hunter, who seeks redemption. The moving music has received a great deal of exposure over the years through its use in television commercials and by figure skaters, who have made “Gabriel’s Oboe” a recognizable hit.
Join me in seeking grace in an imperfect world, with music from films about nuns and missionaries this week, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Saturday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Last night’s celebration of the one-year anniversary of “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner” was marked by misty reminiscences, some highlights slides, and plenty of laurels from the fans. Thank you so much for live appearances by, and well wishes from, Phil, Bill, Jon, Mary Ann, Eva, Liz, Ry, Lew, and Michelle.
The show ran to three hours, probably a little long for anyone except perhaps “Tie-Dye” die-hards. But the first third or so contains some solid background info about how Roy and I met, 40+ years ago, and how he arrived at the idea for a weekly livestream, as a way to alleviate lockdown anxiety and to reunite with friends he’s made on the sci-fi fan circuit. The show has attracted viewers from the all over the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Australia, and Hell, Norway.
Cohosts for the first two months were drawn from Roy’s vast pool of acquaintances. Other guests continue to cohost on occasional Sunday evenings, and a number of actors, authors, and film and television technicians have visited for interviews.
By coincidence, last night happened to be my 50th show. Roy first invited me in June 2020, and I haven’t left since. Prior to my first appearance, we hadn’t seen one another in probably 34 years!
If, by Hour 3, you start to feel a little depleted, well, we’ve got the perfect movie for you. Next week, we’ll begin our second year by chatting about “Marooned” (1969). John Sturges’ slow-burn sci-fi thriller received clearance to launch thanks to first-man-on-the-moon mania. But don’t go into it expecting “The Right Stuff.” Think of it more as a proto-“Apollo 13,” but a lot more static. The central premise is the attempted rescue of three astronauts stranded in space.
You have to admit, it does have quite the cast: Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, David Janssen, James Franciscus, Gene Hackman, Lee Grant, Nancy Kovack, and a pre-Kodak Mariette Hartley.
It’s guaranteed to be more exciting than watching paint dry. I hope you’ll join us for our next slow-burn conversation, on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, livestreamed on Facebook, next Friday evening at 7:00 EDT!
For Good Friday, here’s my annual posting of Leopold Stokowski’s sublime Houston recording of the “Good Friday Spell” from Wagner’s “Parsifal.”
As an added bonus, enjoy a fascinating 1927 recording of the Transformation Music and Grail Scene from Act I, set down at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. The recording employs the original bells designed by Wagner, which were later melted down by the Nazis for ammunition during World War II. A rare opportunity to experience “Parsifal” as Wagner actually knew it. (The bells begin at 5:57.)
Muck had been associated with the Bayreuth Festival since 1892. He became its principal conductor in 1903. Between 1901 and 1930, he conducted “Parsifal” at Bayreuth 14 times.
IMAGE: Set design by Paul von Joukowsky for the 1882 Bayreuth debut of “Parsifal”
All fashion concerns aside, sci-fi has been the tie that binds us.
Join Roy and me in celebrating one year of “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.” Forged in time of Covid – and originally titled “Remembering Science Fiction Television Shows of the 1960s and 1970s” (truth in advertising if ever there was) – this hour or two (or more) of sci-fi movie/TV banter – and your commentary – has become something of a weekend tradition.
Tomorrow night, Roy and I will chat about our early sci-fi experiences, and then we’ll throw it open to you, our viewers. Weigh in with your own favorite sci-fi memories, and your favorite “Sci-Fi” memories, and tell us what you’d like to see. We’ll lubricate your thoughts with slides of some of the year’s special guests and special moments (like the “Rollerball” Super Bowl Party and the “Darby O’Gill” Drinking Game).
“Tie-Dye” never says die. Join us for a Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner anniversary celebration, livestreamed on Facebook, this Friday evening at 7:00 EDT!
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