Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Basil Poledouris

Howard’s Barbarians Great Movie Music

In “Conan the Destroyer” (1984), one of Conan’s companions speculates, “I suppose nothing hurts you.”

To which Conan replies, “Only pain.”

Discriminating viewers may feel a little pain themselves watching these silly, cheesy, violent films, all of which were inspired by the writings of pulp master Robert E. Howard. Howard created the warrior Conan in 1932. The character became the center of a series of lucrative stories first published in “Weird Tales” magazine.

It would be a half century before Conan made the leap to the big screen, under the direction of John Milius. “Conan the Barbarian” (1982) propelled Arnold Schwarzenegger, already a legend in the field of bodybuilding, to international superstardom. While “Conan” isn’t exactly “Citizen Kane,” it does have its pleasures. The intensity of the violence can be a little disturbing, but the ponderous tone is a blast. “Conan” is a film that takes itself just seriously enough to make it occasionally hilarious.

Another thing “Conan” has going for it is the fact that it was made on a blockbuster budget. The first-rate production values extend to the music by Basil Poledouris, who employs a full symphony orchestra to impressive ends. In fact, the “Conan” score was one of the strongest of the decade. It’s amazing that anyone would find so much inspiration in such a mediocre film, but Poledouris’ music intersperses Borodin-style Central Asia lyricism with brawny, thrilling action music.

Sadly, the sequel, “Conan the Destroyer,” betrays signs of penny-pinching, so that it often winds up feeling like a direct-to-video effort. Poledouris was forced to make do with a smaller orchestra, which sounds a bit too much like a television ensemble. Still, he gave it his all, and there’s something to be said for the fact that it is an original score, rather than a mere retread of the original.

Another one of Howard’s creations, Kull of Atlantis, was given the big screen treatment as “Kull the Conqueror” (1997). Kevin Sorbo, TV’s Hercules, plays the title role. The composer, Joel Goldsmith (son of Jerry Goldsmith), was asked to incorporate heavy metal riffs into his orchestral underscore. I haven’t actually seen this one, but for some reason I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.

The astoundingly prolific Ennio Morricone – who has more than 500 motion picture and television scores to his name – has an uncanny knack for spinning garbage into gold. His music for “Red Sonja” (1985) lends the film an aura of ‘80s cheese ball fun, perhaps more so than it deserves. This is the film that introduced Brigitte Nielsen as the chain-mailed barbarian beauty. Schwarzenegger appears in the supporting role of Lord Kalidor.

In the ‘80s, even bad films had great scores. I hope you’ll give “Conan the Barbarian” a chance this week, on “Picture Perfect” – music for movies inspired by the writings of Robert E. Howard – this Friday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

BONUS! Tune in a little early (before 6) to hear selections from a virtuoso organ transcription of “Conan the Barbarian” by Philipp Pelster!

September 6, 2019
Australian Outback Film Music

G’day! This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’re off to the antipodes for an hour of music from films set in the Australian bush.

Ealing Studios shot several movies there – three independently, and then two in collaboration with MGM. The first was “The Overlanders” (1946), told in semi-documentary style, about a wartime push to evacuate Australia’s Northern Territory, with its 5000 settlers and a million head of cattle, before an anticipated Japanese invasion. The music was by John Ireland. Despite its excellence, it would prove to be his only film score.

Ealing’s final independent Australian venture was “Bitter Springs” (1950). The film tells the tale of an Australian pioneer family, which encounters problems with the local Aboriginal people when its headstrong patriarch denies access to a watering hole.

The thematic material was by Ralph Vaughan Williams, who left it to composer and conductor Ernest Irving to arrange and orchestrate what he felt needed for the various cues. Vaughan Williams wrote his friend and colleague to express his pleasure with the finished product. Irving would soon receive the dedication of Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 7, the “Sinfonia Antartica” (itself derived from RVW’s film score to Ealing’s “Scott of the Antarctic”).

Both of these films, “The Overlanders” and “Bitter Springs,” are essentially westerns set in the Australian outback. From a little closer to our own time, we’ll hear music from another film which was unapologetic in its use of American western motifs, “Quigley Down Under” (1990).

The film starred Tom Selleck as an American cowboy, hired by an Australian rancher, played by Alan Rickman, allegedly to shoot dingoes; however, he soon finds that the rancher’s real purpose is to rid the land of Aborigines – a proposition Quigley naturally rejects, setting up the film’s conflict.

The score is by Basil Poledouris, a composer who has achieved cult status for his work on films like “Robocop” and especially “Conan the Barbarian,” though he never really seemed to receive the recognition the deserved. He did, however, win an Emmy for his score to “Lonesome Dove.”

Finally, we’ll have just a bit from John Barry’s haunting score to Nicholas Roeg’s “Walkabout” (1971), in which two British children find themselves stranded in the bush and survive only through the aid of a young Aborigine.

We’re heading down under and out back this week, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Friday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

August 2, 2019
Nadia Boulanger Meets Conan Music Today

What did Nadia Boulanger and Conan the Barbarian have in common? A lot, apparently, at least from what may be deduced from anecdotes by her pupils. Boulanger’s strong will, cold objectivity and blunt assessments made her perhaps the greatest – and certainly the most influential – musical pedagogue of the 20th century.

Her influence on American music, in particular, is incalculable, having taught composers from Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson through Elliot Carter and Philip Glass. It was Thomson who quipped, “She was a one-woman graduate school, so powerful and so permeating that legend credits every United States town with two things: a five and dime and a Boulanger pupil.”

Join me this afternoon, beginning at 4 p.m., as I celebrate this remarkable figure on her birthday, with two hours of music and music-making by but a handful of her hundreds of remarkable students, including Copland, Igor Markevitch, Dinu Lipatti and Lili Boulanger.

Then stick around at 6 p.m. for “Picture Perfect,” as I introduce music from movies inspired by the writings of pulp master Robert E. Howard. Howard is certainly best-known as the creator of Conan. While an hour of scores for barbarian movies may not seem like everyone’s cup of tea, I can guarantee that most of the music is thrilling and inventive, in ways one would be unlikely to encounter at a theater today.

“Conan the Barbarian” (1982) was released at a time when even the most embarrassing movies could have knockout scores, and composer Basil Poledouris really outdid himself in transcending the violent, silly visuals with a viscerally thrilling soundtrack. I know, I was skeptical myself, until I heard it. “Conan” has long been held by collectors of film music as one of the great scores of the decade, and it’s hard not to be pummeled into submission by its grandeur.

The hour will also feature music by Ennio Morricone, who has made a career out of spinning gold from garbage. Morricone recently received a much-overdue Academy Award for his work on Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight.” We’ll hear some of his score to “Red Sonja” (1985), which also featured Arnold Schwarzenegger, though in a supporting role. In addition, there will be music by Joel Goldsmith, the son of Jerry Goldsmith, for “Kull the Conqueror” (1997).

It’s a brains-and-brawn double feature today, from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

September 16, 2016
Conan Movie Music Tonight on WWFM

When met with the conjecture, “I suppose nothing hurts you,” Conan responded, philosophically, “Only pain.” That was in the Hyborian Age, before the advent of “Picture Perfect.”

Join me this evening at 6:00 EDT for an hour of music from movies inspired by the writings of pulp master Robert E. Howard. We’ll have over-the-top scores from barbarian movies, by the likes of Ennio Morricone, Joel Goldsmith and Basil Poledouris, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

It’s only minutes away, but there’s still time to pray to Crom.

September 16, 2016
Conan the Barbarian Organ: A Holy Film Score

If what’s been keeping you out of church is that there’s simply not enough music from “Conan the Barbarian” being played on the organ, Naxos Records has done your soul an enormous service.

Organist Philipp Pelster has transcribed and recorded Basil Poledouris’ film score magnum opus for the King of Instruments. What’s that, you say, something GOOD actually came out of “Conan?” Well, yes, actually, as a matter of fact. Having seen the movie, I was skeptical, myself. But Poledouris’ film score is one of the best of the era. And that’s saying something.

To bless the venture and keep it holy, here’s Arnold Schwarzenegger’s prayer to Crom:

If you just can’t deal with the silliness, here’s the music without the visuals:

Feel free to needle-drop. There’s great stuff all the way through it.

Unfortunately, there are no clips of the organ transcription posted on YouTube. I guess I’ll just have to shell out the $12 and hope for the best. CROM! HEAR ME, CROMMM!!!!

January 12, 2016

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