Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Movie Music

Movie Music Faith & Film on KWAX

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 gives 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 one 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, now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!

Remember, KWAX is on the West Coast, so there’s a three-hour difference for those of you listening in the East. Here are the respective air-times for all three of my recorded shows (with East Coast conversions in parentheses):

PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday on KWAX at 5:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (8:00 PM EASTERN)

SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – ALL NEW! – Saturday on KWAX at 8:00 AM PACIFIC TIME (11:00 AM EASTERN)

THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday on KWAX at 4:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (7:00 PM EASTERN)

Stream all three, at the times indicated, by following the link!

https://kwax.uoregon.edu/

March 29, 2024
Ides of March Ancient Rome in the Movies

Beware the Ides of March!

March 15th is a day that has lived in infamy and superstition, ever since the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. After declaring himself Dictator for Life, Caesar was set upon by members of the Roman Senate and stabbed 23 times.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” toga is the dressing of choice for a Caesar salad of films set in Ancient Rome.

We’ll begin with Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” (1953). A two-time double Oscar winner, Mankiewicz – who won back-to-back Academy Awards for writing and directing “A Letter to Three Wives” in 1949 and “All About Eve” in 1950 – wrote and directed this big screen version of the Bard’s historical drama, which was produced by John Houseman, and features an all-star cast, including Marlon Brando as Mark Antony, James Mason as Brutus, John Gielgud as Cassius, and Louis Calhern as Caesar.

The music is by MGM’s go-to composer for spectacles of this sort, Miklós Rózsa, who had earlier provided the score for “Quo Vadis,” and would go on to win his third Academy Award for “Ben-Hur.”

Ten years later, Mankiewicz would return to Rome, at least in part, for “Cleopatra” (1963), though it was a decision he would come to rue. For budgetary and interpersonal reasons, “Cleopatra” became a nightmarish experience for practically everyone involved. Although a box office success – the year’s highest grossing release – the film achieved the dubious distinction of becoming the most expensive ever made. Its massive cost overruns and production woes nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox.

“Cleopatra” stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, whose scandalous, extra-marital romance caught fire during the making of the film. Despite the behind-the-scenes drama, both film and score were nominated for Academy Awards, as was Rex Harrison for Best Actor, in the role of Julius Caesar.

Alex North, who had written the highly-regarded music for “Spartacus” three years earlier, follows up on his success with another one of his finest scores.

By contrast, the Pax Romana was an era of relative peace and stability. It spanned two centuries, from the reign of Augustus Caesar to the death of Marcus Aurelius. The movies would have us believe that Marcus was the victim of foul play, murdered by his son Commodus. Hollywood never did let history get in the way of a good story!

Joaquin Phoenix plays Commodus in “Gladiator” (2000), something of a missed opportunity, with a dream cast, including Russell Crowe, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, and Oliver Reed. Alas, it gave most of its over-qualified supporting players very little to do.

More damningly, the visual storytelling was marred by the over-use of shaky handheld cameras and an over-reliance on computer generated imagery, supplanting the traditional – though likely prohibitive – lavish sets and cast-of-thousands. Even so, the film was honored with five Academy Awards, including that for Best Picture.

One of those Oscars went to Hans Zimmer for his score, though the music is not without controversy. As is often the case with this composer, Zimmer was heavily assisted by a lot of under-credited hands, who appear in fine print in the soundtrack’s CD booklet. Also, one of the battle scenes adheres so closely to “Mars, the Bringer of War” that Zimmer was actually sued by the Holst Foundation. That said, the score was tremendously popular, and the soundtrack remains one of the best-selling of all time.

One of my biggest beefs with “Gladiator” is that, although never acknowledged as a remake, it essentially lifts most of its plot from “The Fall of the Roman Empire” (1964). Anthony Mann directed the old school sword-and-sandal epic, which stars Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, and James Mason. On this occasion, Christopher Plummer plays mad Commodus.

The grandiose score is by Dimitri Tiomkin, who conducted a 110 piece orchestra, made up of (as advertised) “England’s finest musicians.” Only Tiomkin, a pupil of Alexander Glazunov, would include balalaikas in a score about Ancient Rome.

Watch your back! Rome wasn’t built in a day. It falls in an hour this week, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!

Remember, KWAX is on the West Coast, so there’s a three-hour difference for those of you listening in the East. Here are the respective air-times for all three of my recorded shows (with East Coast conversions in parentheses):

PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday on KWAX at 5:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (8:00 PM EASTERN)

SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – ALL NEW! – Saturday on KWAX at 8:00 AM PACIFIC TIME (11:00 AM EASTERN)

THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday on KWAX at 4:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (7:00 PM EASTERN)

Stream all three, at the times indicated, by following the link!

https://kwax.uoregon.edu/

March 15, 2024
Doomed Love Movie Music on KWAX Radio

There’s no love like doomed love. We all know it’s true. Happily ever after is fine for the neighbors. The rest of us flock to “Titanic,” “Casablanca,” and “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.” The one that got away hangs heaviest on the heart.

In accordance with Gothic convention, nothing’s hotter than when two people love one another so intensely, they destroy themselves, each other, and everyone else around them. If impediments fan the flames of desire, then death is the greatest impediment of all.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” it’s an hour of star-crossed lovers who remain connected beyond the mortal plane.

Join me for selections from “Somewhere in Time” (John Barry), “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” (Bernard Herrmann), “Always” (John Williams), and “Wuthering Heights” (Alfred Newman).

If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. We’ll be fanning the flames of desire on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!

Remember, KWAX is on the West Coast, so there’s a three-hour difference for those of you listening in the East. Here are the respective air-times for all three of my recorded shows (with East Coast conversions in parentheses):

PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday on KWAX at 5:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (8:00 PM EST)

SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – ALL NEW! – Saturday on KWAX at 8:00 AM PACIFIC TIME (11:00 AM EST)

THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday on KWAX at 4:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (7:00 PM EST)

Stream all three, at the times indicated, by following the link!

https://kwax.uoregon.edu/

February 9, 2024
John Williams Turns 92 A Film Music Legend

It’s 92 candles on the cake for John Williams – a suitable tribute for the brightest light among living film composers.

Williams’ career has spanned some 70 years. I know it’s trite to say, but the man is living history. No, really.

Well before he became a household name in the 1970s, with blockbusters like “Jaws” and “Star Wars,” he worked as an orchestrator and session pianist on such films as “Sweet Smell of Success,” “Bell, Book and Candle, “God’s Little Acre,” “The Big Country,” “Some Like It Hot,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Studs Lonigan,” “The Apartment,” “Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Guns of Navarone,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Charade,” “The Pink Panther,” “The Great Race,” “West Side Story,” and any number of other screen musicals.

He collaborated or apprenticed with many of the greatest film composers who ever lived, including Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, Henry Mancini, Jerome Moross, Alfred Newman, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Franz Waxman.

Of course, he was also composing his own original scores. His first A-list movie assignment was “How to Steal a Million” in 1966. Prior to that, he’d scored some goofy comedies and did TV work. Eddie Cantor once quipped, it takes 20 years to become an overnight success. By the time the wider public began to sit up and take notice of John Williams, with “Jaws” in 1975, that’s about right. By then, he’d already quietly amassed a string of hits and even landed his first Oscar (for adapting “Fiddler on the Roof” in 1971).

Curious to hear Williams’ first film score? While serving in the U.S. Air Force, Williams was assigned to the Northeast Air Command Band and stationed at Fort Pepperell in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. There, he was approached by a local production company, Atlantic Films, to score a tourism short in 1952, titled “You Are Welcome.” His contribution consists largely of arrangements of local folk tunes, so don’t go into it expecting the unmistakable “Williams sound” he honed in Hollywood. But it will give you a real sense of history.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/star-wars-composer-john-williams-first-score-a-1952-newfoundland-film-1.3241603

Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. You’ve come a long way, baby! Happy birthday, John Williams!

PHOTOS: Williams today (top), and recording “You Are Welcome” in 1952

February 8, 2024
Tudor Movie Music: “Picture Perfect” on KWAX

This week on “Picture Perfect,” it’s an hour of tunes for the Tudors.

We’ll hear selections from “Young Bess” (1953), with Jean Simmons as the future Elizabeth I. The colorful and entertaining cast also includes Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, and most notably Charles Laughton, who reprises his memorable characterization of Henry VIII. Laughton was honored with an Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Henry in the 1933 film, “The Private Life of Henry VIII.” Miklós Rózsa’s score conjures the era of the great MGM Technicolor spectacles.

By the time of the events portrayed in “Mary, Queen of Scots” (1971), Elizabeth already wears the crown, albeit uneasily, due to the perceived threat of her first cousin once removed. Vanessa Redgrave is Mary and Glenda Jackson is Elizabeth, with a supporting cast that includes Timothy Dalton, Nigel Davenport, Patrick McGoohan, Trevor Howard, and Ian Holm. As seems to be the custom in dramatic interpretations of the historical events, the film features several fictitious encounters between the queens, even though in reality the two never met. The poignant score is by John Barry.

“Anne of the Thousand Days” (1969) tells the story of Henry’s doomed second wife, Anne Boleyn. This time Richard Burton plays the king. Anne is played by Genevieve Bujold. Despite mixed reviews, the film was nominated for ten Academy Awards and recognized for its exceptional costumes. Among the other nominees was Georges Delerue for his period-flavored music.

Finally, in a lighthearted change of pace from all the intrigue and execution, we turn to a big screen adaptation of Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper” (1937). Set in the time of Prince Edward (later Edward VI), Twain’s novel plays on the conceit that the heir apparent, at some point, becomes confused with a commoner, who happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to him.

Top-billed Errol Flynn is really a supporting player as the devil-may-care Miles Hendon, who throws in his lot with the scraggly-looking prince, though he hardly believes his claims. Though it would still be a year until the release of “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” Flynn was already well on his way to becoming the screen’s quintessential swashbuckler, thanks to his turn in “Captain Blood” (1935). He easily dominates the film, and it’s a treat to see him duel with his old pal Alan Hale.

Montagu Love plays Henry VIII, though he’s upstaged by a scheming Claude Rains as Edward Seymour, the Earl of Hertford. Composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold follows Flynn all the way, his music full of swagger and fun.

Help yourself to a joint of mutton, and hang on to your heads! It’s time for the Tudors, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!

Remember, KWAX is on the West Coast, so there’s a three-hour difference for those of you listening in the East. Here are the respective air-times for all three of my recorded shows (with East Coast conversions in parentheses):

PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday on KWAX at 5:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (8:00 PM EST)

SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – ALL NEW! – Saturday on KWAX at 8:00 AM PACIFIC TIME (11:00 AM EST)

THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday on KWAX at 4:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (7:00 PM EST)

Stream all three, at the times indicated, by following the link!

https://kwax.uoregon.edu/

January 19, 2024

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