Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Steven Spielberg

John Williams’ J

At last, an article about John Williams’ music for “Jaws” that looks beyond the shark theme. (Follow the link below.)

Granted, that two-note motive is destined for immortality, memorable in a way few other movie themes are, and will likely outlive anything else the composer ever wrote – even “Star Wars,” if you can get your head around that – but there is so much more to this masterful score.

The determined “shark cage” fugue, the high-spirited nautical theme, the neo-Baroque tourist music, all serve to elevate “Jaws” and lend it dimension. In other hands, this might have played as a straightforward horror film. Spielberg’s suspense-thriller is transformed in large part through its music into an exhilarating summer entertainment – a genuine good time at the movies.

Roy and I will discuss this seminal summer blockbuster, to kick off the Fourth of July weekend, on the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, livestreamed on Facebook, this Friday evening at 7:00 EDT.

Be forewarned: the article at the link contains spoilers, and so will our show. (Also, it is advisable to avoid all sequels!)

An appreciation of John Williams’ “Jaws” here:

https://www.rogerebert.com/features/revisiting-john-williams-score-for-jaws-45-years-later

A definite high point from the film (you might want to watch the movie first, if you haven’t seen it):

Alas, Williams couldn’t save “Jaws 2,” but it was not for want of trying:

June 30, 2021
Jaws Next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner

A clean shave, a clean shirt, and sparkling repartee made for another enjoyable evening with Roy, despite the questionable value of our subject matter, the time-hopping espionage yarn “Dimension 5” (1966) – and the fact that a three-inch spider crawled into sight just as we were about to go live. The spider is now living outdoors, and the episode is now living in our archive, so definitely check it out, even if I can’t recommend the movie (streaming free on YouTube, if you really want to groan).

Next week, we’ll try to make amends with a conversation about one of the most perfectly constructed blockbusters ever made – further highlighting the ineptitude of “Dimension 5” – Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” (1975). A seafaring trinity of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss take on Bruce the shark, after he puts the bite on a New England beach community.

Part suspense thriller and part swashbuckling adventure, what does it all have to do with science fiction? Well, I guess Dreyfuss’ Hooper does get to play around with some high-tech equipment as the team’s marine biologist. But who cares?

What can be more “Fourth of July” than a trip to the beach? Leave your shark repellent in the comments section, as we be swimmin’ with bow-legged women, on the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. There’ll be tourists on the menu, when we livestream on Facebook, next Friday evening at 7:00 EDT!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

June 26, 2021
Indiana Jones 40th Anniversary

Indiana Jones first cracked his whip on the big screen on June 12, 1981. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s smart homage to cinematic serials of yore, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” took off like a shot to become the year’s highest-grossing film and a cultural phenomenon.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” as we anticipate the release of “Indy 5” in 2022, we’ll celebrate four decades of fedoras and five o’clock shadows. Tune in for selections from John Williams’ classic scores for the series, including “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984), “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989), and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008).

Remember, it’s not the years – it’s the mileage. Join me for a highly subjective hour of music and reflections on the Indiana Jones series, to mark the 40th anniversary of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Saturday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org!

June 12, 2021
Secret of the Incas: The REAL Raiders of the Lost Ark?

What is the “Secret of the Incas?” That George Lucas and Steven Spielberg plundered its treasure to create “Raiders of the Lost Ark!”

The archaeological quest, the Peruvian jungle setting, the cynical antihero, the bantering romance, the collegial betrayal, the cryptic secret of the burial chamber/map room, the moral tug-of-war between greed and responsibility, even the signature Indiana Jones fedora, leather jacket, and multi-day stubble. The only things missing are the bullwhip and Indy’s scoundrel charm.

Sure, “Raiders” is the slicker, more breathlessly-paced contemporary entertainment, but “Secret of the Incas” (1954) is a solid representative of the grand, old school, Technicolor, shot-on-location Hollywood adventure.

Charlton Heston is the hard-edged “hero,” Harry Steele, who frequents a local saloon while fielding business and other propositions. Nicole Maurey is the sultry woman with a past, on the run from agents from behind the Iron Curtain. Thomas Mitchell is Harry’s slippery business partner, who periodically tries to kill him. And Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac lends a touch of verisimilitude with her mind-blowing, five-octave range. Oh yeah, there’s also a supporting part for Robert Young as a nice-guy archaeologist, who’s everything Heston’s character isn’t. If you were Maurey, which one would you choose?

To mark the 40th anniversary of “Raider’s” release, on June 12, 1981, we’ll discuss “Secret of the Incas” on the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner – with ample reflections on Indiana Jones along the way. So while you’re at it, be sure to brush up on those films too. The comments section will be alive with asps, as I crack the whip on Roy, livestreamed on Facebook, this Friday evening at 7:00 EDT!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner/

PHOTO: If adventure has a name, it must be… Harry Steele?

June 10, 2021
Sci-Fi Nerds Unite Spielberg & Forbidden Planet

Reuniting with Roy and my cousin Joe was definitely a close encounter of the nerd kind. Here, we jawbone about Steven Spielberg’s sublime extraterrestrial essay, on last night’s “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.”

Enjoy a double-dollop this weekend. Roy and I will be joined by Marybeth and Mike of SciFi Distilled, for a discussion about the 1956 classic “Forbidden Planet.” Robby the Robot meets Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Beware monsters from the id!

It will be a tempest in a tea pot, and we’ll all be high on rocket fuel. Join us for the Facebook live-stream, this Sunday night at 7:00 EDT.

August 1, 2020

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