BLACK PATCH
CITY OF FEAR
FACE OF A FUGITIVE
STUDS LONIGAN
SPIRAL ROAD
FREUD
THE PRIZE
THE STRIPPER
TAKE HER SHE'S MINE
GATHERING OF EAGLES
SHOCK TREATMENT
FATE IS THE HUNTER
STAGECOACH
TO TRAP A SPY
WARNING SHOT
SEBASTIAN
THE DETECTIVE
JUSTINE
THE CHAIRMAN
TRAVELING EXECUTIONER
THE LAST RUN
THE DON IS DEAD
ACE ELI AND RODGER OF THE SKIES
SPYS
RANSOM(THE TERRORISTS)
PLAYERS
INCHON

Not to mention TV movies like THE CABLE CAR MURDERS,CRAWLSPACE,DO NOT FOLD SPINDLE OR MUTILATE,CONTRACT ON CHERRY ST.,etc.

And the ones that are available that I haven't bothered to rent yet...

7 DAYS IN MAY
THE SATAN BUG-should've got the LD!Doh!
IN HARMS WAY-caught bits and pieces
IN LIKE FLINT
OUR MAN FLINT
FLIM FLAM MAN
RIO LOBO
THE OTHER-for 11mins of score?why bother!
ONE LITTLE INDIAN-new DVD looks cool
SHAMUS
QBVII-aye yah!so long!
BREAKHART PASS
TWLIGHTS LAST GLEAMING
MASADA
RAGGEDY MAN
LONELY GUY
BABY-saw it when i was a tot...

So what does everyone think about these movies! I've managed to locate and watch every other piece of junk Goldsmith has scored...although honestly he has done quite a few good movies

The Prize I know for sure is available on video. It stars Paul Newman.

Baby was actually on TV yesterday, on the Encore channel.

S~

Players was shown on USA network several times a few years back, have not seen it since.

Some of the older TV titles aren't shown anywhere these days. Many of those I have only seen once many years ago.

A few of them are shown once in awhile on AMC and a few on the various TV channels.

Don is Dead-I have seen twice, when first shown on TV many years ago and a few years back.

Black Patch-I have seen only once way back in 1979 on a Houston TV station. Not shown much.

Studs Lonigan is on video and is available at most public libraries to check out.

Take Her She's Mine is on TV all the time.

City of Fear is one of the few he did I have not seen.

Seven Days in May has just over 10 mins but its an excellent percussion, xylophone score.

Of all the TV films Cable Car Murders only has three cues that I remember but they are good.

Shamus is very similar to many of his early '70s stuff.

Fireball Forward 1972/73 tv film has Patton and Von Ryan's Express music tracked in it.

The Other is a rather horrifying film, but music is good.

Winterkill has some music that reminds me of Herrmann.

Going Up of David Lev has some great music in it.

Brotherhood of the Bell and Fierce Creatures have some similar music in them.

Take care, John.

Oh, the Main Title is excellent.

FIERCE CREATURES is actually not a bad film, funny if you have a twisted sense of humor:raises hand: I'll be damned if I could figure out where the cues go though!

NP:Gremlins 2(Goldsmith)

Sean

I'd love to see STAGECOACH and THE STRIPPER, just for being familiar with the scores.

JUSTINE is one I haven't bothered to hear yet, since there is only a long OOP LP and boot CD. Another 30min. hack job, I'm sure, although maybe Stephen L. can defend this one?

And INCHON...yet another one that has eluded me, but the score is fantastic. I don't know why everyone seems to be down on that score!
Is it just due to the sound quality(GREATLY improved on the Intrada CD) or the performance(surely not unlistenable, and MUCH better than the film tracks of WILD ROVERS!).

NP:The Peacemaker(Zimmer)

Best wishes,
Sean

quote:

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Originally posted by OHMSS76:
[BFIERCE CREATURES is actually not a bad film, funny if you have a twisted sense of humor:raises hand: I'll be damned if I could figure out where the cues go though![/B]

---

The film is a quite nice, but disappointing when you know the excellent Fish Called Wanda (lovely score by John Du Prez, BTW).

Goldsmith EXPANDED his Fierce Creatures score to justify an album, because it was so short. So, much of the CD isn't even heard in the film.

Anyway, shouldn't we be more concerned about hearing the scores?

I’m missing out on a few of those movies too. I’m particularly looking forward to watching INCHON…by all accounts Olivier is hilariously inept as MacArthur.

Here’s my thoughts on FIERCE CREATURES, part of a posting that is due to be made at the “Goldsmith’s LAST ORDERS” thread at some time in the future –

FIERCE CREATURES (US 1997) movie *1/2 score **1/2 album ***

Although Goldsmith’s score within the movie is rather slight and insubstantial, Goldsmith’s FIERCE CREATURES score does provide the basis for a very pleasant album. For the album, Goldsmith develops many of the thematic ideas present in the score, and utilizes the small pop and jazz ensemble nicely to create a very pleasant, melodic and intimate album. Much of the music on the album doesn’t appear in the movie – indeed, the opening album cue “Villa’s Theme” is one such segment – a delightful, sauntering and effortlessly ‘optimistic’ theme, with smooth, careful and intimate orchestration. In fact the whole score is a mixture of jazz, pop and classical styles with the emphasis on the jazz. The ‘tragic’ funeral music is particularly memorable and the cello work on ‘Trained Seals’ is sublime.

Please find below a summary of all of Goldsmith’s movies I have watched –

Certainly, Goldsmith’s recent output, especially 1992 through 1999, has been particularly disappointing. However, during the first thirty years of his career I found Goldsmith’s output to be consistently fascinating….if not always successful. Not only that, I perceive Goldsmith as being a particularly influential composer, and when you consider the disappointing nature of the vast majority of movies on which Goldsmith has worked, his influence on his contemporaries has been all the more remarkable. Please refer to my new thread “A Meeting of Minds….”, for more detail on Goldsmith’s importance as an influential film composer.

Please allow me to illustrate my perspective on Goldsmith’s career –

Though I find much of Goldsmith’s 90s output of very poor quality, I believe Goldsmith has done many great things in the past. I hope the following will illustrate this.

Goldsmith’s contribution to cinema over the past twenty years has been varied, and often excellent. The early 80s saw this important film composer probably at the peak of his powers, and the rest of the decade was notable for Goldsmith’s experimentation. In fact, the middle 80s saw some fascinating contrasts from score to score, as Goldsmith successfully nailed the complete range of genres, from romantic comedy to all-out action.

Below I have indicated my appreciation of Goldsmith’s film scores 1959 – 1999 inclusive.

1999 A hat-trick of memorable, distinctive and wholly enjoyable scores.

The Haunting ****1/2
The Mummy ****
The 13th Warrior ****1/2

1998

Star Trek IX **1/2
Small Soldiers **1/2
Mulan **1/2
U.S. Marshals 1/2
Deep Rising ***

1997

Air Force One **1/2
The Edge **1/2
L.A.Confidential *1/2
Fierce Creatures **1/2

1996

Star Trek VIII *
The Ghost and the Darkness **
Chain Reaction *
Executive Decision ***
City Hall 1/2

1995

Powder **1/2
First Knight *
Congo **
1994
IQ **1/2
The River Wild 1/2
The Shadow *
Bad Girls *
Angie *

1993 The highlight here was DENNIS, one of my favourite Goldsmith scores from the 90’s.

Six Degrees of Separation ***
Rudy *
Malice *
Dennis the Menace ***1/2
Matinee *1/2
The Vanishing ***
Love Field *1/2

1992 Another Goldsmith/Verhoeven triumph. BASIC INSTINCT would prove to be one of the most influential film scores of the 90s.

Forever Young **
Mr. Baseball **1/2
Mom & Dad Save the World **
BASIC INSTINCT *****
Medicine Man **

1991

Sleeping w/the Enemy ***1/2
Not Without My Daughter ***

1990 A trio of Goldsmith classics, here we see just what Goldsmith was capable of, sheer brilliance.

THE RUSSIA HOUSE *****
Gremlins 2 ***1/2
TOTAL RECALL *****

1989

Star Trek V ***
Leviathan *
The 'Burbs **1/2

1988

Warlock **1/2
Criminal Law ***
Rambo III **
Rent-a-Cop ***1/2

1987 Two scores, EXTREME PREJUDICE and LIONHEART, completely different in just about every way, yet bound by Goldsmith’s hallmark of quality.

Innerspace ***
Extreme Prejudice ****
LIONHEART *****

1986 Goldsmith’s most recent British film (LINK) had a really fun score, and HOOSIERS (aka BEST SHOT) had a very successful multi-faceted score.

Hoosiers ****1/2
Link ****
Poltergeist 2 **

1985 The action film score par excellence, and what many consider to be Goldsmith’s ‘magnum opus’.

Legend ***1/2
RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II *****
Baby **

1984 The pulsating RUNAWAY was a great example of the exciting electronic score.

Runaway ****
Supergirl **
Gremlins ***
The Lonely Guy ***

1983 Perhaps UNDER FIRE gave us Goldsmith’s best album? TWILIGHT ZONE had a great score, especially the sentimental Crothers portion, and the spiky Lithgow segment.

UNDER FIRE *****
Twilight Zone: The Movie ****
Psycho II **

1982 Classic scores through and through. FIRST BLOOD virtually defined its genre, THE CHALLENGE was absolutely ace, and THE SECRET OF NIMH is really what film music is all about.

First Blood ****
The Challenge ****
THE SECRET OF NIMH *****
Poltergeist ***1/2

1981 Goldsmith surprised some with his profound Wagnerian work on THE FINAL CONFLICT, quite different from his previous Omen scores.

Night Crossing ***
Raggedy Man **
Outland **
The Final Conflict ****

1980 Goldsmith followed up STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (my favourite JG score) with the magnificent MASADA, a score that appears to come from the composers’ heart.

Masada ****
Caboblanco **

1979 Two classic and very influential sci-fi scores, completely different from one another.

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE *****
Players **
Alien ****1/2

1978 A vintage period, characterized by a manic energy in Goldsmith’s writing.

THE FIRST GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY *****
Damien: Omen II ***
Capricorn One **1/2
Coma ***1/2
The Swarm **1/2
THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL *****
Magic ****

1977

MacArthur **
Islands in the Stream ***1/2
Damnation Alley **1/2
Twilights Last Gleaming **1/2

1976

The Omen **1/2
The Cassandra Crossing ***
Logan’s Run **1/2

1975 BREAKHEART PASS was a fun mystery movie, with a knockout ‘western’ score.

Breakheart Pass ****
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud **1/2
The Wind and the Lion ***
Ransom **1/2
Breakout ***

1974 A late entry in noir scoring, and up there with the best.

Chinatown ****

1973

Papillon ****1/2
Shamus *1/2
Indict and Convict *1/2

1972

Pursuit ****
The Other **1/2

1971

Wild Rovers **
Escape From the Planet of the Apes ***
The Mephisto Waltz ****
The Last Run ****
The Brotherhood of the Bell **1/2

1970

The Ballad of Cable Hogue **1/2
Patton ****
Tora! Tora! Tora! **1/2
Rio Lobo **1/2

1969

100 Rifles **
The Chairman *1/2
Justine ***
The Illustrated Man **1/2

1968

The Detective ****
Planet of the Apes ****1/2
Sebastian ***1/2

1967

Warning Shot ***1/2
The Flim Flam Man **
Hour of the Gun **1/2
In Like Flint ***

1966

Stagecoach *1/2
The Sand Pebbles ***
The Blue Max ****
Seconds ***

1965

Von Ryan’s Express **
A Patch of Blue ***1/2
Our Man Flint ****1/2
The Satan Bug **
In Harm’s Way **1/2

1964

Rio Conchos **
Fate is the Hunter **1/2
Seven Days in May **1/2
The Prize *1/2

1963

A Gathering of Eagles **1/2
THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER *****
Lillies of the Field ***1/2

1962

The Spiral Road **1/2
Lonely are the Brave ***
Freud **1/2

1959

Face of a Fugitive *
City of Fear ***

Average *** (3.01)
Career Average *** (2.91)

I feel unable to comment on GLADIATOR, THE PUBLIC EYE, TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY, ALIEN NATION, THE SALAMANDER, or INCHON as I have not heard Goldsmith’s music in the context of the production.

A fine body of work, punctuated by some truly outstanding contributions, Goldsmith now rates 29th on my personal list of favourite film composers.

Having detailed my appreciation of Goldsmith’s scores to those movies of his I have seen, I now indicate my PERSONAL regard for the movies as a whole.

1999 THE MUMMY was a really entertaining movie, to me.

The Haunting **
The Mummy ***1/2
The 13th Warrior **1/2

1998 STAR TREK IX evoked the charming campness of the 60’s series, and DEEP RISING was a delicious Mickey-take of the action/sci-fi/horror genres.

Star Trek IX ***
Small Soldiers **1/2
Mulan ***
U.S. Marshals **
Deep Rising ***1/2

1997 AIR FORCE ONE was a favourite at the box office and LA CONFIDENTIAL was the darling of the critics.

Air Force One ****
The Edge ***
L.A.Confidential ****
Fierce Creatures *1/2

1996 British director Stuart Baird came up trumps with the excellent EXECUTIVE DECISION.

Star Trek VIII **1/2
The Ghost and the Darkness *1/2
Chain Reaction *
Executive Decision ***1/2
City Hall *1/2

1995

Powder ***
First Knight 1/2
Congo **1/2

1994 ANGIE was a warm and sentimental drama; it deserved to do better at the box office, in my opinion.

IQ *1/2
The River Wild 1/2
The Shadow *
Bad Girls 1/2
Angie ***1/2

1993 The kids loved DENNIS, and so did I.

Six Degrees of Separation ***
Rudy **
Malice **1/2
Dennis the Menace ***1/2
Matinee *1/2
The Vanishing ***
Love Field ***

1992 BASIC INSTINCT was very classy and is now a legend of cinema.

Forever Young **1/2
Mr. Baseball *
Mom & Dad Save the World *
Basic Instinct ****1/2
Medicine Man **1/2

1991

Sleeping w/the Enemy ***
Not Without My Daughter ***

1990 TOTAL RECALL had Goldsmith working on a top quality action comic, and he didn’t disappoint.

The Russia House **
Gremlins 2 **
Total Recall ***1/2

1989

Star Trek V *
Leviathan 1/2
The 'Burbs **

1988 RAMBO III continued where RAMBO II left off, tremendous fun.

Warlock *1/2
Criminal Law *1/2
Rambo III ***1/2
Rent-a-Cop **

1987

Innerspace ***
Extreme Prejudice ***
Lionheart 1/2

1986 HOOSIERS wasn’t just about basketball, it was also about what makes us human.

Hoosiers ****
Link *1/2
Poltergeist 2 *1/2

1985 RAMBO II was to me the perfect action movie; who could forget Rambo’s 'I’m gonna get you Murdock'.

Legend *
Rambo: First Blood Pt II ****
Baby *

1984 THE LONELY GUY was a sweet and insightful comedy. Of the many comic highlights, the most memorable were Grodin’s ‘….if you’re like me, never go to sleep in the afternoon….it just means you have to wake up and realize who you are TWICE in the same day….’, and the sight of a rigor mortised Martin being dumped into a trash can still clutching his television remote control.

Runaway **1/2
Supergirl *1/2
Gremlins **1/2
The Lonely Guy ***1/2

1983 UNDER FIRE was a very involving movie with superb performances, and an absolute peach of a score from JG.

Under Fire ***1/2
Twilight Zone: The Movie **
Psycho II **1/2

1982 FIRST BLOOD is maybe the granddaddy of the modern action movie, and THE SECRET OF NIMH was a beautifully realized tale.

First Blood ****
The Challenge **1/2
The Secret of NIMH ****
Poltergeist **1/2

1981

Night Crossing **1/2
Raggedy Man ***
Outland **
The Final Conflict *1/2

1980

Masada ***
Caboblanco *

1979 ALIEN is a truly classic movie.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture *1/2
Players *1/2
ALIEN *****

1978

The First Great Train Robbery ***
Damien: Omen II **
Capricorn One **1/2
Coma ***
The Swarm *1/2
The Boys from Brazil **1/2
Magic **

1977

MacArthur **
Islands in the Stream **
Damnation Alley *
Twilights Last Gleaming **

1976

The Omen *1/2
The Cassandra Crossing **
Logan’s Run **

1975

Breakheart Pass **1/2
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud *1/2
The Wind and the Lion **
Ransom **
Breakout **

1974 Out of the blue came this near classic, recapturing the essence of the 40’s noir.

Chinatown ****1/2

1973

Papillon **1/2
Shamus ***
Indict and Convict *

1972

Pursuit ***
The Other *1/2

1971 THE LAST RUN benefited from a superb performance from Scott, excellent locations, a fine Goldsmith score, and an interesting ‘human’ story.

Wild Rovers *1/2
Escape From the Planet of the Apes **
The Mephisto Waltz ***
The Last Run ****
The Brotherhood of the Bell **

1970 PATTON is one of the best screen biographies.

The Ballad of Cable Hogue **1/2
Patton ****
Tora! Tora! Tora! **
Rio Lobo *1/2

1969

100 Rifles *
The Chairman 1/2
Justine ***
The Illustrated Man **

1968 THE DETECTIVE had a blistering score from Goldsmith, and is one of the most entertaining ‘detective’ stories of the 60’s.

The Detective ****
Planet of the Apes ****
Sebastian ***

1967

Warning Shot ***
The Flim Flam Man **
Hour of the Gun **1/2
In Like Flint *1/2

1966 THE BLUE MAX provides a very colourful depiction of life amongst the German ranks during the Great War.

Stagecoach *
The Sand Pebbles ***
The Blue Max ****
Seconds ***

1965 Goldsmith’s parodic score to OUR MAN FLINT, was just one of that film’s assets.

Von Ryan’s Express **
A Patch of Blue ***1/2
Our Man Flint ***1/2
The Satan Bug **
In Harm’s Way ***

1964 SEVEN DAYS IN MAY had a great cast and a fascinating plot.

Rio Conchos *1/2
Fate is the Hunter **1/2
Seven Days in May ****
The Prize **1/2

1963 THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER was a gimmicky movie that also happened to be very good.

A Gathering of Eagles ***
The List of Adrian Messenger ****
Lillies of the Field ***

1962

The Spiral Road **1/2
Lonely are the Brave ***
Freud ***

1959

Face of a Fugitive **
City of Fear **1/2

Average **1/2 (2.39)

The average of 2.39 stars relates to how much I enjoyed the movie as a whole. This compares with an average of 2.91 stars when it comes to my personal opinion of Goldsmith’s actual score (detailed earlier in this thread).

On the whole, it appears the quality of Goldsmith’s scoring is EVEN better than the movies to which he is attached.

And to round off this particular posting, here are my top thirty favourite film composers, in order of merit.

1 Max Steiner
2 Alfred Newman
3 Horner
4 The Zimmer School, past and present
5 Tiomkin
6 J Williams
7 T Newman
8 Herrmann
9 Elfman
10 Barry
11 Alwyn
12 Morricone
13 Shore
14 Jarre
15 Newton Howard
16 Waxman
17 Isham
18 Silvestri
19 E Bernstein
20 Skinner
21 Poledouris
22 Rozsa
23 Webb
24 Spoliansky
25 Mancini
26 Frankel
27 C Young
28 Malcolm Arnold
29 Goldsmith
30 Clifton Parker

Of all of the current film composers, John Williams has my greatest respect, for maintaining his ‘number one’ industry status during thirty years of rapidly improving standards. Each passing year has seen an increase in the number of quality scores from a growing pool of versatile, talented, and increasingly sophisticated composers.

Of course, there are many other excellent film composers who do not fall within my PERSONAL top 30, from Rosenman to Raksin to Revell to Ottman to Doyle to North to Goldenthal to Sarde to Yared to Burwell and so on. Additionally, it may be the case that a composer has written very few scores or I haven’t seen enough of a particular composer’s movies to form a personal opinion. For instance, Harry Robinson (THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, THE BEST PAIR OF LEGS IN THE BUSINESS) is a particular favourite of mine, but I haven’t seen enough of his movies for him to qualify for inclusion in the above list.

However, one thing is for certain, there are well over one hundred film composers throughout the history of movies who have enriched cinema in their own special way for the benefit of us all.

I saw the first few minutes of FACE OF A FUGITIVE on TNT (I think) a couple of years ago, and wasn't very impressed. Goldsmith seemed to be trying to channel Jerome Moross. (This was one of his first works, and who knows what they wanted him to do. I'd imagine that the incidental bits are more characteristically Goldsmith than the main title was.) Goldsmith at that time billed himself under his full birth name "Jerrald Goldsmith."

Hollow Man
Seconds (which is weird in every sense)
Ace Eli and Roger of the Skies (written by Steven Spielberg. Where's the score for this movie)
The Challenge
Secret of N.I.M.H.
Leviathan (actually isn't that bad considering....)
Alien
Star Trek-The Motion Picture
Star Trek 5
Star Trek First Contact
Star Trek Insurrection
The Russia House
Total Recall
Gremlins
Gremlins 2 The New Batch
Love Field
Medicine Man
Mom and Dad Save the World (why did he score this crap)
Basic Instinct
The Boys From Brazil
Islands In The Stream
MacArthur
Patton
Papillion
The Rambo Trilogy
Supergirl
Twlight Zone the Movie
A Patch of Blue
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Lionheart
Link
Poltergiest
Poltergiest 2
Rent-A-Cop
Extreme Prejudice (really underrated)
The Burbs
The Omen Trilogy
Chinatown
Air Force One
Chain Reaction
The Edge
Small Soldiers
Runaway
Under Fire
Psycho 2
King Solomon's Mines
Baby Secret of the Lost Legend
Criminal Law
Warlock
Six Degrees of Separation
Fierce Creatures
I.Q.
The Shadow
Bad Girls (he should've stuck with Tombstone)
Angie
Dennis the Menace
Matinee
Sleeping with the Enemy
Not Without My Daughter (dull, dull, dull)
Logan's Run
S.P.Y.S.
The Vanishing
13th Warrior
The Mummy
Mulan
U.S.Marshals
The Haunting
The Blue Max
Planet of the Apes
In Like Flint
Our Man Flint
The Other

there are others that intrigue me like:
The Memphisto Waltz
Freud
Magic
Players
The Salamander
Cassandra Crossing
The Chairman
The Detective

As much as I love and worship Howard Hawks movies, Rio Lobo is the worst of them (though it does have its supporters).

It starts out great--the attack on the train, Wayne in pursuit of the gold--and if they'd kept the film going in this direction it would work, but the storyline changes and after the shoot-out in the saloon, the film just falls apart.

O'Neill and Jorge Rivero just have no presence and their dialogue was written for people who could embody the strong characters which these two can't.

Goldsmith's score is an odd blend of electronics and Spanish guitar, with a great theme, and a few good cues for full orchestra thrown in. But why this film wasn't scored by Wayne's usual composer, Elmer Bernstein, remains a mystery.

Of the films you haven't seen, I would say that Freud, 7 Days, and the 2 Flint films are my favorites. But there are a lot of these I haven't seen either.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE LONELY GUY too. There were some hilarious moments, and Goldsmith’s score was a minor gem, if very ‘80s in style and tone, but that’s part of its charm. THE LONELY GUY is certainly a widely underrated movie.

THE MEPHISTO WALTZ (US 1971) is an entertaining chiller, though it’s far more stylish than it is frightening. The movie is strongly and interestingly cast, with Alan Alda and Jacqueline Bisset as the unknowing innocents caught up in Curt Jurgens and Barbara Parkins’ pact with the devil. Music features very prominently in this movie, most notably Liszt’s composition for piano that is also the movie’s title. Goldsmith utilizes the romantic Liszt theme exceptionally well, and the score and source music (Jurgens is a great pianist) often merge seamlessly. Unless you’re an avid collector, avoid the album; it’s really just a collection of meaningless sound effects with much of the Liszt criminally dropped (the album also includes THE OTHER, but that doesn’t add up to much either).

FREUD (GB 1962) is a bit of mixed bag. Goldsmith’s Oscar-nominated scoring is often dissonant and best appreciated within the movie. Owing to the infantile nature of much of the movie, FREUD had many of the critics of the time in stitches. But, Montgomery Clift is very good, and the movie is reasonably interesting.

Considering the budget and moviemaking talent involved, MAGIC (US 1978) is a remarkably insubstantial offering. The problem is, Sir Anthony Hopkins is totally unconvincing in the role of the demented ventriloquist, coming across more like a withdrawn and spotty (without the zits) university student, rather than a successful entertainer. Ann-Margret is also hopeless. The main problem however, is the wafer-thin plot. Yes, it’s the familiar story of the ventriloquist being taken over by his dummy, but DEAD OF NIGHT managed to cram in ten times the interest and innovation into the twenty minute segment involving Sir Michael Redgrave’s tortured ventriloquist. Sir Richard Attenborough’s MAGIC is padded out to the extreme, and the story predictably peters out well before the intermission. The movie has only two positive attributes – Burgess Meredith’s convincing turn as Hopkins’ agent, and Goldsmith’s effective scoring. A memorably beautiful, mysterious and blusey main theme, complete with wheezy harmonica, sets up the nature of the entire score, that, despite the paucity of invention in the movie itself, remains a fine example of the art of film scoring.

THE CASSANDRA CROSSING (GB/ITALY/W GERM 1976) is an international hodgepodge with a big cast of fading stars, such as Richard Harris, Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner. It’s entertaining trash, and Goldsmith’s score covers a lot of ground. There’s a haunting and very ‘European’ main theme, some inventive and exhilarating action music, a heartrending ‘Jewish’ theme, and a lot more beside. THE CASSANDRA CROSSING is a must-see for any Goldsmith fan, for he incorporates all sorts of experimental orchestration, what with harpsichords, electric guitars and strange electronic effects. The album is well worth having (though the artwork is appalling), because, apart from the excellent score itself, it includes an hilariously cheesey ‘pop’ version of the main theme…..it’s the absolute epitome of elevator music – great fun though.

I can’t think of one good reason to recommend THE CHAIRMAN (GB 1969). British director J Lee Thompson’s career took a nose-dive during the late-‘60s, and THE CHAIRMAN is a perfect illustration of his decline. The same can be said of Gregory Peck, here giving an exceptionally stilted, wooden and clumsy performance as a western intelligence man sent to Red China with a detonator implanted in his skull. Goldsmith’s oriental-styled score is of very little interest.

THE DETECTIVE (US 1968) is a fine movie. Frank Sinatra gives a brilliant and definitive performance as a New York cop fighting crime and uncovering corruption. He’s backed up by a great cast, including that beautiful English rose, Jacqueline Bisset. There’s not much score, but what there is, is superb. Goldsmith’s main theme, a vigorous and overwhelming jazz piece with wailing brass and saxophones (somewhat similar to his WARNING SHOT) sums up the movie’s agenda perfectly.

quote:

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Originally posted by Stephen Lister:
Sean - just blew the dust off my JUSTINE CD, specially for you. This is a nice score. Not an absolute must-have. But there's some very lively Jewish-flavoured music (I'm tapping my feet to one cue as I write this), some cod-French music, a wacky samba track (by Herb Spencer, not our Jer), lots of colourfully exotic ethnic textures that remind you of Papillon or Wind and the Lion or Masada, and an attractive, light main theme. It's only 28 minutes long, the same as the LP, but you know what? I just enjoyed it immensely! Thanks, Sean! Must listen to this more often.

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Grazia Stephen! How nice to find out it's not something I'm REALLY missing...however I still hope it sees a proper issue someday.
Funny that JWilliam's orchestrator Herbert Spencer moonlighted on this one a bit...same as Arthur Morton helping out on Willams' SUPERMAN.
Hey it's what all the swingers are doin'...Orchestrator swappin! Yeah baby!

NP:Kamikaze 1989(Froese)

Best,
Sean

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Originally posted by Hard Target:

there are others that intrigue me like:
The Memphisto Waltz
Freud
Magic
Players
The Salamander
Cassandra Crossing
The Chairman
The Detective

does anyone know bout these or even seen them?

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I have Cassandra Crossing and Mephisto Waltz on VHS,Target....if you like maybe we could do a trade of some sort sometime

Mephisto is an interesting movie, not as bad as most make it out to be.
Its great to hear the score in context, and its differences with the Varese CD and the boot.

You MUST see Magic! Its a great film, very creepy and very well made with incredible performances. Classic....

Cassandra Crossing is fun for it's cheese factor....if you like 70's movies for sheer escapism you'll dig this one....besides this is the first collaboration between OJ and Jerry!lol
There are quite a few cues missing on the CD so at worst it's always fun to fawn over those

NP:Kamikaze 1989(Froese)

how many times does the Logan's Run two guys on a light-hearted hunt thing show up? people being chased through a cave (Rambo, Vikings, Quartermain, and Baby)? somebody flipping out (Damien, Arnold, Taylor, Cornelius, White, Rambo, Ripley, Hollow Man, and Powder)? Wacky "special people" flipping out (Damien, Freud, Patton, Taylor, Raisuli, hollow Man, powder, and, uh Rudy)? William Blake-like transcendent moments (Final Conflict, Poltergeist, Star Trek, Supergirl, Total Recall, The Haunting, Logan's Run)? Kevin Bacon menacing people gratuitously? Sean Connery presenting the special challenge of scoring around that lisp? Rampaging monkeys (planet of the apes, link, congo, arnold-- no wait...)

the girl on the toilet-- THAT was unique!

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Originally posted by H Rocco:
[B]Huh, even *I* did not notice that

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quote:

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Originally posted by mlw:
JG films-- they're all the same one year after year

how many times does the Logan's Run two guys on a light-hearted hunt thing show up? people being chased through a cave (Rambo, Vikings, Quartermain, and Baby)? somebody flipping out (Damien, Arnold, Taylor, Cornelius, White, Rambo, Ripley, Hollow Man, and Powder)? Wacky "special people" flipping out (Damien, Freud, Patton, Taylor, Raisuli, hollow Man, powder, and, uh Rudy)? William Blake-like transcendent moments (Final Conflict, Poltergeist, Star Trek, Supergirl, Total Recall, The Haunting, Logan's Run)? Kevin Bacon menacing people gratuitously? Sean Connery presenting the special challenge of scoring around that lisp? Rampaging monkeys (planet of the apes, link, congo, arnold-- no wait...)

the girl on the toilet-- THAT was unique!

[Message edited by mlw on 01-08-2001]

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Yes but Gerrald always does something different with these standard situations! It's never the same IMO, whether in the orchestration,tempo, or writing.