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Crescendo on Channel 5 tonight.......

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Author	Topic: Crescendo on Channel 5 tonight.......

Gae Oscar® Winner	For those of you who heard Malcolm Williamson's lovely music to the O.K. Hammer film on Classic FM recently, just wanted to say to fellow Brits and Hammerheads the film is on Channel 5 at about 2:55am tonight (Sunday Morning). Before it, is another chiller from the late 60's that I havent seen for a while either..."The Shuttered Room". Remember that one? Gig Young and Carole Lynley are a Honeymooning couple on a remote island in New England and they discover something evil trapped in the attic of an old spooky mill. It will be interesting to listen to the score by Basil Kirchin as I cant remember the music and I've never heard of him before. Tune in tonight and have nostalgic chills galore!! Gae [Message edited by Gae on 04-27-2002]
posted 04-27-2002 04:31 AM PT (US)

Timmer Oscar® Winner	Will do pal
posted 04-27-2002 07:10 AM PT (US)

Stephen Lister Oscar® Winner	Basil Kirchin's score for THE SHUTTERED ROOM is very jazzy and in-your-face, somewhat dated but fun if you're in the mood. And any film with Carol Lynley is always worth watching. This also features one of Oliver Reed's most entertaining performances as a grinning thug who spends most of the movie leering at Carol, as only Ollie can do. And the way he and his thuggie buddies torture Gig Young with a fishing net and a car is a real show-stopper. Basil Kirchin wrote a great score for a very obscure and offbeat drama/thriller called I START COUNTING, which starred a young Jenny Agutter. Keep waiting for it to be repeated on TV, but it eludes me. Carol Lynley and Jenny Agutter - now THAT would be a nice double bill
posted 04-27-2002 11:26 AM PT (US)

Graham Watt Oscar® Winner	Uff, I'd rather hit myself on the head with a Hammer than watch CRESCENDO again! And that Malcolm Williamson music? Never liked him, even if he WAS Master Of Her Majesty's Muzak! So there! Basil Kirchin! THE SHUTTERED ROOM! Now, that's an interesting film, but still a failure. The sunny modernity and Ollie Reed thuggery don't really jello with the spooky, very literary premise. And the Basil music may make you laugh, but I still love it. Solos by Chris Karan and Pete McGurk, who were the other part of The Dudley Moore Trio. Hey Stephen, speaking of Basil, I remember I START COUNTING. Jenny Agutter was getting dressed during the titles in her schooly gear! "Paper dreams strung up with bits of string" went the Basil song! Basil Kirchin 9, Malcolm Williamson nil!
posted 04-27-2002 03:42 PM PT (US)

Kimiakane Oscar® Winner	Sometimes it sucks to have no way to see the BBC! Gala
posted 04-27-2002 03:46 PM PT (US)

Gae Oscar® Winner	Graham, you surprise me. I recorded a mini-concerto version of Crescendo off Classic FM a few weeks back and I think its wonderful. Piano and orchestra in the tradition of the Romantic Concerto which just happens to be one of my favourite musical genres. Also,Crescendo is one of those movies that is so bad that its good, if you know what I mean and I'm a sucker for any British Horror movies of the early 70's regardless of whether they are great or not. An added bonus is Stefanie Powers looks gorgeous in the film!! I guess I've just spent too many late nights as a teen watching re-runs of these movies and they've just kinda got under my skin and are part of what makes me tick. For example..every time Crucible of Terror comes on the box I just know how bad it is (especially Mike Raven's meagre attempts at acting) and yet I still end up watching the damn thing and the worst thing is, even enjoying it in a kind of perverse campy way. I guess I'm just weird! I know that they are just average, sometimes bad, movies but I just love the look, style, pacing, music etc of them corny or not.. They are from a different, less complicated, era and if I had the choice I would rather watch them than most modern-day over-the-top Hollywood blockbusters. Gae [Message edited by Gae on 04-28-2002]
posted 04-27-2002 03:54 PM PT (US)

Graham Watt Oscar® Winner	Well, if you're weird Gae, join the club! I know what you mean about those old horrors - did you see my comments about MADHOUSE over at "Just Movies"? Not a very good film, but it did have Vincent Price and Peter Cushing in it, and it's from the early 70s, which is when I was just starting to become a spotty horror freak. Ah, nostalgia! CRESCENDO, though, lacked a good hook even back then (no Lee or Cushing, no Jimmy Bernard or even Harry Robinson), and it doesn't really have a place in my hardened heart. And I always thought that Malcolm Williamson's film music was terrible! That WHILE I LIVE type of piano concerto was already dated by the end of the 40s, and to hear it regurgitated in a weak 70s thriller was a bit laughable. Other Williamson scores which fall way short of the mark for me are NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT (Lee, Cushing, very poor, but a throwback to more innocent times, as you mention), and BRIDES OF DRACULA. Now BRIDES is a classy early Hammer, and it should have been brilliant, but the music is merely cacophonous, or however you spell it. What Jimmy B could have done there! Right Gae, you mention a couple of REAL horrors there! CRUCIBLE OF TERROR! Disc-jockey Mike Raven being groomed as the new Chris Lee! (What was that one where they actually used shots of Lee's eyes for the Raven close-ups? LUST FOR A VAMPIRE?). And did you ever see TOWER OF EVIL? That was scary as hell when I was twelve! But I think I'd still rather watch CRUCIBLE OF TERROR or TOWER OF EVIL than CRESCENDO, because I suspected they were going to be pretty poor even back then, whereas with the weaker Hammers I always felt disappointed thinking what could have been.
posted 04-28-2002 02:30 PM PT (US)

Gae Oscar® Winner	Yes Graham, it was indeed "Lust for a Vampire" (aka "Drool for Yutte Stensgaard") where they kept using Lee's eyebrows...like we dont recognise his blood curdled eyes from earlier films. Did Mike Raven's eyebrows fail the audition or what and if they did then how did he pass the acting audition? I think he only appeared in about four movies did'nt he before people realised how totally untalented he was as an actor? I think his best performance though was as Enfield in "I, Monster". He did after all make an effort to use his monacle as a prop and not just read his lines out in a totally unconvincing manner. I haven't seen "Madhouse" for a while Graham but I also love those films from that late 60's early 70's era, even if they do seem old and passe now. My favourites are:- "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" "Dr. Phibes Rises again"..."Soon Vulnavia, soon!!" "Theater of Blood" "Witchfinder General" "I, Monster" "The Creeping Flesh" "Asylum" "Tales from the Crypt" "From Beyond the Grave" "The Beast must die" "The Ghoul" "Curse of the Werewolf" I just love David Rintoul's makeup...its so stylish...shame about the film!! Count Yorga, Vampire" "Return of Count Yorga" "The Night Stalker" "The Night Strangler" Oh, and all the Hammer films of course... Gae [Message edited by Gae on 04-28-2002]
posted 04-28-2002 06:01 PM PT (US)

Matt Perkins Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by Gae: "Curse of the Werewolf" I just love David Rintoul's makeup...its so stylish...shame about the film!! You mean, of course, "LEGEND of the Werewolf" Gae - and you're right, it is crap! (although I remember liking it as a kid - probably more for Peter Cushing than anything else). Fine score by Harry Robinson, though. (Of course, Hammer's "Curse of the Werewolf" featured a BRILLIANT score by the great Benjamin Frankel - bring on a complete recording of that one CPO!!) Good to see some 'seventies Brit-horror nostalgia freaks here! One of my personal faves from this period remains "Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde" - still a hugely entertaining (and knowingly camp) movie, with a terrific score by David Whitaker (and we're STILL waiting for GDI's CD release - will this ever see the light of day I wonder?). I've never quite recovered from the naughty adolescent thrill of all those bare-breasted Hammer babes such as Martine Beswick, Ingrid Pitt and Yutte Stensgaard!! (think I'd better go for a cold shower now...) I do agree that Malcolm Williamson's Hammer scores are rather disappointing (probably the weakest of the lot is "Horror of Frankenstein" - although I don't think even the redoubtable Jimmy Bernard could have saved that turkey). Having said that, I quite like his "Crescendo" music. Williamson celebrated his 70th birthday last year and was roundly ignored by our charming British classical music establishment... All the best Matt
posted 04-29-2002 09:46 AM PT (US)

Matt Perkins Oscar® Winner	Originally posted by Gae: Piano and orchestra in the tradition of the Romantic Concerto which just happens to be one of my favourite musical genres. (END QUOTE) Forgot to mention, Gae: if you enjoy this kind of music (as do I), and speaking of Hammer and composers called Malcolm(!), have you heard Malcolm Arnold's great piece in this vein from "Stolen Face" (early Hammer film directed by the esteemed Terence Fisher). There's a wonderful recording of it on the Chandos "Arnold Film Music Vol 2" CD, with Rumon Gamba conducting the BBC Philharmonic. If you haven't already heard it, I am sure you'll love it (as will others reading this!). Buy this CD everyone, it's fantastic. M. [Message edited by Matt Perkins on 04-29-2002] [Message edited by Matt Perkins on 04-29-2002]
posted 04-29-2002 11:59 AM PT (US)

Gae Oscar® Winner	Matt, of course I meant to say "Legend of the werewolf". You're right about Malcolm Williamson's music for "Horror of Frankenstein"...it's pretty awful just like the movie. The monster theme sounds like some kind of flatulent tuba and doesn't help towards making David prowse look any better. What makes me laugh about the movie now is that whenever its shown on T.V. they always describe it in the reviews as a "Horror Comedy" as if no-one could believe that it was actually done as a serious film when it first came out. I'll definately check out the Malcolm Arnold CD, thanks a lot. As regards the "Dr. Jekyl and Sister Hyde" score, they've got the GDI score at Silva Screen records. Do a search for "Hammer" and it will take you to it. Gae [Message edited by Gae on 04-29-2002]
posted 04-29-2002 02:48 PM PT (US)

Matt Perkins Oscar® Winner	Many thanks Gae for the SISTER HYDE CD info, that's great news - can't wait to get that one. I guarantee you'll be playing that Arnold disc non-stop once you pick it up - let me know what you think! Speaking of Harry Robinson, I really hope GDI can do a full release of his haunting music for DEMONS OF THE MIND (Hammer's most completely weird movie I think, but v interesting). Robinson regarded it as his best work which I would agree with (even though the main theme is VERY similar to Richard Rodney Bennett's FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD - don't know if this was a conscious "lift" by Harry, one would like to think not..!) best, Matt [Message edited by Matt Perkins on 04-30-2002]
posted 04-30-2002 12:07 PM PT (US)

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