Archive
THE BRUTALIST – Daniel Blumberg
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
There’s a famous quote – which no-one seems to want to take credit for – which states that ‘writing about music is like dancing about architecture’. It basically means that it’s impossible, and probably futile, to try to encapsulate in words what is, at its core, an entirely subjective response to art. As I have spent almost 30 years writing about music I disagree with this sentiment, and that is even more true when it comes to this review of The Brutalist, in which I will attempt to write about the music for a film which is in part about architecture, among many other things. Read more…
THE LEFT HAND OF GOD – Victor Young
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Renowned 20th Century Fox producer Buddy Adler had a penchant for making films full of conflict, forbidden love, that were often set in exotic Asian locales. He saw opportunity after reading the 1951 novel “The Left Hand of God” by William Edmund Barrett and decided its story would translate well to the big screen. He sold his vision to CEO Darryl F. Zanuck and secured his blessing. Adler would oversee production with a $1.785 million budget, Edward Dmytryk was tasked with directing, and Alfred Hayes would adapt the novel and write the screenplay. A fine cast was assembled, with Humphrey Bogart as James Carmody, Gene Tierney as Anne Scott, Lee J. Cobb as Mieh Yang, Agnes Moorehead as Beryl Sigman, and E. G. Marshall as Dr. David Sigman. Read more…
THE SNOWMAN – Howard Blake
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
We’re walking in the air…
The Snowman is a magical adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ well-loved 1978 storybook of the same name. Directed by Dianne Jackson, it tells the tale of a young boy named James who builds a snowman one Christmas Eve, which comes to life that night and takes James on an unforgettable trip to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas. It’s a simple story of childhood wish fulfillment, told with loving attention to detail and superbly stylized renderings, but also with a sense of bittersweet poignancy and emotion that often underpins Briggs’s work. In the years since its initial release in 1982, the film has gone on to be heralded as one of the best animated short films ever made; every year over the Christmas period the British TV network Channel 4 screens the film, allowing families both young and old to enjoy this wonderful piece of seasonal tradition time and again. It is now considered undisputed animated classic, and a touchstone of British Christmas culture. Read more…
REAR WINDOW – Franz Waxman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Following the success of his film Dial M For Murder in 1954, director Alfred Hitchcock embarked on his next project that would be based on a 1942 short story mystery thriller “It Had To Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich. It offered him a perfect ‘Hitchcock’ story to bring to the big screen and he secured financial support for Paramount pictures and Patron Incorporated to purchase the film rights. Hitchcock would personally manage production with a $1 million budget, direct, and John Michael Hayes was hired to write the screenplay. A stellar cast was assembled, including; James Stewart as Jeff Jeffries, Grace Kelly as Lisa Carol Fremont, Wendell Corey as Detective Tom J. Doyle, Thelma Ritter as Stella, and Raymond Burr as Lars Thorwald. Read more…
LITTLE WOMEN – Thomas Newman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
As a classic of American literature, there have been multiple big screen adaptations of the 1868 novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott over the years. The story follows the March sisters – headstrong and mercurial Jo, willful and artistic Amy, maternal and meek Meg, creative but sickly Beth – as they come of age in post-civil war Massachusetts. The narrative deals with numerous issues of the day, including the effects of ‘genteel poverty,’ the fallout of the war, sibling rivalries, the entrenched class system, and of course romance and love, the latter of which usually revolves around Laurie, the handsome grandson of the March’s wealthy neighbor. My favorite movie adaptation is the version from 1949 directed by Mervyn LeRoy starring June Allyson and Elizabeth Taylor, but this version from 1994 runs it a close second; it was directed by Gillian Armstrong from a screenplay by Robin Swicord, and stars Winona Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Samantha Mathis, Kirsten Dunst, and Claire Danes as the sisters, with Gabriel Byrne, Eric Stoltz, and a young Christian Bale as their various suitors, and Susan Sarandon as their beloved Marmee. Read more…
WICKED, PART ONE – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
I don’t think a stage musical had captured the attention of mainstream American society the way that Wicked did since the heyday of Andrew Lloyd Webber in the 1980s. It’s interesting how over the last thirty years or so, for the most part, Broadway and West End shows have started to slide out of popular culture and into a niche. It used to be that a new work by Rodgers and Hammerstein, or Stephen Sondheim, or indeed Lloyd Webber, would be big news. The showstopping main number would probably top the charts, and the music would quickly become part of public consciousness and the cultural lexicon. However, and with the obvious exception of Hamilton, the last time this really happened was when Wicked premiered on Broadway in 2004. It was a bonafide smash, making stars out of its two leads Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, and thrusting composer Stephen Schwartz back into the spotlight in a way he hadn’t been since his successes with Godspell and Pippin in the early 1970s. And now, twenty years after its stage premiere, Wicked has finally been turned into a movie. Read more…
THE KENTUCKIAN – Bernard Herrmann
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Actor Burt Lancaster was approaching forty years of age in 1952 and decided that he wanted to expand his career options. He came across the 1953 novel The Gabriel Horn by Felix Holt and decided it would be an excellent vehicle to showcase his talent. He formed a production company Hecht-Lancaster Productions with friend and producer Harold Hecht, purchased the film rights, hired A. B. Guthrie Jr. to write the screenplay, and for the first time in his career, personally took the reins to direct. Lancaster’s application to the Director’s Guild was rejected due to his past public criticism of the profession, however they granted him a waiver so he could make the film. For the cast, Burt Lancaster would play the lead role of Elias Wakefield, joined by Diane Foster as Hannah Bolen, Diana Lynn as Susie Spann, Donald MacDonald as “Little Eli” Wakefield, and Walter Matthau as Stan Bodine. Read more…
THE PAGEMASTER – James Horner
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Pagemaster is a family fantasy film directed by Joe Johnston and Maurice Hunt that combines live-action and animation to tell a whimsical coming-of-age story. The film stars Macaulay Culkin – who at the time was right in the middle of his post-Home Alone superstardom – as Richard, an overly cautious, fearful boy who avoids risks at all costs. During a storm, he takes shelter in a grand library where he meets the enigmatic librarian, Mr. Dewey (Christopher Lloyd). After slipping on the library floor, Richard finds himself transported into a magical, animated world of books. In this fantastical realm, Richard encounters three anthropomorphic books—Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg), and Horror (Frank Welker)—who guide him on an epic journey through iconic literary worlds. Together, they face pirates, dragons, haunted castles, and other challenges drawn from classic tales such as Moby Dick, Treasure Island, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, all of which forces Richard to confront his fears and discover his inner bravery. The film has a noble and worthwhile sentiment that espouses the wonderful nature of classic literature, and is ambitious in its scope, but it was not a critical or commercial success, and the production was marred by in-fighting between director Johnston, the production company, and screenwriter David Kirschner. Read more…
NOSFERATU – Robin Carolan
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Irish author Bram Stoker essentially invented the concept of the vampire as we know it in popular culture with his novel Dracula in 1897, but the first on-screen vampire actually appeared in 1922 in director F. W. Murnau’s silent film Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens. Murnau’s film is a loose adaptation of Stoker’s story, with some key changes to the setting (England vs Germany), character names (Dracula is Orlok, Jonathan Harker is Thomas Hutter, Mina is Ellen), and some of the details on who and what the vampire is and does, but the core story is essentially the same. Hutter is a young clerk at the real estate company of Herr Knock, and is newly married to the lovely Ellen. Hutter is sent by Knock to negotiate a land deal on behalf of Count Orlok, who lives in a huge dilapidated castle in a far-flung corner of eastern Europe; when he arrives he finds Orlok to be a decrepit, ancient, terrifying creature, but nevertheless he signs the papers and purchases the property. Orlok sees a picture of Ellen in a locket that Hutter carries and recognizes her as the girl he has been mentally and sexually tormenting for years; he is obsessed with Ellen, and she is the reason he is purchasing the property in the first place. Orlok imprisons Hutter in his castle and leaves to finally claim Ellen as his own, but Hutter – who has realized that Orlok is a vampire – manages to escape and follows Orlok, intending to stop him. Read more…
THE VIRGIN QUEEN – Franz Waxman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1954 20th Century Fox executive Daryl F. Zanuck conceived of a film to be titled “Sir Walter Raleigh” set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He offered Bette Davis the role of Elizabeth, yet she bristled at the film title, which made no reference to her. The title was changed to “The Virgin Queen” and she agreed to reprise her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth, first performed in 1939 with “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex”. Charles Brackett was assigned production with a budget of $1.6 million, Henry Koster was tasked with directing, and Mildret Lord would write the screenplay. For the cast, joining Davis would be Richard Todd as Sir Walter Raleigh, Joan Collins as Elizabeth “Beth” Throckmorton, Jay Robinson as Chadwick, Herbert Marshall as Robert Dudly, Earl of Leicester, Dan O’Herlihy as Lord Derry, and Robert Douglas as Sir Christopher Hatton. Read more…
NELL – Mark Isham
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Nell is a fascinating film that explores themes of human connection, individuality, and the boundaries between nature and civilization, which challenges viewers to think about how society treats those who are different and the ethical implications of trying to “help” them. Based on Mark Handley’s 1985 play ‘Idioglossia,’ and directed by Michael Apted, the film stars Jodie Foster in the title role as a young woman who has grown up in isolation in a remote cabin in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. When her mother dies, Nell is ‘discovered’ by local doctor Jerome Lovell (Liam Neeson), who finds that Nell apparently speaks her own unique language and has a different way of interacting with the world, which has been shaped by her solitude and her limited human contact. Lovell calls Paula Olsen (Natasha Richardson), a psychologist, for help, and they begin studying Nell to understand her behavior and language. As they spend time with her, they discover that Nell is highly intelligent, emotionally insightful, and capable of connecting with others despite her differences. However, Nell’s presence also raises questions about the ethics of interfering with someone’s life and the societal need to label and categorize people who are different. Read more…
Under-the-Radar Round Up 2024, Part 5
Original Reviews by Jonathan Broxton
I’m pleased to present the latest instalment in my on-going series of articles looking at the best under-the-radar scores from around the world.
This article, the fifth of 2024, covers another five scores from a wide array of genres and countries, but has a French flavor overall: the scores include a beautiful French animated film about the holocaust by an Oscar-winning favorite, a new French take on a beloved Disney classic, and a French version of Jumanji with werewolves! Plus a music from an acclaimed Korean thriller, and a Polish historical comedy/drama by one of last year’s outstanding breakthrough artists. Read more…
LAND OF THE PHARAOHS – Dimitri Tiomkin
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Director Howard Hawks had long been fascinated by the magnitude of one of the architectural wonders of the world, the Great Pyramid of Giza, as well as its mastermind, the great Pharaoh Khufu. He pitched his idea of filming a grand, and lavish epic that explored this great feat of engineering and secured support from MGM. For Hawks this was a passion project and he decided to personally manage production with a massive $3.15 million budget, which included on site filming in Egypt using Cinemascope and Warner Color. Novelist William Faulkner, Harold Jack Bloom and Harry Kurnitz were hired to write the screenplay, and Hawks would also personally direct. Hawks made the audacious decision to not utilize a top tier star for the film, a decision which most critics believe contributed to the film’s poor reception. The cast would include; Jack Hawkins as Pharaoh Khufu, Joan Collins as Princess Nellifer, Dewey Martin as Senta, and Alex Minotis as Hamar. Read more…
ALIEN – Jerry Goldsmith
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In space, no one can hear you scream.
The genesis of Alien came from writer Dan O’Bannon who, having co-written the film Dark Star in 1974, wanted to make a more serious and horrific sci-fi movie. Later, while working on the failed effort by director Alejandro Jodorowsky to bring Frank Herbert’s Dune to life, O’Bannon discovered the work of Swiss artist H. R. Giger, whose ‘disturbing but beautiful’ work further influenced O’Bannon’s ideas for the creature at the center of his story. O’Bannon collaborated with fellow writer Ronald Shusett on the story; they drew inspiration from many works of science fiction and horror, but eventually pitched the idea to studio heads as “Jaws in space,” with the central monster being a diabolical alien that would rape a human to allow its offspring to gestate and, when mature, burst out of the host. Propriety and rating concerns led them to tone down this initial idea and make it a non-sexual implantation, but it was still implicitly a rape, with a male host to make it more repugnant; however, their story was repeatedly turned down by the Hollywood studio establishment, which deemed it too violent and gory. Read more…
GLADIATOR II – Harry Gregson-Williams
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN THE FILM, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER WAITING UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE DONE SO TO READ IT.
Almost 25 years after director Ridley Scott and lead actor Russell Crowe brought the swords-and-sandals Roman epic back to the Hollywood mainstream with their movie Gladiator – and won Best Picture at the Oscars to boot – we have a sequel in the shape of Gladiator II. It’s a wonderful example of old-fashioned epic filmmaking on a grand scale, full of massive battle scenes, opulent visuals, and heightened emotional drama.
The film is set in the Roman Empire circa the year 200AD during the reign of twin emperors Geta and Caracalla; it stars Paul Mescal as Hanno, a simple farmer living in the North African region of Numidia, who is taken prisoner by a Roman army led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) after they successfully attack and conquer his home city in a great naval battle; Hanno’s warrior wife Arishat is killed in combat. Hanno is taken to Rome as a slave and sold to a gladiator school owned by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who promises Hanno an opportunity to kill Acacius if he wins enough fights in Rome. However, there is much more afoot; Acacius is secretly part of a plot to overthrow the stupid and corrupt emperors and intends to return Rome to its former glories. Macrinus, meanwhile, has his own plans for political advancement, and intends to use his gladiators to attain it. And as for Hanno… there is much more to him than meets the eye, and a lot of it relates to Acacius’s wife Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and her former relationship with the gladiator Maximus, who died in the arena all those years ago. Read more…
Shop at the Movie Music UK Store
Member of the
MOVIE MUSIC UK 