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LE BON PLAISIR – Georges Delerue
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
This suspense film directed by Francis Girod is based on Françoise Giroud’s novel, which explores the tale of a the French president (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who is informed after several years of the existence of a illegitimate son born from an extramarital affair with his former mistress Claire (Catherine Deneuve). To conceal the damaging news he conspires to use the secret service to cover up any kind of proof likely to tarnish his reputation.
What is most interesting is how this movie parallels actual historical events. When the film was released, Francois Mitterrand was the newly elected President of France. Unknown to the public at the time was that he had sired an illegitimate child whose existence was kept hidden up to around the time of his death. Many journalists knew of this “state secret” and it is reasonable to consider that perhaps so did the makers of this film. In the final analysis this film may be no more than pure coincidence, but we must admit that the parallels are striking. Read more…
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART II – Alexandre Desplat
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Fifteen years after J.K. Rowling first introduced the world to Harry Potter, the saga has finally ended. The interim has seen the publication of seven books and the release of eight films about the life and adventures of the eponymous boy wizard, culminating in this film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the second installment of the series’ epic finale. It’s been a long journey for both Rowling and her teenage protagonist – the books have become some of the most successful literary works of the last 100 years, the films have grossed a combined $2.3 billion at the US box office alone – but at the end of it all, Harry Potter will likely remain one of the most beloved series of novels and films for many generations to come. Read more…
PRIEST – Christopher Young
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
You always know where you stand with a Christopher Young horror score. Throughout his career, going all the way back to Hellraiser in 1987 and continuing on through scores like Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Bless the Child and Drag Me to Hell, horror movies with religious overtones have defined the majority of his best work, brought him the most fans, and earned him the most acclaim. Although he is enormously accomplished at writing in literally dozens of styles, from the smooth jazz of scores like Rounders to the soaring orchestral beauty of scores like Murder in the First, his work in this genre remains the cornerstone of his writing, and Priest is yet another outstanding example of why he remains one of the best in the business as this kind of thing. Read more…
THE TREE OF LIFE – Alexandre Desplat
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Terrence Malick is a most unusual director. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he seems wholly unconcerned with narrative, plot, and incisive dialogue, and instead seems completely obsessed with visual beauty. He’s like a painter, but instead of using canvas, he uses film, and his subjects move and speak. His films are deep, intimate ruminations on life, love, nature, and the human condition, full of existential narration and long, lingering shots of Mother Nature at work. His latest film, The Tree of Life, is only the fifth theatrical film of his entire career, following on from Badlands in 1973, Days of Heaven in 1978, The Thin Red Line in 1998 and The New World in 2005. It stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain and Fiona Shaw, and follows the life of a twelve year old boy from American Midwest named Jack, whose world view is shaped both by his optimistic and idealistic mother, and by his pessimistic father, and who must make a choice on how to live his life in an ever-changing, confusing world. Read more…
GUY DE MAUPASSANT – Georges Delerue
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
This film presents a fictionalized biography of Guy de Maupassant, a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story. Director Michael Drach explores his dying days, as he suffers and finally succumbs to the unforgiving ravages of syphilis. We observe a series of flashbacks that bring his life into full view – a vision that is viewed through the lens of his unremitting passion for sexual encounters. Amidst this flowing montage of vignettes are highlights that feature important literary figures in his life; his mother, his lesbian friend Gisele d’Estoc, and various other players. Regretfully we must bear witness to his descent into madness as all the stories of his life swirl together as the unstayable scythe of death approaches. Read more…
SOUL SURFER – Marco Beltrami
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Soul Surfer tells the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a champion youth surfer from Hawaii who, while out on an early morning surf with her best friend, had her life forever changed when her left arm was bitten off by a tiger shark – she was just 13 years old at the time. Despite suffering this horrific injury and hovering close to death, Bethany recovered enough to be able to return to competitive surfing just months later with only one arm, and went on to win the National Scholastic Surfing Association National Championships in 2005. The film, which is directed by Sean McNamara, stars Anna Sophia Robb as Hamilton, features Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood in supporting roles, and has a superb and highly original score by the versatile Marco Beltrami. Read more…
THOR – Patrick Doyle
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
An epic comic book action-fantasy based on Norse mythology. Kenneth Branagh in the director’s chair. Patrick Doyle providing the score. For film music fans Thor was a mouth watering prospect that promised to be one of the most exciting and adventurous scores of the year. The film stars Chris Hemsworth as the eponymous hero, who is cast out of the Norse god stronghold Asgard after disobeying his father, King Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Arriving on Earth, and no longer able to channel the power of his hammer Mjolnir, Thor teams up with scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) in an effort to reclaim his power and return to Asgard in time to stop his duplicitous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) from overthrowing Odin. The film, which also features Stellan Skarsgård, Colm Feore and Samuel L. Jackson, is part of the Marvel Avengers series of movies which includes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and the upcoming Captain America, and will culminate in a combined Avengers movie slated for 2012. Read more…
FIRST KNIGHT – Jerry Goldsmith
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
First Knight is a retelling of the classic legendary tale “The Knight of the Cart” first penned in the late 12th century by Chrétien de Troyes. Screenwriter William Nicholson stripped the tale of its magic and mythos of the Grail quest, instead focusing his lens on an intimate exploration of the passions, foibles and tragedy borne of intimate human relationships. Sean Connery succeeds in providing a sympathy and gravitas to the role of King Arthur with solid performances provided by Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Ben Cross as the evil villain Malagant. The film was a critical failure but achieved commercial success taking in 134 million, more than sufficient to cover its 55 million production costs. Read more…
HANNA – The Chemical Brothers
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
It’s not often I find myself completely unable to finish listening to a film score due to me hating it so much, but that’s what happened with Hanna – twice. A contemporary thriller directed by Joe Wright (who previously directed the Oscar-winning Atonement), Hanna stars Saoirse Ronan as the eponymous character, a 16-year old assassin who has been trained by her father (Eric Bana) to be a perfect, and totally unlikely, slaughter machine. When Hanna is dispatched to a remote part of Europe on a mission, the baby-faced killer finds herself having to fight for her own life when she is targeted for elimination by government operatives with a covert agenda of their own. The film also stars Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams and Jason Flemyng, and has garnered generally positive reviews, not least for Ronan’s star performance. Read more…
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS – James Newton Howard
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Water for Elephants is a romantic drama based on a popular novel by Sara Gruen. It stars Twilight’s Robert Pattinson as Jacob Jankowski, a young veterinarian during the great depression who leaves his Ivy League school and takes a job with a travelling circus looking after the animals after his parents are killed. It is there that he meets and falls in love with Marlena Rosenbluth (Reese Witherspoon), the circus’s star performer – despite the fact that she is married to August (Christoph Waltz), the circus’s head animal trainer and ringmaster, who has a deeply cruel streak. The film was directed by Francis Lawrence, co-stars Hal Holbrook, Paul Schneider and Jim Norton, and has a quite lovely score by James Newton Howard, reuniting with director Lawrence after their collaboration in I Am Legend in 2007. Read more…
TESTAMENT – James Horner
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Testament was adapted from a short story “The Last Testament” written by Carol Armen. Originally conceived as a TV movie, Paramount executives were so impressed with the final product that they instead chose to release it in theatres across the country. The story concerns itself with the aftermath of a cataclysmic nuclear war. Its intimate narrative is seen through the eyes of Carol Wetherley, a mother who lives in the northern California town of Hamlin outside of San Francisco. After her husband is lost with the destruction of San Francisco, she struggles with determination and dignity to ensure the safety and continuity of her family. Yet all seems for naught as one by one her neighbors and family begin to succumb to the horrific ravages of radiation poison. The film earned critical acclaim for its intimate portrayal and was a commercial success. Read more…
THE CONSPIRATOR – Mark Isham
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
For many years I had assumed – entirely incorrectly, as it turns out – that the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth was a one-man show committed by a single opportunist. In actual fact, the events of April 14, 1865, were much more far reaching, in so much as three other co-conspirators attempted to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward on the same evening, but only Booth was successful in dispatching his quarry. Booth was killed by soldiers a few days later, but two of the other conspirators – Lewis Powell and George Atzerodt – were captured and tried. The fourth conspirator, John Surratt, was not caught and so John’s mother, Mary Surratt, was tried in his place, accused of allowing her guesthouse to be used as the base for the assassination plot to be conceived. Robert Redford’s latest film, The Conspirator, looks at these events with fresh eyes, concentrating specifically on the relationship between Mary Surratt (Robin Wright) and Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), the young attorney assigned to defend her. The film also stars Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood and Danny Huston, and features an excellent dramatic score by Mark Isham. Read more…
ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS – Nathan Van Cleave
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Robinson Crusoe on Mars was conceived by Ib Melchoir (Angry Red Planet), who envisioned it as the first in a series of literary classics that he would update to the 20th century and adapt to an outer space setting. The film was directed by Byron Haskin (Conquest of Space) and featured stunning cinematography of Martian vistas that were designed by the brilliant team of art directors. It starred Paul Mantee (Kit) as a marooned astronaut who is forced to eject from his spacecraft due to a malfunction. Stranded on an unforgiving surface, he struggles to find food, water, oxygen and combat a terrible loneliness born of his isolation. He is eventually joined by an escaped slave (Victor Lundin), who becomes his man “Friday.” Together they must evade cruel aliens that seek to regain their lost property. Adam West of Batman fame also appeared in the film as Mantee’s co-pilot along with the monkey Mona who steals the show! Regretfully Melchoir would not realize his grand vision of an outer space series as the film just did not resonate with audiences. Read more…
YOUR HIGHNESS – Steve Jablonsky
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
While not quite a spoof in the same way that Robin Hood: Men in Tights was a spoof, Your Highness nevertheless is a lighthearted variation on those medieval costume dramas, in which damsels in distress and knights in armor do battle with dangerous enemies and fall in love in the forest. Directed by David Gordon Green, the film stars Danny McBride and James Franco as Thadeous and Fabious, a pair of royal knights – one a lazy oaf, the other a noble warrior – who team up with a warrior princess named Isabel (Natalie Portman) to rescue Fabious’s virginal bride-to-be Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) from the clutches of Leezar (Justin Theroux), an evil sorcerer. The film also stars Toby Jones, Charles Dance and Damien Lewis, and has an original score by Steve Jablonsky. Read more…
THE HOMECOMING: A CHRISTMAS STORY/RASCALS AND ROBBERS: THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER AND HUCK FINN – Jerry Goldsmith/James Horner
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story is an iconic television movie that was adapted from an Earl Hamner Jr. story starred Patricia Neal and Richard Thomas in a traditional heart-warming story of a poor rural family’s Christmas. The story takes place on Christmas Eve in 1933 during the Great Depression with the children awaiting, with great anticipation, the miracle in the barn when at the stroke of midnight all off the animals speak. The family is also awaiting the homecoming of their beloved father who had to seek employment in the city and is returning home. A snowstorm places Mr. Walton’s return in peril and the family struggles to remain optimistic as the night wears on. But this is a happy tale and when he returns with a bag of gifts all is made right as the family celebrates the joy and warmth of Christmas. The film was made on a very modest budget, but it was an immediate hit, spawned The Waltons – a highly successful television series and remains an enduring classic holiday favorite. Read more…
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