Archive
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS – Danny Elfman
THROWBACK THIRTY
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
If any film project perfectly encapsulates the professional relationship between director Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman, it is their 1993 stop-motion animated fantasy musical The Nightmare Before Christmas. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, the ‘Pumpkin King’ of Halloweentown, the fantasy world charged with organizing the annual Halloween holiday. Despite being enormously successful, Jack has grown disillusioned of the same annual routine and wants something new; while wandering in the woods the next morning, he accidentally finds a door to Christmastown – the parallel land which organizes Christmas – and is enchanted by what he finds. Wanting to bring the Christmas spirit to Halloweentown, and despite the warnings of his unrequited love Sally, Jack decides that he will kidnap ‘Sandy Claws’ and take over Christmastown for himself – with predictably disastrous results. Read more…
THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES – Frank Skinner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne was first adapted to the screen in 1910 by Universal Studios. In 1939 studio executives decided to remake the film, believing a retelling of its gothic tale of a self-destructive family consumed by greed would be well-received by the public. It was conceived to be a B-film offering and so Universal assigned one of its B-film producers, Burt Kelly, to oversee production with a small budget of $178,000. Joe May was tasked with directing and Lester Cole was hired to write the screenplay. Despite its small budget, a fine cast was assembled, including; George Sanders as Jaffrey Pyncheon, Margaret Lindsay as Hepzibah Pyncheon, Vincent Price as Clifford Pyncheon, Nan Grey as Phoebe Pyncheon, Dick Foran as Matthew Holgrave, and Gilbert Emery as Gerald Pyncheon. Read more…
RUDY – Jerry Goldsmith
THROWBACK THIRTY
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Arguably one of the most inspiring and beloved sporting drama films ever made, Rudy tells the story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, a working class kid from Chicago who harbors dreams of playing American football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles – notably, his lack of good academic grades, his family’s financial struggles, and his diminutive stature. However, Ruettiger’s persistence and positive nature eventually results in him making the team, earning the respect of his college teammates, and even being interviewed for the college newspaper, which makes him a cult figure in South Bend. Eventually Rudy convinces the stubborn head coach to put him on the field for the last ten seconds of the final game of his final year at the college – his first and last appearance – whereupon he sacks the opposition quarterback, and is carried from the field in glory while the stadium chants his name. Much of the story is apocryphal and embellished for dramatic purposes, but it’s a feelgood tale nevertheless. The film is directed by David Anspaugh from a screenplay by Angelo Pizzo, and stars Sean Astin as Rudy, along with Ned Beatty, Jason Miller, Robert Prosky, and Charles S. Dutton in supporting roles, as well as Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn making their acting debuts. Read more…
THE BLUE BIRD – Alfred Newman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Following the enormous success of The Wizard of Oz in 1939, Darryl F. Zanuck, the Vice-President of Production at 20th Century Fox, decided to cash in on the children’s fantasy genre to showcase their child star Shirley Temple. Film rights to the 1908 fantasy play “The Blue Bird” by Maurice Maeterlinck were purchased. Gene Markey was assigned production with a budget of $2.0 million, Walter Lang was tasked with directing, and Ernest Pascal was hired to write the screenplay. Heading the cast was megastar Shirley Temple as Mytyl, Spring Byington as Mummy Tyl, Nigel Bruce as Mr. Luxury, Gale Sondergaard as Tylette, Eddie Collins as Tylo, Sybil Jason as Angela Berlingot, Jessie Ralph as Fairy Berylune, Helen Ericson as Light, Johnny Russel as Tyltyl and Laura Hope Crews as Mrs. Luxury. Read more…
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON – Dimitri Tiomkin
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Columbia Pictures decided to purchase an unpublished story “The Gentleman From Montana” by Lewis R. Foster to adapt for a sequel to their film “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), which starred Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. Frank Capra was placed in charge of production with a $1.5 million budget, would also direct, and Sidney Buchman and Myles Connolly were hired to write the screenplay. Gary Cooper was unavailable to reprise his role and so Capra decided to borrow James Stewart from MGM who he believed was perfectly suited to the role of Jefferson Smith. Joining him would be Jean Arthur as Clarissa Saunders, Claude Rains as Senator Joseph Harrison Paine, Edward Arnold as Jim Taylor, Guy Kibbee as Governor Hubert Hopper, Thomas Mitchell as Diz Moe and Beulah Bondi as Ma Smith. Read more…
THE FOUR FEATHERS – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Renowned film maker brothers Zoltan and Alexander Korda decided that for their next film they wanted to go for a historical epic. They chose to adapt the 1902 novel “The Four Feathers” by A. E. Wilson, which tells the story of the Madhist Wars circa 1881. Alexander would oversee production with a budget of $1.0 million, Zoltan would direct, and R. C. Sherriff, Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis were hired to write the screenplay. The cast would include John Clements as Harry Faversham, Ralph Richardson as Captain John Durrance, C. Aubrey Smith as General Burroughs, and Jack Allen as Lieutenant Thomas Willoughby. Read more…
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE – Leith Stevens
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1933 Paramount Pictures purchased the film rights of the novel “When Worlds Collide” by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer. Director Cecil B. DeMille intended to move the project into production after filming wrapped on “This Day and Age,”but lack of a script and funding caused the studio scrap the project. In 1949 producer George Pal envisioned the story as a big-budget science fiction movie. His proposal was initially turned down by studio executive Barney Balaban, but following the success of his film Destination Moon in 1951, Balaban had a change of heart and gave a green light to the project. Pal was assigned production with a budget of $936,000 – much less than he believed was necessary to implement his vision. Rudolph Maté was tasked with directing, and Sidney Boehm would write the screenplay. Given budgetary constraints, Pal opted to go with a cast of unknowns, including Richard Derr as Dave Randall, Barbara Rush as Joyce Hendron, Peter Hansen as Dr. Tony Drake, Larry Keating as Dr. Cole Hendron, and John Hoyt as Sydney Stanton. Read more…
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS – Leith Stevens
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1925 Paramount Pictures purchased the film rights to the 1897 H. G. Wells novel “War of the Worlds”. For twenty-six years the studio struggled due to technical challenges to bring the film into production under several producers – Cecil B. DeMille, Arzén Cserépy, Sergei Eisenstein, Alexander Korda, Watterson Rothacker and Alfred Hitchcock. Finally, in 1951, George Pal, who had gained success in the emerging science fiction genre with Destination Moon in 1950 and When Worlds Collide in 1951, was assigned production with a $2 million budget. Byron Haskin was tasked with directing, and Barré Lyndon would write the screenplay. Fort the cast, Pal once again went with lesser known actors, opting to maximize his budget for special effects. Gene Barry would star as Dr. Clayton Forrester, joined by Ann Robinson as Sylvia van Buren, Les Tremayne as Major General Mann, Bob Cornthwaite as Dr. Pryor, and Lewis Martin as Reverend Dr. Matthew Collins. Read more…
KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Director Alexander Korda saw opportunity with the 1933 novel “Knight Without Armour” by James Hilton. He believed its tale of romance, intrigue and espionage during the tumult of the Russian Revolution would translate well to the big screen. His London Film Productions company would finance the film and he would oversee production with a $350,000 budget. Jaques Feder was tasked with directing, and Lajos Bíró and Frances Marion were hired to write the screenplay. A fine cast was hired, including Marlene Dietrich as Alexandra Adraxine, Robert Donat as A. J. Fothergill/Peter Ouranov, Irene Vanbrugh as Duchess, Basil Gil as Axelstein, and John Clements as Poushkoff. Read more…
THE GAY DIVORCEE – Kenneth S. Webb, Samuel Hoffenstein
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The 1933 film Flying Down To Rio starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers was a huge commercial success for RKO Pictures, earning the studio a profit of $1.08 million. Pandro S. Berman, the Head of Production at RKO, decided to strike again while the iron was hot with another pairing of the duo. He chose to adapt the very successful 1932 Broadway stage musical The Gay Divorce by Dwight Taylor. He purchased the film rights but was forced to change the film title by the Hays Office censors who determined; “A divorcee might possibly be happy, but it was felt that the institution of divorce itself could never be”. Berman would manage production with a modest $520,000 budget, Mark Sandrich was tasked with directing, and George Marion Jr. and Dorothy Yost would write the screenplay. For the cast, Fred Astaire would reprise his Broadway stage role as Guy Holden, joined by Ginger Rogers as Mimi. Read more…
THEM! – Bronislau Kaper
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The 1950s opened the flood gates to an ever-expanding and increasingly popular Science Fiction genre with films such as “Destination Moon” (1950), “The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), “The Thing From Another World” (1951), and “The War of The Worlds” (1953). In 1954 Warner Brothers conceived a pioneering 3D-color project based on a short story by George Worthing Yates that would launch the Science Fiction sub-genre “Big Bugs”, which would feature massive insects as the monster. David Weisbert was assigned production, but executives cut his budget, abandoned a 3D-color format, insisting instead on a widescreen black and white format for the film. Ted Scerdeman and Russell Hughes were hired to write the screenplay and Gordon Douglas was tasked with directing. The cast included James Whitmore as Sargent Ben Peterson, Edmund Gwenn as Dr. Harold Medford, Joan Weldon as Dr. Pat Medford, James Arness as FBI agent Robert Graham, Onslow Stevens as General O’Brien, and Sean McClory as Major Kibbee. Read more…
KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The enormous commercial success of Ivanhoe in 1952 served as a catalyst for invigorating the swashbuckling costume epic. MGM executive Don Schary decided to proceed with his studio’s first film in Cinemascope with an epic retelling of the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. He assigned production to Pandro S. Berman with a $2.6 million budget. Talbot Jennings, Jan Lustig and Noel Langley were hired to write the screenplay, adapting the 1485 tale “Le Morte d’Arthur” by Sir Thomas Malory, and Alfred Lord Tennyson’s 1859 work “Idylls of the King,” and Richard Thorpe was tasked with directing. A stellar cast was assembled, which included Robert Taylor as Sir Lancelot, Ava Gardner as Guinevere, Mel Ferrer as King Arthur, Anne Crawford as Morgan Le Fay, Stanley Baker as Mordred, Felix Aylmer as Merlin, Maureen Swanson as Elaine, Gabriel Woolfe as Sir Percival, and Robert Urquhart as Sir Gawain. Read more…
BENEATH THE 12-MILE REEF – Bernard Herrmann
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
20the Century Fox revolutionized the film industry in 1953 with Stereophonic Cinemascope, which was used for “The Robe” and “How to Marry a Millionaire”. To further capitalize on the new technology Darryl F. Zanuck, who was in charge of film production envisioned taking it underwater. A.I. Bezzerides was hired to write the screenplay, which would incorporate an underwater narrative and feature a love story inspired by Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” (1597). Robert Bassler was assigned production, provided a $1.56 million budget, and Robert D. Webb was tasked with directing. The film cast would include; Robert Wagner as Tony Petrakis, Terry Moore as Gwyneth Rhys, Gilbert Roland as Mike Petrakis, Angela Clarke as Mama Petrakis, and Peter Graves as Arnold Dix. Read more…
ALL THE BROTHERS WERE VALIANT – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In response to the commercial success of Captains Courageous in 1936, MGM purchased the film rights to the 1919 seafaring adventure novel All the Brothers Were Valiant by Ben Ames Williams. Remarkably it would take the studio fifteen years to finally get the project off the ground. In November 1951 Pandro S. Berman was assigned production and provided a $1.816 million budget, Harry Brown was hired to write the screenplay, and Richard Thorpe was tasked with directing. A stellar cast was assembled including; Robert Taylor as Joel Shore, Stewart Granger as Mark Shore, Ann Blyth as Priscilla Holt (a replacement for the Elizabeth Taylor who was recovering from childbirth), Betta St. John as Native girl, Keenan Wynn as Silva and James Whitmore as Fetcher. Read more…
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY – George Duning, Morris Stoloff
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1952 Columbia Pictures was intent on producing a war romance as a vehicle for stars Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift. They found their story with the 1951 novel From Here to Eternity by James Jones. They purchased the film rights, assigned production to Buddy Adler and allocated a $2.5 million budget. Fred Zinnemann was given the reigns to direct with Daniel Taradash writing the screenplay. A stellar cast was assembled, including Lancaster as First Sergeant Milton Warden, Clift as Private Robert E. Lee “Prew” Pruwitt, Deborah Kerr as Karen Holmes, Donna Reed as Alma Burke, Frank Sinatra as Private Angelo Maggio, Philip Ober as Captain Dana “Dynamite” Holmes, and Ernest Borgnine as Staff Sergeant James R. “Fatso” Judson. Read more…
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