Archive
BRUTE FORCE – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Following the huge commercial success of his film “The Killers” (1946), producer Mark Hellinger decided to continue his film noir journey with a descent into the brutality of prison life, inspired by the “Battle of Alcatraz” (1946) where prisoners revolted and fought a two day battle after a failed escape attempt. His production company would finance the project, Jules Dassin was tasked with directing, and Richard Brooks would adapt a story by Robert Patterson and write the screenplay. “The Killers” had launched Burt Lancaster to stardom and Hellinger recruited him to play the lead role of Joe Collins. Joining him would be Hume Cronyn as Captain Munsey, Charles Bickford as Gallagher, Yvonne De Carlo as Gina Ferrera, Ann Blyth as Ruth Collins, Roman Bohnen as Warden A. J. Barnes, and Art Smith as Doctor Walters. Read more…
THE RED HOUSE – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In an effort to assume greater control of his career, renown actor Edward G. Robinson joined with producer Sol Lesser to form the Thalia Production company. For their inaugural film, Robinson chose to adapt the mystery-thriller novel “The Red House” (1945) by George Agnew Chamberlain. Lesser would manage production with a $1 million budget, Delmer Daves would be tasked with directing, and and would also collaborate with Albert Maltz to write the screenplay. A fine cast was brought in, including; Edward G. Robinson as Pete Morgan, Lon McCallister as Nath Storm, Judith Anderson as Ellen Morgan, Allene Roberts as Meg Morgan, Julie London as Tibby Rinton, and Rory Calhoun as Teller. Read more…
THE KILLERS – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Successful producer Mark Hellinger decided to setup his own production company after departing Warner Brothers. He had recently paid Ernest Hemingway $36,750 for the film rights to his 1927 novel “The Killers,” which he intended to be his company’s inaugural effort. He would oversee production, Universal Pictures would manage distribution, Robert Siodmak would direct, and Anthony Veiller would write the screenplay. Hellinger assembled a fine cast, including Edmond O’Brien as Jim Reardon, Burt Lancaster in his acting debut as Pete Lund/Ole “Swede” Anderson, Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins, Albert Dekker as “Big Jim” Colfax, Jack Lambert as “Dum-Dum” Clarke, and Sam Levene as Lieutenant Sam Lubinsky. Read more…
FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Director Billy Wilder conceived of WWII film adapted from the 1917 play Hotel Imperial: Színmú Négy Felovonásban by Lajos Bíró. He sold the idea to Paramount Pictures, and secured the film rights. B. G. DeSylva was assigned production with a budget of $855,000, Wilder would direct, and he and Charles Brackett would write the screenplay. Casting was problematic as Wilder’s choice of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman failed to materialize. So, he cast Franchot Tone as Corporal John Bramble/Davos, Anne Baxter as Mouche, Akim Tamiroff as Farid, Erich von Stromheim as Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, Peter van Eyck as Lieutenant Schwegler, and Fortunio Bananova as General Sebastiano. 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…
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…
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…
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…
YOUNG BESS – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1945 MGM Studios took notice of the best-selling 1944 novel Young Bess by Margaret Irwin and believed they could present a grand adaptation for the big screen. The film rights were purchased and Sidney Franklin was assigned production with a budget of $2.423 million. In 1946 Katherine Anne Porter, Jan Lustig and later Arthur Wimperis were hired to write the screenplay, and George Sidney was tasked with directing. Casting problems and production postponements delayed filming until October 1952. After considering Deborah Kerr, Janet Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor for the lead role, Jean Simmons was chosen to play Elizabeth. Joining her would be; Stewart Granger as Thomas Seymour, Deborah Kerr as Catherine Parr, and Charles Laughton as King Henry VIII. Read more…
MADAME BOVARY – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
MGM Studios had a history of successfully adapting popular works of literature for the big screen. In that tradition, the 1857 French novel “Madame Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert was universally recognized as a classic of literature, which MGM believed merited a film presentation. The film rights were purchased, Pandro S. Berman was assigned production with a $2.076 million budget, Robert Ardey was hired to write the screenplay with instructions to maintain fidelity to the novel, and Vincente Minnelli was tasked with directing. A stellar cast was hired, including Jennifer Jones as Emma Bovary, Van Heflin as Charles Bovary, Louis Jourdan as Rodolphe Boulanger, and James Mason as Gustave Flaubert. Read more…
THE LOST WEEKEND – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The genesis of the film arose as director Billy Wilder was directing his previous movie, Double Indemnity. His screenwriter Raymond Chandler was a recovering alcoholic, who returned to drinking during the stress of collaborating with Wilder. Wilder related that he made the film, in part, as an attempt to better understand Chandler. Wilder sold his story idea to Paramount executives who assigned production to Charles Brackett with a budget of $1.25 million. Brackett and Wilder collaborated in writing the screenplay, by adapting the novel The Lost Weekend by Charles R. Jackson. Notable was their excising of the novel’s homosexual overtones, which portrayed Don Birnam as a closeted homosexual. Wilder himself would direct and he assembled a fine cast, which included Ray Milland as Don Birnam, Jane Wyman as Helen St. James and Phillip Terry as Wick Brinam. Controversy arose from the liquor industry, which was willing to offer $5 million to kill the project as they feared it would reignite political efforts to restore prohibition. Most interesting is that Wilder later related that he would have accepted the offer and burned the negatives himself had they presented it to him personally. Groundbreaking is film’s uncompromising depiction of the pathos of personal destruction precipitated by alcoholism. Today the film is seen as catalyzing a paradigmal change in how Hollywood portrayed drunks, which up to this film had always been portrayed them comedically. Read more…
JUNGLE BOOK – Miklòs Ròzsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1938 producer-director Alexander Korda decided to cash in on the commercial success realized by films based on novels by the famous English writer Rudyard Kipling. He purchased the film rights to his 1894 classic Jungle Book, with production slated to commence in 1939. The onset of WWII and Nazi Blitz forced him due to safety concerns, to relocate his company to Hollywood, which pushed production back to 1941. His own company, Alexander Korda Films would produce he film and he secured financial backing from United Artist who provided a $300,000 budget, which included filming in technicolor. Alexander Korda would produce the film, his brother Zoltan was tasked with directing, while his other brother Vincent was production designer. Screenwriter Laurence Stallings was hired to create a script derived from the nine Mowgli stories and drew inspiration from five of them: “Mowgli’s Brothers”, “Tiger! Tiger!”, “How Fear Came”, “Letting in the Jungle”, and “The King’s Ankus”. A fine cast was hired, which included Sabu as Mowgli, Joseph Calleia as Buldeo, John Qualen as the barber, Frank Puglia as the pundit, and Rosemary DeCamp as Messua. Filming was challenging due to creative differences between Alexander who wanted a fantasy adventure, and Zoltan who wanted a more realistic story. In the end, Alexander’s vision prevailed. Read more…
A DOUBLE LIFE – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1946 producer Michael Kanin decided to collaborate with his brother Garson Kanin and his wife Ruth Gordon for his next project; a film noir with a Shakespearean twist. The husband-and-wife team crafted a fine screenplay and Michael Kanin used his own Kanin Productions company to fund the project, with Universal Studios agreeing to distribute the film. George Cukor was tasked with directing, and a fine cast was eventually assembled. Laurence Olivier was originally sought for the lead, but was unavailable, so a reluctant Ronald Colman was given the role of Anthony “Tony” John. He would be supported by a coach to refine his Shakespearean diction and delivery. Joining him would be Signe Hasso as Brita, Edmund O’Brien as Bill Friend, and Shelley Winters as Pat Kroll. Read more…
JULIUS CAESAR – Miklós Rózsa
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio executives were impressed by the commercial success of Henry V in 1944 and sought to adapt another of William Shakespeare’s plays for the big screen. They chose his 1599 work Julius Caesar and tasked producer John Houseman with the project with a generous budget of $2.0 million. Houseman had a vision for the film and hired Joseph Mankiewicz to direct, as the story would be dialogue driven, which was the type of film in which Mankiewicz excelled. Once attached to the project Mankiewicz made the creative decision to personally adapt the play and write the screenplay. Houseman did not want another lavish epic, but rather a small more intimate production, which explored the drama of ambition and power politics. Second, he insisted that the film be shot in black and white because “we wanted people to relate to the newsreels, to the Fascist movements in Europe, which were still relevant”. A cast for the ages was assembled, which included Marlon Brando as Marc Anthony, James Mason as Brutus, John Gielgud as Cassius, Louis Calhern as Julius Caesar, Edmund O’Brien as Casca, Greer Garson as Calpurnia, and Deborah Kerr as Portia. Read more…
KING OF KINGS – Miklós Rózsa
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Producer Samuel Bronston related that the most impactful event in human history was the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. He had long nurtured the dream to bring this remarkable tale to the big screen. His conception, which was presented to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios was to make Jesus more accessible, by presenting Him as a flesh and blood man living during tumultuous times. Given the stunning success of Ben-Hur in 1959 MGM decided to cash in on the public’s love of biblical epics and gave Bronston permission to proceed. He hired writers Philip Yordan and Ray Bradbury to write the screenplay, and brought in veteran director Nicholas Ray to direct. A splendid cast was assembled, which included Jefferey Hunter as Jesus, Siobhán McKenna as Mary, Robert Ryan as John the Baptist, Ron Randell as Lucius, Hurd Hatfield as Pontius Pilate, Frank Thring as Herod Antipas, Rip Torn as Judas Iscariot, Harry Guardino as Barabbas, Carmen Sevilla as Mary Magdalene, Brigid Balzen as Salomé, and Guy Rolfe as Caiaphas. Read more…
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