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FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL – Richard Rodney Bennett
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of the best romantic comedies of the 1990s, and one of my personal favorite comedies of all time, is Four Weddings and a Funeral, directed by Mike Newell and written by Richard Curtis. It follows the story of Charles, a charming but perpetually single British man, who over the course of a year repeatedly finds himself attending different weddings and funerals involving his extended group of friends. As time goes on, Charles begins a relationship with Carrie, an American woman in England with whom he shares a connection, but struggles to pursue due to various comic obstacles and embarrassing misunderstandings. The film explores themes of love, friendship, and the unpredictability of life, all set against the backdrop of a series of quintessentially British social gatherings. The film launched its leading man Hugh Grant into international superstardom, briefly re-kindled the career of Andie MacDowell, and features a superb supporting cast of British character actors including Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, John Hannah, Rowan Atkinson, and the late Charlotte Coleman. Read more…
NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA – Richard Rodney Bennett
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Producer Sam Spiegel had long aspired to make a film set during the Russian Revolution and decided to roll the dice after witnessing the stunning success of David Lean’s film Doctor Zhivago. His initial intent was to derive his screenplay from historical events recorded in the public domain, however he changed course and decided to adapt Robert H. Massie’s popular 1967 novel Nicholas and Alexandra. He purchased the film rights and hired James Goldman (The Lion in Winter) to write the screenplay. Yet the task was onerous with countless rewrites as four directors came and went. It was only after Franklin Schaffner came on to direct that a final screenplay was realized. Spiegel vision was to create an epic film in the tradition of Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia, yet he was constrained by Columbia studio executives who were reluctant to offer a generous budget after terrible financial setbacks with The Chase and The Night of the Generals. As such he could not afford actors Peter O’Toole, Vanessa Redgrave and Rex Harrison. He did however manage to secure the services of Laurence Olivier as Count Witte. Joining him would be less familiar actors including Michael Jayston as Tsar Nicholas II, Janet Suzman as Tsaritna Alexandra, Tom Baker as Rasputin, Michael Redgrave as Sazonov, Jack Hawkins as Vladimir, Harry Andrews as Grand Duke Nicholas, Roderic Noble as Tsarevich Alexei, Ania Marson as Grand Duchess Olga, Lynne Frederick as Grand Duchess Tatiana, Candace Glendenning as Grand Duchess Marie, Fiona Fullerton as Grand Duchess Anastasia, and Irene Worth as the Dowager Tsaritsna Marie. Read more…
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS – Richard Rodney Bennett
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Producer Richard Goodwin secured film rights for Murder on the Orient Express from author Agatha Cristie, determined to create a “glamorous star-studded film that was gay in spirit… a soufflé.” He recruited some of the finest stars of the day, which included Albert Finney (Hercule Poirot), Lauren Bacall (Mrs. Hubbard), Ingrid Bergman (Greta), Sir John Gielgud (Beddoes), Sean Connery (Col. Arbuthnot) and Venessa Redgrave as Mary Debenham. The famous Orient Express was a train that ran from Istanbul to Calais and provided transit from Europe to the Middle East. Set in 1935, the story finds renowned and fastidious Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, as a late addition passenger who needs to get back to London immediately. As fate would have it a fellow passenger is found murdered in his stateroom. As Poirot questions the train’s valet, the victim’s accompanying staff, and the first class passengers he finds that many have both opportunity and motive. He soon realizes that several passengers have a connection to the Armstrong family kidnapping and thus he begins to solve a very complex crime. The film had sensational success commercially and received critical acclaim. Richard Rodney Bennett’s score was nominated for both Academy and BAFTA awards, and secured the BAFTA Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music award. Read more…
Richard Rodney Bennett, 1936-2012
Composer Richard Rodney Bennett died on December 24, 2012, in New York, where he had lived since 1979. He was 76.
FULL OBITUARY COMING SOON.
GORMENGHAST – Richard Rodney Bennett and John Tavener
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Gormenghast is one of the largest and most ambitious television productions ever mounted in the United Kingdom, the BBC’s lavish adaptation of Mervyn Peake’s celebrated fantasy novels Titus Groan and Gormenghast. Directed by Andy Wilson and featuring an all-star cast including Ian Richardson, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Fiona Shaw, Christopher Lee, Zoe Wanamaker and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Gormenghast is the tale of madness, treachery and double-crossing in a corrupt and decaying monarchy. Set in an ancient mythical kingdom in a far away land, it charts the rise to power of a young scullery boy named Steerpike, who lies and cheats his way into the confidence of the royal court, but soon begins political machinations to overthrow the monarch and his heir, the new-born Titus, 77th Earl of Groan. Read more…
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