For this issue I have decided to spotlight two seminal soundtracks by the late, great Henry Mancini. In the late fifties / early sixties, he was The Man for creating hip, melodic, popular film soundtracks. Weaned on Universal product throughout […]
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The Big Country (10:2)
The three greatest Western soundtracks, in my view, are those for The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein), The Cowboys (John Williams) and The Big Country (Jerome Moross). And at the top of that very short, very exclusive list, is Jerome Moross’ wonderful, brilliant score […]
Continue reading »The Wild Geese / The Wild Geese II / The Final Option (10:1)
Slightly behind Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams, I think my next favorite composer is Roy Budd. A jazz pianist, Roy Budd was a familiar sight in London night spots in the 1960s before he was persuaded to try his hand […]
Continue reading »The Glenn Miller Story (9:4)
Big band swing music is the focus of The Glenn Miller Story soundtrack. Because Miller’s original recordings were not made utilizing stereo it was decided by the producers to recreate them, so Universal’s music men, Joseph Gershenson and Henry Mancini, transposed […]
Continue reading »The Longest Day – Music from the Classic War Films (9:3)
As opposed to regular soundtracks, compilation soundtracks offer listeners the opportunity to sample music from various composers or movies, centered around a particular theme, performer, genre or other element. The compilation I have chosen to highlight in this issue is […]
Continue reading »Don’t Make Waves / Penelope (9:2)
For my second foray into the world of instrumental soundtrack reviewing, I have chosen another double feature, again from the psychedelic era of the mid-1960s. This duo features two composers, one of whom has gone onto greatness, while the other […]
Continue reading »Our Man Flint / In Like Flint (9:1)
This is the inaugural segment of a new feature in which I will discuss some of my favorite movie soundtracks. Most of these will be instrumental soundtracks, for that is my preference. Instrumental soundtracksare composed like classical music, except that […]
Continue reading »Indian Summer (1993) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Do you ever get the itch to revisit the summer camp you attended when you were a kid? If so, this movie is for you. Mike Binder’s nostalgic comedy Indian Summer (1993) is largely autobiographical, filmed on location at Canada’s […]
Continue reading »Silver Streak (1976) ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
In the last issue I discussed the films of Alfred Hitchcock in some detail, and mentioned remakes of his classic films. One aspect which I did not touch upon concerns those films which serve as homages to Hitchcock’s legacy. Director Brian […]
Continue reading »Call Me Madam (1953) ✰ ✰ ✰
Frank’s second choice is a 1953 musical. “Call Me Madam was buried in the vaults for years by the Irving Berlin estate and this is a great, underappreciated musical. While it is now dated with references to Harry S. Truman’s […]
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