Intrada Soundtrack Forum

April 03, 2001

The Godfather I. II. III.
Composed by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola
Paul Bateman Conducts the City of Prague Philharmonic
Silva America SSD 1121 Total Time = 52:02

Great movies. Great music. Great album!

It's a trilogy, of course. Spread through three movies, the music remains incredibly coherent. It frames each story, frames all three. Each score shares material with the others. In fact, it all plays as one score.

Lots of scores can boast a theme, some can boast two. Few can boast three. This one's got four. Emerging from this fascinating trilogy are four themes that service the whole. Three appear within the first movie, a fourth permeates the second movie, all happen during the third.

The first movie, of course, made history. Marlon Brando created one of the great characters on film and got an Oscar for doing it. He refused the award. In the second part Robert De Niro took a whack at the same character as a young man. He also got an Oscar for the part.

In fact, lots of great actors had parts. Brando, De Niro, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Andy Garcia, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, James Caan, John Cazale, others I'm forgetting at the moment. Lots has been written about how good the first movie is, how even better the second one is. The third lingers in the distance some, probably because it came so late after the first two parts. With so many imitators in between, other hurdles, it couldn't live up to expectations. But it's still about a fascinating family, and it's compelling.

The main waltz theme opens the score, without introduction. Its heard on solo trumpet, interestingly without accompaniment. From the start Rota establishes lonely voices ahead. By using trumpet there's also nobility, honor. Keeping it in minor adds some melancholy. It's also about an Italian family, an Italian way of life. Expect to hear accordion, mandolins, the music of tarantellas and mazurkas.

Part one also brings in the most famous of the tunes. The Godfather love theme. Notoriety with this melody has to do with an Oscar being won and lost because of it. Years earlier Rota had used it for his 1957 score to FORTUNELLA and its reprise in THE GODFATHER certainly turned some ears. Curiously, liner notes here identify the waltz as the plagiarizing melody. But it's the "love theme" that does the honors. No matter. It's part of THE GODFATHER now. A rolling line, also in minor, it's easily one of the most recognized tunes in movie history.

The third important theme also appears in the first movie. It's melodically more complex, harmonically more neutral. It's also more sweeping in tone. It represents the saga as a whole, the enormity of it all. Appropriately it begins the final music for both parts one and two.

Within the themes, dances, weddings and whatnot, Rota judiciously places dramatic underscore. This new album covers some of it too. A winding downward line of parallel fifths for woodwinds makes an appearance late during "Sicilian Pastorale". It's a motif associated with the danger, used several times in the first movie.

Carmine Coppola provides several pieces for numerous outdoor scenes, parties, parades. One of them is a highlight of the trilogy. It's amazing how it's scored, how it's used.

It's featured during the second movie as "Marcia Religioso", heard on part three of this album. Scored primarily for band, brass up front, its occasional use of dramatic major chords within a mostly minor harmonic framework is a striking feature. A parade source cue, it accompanies young Corleone (De Niro) taking retribution on Don Fanucci. It's a brilliant slow march intended to counterpoint both the graphic murder and vast procession taking place simultaneously.

The fourth major theme makes its debut in the second movie. "The Immigrant" melody follows the arrival into America of young Corleone. Interestingly, the minor-keyed tune often finds association with a secondary melody, closely related. This smaller idea mixes both minor and major keys, often bridging larger statements of the immigrant theme.

Coppola maintains coherency on the third score by using important themes from the first two movies while creating new, smaller stuff. These new ideas compliment the pastiche of source and dramatic music without intruding on thematic importance already established by the four principal melodies. A not easy task well done.

Silva Screen has presented over fifty minutes of music from the trilogy, stunningly played. It's probably the best played re-recording they've done so far, certainly the best sounding. Selections heard cover the major themes from all three movies plus highlights of the smaller stuff that works so well within. Brass playing on "Marcia Religioso" ("Marcia Religiosa" on the packaging) is superb, mandolins crisp on numerous tracks. The all-important solo trumpet that starts everything comes through crystal clear and poignant.

A remarkable trilogy of movies, a remarkable trilogy of scores.

Now it's a remarkable album.

April 10, 2001

Where Eagles Dare
Composed and Conducted by Ron Goodwin
Chapter III Records CH 37500-2
Total Time = 40:38

Alistair MacLean stories made great movie plots. There were lots of them. Lots of time they were the same plot.

THE GUNS OF NAVARONE is terrific, exciting stuff. World War II, a crack Allied team vs. two huge German guns. And a traitor.

FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE. Similar team out to destroy a German bridge. And there's a traitor.

ICE STATION ZEBRA. Pretty melodramatic stuff here. Maybe World War III, if submarine Cold War incident gets out of hand. And there's a traitor.

So here we have WHERE EAGLES DARE. Rousing adventure. Solid action. Allied team out to rescue important captured American general must infiltrate formidable castle atop high mountain in Germany. And there's a traitor.

Spies, traitors, people who aren't what they appear to be. Cornerstones in MacLean stories. You get used to them after awhile.

WHERE EAGLES DARE works as a movie so well because action is first and foremost. It's everywhere. It happens in great settings too, on cliff sides, atop speeding cable cars, inside great castle walls. It's a dream-come-true for teenagers looking for thrills. It's even got a young-ish Clint Eastwood.

It's also got an absolute first-rate score. Different than other Ron Goodwin war scores too.

Ron Goodwin visited WW II in several movie scores. 633 SQUADRON, OPERATION CROSSBOW, BATTLE OF BRITAIN, WHERE EAGLES DARE. Interestingly, all of them concern Allies against Germany. Anyway, one thing about WHERE EAGLES DARE stands out from the others.

In the other war scores Goodwin anchors everything with a rousing march-like theme, French horns or trumpets in the lead. In WHERE EAGLES DARE the score is centered around an ascending (appropriate!) four-note motif against massive blocks of sound. No march in sight. It's also interesting that his four-note idea often gets lengthened into a larger, still ascending line. Harmonically, while this theme starts and ends in minor, many of the accompanying chords are major. By combining the two in equal doses Goodwin manages to make it both dramatically tense and boldly heroic at the same time. The formidable castle way up there where eagles dare and crackerjack Allies climbing upwards to get at it.

A second important idea Goodwin incorporates is fugue-like. Based ingeniously on the ascending four-note motif, this fugue tune winds, zigzags upwards.

Yet another important device plays a role. It's a fascinating one too. Rapid sixteenth-note figures, very symmetrical, hammer throughout. They're like drum tattoos. In fact, the score opens literally with this device. Multiple snare drums, in spectacular stereo effect, rattle opposite each other. Not against each other, nor with opposing rhythms, however. They play the same figure, first one group, then the other group. Ultimately they join forces in a thundering crescendo, leading to a fortissimo playing of the main theme.

What makes this rhythmic device neat is how Goodwin uses it in the rest of the score. Not just for percussion, the idea is shared by other instruments too. As the main theme unfolds this sixteenth-note figure can be heard on various instruments above or beneath. During the opening music, after stating both main theme and fugue, Goodwin transforms the entire orchestra into one massive percussive machine, hammering the rhythmic figure. It continues as the theme plays underneath.

Goodwin's "Main Title" presents clear statements of all three primary ideas, making it a particularly exciting overture.

Goodwin generates tension in two lengthy sequences up and down the cable car. Both rely on dissonance in strings, dramatic changes in dynamics, to keep things moving, unstable.

"Pursued By The Enemy" is a highlight. Opening not with the theme but instead on the fugue, it soon ushers in with a long crescendo of chords. The rhythmic figure plays a big role. The fugue develops, winding upwards. Finally the theme emerges in trumpets. Strings hammer the rhythmic motif. Goodwin then moves the tune to low brass, trumpets on the rhythmic figure. It's a stunning four-minute ride.

Goodwin's four-note idea is flexible, opening several cues in different manner. For "The Booby Trap" they begin as the fugue melody. For "Encounter In The Castle" they simply repeat in an endless loop as other material occurs around or above. Even a longer, winding tune Goodwin incorporates into his action music grows from the four-note theme. It's all very coherent stuff, compelling to listen to.

Those familiar with Goodwin's early movie music will probably note how much winding, zigzagging ideas and fugue treatments occur. LANCELOT AND GUINEVERE (renamed THE SWORD OF LANCELOT) showcase these devices during major battle scenes. They became a Goodwin trademark. An exciting one too.

Chapter III Records presents the entire original MGM album, without change, albeit in cleaner sound. Without the annoying clicks and pops of vinyl one can now appreciate those opening pianissimo drums.

Happily the label is starting to put track titles on the back inlay cards, where they should be. Earlier Chapter III releases relegated these titles to places buried inside the booklets only. A major annoyance. Now it's being remedied, here at least. Film Score Monthly editor Jeff Bond provides informative, readable notes on the movie and the music.

One funny note on the graphics though. A badly truncated reproduction of the original album cover now cuts off one character cruelly from the neck up.

The character... Clint Eastwood!

Good thing it's the music that counts.

April 17, 2001

Nailing The Moment - Part IV
Various Composers

More scenes with just the right music. Not just big scores, stuff everyone likes. Moments that make magic. Music taking a scene someplace it couldn't go with different music, somebody else's music, no music. Veteran composer, first-time composer. No matter.

Lots of scores are memorable. Dynamite themes, exciting chases, spectacular stuff. A final moment at bat with bases loaded. That one last showdown between two mortal enemies once best friends. Heck, just getting E.T. home. They're big scenes, easy to notice. Once in awhile some other scene, maybe some small part of the movie, gets music that works a miracle. Music that joins the visual, marries it. Replace the cue with the greatest music by the greatest composer and fail. It just won't get any better.

Big, classic ones are easy to spot. Here are random others, less celebrated.

Animation time. The dogs won't have him, the wolves won't have him. So what is he? We're near the climax. Balto races against time, struggles to save lives. Desperate for meaning he lunges forward, looks to the heavens. Powerful minor chords from James Horner give him the answer. We get "Heritage of the Wolves" from BALTO.

A musical. The Jets and Sharks finally collide, under the highway. Bernardo taunts Tony. Choreographed movement, cackling, teasing, a shove, a slap. Out of nowhere Riff appears, swings, hits Bernardo. Leonard Bernstein, silent until now, suddenly hammers a jagged, unison figure for brass. Things are real now. Knives appear, someone's gonna get hurt. It's WEST SIDE STORY and one of the most dramatic punctuation marks in all movie music.

Audrey Hepburn. She's blind, struggling to get away from Alan Arkin. It's dark, she can't see, he can't see. Suddenly it gets quiet, she's almost in the clear. Wham! Henry Mancini gives a startling downbeat, one of the greatest scare scenes unfolds. For a moment it's all Mancini. Strings swell, dissonant brass climb upward. Will she survive? WAIT UNTIL DARK turns into pure terror. Credit Mancini for the shivers this time.

World War II. Robert Wagner loads his rifle, grabs his helmet, braces himself. Then he runs. For several minutes he runs, right through the enemy. No dialog here. Hugo Friedhofer provides one of the most stunning action cues of all time. Brass snarling, snare drums thundering. It culminates in "Dies Irae", that most familiar of tunes, here hammered in low brass louder than any gunshots onscreen. Friedhofer has you literally BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL.

Okay, this one's famous, but maybe you've forgotten it. Gem's badly hurt. Scout's in his bedroom, Atticus too. And someone else. When Scout pushes the door open, she (and us) finally get a peek at Boo Radley. A climactic moment, but no big orchestral swell here. Elmer Bernstein lays a gentle all-new melody into his score. Is Boo scary after all? Bernstein leaves no doubt. Everyone knows the rich, haunting theme for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Notice this quiet, understated moment too.

Another famous score, another rarely mentioned cue. A big battle, the Cossacks are losing, retreat is near. Taras pursues and corners the traitor responsible. He speaks, aims his pistol, fires at son Andrei. With war still raging in the background the young Bulba falls, shot through the heart. Here Waxman turns up his music. The main TARAS BULBA theme? Battle music? One last crack at Andrei's love theme? None of the above. Waxman returns instead to the melody first heard at Andrei's birth. It's truly poignant. Taras gives life, he takes it away.

A Bond movie this time. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. Early scene, we're on deck with Melina and her family. Suddenly bullets fly, most of the people fall. As the camera pulls in on Melina's face, Bill Conti tips a key element of the story. No sensual love theme for the Bond girl here, nor a sad one for the tragedy. Conti hits the horror then swirls his strings into a frenzy of cold emotion. This Bond girl's out for revenge. Agent 007 will have to wait.

And a really obscure one.

Horror, vampire style. Kate stops resisting, finally joins the cult. It's initiation time and blood drinking headlines the event. She fastens in metal fangs, Brian May cocks his orchestra and both lunge together. But May doesn't score this terrifying scene in THIRST with a shred of violence or suspense, nor even so much as a single bloody drop of dissonance. His music goes sideways, becomes a quasi-religious festival of impressive chants, exciting rhythms for low brass and strings, fanfare-ish major chords for trumpets. The scene says horror, the music says exultation, maybe even spectacle. May ignores the scares, plays to the ceremony at hand. Vampires take this stuff seriously, they worship it. So shall May.

Take note of what these movie composers are doing. Sometimes they're not just writing themes, nor just mimicking actions onscreen. Sometimes they get inside the stuff, bring something else to the table.

It can be rather amazing to watch and hear.

April 24, 2001

The Towering Inferno
Composed and Conducted by John Williams
Film Score Monthly FSM Vol. 4 No. 3
Total Time = 76:29

1974. A motion picture so big it took two major motion picture studios to make it. Or something like that. So said Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox when they combined forces to make THE TOWERING INFERNO.

Two books were making the rounds that winter. I read them both. Richard Martin Stern's "The Tower" and a similar one named "The Glass Inferno" by Thomas Scortia and Frank Robinson. Film rights for both novels were purchased in 1973, one by Fox, the other by Warner Bros. However, instead of competing, the studios combined forces, split costs, chopped portions of each story and fashioned one movie.

Irwin Allen had a lot of success with THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE a couple of years earlier. Along with other people responsible for it, Allen brought back John Williams to write the score.

Williams became an expert in disaster movies. Several big ones came in a row. THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE was first. Then EARTHQUAKE, which came just prior to THE TOWERING INFERNO. And JAWS came the following summer. After more than a decade of work, Williams was finally associated with major hits. He's had a few more since then, too.

In a way, THE TOWERING INFERNO divides up into pairs. Disaster and rescue. Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Even two directors. John Guillerman and Irwin Allen.

John Williams does the same thing. He uses two primary ideas to build his score. A rhythmic figure propels the music, a rising four-note motif gives it shape. His rhythm avoids triplets, instead using eighth and sixteenth-note patterns that are easily divided into pairs. He also has two love themes. And if you're counting, his four-note motif is coupled with an extension of four more notes or eight more notes, depending on his needs. Still easily divisible by twos, albeit Williams does mix his meters.

The music covers a lot of ground. It's exciting and suspenseful, melodic and romantic. There's stuff for the background, stuff for the foreground. All of it appears on this spectacular new CD from Film Score Monthly.

The "Main Title" is a masterpiece. The rhythmic idea comes early in low strings, the four-note motif immediately follows in high strings. The rhythm takes over, hammers a pattern, then the four notes become a fuller twelve-note theme. Both ideas jockey back and forth for five minutes. Neither wins. The tune stands out, especially during a spectacular helicopter shot of the "world's tallest building". Towards the end it's even played as a variant, backwards. But it's the rhythm that brings everything to a close, again in low strings.

An album originally came out on Warner Bros. They captured highlights in 36 minutes, spotlighting four of the major cues, four smaller ones, and the song "We May Never Love Like This Again". That left a lot of important dramatic scoring on the cutting room floor, so to speak.

Film Score Monthly restores it all, puts it in sequence on their latest "Silver Age Classic" CD. One of the main benefits is hearing the two secondary themes, both working as love themes, develop. In particular, this world premier allows the tune for Fred Astaire and Jennifer Jones to begin playful, grow genuine, finally emerge heartfelt. And the "source-like" theme for Paul Newman and Faye Dunaway, heard first on solo flute over electric piano, becomes in the end a glorious passage for full orchestra.

But there's much more. Several cues left off the original LP are really gems.

One highlight, a short - but incredible - fanfare. When Robert Wagner says "hit them" he refers, of course, to the lights. What follows is a memorable far shot of "the tower" being lit from the bottom up. It's a scene begging for music and for a moment it's all John Williams. He goes both ways with it, too. He fashions a descending series of major chords while shaping an ascending fanfare melody. Yet when it rises to a finish Williams tops it, not with a higher chord, but a solid climax in the bass. All in less than a minute. Wow!

More additional music, much not in the finished movie, scores exciting, suspenseful rescue scenes.

Customary for this label, everything available is included. Also customary for this label, a handful of cues listed as "damaged" are relegated to the end. They're still enjoyable. There's music presented in both movie and original album edit versions. Profuse notes by Jeff Bond and Jeff Eldridge detail the movie, its background, its music. Great artwork outside and inside too. Enjoy great early production illustrations.

Lots of John Williams soundtracks have been restored of late. E.T., RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, JAWS, SUPERMAN, the STAR WARS movies.

Now another one's restored.

And it's a scorcher!