Mystery Score Clips

Having just read about the film on Wiki I realise that I have seen the film but it was a long time ago, I'd appreciate seeing it far more now.

I'm only a minute into the first track and it sounds incredibly James-Bondy to me.
So maybe Barry?

It does have a little Barryesque to it, yeah.

Justin, this is a score I've wanted a CD release of for a lonnnnnnnnnnng time. Shall I just say what it is or let someone else have a guess?

I'll leave it up to you if you want to give it away now. You win the e-cookie!



EDIT:

Wait -- let's see if Cobweb still has that magic guessing. ;-)

Congrats, Timmer on the guess.

This excellent score, which I think is about 40 minutes in the film (sounds like some may have been dilaed out in some cues, so possibly more) has never been released on cD. Baffling. Morley's compilation film music CD, of re-recorded pieces, contains the Main Title.

Morley's colorful orchestrations, various emotional gambits, and sense of dramatic writing are on top display here.

The building dramatic cue, as mentioned is in Suite 2. It begins soft and just keeps moving into more more intense and dramaticterritory before the under water battle. The intense flow of the music dissapates as Philip gaets back to the surface, and the nerverous music has a beautiful transitions into joyful music just with every so minor changes, hen he breaks the surface and is pointed out. Sadly, it doesn't last -- sounds likethis may have been dialed out.

Most of the scores by the production company, which as I recall is around ten films it made, have been released on CD. The lack of this score on CD needs to be rectified.


The movie is quite enjoyable, too. Simple and straight forward plot, once it's revealed about halfway in, but enjoyable nonetheless. A few good characters, some great lines, and a choppy albeit unrefined, Hopkins is great to watch.

Reading between the lines, yes, I think it is.

Mystery Score Clip 21:

Is your flux capacitor* getting jiggawatty with it? All right, we're going back in time a few decades.

You know how nobody suspects the Spanish Inquisition*? Well, I bet most people here won't expect this either (though I'd bet two folks know what this is).

First somewhat unhelpful clue: two composers credited.


* = not hints, but rather poor jokes.


Suite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtEDI1mrWHI

Nope. You could say one of the composers is very well known, yet not known.

No idea to be honest. Vic Mizzy was a name that came to mind but that's the best I can come up with.

The film stars a very famous person. It's a comedy, though it has other aspects mixed in.

The star is Bob Hope, the film is "Call Me Bwana".

The score is credited to, in this order:

Muir Mathieson and Monty Norman


Hope stars as a man who lied about his trip to an obscure African area with a tribe full off odd customs to sell books.

When a government vehicle returning from the Moon, full of vital information (no doubt pictures of rocks), accidently lands in that area, they recruit Matt [Hope] to help navigate the area and handle the tribe before the Russians get there first.

For what it was during its time, it might have been funny, but now it's shown its real colors: a silly comedy barely worth the watch.

Like I said in another post: There the "Twilight Zone" suspension of disbelief, and then there's "that's just fucking stupid". Hope setting up tent with the African guides and other people in the middle of the night, and waking up in the morning to find it's right next to a golf corse, with a sign next to his tent, and Arnold Palmer playing golf in the middle of Africa -- sorry, I can't suspend my belief that much. But having said all that, I'll take Hope over Will Ferrell or Jack Black anyday of the, well, rest of my friggin' life.
The ending was featured badly edited and re-used parts of the William Tell OVerture, with breifly isntances of original score. I'm guessing them junked most of the climax ending cue.

As you already heard from the score, it's a wonderful orchestra work with a recognizable theme that occurs throughout. I'd say the suite represents just a tad over half the film's score.

Having heard this, it's a surprise Monty Norman never got more work. He's become the butt of jokes, but if the rest of his scoring output is as good as this, it's certainly not deserved.

Relgated to stage musicals these days, he didn't score many things before disappearing from the scoring scene. Which is too bad.

I suspect it has to do with the Bond controversy. This film was done by Eon Productions, who then did "Dr. No", for which Norman had two scores rejected; one song/score, and another orchestral work (I'm assuming some of it was left in, as he still gets credit).

After the years of the who did the Bond theme? and Barry becoming associated with Bond and Norman barely getting gigs as it was, my guess is it sealed his film scoring career.


I'd love a copy of the score. I hope it gets released one day. There was not even an LP -- nothing. John Barry did an arrangement of the theme on a compilation.


Here's a screen grab of the composer credits. I suspect pictured center, is a young MV Gerhard ;-)
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3060/montyl.png

Another clue:

This composer has worked, in one fashion or another, on a number of western TV series.
Has more credits on his film/TV scoring resume than Basil Poledouris, and Herrmann. Just a few short of James Horner.

One of the stars of the film has a very identifiable face and voice. He is a very well known character actor and that only thing that stopped his acting career was when he passed away.

Crap, you're right! I forgot. Will go get it now...

Link added to the post!

I'm eccelctic that way.