This sounds interesting: Errol Flynn and a cast of people wearing a lot of bronze makeup, plus Andre Previn scoring an India epic. I don't recall ever seeing Previn do something this much exotic, this much spectacle.
I'm going to look for it in the library. Has anyone seen it yet?
Yeah, it's a fun enough movie honestly. I enjoyed Flynn and Sabu. Previn's score is exotic and wonderful and I hope it survives and someone releases it.
KIM is an excellent movie, and was well regarded in its day.
The original 3-strip Technicolor photography is striking, and there are some exciting action scenes in the film. In this period MGM was starting to experiment with travelling matte work to improve their background process scenes, using not only blue screens, but red screens, yellow screens, and green screens, on pictures like KIM and ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, THE TOAST OF NEW ORLEANS, PAGAN LOVE SONG, among others.
Flynn is very good in the film, and this, together with his excellent performance in THAT FORSYTE WOMAN also at MGM (the year before), makes one wish that he had signed a longer contract with MGM in the early 1950 years and perhaps kept his career going longer with stronger star material.
The Technicolor production, much of which was actually shot on location in India with Flynn, utilized location "doubles" for the other key Hollywood performers Paul Lukas (Oscar-winning best actor for WATCH ON THE RHINE a few years earlier) and Dean Stockwell, "charming" here as "Kim," in his days as a (very accomplished) child actor.
It should be said that there are rumors that Bronislau Kaper contributed to the score, but I have no idea how much. The film was released in 1950 (which is when I saw it---'gads, 64 years ago!) and this is around the time that Previn was drafted into the Army, so it may be that he was unable to complete the score himself, although, as was usually the case with film scores of the day---he received the screen credit.
I'll have to get my DVD out and look at the film once more. It would look handsome on a restored Blu-ray transfer I'm sure.....though, like so many older films which would be enhanced greatly, they will unfortunately never get to it.
Oops...I think I mixed this with 1942's Arabian Nights in my mind somehow...maybe because they both have great exotic scores by composers you don't usually think of working in that vein...anyway having seen both I can safely say Kim is the better movie of the two.
.........anyway having seen both I can safely say Kim is the better movie of the two......
Well, maybe.....
ARABIAN NIGHTS, the 1942 Technicolor spectacle starring Jon Hall, Maria Montez and Sabu WAS, after all, nominated for 4 Academy Awards! and KIM, none.
If you don't accept Miss Montez' thoughtful, imaginative, carefully-nuanced, but non-nominated performance as an Arabian princess with a Dominican accent and concentrate on her luminous beauty (as photographed by Milton Krasner, William V. Skall, and W. Howard Greene), you can still enjoy the spectacular production, nominated for Best Color Photography, Best Sound Recording, Best Art Direction, and Best Score (by Frank Skinner).
I remember this with great fondness, having seen it in a gorgeous nitrate Technicolor reissue print in 1948 when I was 8 years old. Of course, age may have something to do with the critical analysis.
with MGM in the early 1950 years and perhaps kept his career going longer with stronger star material.
The Technicolor production, much of which was actually shot on location in India with Flynn, utilized location "doubles" for the other key Hollywood performers Paul Lukas (Oscar-winning best actor for WATCH ON THE RHINE a few years earlier) and Dean Stockwell, "charming" here as "Kim," in his days as a (very accomplished) child actor.
Oops...I think I mixed this with 1942's Arabian Nights in my mind somehow...maybe because they both have great exotic scores by composers you don't usually think of working in that vein...anyway having seen both I can safely say Kim is the better movie of the two.
Yavar
I've found this in a nearby library. So, thanks for the recommendation, Yavar.
Arabian Nights is badly written and badly acted. It's a dumb movie -- but I agree that it looks great and (especially) sounds great. I hope the Skinner score gets an official release at some point.
It's not that I have a problem with old-fashioned theatrical acting or anything; as I've said many times Sinbad the Sailor is one of my favorite movies, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. could certainly be considered to be overacting in it. But I dunno...the film just honestly has some depth to it, and it's cleverly done.
Given Previn's reputation, I'm surprised this score hasn't been released. FSM and Rhino released a lot of Previn's MGM music, and I wonder if the KIM tapes are lost.
There's a lot of important stuff from the vaults they didn't get to. After all, we only got Kaper "Vol. 1", Schifrin "Vol. 1", etc. That means that at one point Lukas had a lot more things on his wish list. He just never got to them. And sadly now it seems like post-FSM maybe no one will...
.....And sadly now it seems like post-FSM maybe no one will......
No concrete evidence, but I suspect we will need to consider (for the future) the idea of "WaterTower Records" and a "Warner Archive Soundtrack CDs" entity for our archival soundtrack needs related to the old MGM, Warners, RKO, and Allied Artists/Monogram material.......
Yeah, it's a fun enough movie honestly. I enjoyed Flynn and Sabu. Previn's score is exotic and wonderful and I hope it survives and someone releases it.
Yavar
Interesting. In the dvd I watched, Previn did a main title, a denoument scene, and about 3 other pieces of dramatic underscore with an "indigenous" flute.
All the rest was what I would call "indigenous street music", very possibly not by Previn (but what do I know?)
So, for my money there was not a lot there. I wonder if he wrote more than was used?
I wonder if the was one that Kendall searched for in the MGM years?
