As with MISTER MOSES (still a revelatory recording, and one of my favorites released this year), I'm not at all familiar with THE BETSY, but that's a beauty of a piece.
Many thanks for that Peter! To my ears at least this is a very impressive re-recording, and if the rest of the score is as exceptionally faithful to the original score as this (and I would think it is) it finally fills the gap. Congratulations to all concerned on what promises to be another unmissable release from Prometheus!
By the way, what happened with original score? Another small production company which didn't care about their archives, so another Barry score was put in can after recording and until this re-recordings nothing could be released?
By the way, what happened with original score? Another small production company which didn't care about their archives, so another Barry score was put in can after recording and until this re-recordings nothing could be released?
I recall reading (perhaps film posters?) at the time of the film's release that a soundtrack would be available but in that era (late 70s) many scores didn't see the light of day. The film's poor acceptance deemed a release non-viable. I ripped the titles and some of the longer cues from a Betamax recording I made back in the early/mid 80s to a cassette - now long gone - and I don't think the film has had another TV broadcast since!
It's not my favourite JB score - not even top of my JB wants' list but I shall be most pleased to have a clean up-to-date recording in my collection. For me JB remains the best and if this recording is anywhere near as good as Mr. Moses it will be worth buying. Whether I shall like it more is open ...
I recall reading (perhaps film posters?) at the time of the film's release that a soundtrack would be available but in that era (late 70s) many scores didn't see the light of day. The film's poor acceptance deemed a release non-viable.
Mitch
I don't know why a soundtrack wasn't released, but I doubt that it had anything to do with the film's boxoffice performance. At the time, THE BETSY set records for its domestic distributor, Allied Artists. The film earned $2.4 million its opening weekend and $6.4 million in its first eleven days, becoming Allied Artists’ highest grossing film to date. That figure exceeded the amounts made by the company’s two previous best performing films: PAPILLON (1973) and CABARET(1972). After three weeks, the movie had taken in $9.1 million, and after thirty-one days, it had grossed $12.1 million. The film's estimated cost was $6 million. Allied Artists had split these production costs with foreign distributor United Artists and presold two runs of the movie to the CBS television network for over $2 million, thus putting Allied's net investment in the film prior to release at only $1 million.
Perhaps it was the film's critical reception. (Although when has that ever affected a soundtrack release?) In any case, the reviews ranged from laudatory to disparaging. While the Daily Variety reviewer found the movie “too classy . . . too tame. And too solemn” and wondered “where’s the raunch?”, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (the Catholic Conference) considered THE BETSY objectionable to Roman Catholic viewers on moral grounds. Taking exception to the movie’s “extravagant use of nudity," the Catholic Conference gave the film a “condemned” rating and described the movie as “supremely trashy” and lacking “any sort of moral perspective.".
With the exception of the Motion Picture Herald Product Digest review, which criticized everything about THE BETSY, including Laurence Olivier’s portrayal, there was virtually unanimous praise for Olivier’s performance from publications that decried other elements of the film. The New York Times noted that “only Olivier manages to play his role and wink at it simultaneously . . . his is surely the most sensible approach.” Olivier “gives one of the wildest, wittiest, most low-down comic performances of his long career.” The Newsweek review urged readers to “watch [Olivier] show the suffering cast . . . how to kid a ridiculous script without losing your integrity.”
While the Hollywood Reporter and the Cleveland Plain Dealer gave THE BETSY rave reviews, commending everything from the production design to the cinematography to the score and praising it as a “dignified and sometimes moving motion picture,” other critics found flaws in the film. The New Yorker stated that director Daniel Petrie “[aimed] low and [missed] his target—maybe through taste and halfheartedness as much as ineptitude.” And some reviews pointed to the tension between the source material and the film’s execution. The Motion Picture Herald Product Digest suggested that the adaptation of THE BETSY was “trashy but not very slick,” its writers “haven’t the kind of easy glibness that Robbins exhibits in the pages of his books,” and the direction was “not just pedestrian—it’s sluggish.”
By the way, what happened with original score? Another small production company which didn't care about their archives, so another Barry score was put in can after recording and until this re-recordings nothing could be released?
Even more so than for United Artists, the film elements for the U.S. productions distributed by Allied Artists seem to have vanished. Other than LP masters, no original soundtracks from any domestic film released by Allied Artists have ever been issued on CD. (PAPILLON and TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING are partial exceptions. Those films were foreign-U.S. co-productions.) Presumably, any soundtracks that may still exist are with the films' original production companies.
THE BETSY was the first Harold Robbins novel for which the author retained the feature film rights. Robbins was not always happy with previous adaptations of his books, and his participation in the making of the film THE BETSY marked the first time since 1955 that he was creatively involved with the screen adaptation of one of his novels. The author worked as an uncredited consultant, but had little interest in adapting the book himself because he found that screenwriting was less profitable than writing novels.
In 1971, it was announced that Robbins planned to produce the film through Cinema Video Communications (CVC), the production company he formed with Blake Edwards, Bruce Geller and Alden Schwimmer, although Edwards left the company in 1972.
In 1971, Warner Bros. and CVC entered into their first ever financing and distribution deal for THE BETSY and planned to shoot the film the following year. Later in 1971, the New York Times reported that CVC partner Bruce Geller brought in his company, Bruce Geller Productions, to co-produce the film. However, Geller is not credited in the film.
Although CVC supervised the writing of the script by Michael Wilson in 1971, Robbins was not pleased with the work the screenwriter submitted. In 1974, it was announced that James Poe was hired to write the screenplay, but he was later replaced by Walter Bernstein and William Bast.
By 1973, Allied Artists Pictures Corp. and Harold Robbins International had replaced Warner Bros. and CVC on the film, with Allied acquiring worldwide distribution rights and Robbins remaining attached to the project as a “consultant.” Later, United Artists finalized a deal to co-finance and distribute the film internationally while Allied retained domestic distribution rights.
I don't know why a soundtrack wasn't released, but I doubt that it had anything to do with the film's boxoffice performance. At the time, THE BETSY set records for its domestic distributor, Allied Artists. ...
I'm grateful to you, Bob, for the corrections to my assertion: either the UK takings were somewhat less favourable or - more likely - my memory has failed me. I used to follow new releases (and especially those involving artists - this time: John Barry - I like) closely and I recall looking out for the LP release. Perhaps it was folklore, etc. but given the success of The Deep a year earlier it is surprising no score was released for such a high-profile composer. No pop-star involvement?
Given The Man with the Midas Touch refers to the theme/score as not having been commercial enough to warrant a release then it does look as if it is my memory at fault!
If so, then it would appear to take 35 years for such glorious music to become commercial!
...Given The Man with the Midas Touch refers to the theme/score as not having been commercial enough to warrant a release then it does look as if it is my memory at fault!
If so, then it would appear to take 35 years for such glorious music to become commercial!
Mitch
The full quote from Barry (to Martyn Crosthwaite) was: "On The Betsy they had a situation where the theme was not considered commercial enough. It was fine for the film, but not for recording purposes. That's a dilemma we constantly go through. However, I couldn't see why it shouldn't be released if the theme was reframed in a commercial vein like say the theme from Love Story (1970)."
He had a little more to say about The Betsy, but doubtless this will all be included in the booklet notes.
Wonderfull release !! Thank you very much all involved. The betsy is my most wanted unreleased non-bond Barry. Only for a few days more and then finally it gets a legit release. Absolutly wonderfull.
I miss the voice of Barry in the movies these days. Not only a great composer but a composer who understands the function of music in film. Thankfully we have all his work to enjoy.
The recording sessions were in September,2013. Curiousity leads me to the following question. Why has it taken 14 months for this score to be made available for purchase? I hope future scores that have already been mentioned will not take that long.
Wonderfull release !! Thank you very much all involved. The betsy is my most wanted unreleased non-bond Barry. Only for a few days more and then finally it gets a legit release. Absolutly wonderfull.
I miss the voice of Barry in the movies these days. Not only a great composer but a composer who understands the function of music in film. Thankfully we have all his work to enjoy.
Can't wait to hear the cd.
Nice to have a Barry amongst the Christmas releases.
Plus it's been pretty quiet on the Barry front in recent years so this double (along with Mister Moses) is very welcome.
