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Posted: |
Jun 14, 2003 - 12:24 AM
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By: |
Howard L
(Member)
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okay, here we go again: the following is a spin-off of all the Victor Young talk from the last several weeks to the present; it is a revised version of an entry originally posted July, 1998
The Oscar winner for Best Picture and Best Score of 1956 was Around The World In Eighty Days. You need not see the picture to enjoy the score. This is one soundtrack that stands alone remarkably well. It is a veritable treasure chest chock full of the loveliest melodies and full-bodied orchestrations ever to grace the silver screen.
The Around The World theme, of course, went on to high level pop status. On Side 1 of the LP is also the whimsical Passepartout which underscored Phileas Fogg's manservant as he made his way through the traffic-laden streets of (Victorian) London. Paris Arrival immediately follows; I love this cue for its evocative sense of anticipation, excitement and majesty. There follows the Sky Symphony, a breathtakingly beautiful arrangement of the Around the World theme, an arrangement which can only accompany a journey by balloon. Every time I hear this soaring, exquisite delight I can't help but envision Passepartout as he reaches down to the mountaintop and then fills the champagne bucket with a refreshing handful of snow.
The journey around the world and Side 1 continues to the India Country Side, and it's another gem. The wonder of the landscape, the rhythm of the train, the abject awe and humility blanketing Passepartout's expression--these are all captured simultaneously via the artistry of composer Victor Young and the orchestrational wizardry of the Leo Shuken/Jack Hayes team.
Side 2 includes The Temple of Dawn which is a subdued and perhaps sentimental version of again, the Around the World theme. Ah, but subtlety goes out the window and into the breeze with Prairie Sail Car as Fogg and Passepartout head east across America to New York via the manual traintrack method. And then it's Land Ho and across the Atlantic by ship. This cue reminds me of Max Steiner's music accompanying the early yachting scene off the coast of New England in A Summer Place. Oh, is Land Ho ever so gorgeous at the outset, a dream filled with so many possibilities, and then suddenly things turn ominous...dangerous...but then a mellow, somewhat haunting interpolation of Rule Brittania slowly emerges...and finally a rousing version of the same erupts to signal the triumphant return to London!
The last piece is entitled Epilogue. It is, in fact, a lively fun-filled romp underscoring the extended cartoon final credits sequence and it also just seems to capture the entire spirit of the movie itself. And make no mistake, this is not a "film" but a MOVIE, a huge colorful production with a terrific score, a truly marvelous listening pleasure, courtesy of Mr. Victor Young.
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ENJOY YOURSELVES, FELLAS!
HARRRRUMMMPH!
I HATE being left out!
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Just wanted to add my two-cents worth regarding this score and movie. Yes, the score is one of the great ones and the film itself it very entertaining, but that end title cartoon sequence was created by none other than Saul Bass.
I've been waiting a long time for this to come out in the proper aspect ratio. After all this was a Todd-AO production. Hope Warner's gets it right.
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Posted: |
Jun 15, 2003 - 4:12 PM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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This movie and score take a lot of crap every now and then from folks who should know better.
The film is highly entertaining, beautifully crafted and has an interesting cast. Even Shirley MacLaine as an Indian princess should draw a smile, although Hollywood has long since stopped casting in that manner.
The score is a gem, superbly played and recorded. I'd be hard-pressed to name an album in my collection that is as listenable, start to finish, and with so many "influences" prevalent in the body of the score. This is literally an "around the world" score.
There were so many scores worthy of that year's Oscar (1956)(not all of them nominated, either) -- "The Ten Commandments," "Anastasia," "The Swan," "Friendly Persuasion," "Giant," "War and Peace," "Lust for Life" -- and this is still one of the years in which I always feel they got it right!
R
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