It wasn't. It isn't.

If you like fingernails on blackboards, or the sound of cats fighting in the night, or if you are way into 70's avant garde jazz and don't really care about the role of music in a film, then this is the one for you! If, on the other hand, you expect film scores to relate in some remote fashion to what's happening in the film, or you like to hear a passable theme once in a while, then perhaps you should look elsewhere.

I am not a jazz buff, and I would certainly not dispute the compositional and performance talents of Mr. Ellis. Those who know say it is so. Nevertheless, this score sounds like a brass section on LSD, full of weird sci-fi sounding effects which, "avant garde" as they may be, innovative as they may be, come down in the film and on disc as immensely irritating, distracting, and at times even painful to listen to.

I can't imagine why Friedkin thought Don Ellis could write film music, why the producers allowed him to score a major film, or why FSM chose to release it, but it was and is for me a travesty of film composition, a set of tracks which (wonderful as they may be as jazz compositions) bear no functional relationship to the visuals. I have enjoyed a number of jazz-flavored scores over the years (Schifrin's "Bullitt" for example), and generally find that they do a great job of developing tension, heightening action scenes and providing a colorful atmosphere to the films they accompany. I found none of these things in "French Connection."

To be fair, I thought Ellis did better on French Connection II (also on this disc), wherein at least some of the music connects to the suspense/tension elements of the film.

No, it isn't a conventional score, and in a lot of ways it's not conventional music. The first track is certainly an earful, but you know, if you actually listen to it (as opposed to gnashing your teeth and tearing your clothes), Ellis' ideas becomes perfectly clear.

I once overheard two old ladies at a Handel concert actually hiss because that idiot Handel had the audacity to allow passing tones into the music. Can you imagine? Not to say that everyone can be expected to like everything - that would be preposterous.

However, I don't think it's too much to ask the hidebound to not shriek like a little girl when their pastel-hued comfort zone impinges on something unfamiliar. Buck up a little, for cryin' out loud.

Anyway, suffice to say, I like The French Connection well enough to take Kings Row out of the CD player and pop Don Ellis back in. My CD shelf has room for both.

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http://www.geocities.com/Kyle_Beatty/scene.html" TARGET=_blank>How Silver Age Titles are born.

"I am not a jazz buff, and I would certainly not dispute the compositional and performance talents of Mr. Ellis." Never the less, you go on to bash Mr. Ellis and call his work a "traversty of film composition" because you simply did not care for the music. I know you say it did not bear any "functional relationship to the visuals" but I feel that is a matter of interpretation of the listener and those who are familar enough with the The French Connection and the 70's gritty realism style it was part of. Yes, there was a whole world of film making and experimental film scores before 77 and Williams Star Wars!!

For me, there was never enough music. The disc now provides me with music that does bear a functional relationship to the visuals. Rather than defend each cue, I will cite one example, track 7, Popeye's Blues. If you recall, Hackman sits in a bar drunk and spots a woman he later hooks up with. The scene had no music but now you hear the intended bluesy trumpet and piano that would have perfectly fit the visual feeling of the scene.

This release is not a waste of money! If your a jazz buff or a French Connection fan, you'll find much to admire and will gladly put on your shelf along side your copies of Star Wars and Superman, etc...
[This message has been edited by Bullitt (edited 13 May 2001).]

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I'm looking forward to the French Connection CD.

However, I'm glad that Lukas took the chance to release it - hopefully my copy will end up in the hands of someone who appreciates Don Ellis. And I hope that FSM continues to release "chancy" fare like this.

As they say, 'diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks' - FRENCH CONNECTION just didn't do it for me as a listening experience.

Its a keeper for me.

When I play the cues (I think it is Subway) on Real player, some of the opening string work sounded WAY off tune. I know dissonance--but this sounded like something was WRONG. Is it the player, my computer, or am I not digging it?

Actually, most of the music is pretty cool (maybe a little dated) and maybe not everyone's cup of tea--but I just was a little taken aback by the sound sample I heard.

That being said, I like this CD a lot and I'm very proud of it. It is very dissonant and disturbing, and I don't necessarily think that Ellis' complete score, with all the parts deleted from the movie, is a work of perfection. But what can I say? We got a LOT of requests for it, it's a famous film, and Ellis is an important if underappreciated jazz artist.

To answer MTodd's question, I do know what you mean about the piercing strings in that track, and I don't know if they were meant to be out of tune, or playing quarter tones, or whatever. But I do not think it's a problem with the recording pitch -- it sounded pretty good while mixing/mastering.

Anyway, I wish this thread could have had a title besides "Save Your Money" but I am glad to see this discussion. And for those who don't like The French Connection and never will, that's why we released it at the same time as The Egyptian! So I hope we have nothing but happy fans....

Lukas K.

As a follow-up to some of the disagreeing posts which followed (and which I anticipated), I confess that I DON'T like the music. I own a goodly number of soundtracks, the music from which I don't particularly like. It comes with the territory, looking for those pearls amongst the grains of sand and such. Nevertheless, it is very seldom that I find one where the music is just so unrelated to the film. Sure, there are a couple of instances where music and film converge -- a broken clock is right twice a day, too.

My "beef" is not with the use of jazz, or even unconventional jazz. I begrudge no man his taste in music. I simply don't believe that Mr. Ellis was sufficiently knowledgeable ABOUT FILM SCORING to do this film justice, hence (whether looking at the before or after) the music (whatever its merits) was inappropriate.

I don't believe I "missed the point." The point is the function of film music to support the film. I don't think I need to be bothered about what Mr. Ellis' "idea" was. Again, to make this perfectly clear, I argue with no one about whether Mr. Ellis had merit as a musician, or whether avant garde jazz is groovy. However good the music may be, I just don't think it's good film music.

I must respond to one erroneous comment: I did NOT proceed to bash Mr. Ellis, as one critic accuses. I think I went way out of my way to NOT do so. I tried to explain myself in fair and measured terms, but it seems that most of the disagreement comes from folks who have a problem with me not liking Ellis' style of music. That's fine. But that was not my point.

My last point in response is that I have no wish to censor what is released by FSM -- I certainly was not advocating that the disc should not have been released. The more the merrier. I am not lobbying to have it removed from the FSM list, and I'm not sending mine back. Everyone out there who wants one can still get one, even though I didn't like it and posted a message to that effect. If CONNECTION is great unconventional jazz, and you're into great unconventional jazz, GREAT! Go for it! (That's me applauding in the background.) But if you're looking for film music that performs the functions of a well-crafted film score, you're barking up the wrong tree with THE FRENCH CONNECTION.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Rot

quote:

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I simply don't believe that Mr. Ellis was sufficiently knowledgeable ABOUT FILM SCORING to do this film justice, hence (whether looking at the before or after) the music (whatever its merits) was inappropriate.

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I think Mr. Ellis' knowledge (or lack thereof) of film scoring had nothing to do with the outcome of the music in the film. Mr. Ellis was hired to create a score in his own particular style, which apparently represented William Friedkin's (the director) vision of the music for the film.

Mr. Friedkin may be more responsible for the score, in that he chose a particular composer with a particular style whom he felt could create music that fit his vision of the film.

I think it's pretty well accepted by now that Friedkin always experimented with the music in his films, and the outcome was not always in favor of the composer.

Friedkin apparently worked on Ellis' score, just the same way he worked on Lalo Schifrin's score to the Exorcist (jettisoning much of that score in favor of Penderecki and Oldfield).

To the extent that Friedkin worked on the score for Sorcerer, we have only his comments on the liner notes of the CD, which stated that Tangerine Dream never even saw the film; Friedkin worked a tape of their "musical impressions" into the finished film.

To assume that Friedkin is as much (if not moreso) as responsible for the use and character of the score in him films than the composer is probably not too far off the mark.

LK

I have tried to make it clear in my comments that I am referring to the score as released by FSM, not the film version. No excuses there! Forgive me if I can't quite agree that Mr. Ellis' lack of orientation to the task of film scoring is of no consequence with respect to the failure or success of the score.

Those who can't get enough of Mr. Ellis' work in the field of cinema should quick snap up a copy of Hammer Film Music Collection, Vol. 1, and check out "Moon Zero Two." Yum.

Simple as that.

Check out the thread:

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/Forum1/HTML/000904.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/Forum1/HTML/000904.html

However, I have a hunch it might work better on album.