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UPBEAT WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY? BRISTLES WITH ENERGY ON NEW CD
Film Score Monthly presents Arthur B. Rubinstein’s first major film score, a lively symphonic work with a unique sound palette
Linden, VA – May 29, 2009 – This month, Film Score Monthly offers its first CD featuring the film music of Arthur B. Rubinstein.
The association between director John Badham and composer Rubinstein has yielded such excellent scores as Blue Thunder (1983), WarGames (1983), Stakeout (1987) and The Hard Way (1991). FSM proudly presents their first feature collaboration, Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), in which Rubinstein makes expert – and affecting – use of Baroque styles to elevate Badham's superior adaptation of the stage play by Brian Clark.
Whose Life Is It Anyway? stars Richard Dreyfuss as dynamic artist Ken Harrison, who is paralyzed in an auto accident. Feeling his life is over without the ability to pursue his art, he goes to court for the right to die. John Cassavetes, Christine Lahti and Janet Eilber costar in this acclaimed film adaptation.
Despite the stagebound origins – and potentially downbeat subject matter – Rubinstein wrote a lively symphonic score bristling with energy. "Because the film is about life, I knew the score must reflect that," Rubinstein says in the CD liner notes. "The music starts upbeat and it ends upbeat. In my own sort of strange dissecting of what the film was about, it was clear to me that it was about the life force, and Ken's life force was sculpting. The intellectual side of my pea brain led me to Baroque music – Bach. Bach is, for me, the essence of structure, architecture, sculpture. His music is the embodiment of the life force."
The concept decided upon, Rubinstein crafted a unique sound palette (eliminating flutes, clarinets and violins) and wrote in a variety of classical forms – passacaglia, gavotte, bourée and many others. But his adherence to these styles never gets in the way of the music's essential feeling or its sensitive support of the movie's expertly crafted drama. The film was Rubinstein's first major feature (he had scored television and smaller films beforehand) and it is easy to see how he would become so successful in the field – the score is not only terrific in and of itself as music, but is carefully designed (theatrically, emotionally and intellectually) to support a thoughtfully intimate story.
This premiere release of the complete score to Whose Life Is It Anyway? is presented in excellent stereo sound, with liner notes by Jeff Bond and Alexander Kaplan incorporating new comments by Rubinstein, who has graciously assisted with the production.
It is available now from Screen Archives Entertainment at www.screenarchives.com.
Check it out at http://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm?ID=12472
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Fantastic! The score reminds me of John Williams' music from JAWS where the tourists are arriving at Amity Island. Energetic and exciting! Very eager to get me hands on this one. Thanks guys!
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Will this one be for sale (and signing) this Sunday at Dark Del's?
Yes! In fact we have been eyeing the calendar the last six weeks to bring this across the finish line so Arthur could sign these on Sunday. And we made it! It is a TERRIFIC score, and we're honored to have Arthur on Sunday sign it as well as WarGames for Intrada (Doug and Roger will be there too).
Lukas
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Thanks, Lukas, for another rare Rubenstein release (and all the other great recent releases.) Looking forward to making a large order soon of this, THE THIEF WHO CAME TO DINNER and THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER. I continue to remain joyously broke!
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I love you.
Awww . . .
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I was going to say, that's pretty sticky. Or is corny a better word?
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I was going to say, that's pretty sticky. Or is corny a better word?
Steven? I love you, man.
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I was going to say, that's pretty sticky. Or is corny a better word?
Steven? I love you, man.
Wow- let's get a room... 
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Wow- let's get a room...
Okay, I think I can pull this out of the fire and get the thread back on topic at the same time . . .
I'm definitely ordering "Whose Life Is It Anyway."
I'll buy any soundtrack that's got "Nice Breasts" as one of the track titles.
Ba-DUM-bum!
(See that Bears game last week? Yeah, helluva game, helluva game. Bears got a great team this year. They're gonna go all the way.)
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I went to dark del and saw it there, they have a good number but get there early to secure your copy!!
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I really enjoy the samples, and I think Michael's "Jaws"/tourists comparison is very apt. It sort of makes me sad that Rubinstein hasn't scored a theatrical feature since 2001, and that it starred . . . Scott Baio?!
But it's GREAT that he'll be available to sign CDs.
--Does that mean he's still available to score movies?
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I can't seem to get any of the tracks to play. I click on the track time and up pops a blank page with the word "done" at the bottom....and silence. Arrrgh, I'd like to hear these samples.
They work for me so I don't know the problem. Can you tell me what kind of computer, OS and browser you are using?
Thanks
Lukas
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I can't seem to get any of the tracks to play. I click on the track time and up pops a blank page with the word "done" at the bottom....and silence. Arrrgh, I'd like to hear these samples.
Have you had this problem before with any of the other albums here?
Neil
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