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....Also they claim Coppola was set to direct until Stoltz was fired by Spielberg.
Is that a typo? I never read about any Spielberg connection to this picture. However, with Coppola as executive producer and his sister Talia Shire one of two credited producers, I've never had any doubt that Schaffner did not retain creative control over the troubled post-production. (First-time director Caleb Deschanel discusses Coppola meddling with 1982's THE ESCAPE ARTIST -- a film I love -- in that DVD's audio commentary, so I easily suspect a repeat situation with LIONHEART.)
I have ignored most of this thread's griping toward Varese Sarabande and potshots taken at the movie itself and at Schaffner. But while I try to avoid name-dropping as frequently annoying, I finally need to relate a couple of details here.
First, I never met Jerry Goldsmith in person until the June 1989 concert in Michigan at which I also met both Paul Andrew MacLean (of this forum) and someone who was a field producer for NBC's Today Show, there to shoot footage of the occasion for a possible TV segment on the composer.
During a lengthy and pleasant conversation, that NBC producer mentioned once having been invited to a screening of LIONHEART by Goldsmith, who afterward asked his opinion. When he replied with enthusiastic praise for the score, the composer pretty much cut him off to ask, "But what about the film?" The guy then felt embarrassed and began: "Wellll ...", at which point Goldsmith quietly said: "Yeah. I know." So even though I don't know whether that version screened was before or after recutting, the anecdote shows Goldsmith knew the picture itself was quite flawed.
But there's another aspect which nobody seems to have considered in this thread. When I introduced myself to the composer that afternoon near the end of a break during the orchestral rehearsal, I was thrilled to meet him at last; but my immediate impression was his seeming very tired -- so maybe he had flown in that morning and it had been a long rehearsal. But my mind returned to that thought eight days later, when I read an obituary for Franklin J. Schaffner. I knew already that the director and the composer had been friends. Yet only with the online fragments of daughter Carrie's unpublished book years later did I learn that her father had considered Schaffner his best friend.
A 60-year-old conductor hadn't necessarily been fatigued when a fan had introduced himself. He may well have been preoccupied with helpless awareness that his best friend was approaching death. And I believe it absolutely likely that Schaffner could have been battling his lung cancer through not only the brutal post-production, but even during the shooting of LIONHEART.
He was an excellent filmmaker -- and ISLANDS IN THE STREAM is one of my 10 most-favorite movies. Schaffner was dead by the mid-'90s when I bought a laser disc of LIONHEART in order to see it; it's not a success, but I don't blame him for it. He wasn't the artist he had been in his vigor.
And I'm in the camp that sees Goldsmith's LIONHEART as a wonderful score.
Oh, henry: I'm in the U.S. and ordered my Deluxe LIONHEART on announcement day. Isn't it likely that the only buyers who received theirs already are customers in Europe?
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For anyone curious, here’s a scan of Doug’s dupe tape from the sessions which gave us the two new cues... and also confirms what we already knew from the written sketches in the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library: that “The Castle” was written and intended as the Main Title (and first cue), despite it appearing (in truncated form) in the final cut of the film after “The Ceremony” (in truncated form) and an edit of Jerry’s End Credits cue being used as the main title music instead...
Oh, and here are Jerry’s written sketches which already told me the correct order before I even got confirmation from Doug’s scan. Now maybe y’all who are giving me a hard time for my “track research” credit on this can give it a rest, since obviously there were clearly some complicated things to be figured out for this release? To be honest this is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to complex stuff that had to be figured out with this score, on minimal surviving documentation.
http://collections.new.oscars.org/Details/Archive/71302978
I spent a long time working on this (again, at no cost to Varese and Steven is 100% correct that the album was NEVER up for $19.99 so I don’t know where that is coming from...probably someone trying to make a joke or stir the pot). Rest assured I debated a lot of options in terms of track order and presentation (bouncing many of them off my Goldsmith Odyssey colleagues) and this order was not a goof or sloppily stumbled upon. We considered matching the film. We concluded given that the final cut of it treated Jerry’s music horribly (and also hardly anyone has even seen the movie anyway) that following Jerry’s original order when he wrote the score for the earlier cut was the way to go.
Now I really understand why people at the labels don’t like to hang out here much. The complaints, nitpicks, and general Monday morning quarterbacking are just so exhausting. Maybe try giving the people who work on something just a bit more benefit of the doubt? None of them are doing this to get rich (even the ones who are paid, lol).
(Meanwhile I recognize that many here have been supportive and kind rather than critical — I see you all, and I appreciate you.)
Yavar
You gonna be okay? Yes judging by this disaster, it was clear you weren’t paid. Can you say it one more time? I’m not sure if you were paid or not. Track Research lol... oh Varese...
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I spent a long time working on this (again, at no cost to Varese and Steven is 100% correct that the album was NEVER up for $19.99 so I don’t know where that is coming from...probably someone trying to make a joke or stir the pot).
(Meanwhile I recognize that many here have been supportive and kind rather than critical — I see you all, and I appreciate you.)
Yavar
I’m one of the people who could have sworn it was $19.98 - I’m only mentioning it because it’s like some weird Mandela effect as I specifically remember looking at it and thinking that was a super low price for what seemed like a rare release. I’m hoping Wayback Machine can solve the mystery!
I also happily paid $24.98 for it without ever having really listened to it or seen the movie AND I think it’s generous that Varese will ship it for no extra cost (since I had other stuff in my order) so I’m just enjoying the show and daydreaming what the album booklet is going to smell like.
(I’m guessing shampooed lion fur scent?)
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I’m one of the people who could have sworn it was $19.98 - I’m only mentioning it because it’s like some weird Mandela effect as I specifically remember looking at it and thinking that was a super low price for what seemed like a rare release. I’m hoping Wayback Machine can solve the mystery!
It does seem to be a Mandela effect thing then because everyone who reposted it on a film music board copied a price of $24.98 not $19.98. On the other hand I didn’t see Varese’s site immediate after it was posted, but several hours later (and people’s reposts on various film music boards)...so I guess it’s possible.
Yavar
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You gonna be okay? Yes judging by this disaster, it was clear you weren’t paid. Can you say it one more time? I’m not sure if you were paid or not. Track Research lol... oh Varese...
“This disaster”? I’ll be okay as soon as you shut up, you incredible jerk. You know, that wise-ass bully routine might be working great for you right now in high school, but as soon as you hit the real world you’ll find it doesn’t get you very far.
You clearly are a person who puts nothing good out into the world and can only make yourself feel better by tearing other people down and patting yourself on the back for your cleverness. Do let me know when you ever pour your effort into something for others’ benefit. I guarantee you I’ll be so pleasantly surprised I won’t treat you the way you’ve treated me in this thread.
Yavar
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You gonna be okay? Yes judging by this disaster, it was clear you weren’t paid. Can you say it one more time? I’m not sure if you were paid or not. Track Research lol... oh Varese...
“This disaster”? I’ll be okay as soon as you shut up, you incredible prick. You know, that wise-ass bully routine might be working great for you right now in high school, but as soon as you hit the real world you’ll find it doesn’t get you very far.
You clearly are a person who puts nothing good out into the world and can only make yourself feel better by tearing other people down and patting yourself on the back for your cleverness. Do let me know when you ever pour your effort into something for others’ benefit. I guarantee you I’ll be so pleasantly surprised I won’t treat you the way you’ve treated me in this thread.
Yavar
Oh Yavar. Your assumptions are glorious. Nice to see a little fight in you hehe. I do contribute greatly to the world and expect the same of those around me. Not seeing it here though.
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Welcome to showbiz everybody.
Graham
Yep.
Also come on Yavar? This is a total disaster. People aren’t even sure how much this damn this costs. You say you worked hard on it. Fine. I guess I can’t disprove that but for you to put in quotes disaster as if it wasn’t a disaster is just silly. This isn’t bullying. It’s the reality of things. Maybe you’re next project will go better. Maybe not. Time will tell.
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So in my non-message board time I also work on climate change policies and I can say unequivocally that this CD release definitely does not qualify as a disaster.
It's more of an interesting curiosity and I'm sure that if Eric Stoltz's character Robert Nerra from the film were here he'd just say to roll with the punches, like he did while getting slapped in the face by a dragon (I've never seen the movie and I don't know if that happens but I'm assuming that happens).
Also, I honestly might be the only one who thought it was $19.98 because nobody else seemed to notice, so it's more like a mini-dala effect instead and not worth putting any stock into. I probably looked at the page at on my tiny phone when it was released at 2am while laying in bed and falling asleep and hallucinated the pricing.
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Oh Yavar. Your assumptions are glorious. Nice to see a little fight in you hehe. I do contribute greatly to the world and expect the same of those around me. Not seeing it here though.
Oh do please enlighten us as to your great contributions to the world then — declare them proudly! Oh. You won’t even post under your real name? I guess we’ll have to take your word for it then.
Welcome to showbiz everybody.
I’d have gone with, “Forget it Yavar, it’s the FSM board.”
Also come on Yavar? This is a total disaster. People aren’t even sure how much this damn this costs. You say you worked hard on it. Fine. I guess I can’t disprove that but for you to put in quotes disaster as if it wasn’t a disaster is just silly. This isn’t bullying. It’s the reality of things. Maybe you’re next project will go better. Maybe not. Time will tell.
You mocked my credit on the back cover. You then insultingly suggested that my “track research” was why the price “increased” from $19.98 to $24.98 (this didn’t even happen; not a single original board post stated the lower price, so you are trying to make some “disaster” out of nothing). Then, when I explained in response TO YOUR asshole comment that Varese didn’t spend anything on “track research” because I contributed all my work on this pro bono, you mocked me for THAT. You are a quintessential bully, whether you realize it or not.
You call this superb release a “total disaster” because of a (nonexistent) price goof? Because one of two spines mistakenly had “LIONHEART” in the composer spot? (I was not shown the packaging to proof; I only proofed the liner note text itself — find an error in that and you can feel free to criticize my work.) Yeah, you’re an asshole all right, with apparently nothing better or productive to do in life. You’re the one reaching and being “just silly” pretending this is “a total disaster” because for some reason you want it to be. Do you have a problem with the content of the disc program itself, or a problem with the liner notes? Bring it up and I’ll address it, like I did the criticism above about track order. But I suspect you’ve got nothing of substance to criticize in this “total disaster” of a release. I don’t know all of why the booklet is being reprinted but everything I had anything to do with on this release turned out just fine, thanks very much.
Yavar
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That actually seems like pretty good quality control and customer service, to me.
So, where's my proper back cover from Predator 2 Deluxe ? And from Seaquest DSV ? 
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