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I'll see what I've got in my books at home.
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yes, you are right. He was intended as a symbolic American - i.e. not wanting to fight the Nazis. He could have lived as a free man in the USA but allowed himself to be "drafted" by taking the Nazi BACK WITH HIM TO cANADA (where he would face possible desertion charges- a serious offence).
Under the circumstances, the Canadian authorities would probably give him a medal and a homefront desk job in the Army.
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Also, don't forget that many Americans went to Canada and enlisted before the US entry into the war!
brm
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In the same way that mindless Republican anti-Clintonism is responsible for much of the mess this country is in now.
Same here in Britain, many Americans were aware of the true dangers of Fascism before they're government finally opened their eyes to the bigger picture.
Churchill knew, but before his view of Hitler and Fascism had fully formed, the danger had already been perceived by Sir Robert Gilbert Vansittart (pronounced van-SIT-art, 1881-1957), the head of Britain's foreign service.
After world War II, King George VI made Vansittart, for service to his country, Lord Vansittart, 1st Baron Denham.
When he wasn't trying to save England from the Nazis, Vansittart was also Miklós Rózsa's lyricist on THE THIEF OF BAGDAD and THE JUNGLE BOOK (because he knew that the public might be a bit unnerved at the thought that the country's top diplomat was spending time dabbling in the movie business, Vansittart kept his involvement quiet, and took no screen credit on the two films. The enduring poetry of his work with Rózsa, however, speaks for itself). Rózsa later wrote, in his autobiography, Double Life, that Vansittart was "without doubt the finest human being I have ever known," and that the British should, at least, erect a statue to this little-known giant.
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Fascinating about the great Brit and Rozsa. Thanks. As for the rest, many people believe that it is, in fact, mindless Clintonism that is responsible for much of the mess this country is in now, and, in any case, such current political stuff is decidedly off the topic of movie music. Why go off topic?
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I have to say that I'm genuinely surprised at the amount of members who've at least read parts of this ongoing thread regarding 'The 49th Parallel'. I'd no idea it would generate the varied interests of all those who've responded from here and abroad. All I know at this point is that I viewed (for me) a film for the first time that had an immediate and dramatic impact on me. I've seen it now a total of 3 times and I haven't grown tired of it, in fact I look forward to the passages of certain scenes now, like a favorite novel. The R.V.Williams score is also really growing on me as well, and he's not been any favorite of mine until this film. This is not to diminish the adoration of other Powell films like 'Black Narcissus', 'A Matter of Life and Death' and 'I Know where I'm Going', but this thread has shown me that others out there can and have also appreciated this film too.
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Montana, I'm curious to know if your previous disinterest in RVW reflects a lack of enthusiasm for "classical/concert" music in general, or if you simply never heard much of his work before -- or, never cared for what you did hear. IMHO, and the opinion of many, RVW is a giant of 20th Century music, and I hope you'll enjoy exploring his other film scores, symphonies, tone poems, cantatas, chamber pieces, folk song arrangements, etc., etc.
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Fascinating about the great Brit and Rozsa. Thanks. As for the rest, many people believe that it is, in fact, mindless Clintonism that is responsible for much of the mess this country is in now, and, in any case, such current political stuff is decidedly off the topic of movie music. Why go off topic?
The Clinton years: peace, prosperity, relative honesty and transparency (especially when compared to the current crew in Washington), and the requisite blind justice (not just my opinion, but that of Richard Mellon Scaife, one of the most notorious financial backers of the right-wing, who recently waxed nostalgic over Cinton's terms in office). The only thing lacking was relentless, rampant tax-cuts for the super-rich.
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Posted: |
Apr 11, 2007 - 3:44 PM
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By: |
Timmer
(Member)
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Montana, I'm curious to know if your previous disinterest in RVW reflects a lack of enthusiasm for "classical/concert" music in general, or if you simply never heard much of his work before -- or, never cared for what you did hear. IMHO, and the opinion of many, RVW is a giant of 20th Century music, and I hope you'll enjoy exploring his other film scores, symphonies, tone poems, cantatas, chamber pieces, folk song arrangements, etc., etc.
Very influential to this very day on the work of John Williams, James Horner and James Newton Howard.
And very recently, Jeremy Samms score to Enduring Love had more than a touch of the RVW's about it.
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From "The Master Musicicians" series, "Vaughan Williams," by James Day:
"It is the fate of most film music to be an unobtrusive partner in the heightening of emotional tension in the action of the film, and since Vaughan Williams threw himself into the composition of this kind of music with the whole-heartedness with which he attacked everything he did, it is not surprising that he felt that much of his film music was worth publishing or redeveloping. Thus the title music for FORTY-NINTH PARALLEL, with its processional, Parryish theme, became the unison song THE NEW COMMONWEALTH, with words by Harold Child, the librettist of HUGH THE DROVER. Another theme from the same film was incorporated into the scherzo of the second string Quartet." Do the Chandos album liner notes reference any of this? I forgot to check them as well as my books. Has anyone heard the song? It's not on any of my 100-odd RVW CD's...
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We can dream, happily. I'm very glad I've lived long enough to finally listen to first-time recordings of RVW stuff I never could hear in the days when I was falling in love with his music. My biggest RVW frustration these days, aside from the things I've never heard because they've still never been recorded, are that I haven't found on CD certain things that I only have on LP, especially a haunting arrangement of a particular ghostly folk song...
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From "The Master Musicicians" series, "Vaughan Williams," by James Day:
"It is the fate of most film music to be an unobtrusive partner in the heightening of emotional tension in the action of the film, and since Vaughan Williams threw himself into the composition of this kind of music with the whole-heartedness with which he attacked everything he did, it is not surprising that he felt that much of his film music was worth publishing or redeveloping. Thus the title music for FORTY-NINTH PARALLEL, with its processional, Parryish theme, became the unison song THE NEW COMMONWEALTH, with words by Harold Child, the librettist of HUGH THE DROVER. Another theme from the same film was incorporated into the scherzo of the second string Quartet." Do the Chandos album liner notes reference any of this? I forgot to check them as well as my books. Has anyone heard the song? It's not on any of my 100-odd RVW CD's...
THE NEW COMMONWEALTH is referenced all the time. Just can't find an actual performance of it!!!!
brm
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Exactly. Hence, my frustration.
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I just resurrected this one today, because, in the UK, at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph in London, the band played '49th Parallel' as three British veterans of WWI, one 108, another 110, and a third 112 placed their wreaths as you can hear here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7720601.stm
A very honourable recognition, not only of them but of film-music I suppose.
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Thanks, William!
This year marks the anniversary of RVW's death in 1958, and in Great Britain there has been much attention paid to RVW in print and in recordings, (the climax of a growing awareness of the composer in recent years).
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