Volume 12
Number 3
Summer 2010
Managing Editor:
Roger L. Hall
Contributing Writers:
Steven A. Kennedy
Steve Vertlieb
If you would like to inquire about writing a CD review or article for this online magazine, write to:
FMR Reviews
Member
Recent Themes
An Interview with Album Producer, James Fitzpatrick
12th Anniversary FMR Special!
Main Titles
Ratings and List of FMR Issues
Essential Film Scores
Film Focus
Editor's Choice - Best of the Month CDs
Soundtrack and Compilation CD Reviews
Recommended DVDs and Books
End Titles
Film Music Links and Tune Week Surveys
Your comments or questions are welcome.
Write to:
Film Music Review
Please Help Support
Film Music Review
Use this handy Search Box for your purchases from Amazon.com
Recent Themes
A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC: Songs and Scores
(4th edition, PineTree Press)
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The revised and expanded edition of this useful guide
is now available as an eBook on DVD,
with the complete book, 25 audio clips with interviews
and
music from vintage film scores and songs,
plus an extensive image gallery, past reviews from Film Music Review (1998-2005),
and a cable television program with the author, Roger Hall.
Read all about this informative reference guide at this link:
Film Composers and Soundtracks
The 12th Annual Best Film Music Releases of 2009 based on our reviewers choices:
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Best Film Music CDs of 2009
See these past choices:
Best Film Music CDs of 2008
Best Film Music CDs of 2007
Best Film Music CDs of 2006
Best Film Music CDs of 2005
The 22nd Annual Sammy Awards
for film musicc CDs released in 2009
have been announced
here
See the previous lists at
21st Annual Sammy Awards
20th Annual Sammy Awards
19th Annual Sammy Awards
18th Annual Sammy Awards
Main Titles
FMR rating system for CDs and DVDs:
**** = Superlative (Highest Recommendation)
***1/2 = Very Good
*** = Good
**1/2 = Okay
** = Barely Passable
* = Poor
The Special Merit CDs are chosen at any time during a month for outstanding overall production of a soundtrack or compilation.
The Editor's Choice - Best of the Month designation is for those CDs that are singled out for their excellence. They are chosen anytime within a given month and may not be chosen every month.
2010 (Volume 12)
Number 1 (Winter)
Number 2 (Spring)
2009 (Volume 11)
Index to All Reviews (January - December)
Number 1 (Winter)
Number 2 (Spring)
Number 3 (Summer)
Number 4 (Fall)
2008 (Volume 10)
Index to All Reviews (January - December)
Number 1 (Winter)
Number 2 (Spring)
Number 3 (Summer)
Number 4 (Fall)
2007
(Volume 9)
Index to All Reviews (January - December)
Number 1 (January - February)
Number 2 (March - April)
Number 3 (May - June)
Number 4 (July - August)
Number 5 (September - October)
Number 6 (November - December)
2006 (Volume 8)
Index to All Reviews (January - December)
Number 1 (January - February)
Number 2 (March - April)
Number 3 (May - June)
Number 4 (July - August)
Number 5 (September - October)
Number 6 (November - December)
Volumes 1 - 7
These reviews no longer available online.
Here is a link to the complete list of
CD Reviews (1999-2005)
Almost all of these reviews are included in
A Guide to Film Music (4th edition)
Essential Film Scores of the 20th Century
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See the list at
100 Essential Film Scores
Film Focus
The series devoted to a composer and one major film score
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No. 1: Hugo Friedhofer and
THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES
No. 2: Miklós Rózsa and
PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE
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No. 3: Max Steiner and
KING KONG
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No. 4: Elmer Bernstein and
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
No. 5: Bernard Herrmann and
VERTIGO
No. 6: Dimitri Tiomkin and
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
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No. 7: Alfred Newman and
THE SONG OF BERNADETTE
NEW!
The best known score from a Hitchcock film...
No. 8: Bernard Herrmann
and 50th anniversary of PSYCHO
Editor's Choice -
Best of the Month for 2010
Best Of The Month For January:
BLACK SUNDAY
music by John Williams (Film Score Monthly CD)
Best Of The Month For February:
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ISLANDS IN THE STREAM
music by Jerry Goldsmith (Film Score Monthly CD)
Best Of The Month For March:
CITIZEN KANE and HANGOVER SQUARE
music by Bernard Herrmannn (Chandos CD)
Best Of The Month For April:
ELMER GANTRY
music by Andre Previn
(Kritzerland CD)
No Best Of The Month For May
Best Of The Month For June:
Miklós Rózsa Treasury (1949-1968) (15 CD Box Set)
Best Of The Month For July:
THE ALAMO - Complete Score (Prometheus 3 CD Box Set)
music by Dimitri Tiomkin
Best Of The Month For August
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA -
Complete Score
and other film music
by Maurice Jarre (Tadlow, 2 CDs)
2010 Soundtrack and Compilation Reviews
DRAGONSLAYER -- music by Alex North (La-La Land Records)
THE EDGE -- music by Jerry Goldsmith (La-La Land Records ) New!
ERASER -- music by Alan Silvestri (La-La Land Records)
THE GOONIES -- music by Dave Grusin (Varese Sarbande)
GRACE -- music by Austin Wintory (BSX Records)
HIGH ROAD TO CHINA -- music by John Barry (BSX Records)
NAPOLEON -- music by Carl Davis (Carl Davis Collection0
THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE -- music by John Williams (La-La Land Records)
ROBOCOP -- music by Basil Poledouris (Intrada)
THE SPIRAL ROAD -- music by Jerry Goldsmith (Varese Sarabande)
THEATER OF BLOOD -- music by Michael J. Lewis (La-La Land Records) New!
WIND and A WHALE FOR THE KILLING -- music by Basil Poledouris (BSX Records)
WINTERHAWK -- music by Lee Holdridge (BSX Records)\
Recommended DVDs and Books
DVDs
CAPTAIN ABU RAED
Rating: ****
THE FORD AT FOX COLLECTION:
THE ESSENTIAL JOHN FORD
DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK
THE GRAPES OF WRATH
HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE
FRONTIER MARSHAL
BECOMING JOHN FORD
Rating: ***1/2
THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
2 Disc Deluxe Edition --
music by Dimitri Tiomkin
Rating: ****
THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW
(Guests: Dimitri Tiomkin & Dr. Samuel Hoffmann)
Rating: ***1/2
Recommended DVDs with Isolated Scores
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)
(2 Disc Special Edition)
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Commentary by film & music historians John Morgan,
Steven Smith, William Stromberg, and Nick Redman
GARDEN OF EVIL (1954)
(Included in Fox WESTERN CLASSICS box set)
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Commentary by
John Morgan, Nick Redman, Steven Smith, William Stromberg
THE ROBE (1953)
(Special Edition)
music by Alfred Newman
Commentary by
film composer David Newman,
film historians Jon Burlingame, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman
RecoRRecommended Books
mmended Books
THE SONGS OF HOLLYWOOD
by Philip Furia and Laurie Patterson
FILM MUSIC: A Very Short Introduction
by Kathryn Kalinak
A HISTORY OF FILM MUSIC
by Mervyn Cooke
Alex North's A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE:
A Film Score Guide
by Annette Davison
End Titles
Links
See the list of recommended sites at
Film Music Links
Tune Week Surveys
Read the lists of film themes and songs selected for the annual
Carry A Tune Week
Please help support
