Volume 12
Number 4
Fall 2010
Managing Editor:
Roger L. Hall
Contributing Writers:
Steven A. Kennedy
Steve Vertlieb
Member
Main Titles
Latest News
The Best Film Music CD Releases
Ratings and List of FMR Online Issues
Essential Film Scores
Film Focus
2010 Editor's Choice - Best of the Month CDs
Soundtrack and Compilation CD Reviews
Recommended DVDs and Books
Film Music Links
Tune Week Surveys
Your comments or questions are welcome.
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Film Music Review
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Film Music Review
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Latest News
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Informative resource guide on DVD
with bonus audio and video material.
Read more at
Film Composers and Soundtracks
Read about the beloved holiday film favorite with
a film score by Dimitri Tiomkin at
Film Focus No. 6: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Coming Soon!
A Bernard Herrmann Centennial Tribute, 1911-2011
Read Roger Hall's online article,
Bernard Herrmann: The Early Years
IFMCA Legends
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is proud to announce the formation of the IFMCA Legends archive, celebrating the life and work of some of film music’s greatest historical artists.
Although the primary focus of the IFMCA is the celebration of the best in modern contemporary film music, it is also fully aware of the amazing legacy of groundbreaking music left by the classic Golden Age and Silver Age composers of decades past. To that end, the IFMCA has established the IFMCA Legends archive, which celebrates the work of these cinematic pioneers. Other than their musical contribution, the only other criteria necessary to become a member of the IFMCA Legends archive is to be deceased.
Each year, starting this year, IFMCA members will vote on new inductees who, in their opinion, have left an indelible mark on the world of film music through their groundbreaking scores, and who are deserving of recognition for their work. Each inductee will be the subject of an in-depth essay written by one of the IFMCA’s members, highlighting their life and most important scores, and which will be featured in a special new section on the IFMCA website.
For this inaugural year, IFMCA members chose five initial inductees. In future years, two new inductees will be chosen. The initial five inductees are:
- Jerry Goldsmith
- Bernard Herrmann
- Alex North
- Miklós Rózsa
- Max Steiner
The archival articles on these composers will be written by IFMCA members Jon Broxton, Bob den Hartog, James Southall, Konstantinos Sotiropoulos and Paul Cote, and will be published on the IFMCA website at http://filmmusiccritics.org/ over the course of the next few days.
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about original film and television music.
The IFMCA was originally formed in the late 1990s as the now-defunct “Film Music Critics Jury” by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a regular contributor to Music from the Movies, and the owner of the Swedish independent film music label MovieScore Media. Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 50 members from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
The group’s main focus is the IFMCA Awards, which it presents annually to the best original scores from motion pictures, television and video games from the preceding calendar year. Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to Michael Giacchino’s UP in 2009, Alexandre Desplat’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON in 2008, Dario Marianelli’s ATONEMENT in 2007, James Newton Howard’s LADY IN THE WATER in 2006, John Williams’ MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in 2005 and Michael Giacchino’s THE INCREDIBLES in 2004.
For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association, its members and the list of past awards, please visit
http://www.filmmusiccritics.org
or contact
press@filmmusiccritics.org
Two New Book Reviews
The Hollywood Film Music Reader
by Mervyn Cooke
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Pick Yourself Up - Dorothy Fields and The American Musical
by Charlotte Greenspan
THE LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA'HOOLE
The official soundtrack by Interactive Achievement Award-winning composer,
Winifred Phillips is now available from Water Tower Music, the record label of Warner Bros. Her song "With Hearts Sublime" has won a 2010 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song - Video Game.
Music For Halloween: A Devilish Dozen
Classic FM magazine in the UK last year listed 150 favorite movie music soundtracks.
This year they have listed less movie music soundtracks (101)
in their October 2010 issue, which comes with two CDs of "Movie Music"
cotaining mostly classical works with a few soundtracks too.
Here are their Top Ten picks as chosen by Classic FM readers:
1. LORD OF THE RINGS - Howard Shore
2. GLADIATOR - Hans Zimmer
3. STAR WARS - John Williams
4. THE MISSION - Ennio Morricone
5. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - Klaus Badelt
6. SCHINDLER'S LIST - John Williams
7. JURASSIC PARK - John Williams
8. HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE - John Williams
9. OUT OF AFRICA - John Barry
10. DANCES WITH WOLVES - John Barry
Do you agree or disagree with any of these soundtracks being in the Top Ten?
Send in your comments or list of 10 favorite movie soundtracks to:
Film Music Review
An Interview with Album Producer, James Fitzpatrick
Read contributing writer Steve Vertlieb's meeting with John Williams at the
John Williams Fan Network
The Music of America - John Williams
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The Cue Sheet (Vol. 24/No. 1/2)
Memorial Tributes to Angela Morley
and Maurice Jarre
12th Anniversary FMR Special Bonus Feature
The longest-running awards exclusively for film music
Read about them at
The Sammy Movie Music Awards
The Best Film Music CD Releases
Best Film Music CDs of the Decade
(2000-2009)
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Best Film Music CDs of 2009
Film Music Guide
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A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC
(PineTree Press, 2009)
The revised and expanded 4th edition of this resource guide
is available on a DVD. It includes the complete film music guide. Also bonus audio clips with interviews with Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson and music from vintage film scores and songs. Plus it contains an extensive image gallery, past reviews from Film Music Review. In addition, and a cable television program with the author, Roger Hall, speaking about vintage film music.
Read how to order this informative reference guide on DVD at this link:
Film Composers and Soundtracks
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)
Number 3 (Summer)
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)
Most 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)
No Best Of The Month For September
Best Of The Month For October
The Hollywood Flute of Louise DiTullio (Cambria CD)
Best Of The Month For November
Classic Film Scores - Six CDs
National Philhamonic Orchestra, Charles Gerhardt, conductor (RCA)
Best Of The Month For December
PATTON (Intrada 2 CD set)
Soundtrack and Compilation Reviews
for 2010
BAARIA -- music by Ennio Morriocne (Silva Screen Records)
BLACK SWAN -- music by Clint Mansell (Sony Classical) New!
THE BOUNTY -- music by Vangelis/ arranged by Domonik Hauser (BSX Records) New!
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER (Sony) New!
CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2 CDs, Prometheus) [Special Merit]
DRAGONSLAYER -- music by Alex North (La-La Land Records)
THE EDGE -- music by Jerry Goldsmith (La-La Land Records )
ERASER -- music by Alan Silvestri (La-La Land Records)
THE FILM AND TV MUSIC OF CHRISTOPHER GUNNING (Chandos) New!
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)
SPARTACUS -- music by Alex North (6 CD/1 DVD box set (Varese Sarbande) [Special Merit]
THE SPIRAL ROAD -- music by Jerry Goldsmith (Varese Sarabande)
THEATER OF BLOOD -- music by Michael J. Lewis (La-La Land Records)
THE WICKER MAN -- Music and Songs by Paul Giovanni (Silva Screen Records)
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
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
Pick your favorite film themes and songs for the annual web survey
Carry A Tune Week
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