Volume 13
Number 3
Summer 2011
Managing Editor:
+Roger L. Hall
Contributing Writers:
Steven A. Kennedy
+ Steve Vertlieb
+Member
Our critics select their favorite film composers and scores
for the
13th Anniversary Special
Main Titles
Latest News
The Sammy Film Music Awards
The Best Film Music CD Releases of 2010
A Guide to Film Music on DVD
Ratings and List of FMR Online Issues
Film In Focus
2011 Editor's Choice CDs
2011 Soundtrack and Compilation Reviews
Recommended DVDs and Books
Film Music Links
Your comments or questions are welcome.
Write to:
Film Music Review
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Film Music Review
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Latest News
In Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of The Civil War
An Interview with John Frizzell about GODS AND GENERALS
Jerry Goldsmith:
A "FIRST KNIGHT" Celebration
by Steve Vertlieb
70th Anniversary of CITIZEN KANE
and
Bernard Herrmann's first film score
by Roger Hall
R.I. P. Fred Steiner, 1923-2011 -- film composer and music scholar
Every year Classic FM Magazine in the UK publishes its listener surveys
of the Top 300 Hall of Fame.
In the June 2011 issue, these are
the Top Ten Soundtracks on the list:
No. 151: STAR WARS -- John Williams
No. 141: LADIES IN LAVENDER -- Nigel Hess
No. 139: DANGEROUS MOONLIGHT --Richard Addinsell
No. 112: GLADIATOR -- Hans Zimmer
No. 108: OUT OF AFRICA -- John Barry
No. 107: SCHINDLER'S LIST -- John Williams
No. 84: DANCES WITH WOLVES -- John Barry
No. 78: THE GADFLY -- Dimitri Shostakovich
No. 72: THE MISSION -- Ennio Morricone
No. 50: THE LORD OF THE RINGS -- Howard Shore
Listed even higher was Jay Ungar's THE ASHOKAN FAREWELL (No. 37) from the acclaimed PBS television series, THE CIVIL WAR.
This is a rather strange list and naturally
favored toward the Brits (Addinsell, Barry, Hess) and other Europeans (Shostakovich, Morricone).
What about all those classic soundtracks by Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, Miklos Rozsa, Dimitri Tiomkin, and others?
The only score from before 1970 is Addinsell's DANGEROUS MOONLIGHT (1941) which highlights the popular piece known as "Warsaw Concerto."
Perhaps Classic FM programmers in the UK don't play enough
Golden Age film music
or their listeners have very limited memories.
Now Available!
Complete List of CD, DVD and Book Reviews
(1998 - 2010)
click here
Film Composers Remembered
John Barry (1933-2011)
Bernard Herrmann -
A Centennial Tribute
Sammy Film Music Awards
The longest-running awards exclusively for recordings
have been announced at this link:
23rd Annual Sammy Film Music Awards
For 2010
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:
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 40 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 riginal 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 their awards, please visit them at this link:
http://www.filmmusiccritics.org
The Best Film Music CD Releases
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Film Music Guide
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A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC
(PineTree Press)
The revised and expanded 4th edition of this useful resource guide
is now available on a DVD. It includes the complete film music guide with over 100 pages. Also bonus audio clips, including 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, a cable television program with the film music historian and FMR editor, Roger Hall, speaking about vintage film songs and scores.
Read how to get your copy this very useful resource guide on DVD-R 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.
2011 (Volume 13 )
Number 1 (Winter)
Number 2 (Spring)
2010 (Volume 12)
Number 1 (Winter)
Number 2 (Spring)
Number 3 (Summer)
Number 4 (Fall)
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 on
the DVD,
A Guide to Film Music (4th edition)
Index to Volumes 1 - 12
nInCDs, DVDs and Book Reviews)
Essential Film Scores of the 20th Century
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See the list at
100 Essential Film Scores
Film In Focus
The series devoted to one film and its film score
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No. 1: THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES and
Hugo Friedhofer's Oscar-winning score
No. 2: PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE and
Miklós Rózsa's score
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No. 3: KING KONG and
Max Steiner's milestone score
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No. 4: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and
Elmer Bernstein's score
No. 5: VERTIGO and
Bernard Herrmann's score
No. 6: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and
Dimitri Tiomkin's score
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No. 7: THE SONG OF BERNADETTE and
Alfred Newman's Oscar-winning film score
No. 8: SOME LIKE IT HOT and
Adolph Deutsch's score
No. 9: PSYCHO and
Bernard Herrmann's score
NEW!
No. 10: CITIZEN KANE and
Bernard Herrmann's first film score
Editor's Choice for 2011
January
POLTERGEIST -- music by Jerry Goldsmith
(2 CDs)
February
HOME ALONE - music by John Williams
Expanded Original Score (34 tracks)
March
CITIZEN KANE -
The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann
(RCA Red Seal)
April
LAURA, FOREVER AMBER,
THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
David Raksin Conducts His Great Film Scores
(RCA Red Seal)
May
20th CENTURY FOX
75 YEARS OF GREAT FILM MUSIC (3 CD Box Set)
(Varese Sarabande)
June
WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT -
Music by Burt Bacharach
and
PUSSYCAT, PUSSYCAT, I LOVE YOU - Lalo Shifrin
(Quartet Records)
July
TARAS BULBA - Music by Franz Waxman
(Tadlow Music - 2 CDs)
Soundtrack and Compilation Reviews - 2011
BLACK SWAN -- music by Clint Mansell (Sony Classical)
CARMEN -- music by Ernesto Halffter (Naxos)
Cinema Concertante -- Various film composers (Oehms Classics)
CITY OF FEAR -- music by Jerry Goldsmith (Intrada) NEW!
CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2 CDs, Prometheus) [Special Merit]
Film Music of Brian Easdale (Chandos)
Francis Lai - The Essential Film Music Collection (Silva Screen)
THE GOLDEN HILLS, THE SILLY LITTLE MOUSE, ADVENTURES OF KORZINKINA, and THE TALE OF THE PRIEST AND HIS WORKER BALDA -- music by Dimitri Shostakovich (Delos)
Heroines in Music (compilation) -- music by Carl Davis
IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE - music by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter (MMM) NEW!
JANE EYRE - music by Dario Marianelli (Sony) [Special Merit]
METROPOLIS -- music by Gottfried Huppertz (Capriccio) NEW!
THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD - music by Heinz Roemheld (MMM) NEW!
The Music of James Horner (2 CDs, Silva Screen Records) NEW!
PROJECT MOON BASE - music by Hershel Burke Gilbert (MMM) [Special Merit] NEW!
RIVER OF NO RETURN and NIAGARA -- music by Lionel Newman, Leigh Harline,
Cyril J. Mockridge, Sol Kaplan (Intrada)
SPARTACUS -- music by Alex North (6 CD/1 DVD box set (Varese Sarbande) [Special Merit]
The Symphonic Celtic Album (Silva Screen compilation)
THE WILDEST DREAM -- music by Joel Douek
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS -- music by James Newton Howard (Sony Classical)
X-MEN FIRST CLASS -- music by Henry Jackman (Sony Classical) NEW!
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Useful resource guide now on DVD-R,
with bonus music and video files.
Read more about A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC at
Film Composers and Soundtracks
Recommended DVDs and Books
DVDs with outstanding soundtracks
CAPTAIN ABU RAED
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)
(Blu-ray Special Edition)
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Isolated score track and
commentary by film & music historians: John Morgan,
Nick Redman, Steven Smith, William Stromberg
THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
2 Disc Deluxe Edition --
music by Dimitri Tiomkin
GARDEN OF EVIL (1954)
(Included in Fox WESTERN CLASSICS box set)
Music by Bernard Herrmann
THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW
(Guests: Dimitri Tiomkin & Dr. Samuel Hoffmann)
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
The Hollywood Film Music Reader
by Mervyn Cooke
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Pick Yourself Up - Dorothy Fields and The American Musical
by Charlotte Greenspan
mmended Books
THE SONGS OF HOLLYWOOD
by Philip Furia and Laurie Patterson
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
Please help support
