homa Land Rush scene. From its jaunty main title (sung by The Roger Wagner Chorale) to its theme-and-variation structure, this work, like Bassman’s melodic but generic music, can be heard with great nostalgia—and as the death knell of the Hollywood Western, which Peckinpah and Sergio Leone (and their co-conspirators Jerry Fielding and Ennio Morricone) would soon deconstruct in a fury of violence, style, and soundtrack. John Barry’s music for BORN FREE (1966)
In an ironic gesture for a film about robot-
ics, Beltrami relies little on synths and offers the passionately symphonic. Enlisting eleven different orchestrators, nearly one hundred members of the Hollywood Studio Symphony, and the Hollywood Film Chorale, Beltrami de- livers a huge, vibrant score with shifting string passages and churning rhythms reminiscent of Herrmann and the great action tracks of his mentor, Jerry Goldsmith. Alex Proyas had worked with temp tracks from Danny Elfman’s score for PLANET OF THE APES (2001), but any similarities in Beltrami’s music (beyond an urge for the epic) are vague; and he wisely banished the synth-percussion loops beloved by Elfman and other contemporaries. For more information, remember Robot Rule Number 3 at
irobotmovie.com.
Riding High Sam Peckinpah fans will delight in the world
premiere of George Bassman’s stirring music for Bloody Sam’s second feature, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (1962), which Film Score Monthly has paired with Bassman’s score for MAIL-ORDER BRIDE (1964), since it recycles RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY themes (FSM vol. 7 no. 12, $19.95, 35 tracks, 76m 54s). Also new from FSM is Franz Waxman’s music for Anthony Mann’s 1960 remake of CIMMARON (FSM vol. 7 no. 11, $19.95, 22 tracks, 79m 37s)—a film and soundtrack best remembered for the Okla-
(FSM vol. 7 no. 10, $19.95, 12 tracks, 39m 55s) will be tied forever to Matt Munro’s vocal take on its main title, which was ubiquitous in the late Sixties—and won, as did the score, an Academy Award. Although BORN FREE circles on, and re- turns often to, the title theme, it deserves a sec- ond listen, if only for occasional echoes of Barry’s signature James Bond sound. This premiere CD edition is a remastering of 1/4" stereo tapes from Barry’s MGM LP release—a re-recording done at his insistence after hasty sessions for the film. JULIUS CAESAR (1953) offers the original
recording of Miklós Rózsa’s suitably epic accom- paniment to the star-studded Shakespearean ad- aptation produced by John Houseman, directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, and featuring Marlon Brando, James Mason, and John Gielgud (FSM vol. 7 no. 9, $19.95, 20 tracks, 68m 5s). With the dramatic flourish that established Rózsa as the composer of choice for the American peplum— consider, if you will, BEN-HUR (1959), KING OF KINGS (1961), and SODOM AND GOMORRAH (1962)—this score builds on the martial urges of his triumphant QUO VADIS (1951) into darker, more complex orchestrations. FSM’s release tran- scends an available re-recording, and is based on monaural masters, with some tracks remixed in stereo; it also includes 20+m of Rózsa’s pre-re- cordings, intermediate takes, and other bonus materials. Orders or requests for information should
be directed to FSM at 8503 Washington Blvd., Culver City CA 90232 or
filmscoremonthly.com.
Domo arigato to 2004’s Mr. Roboto,
David J. Schow, co-producer of the supple- mentary materials for upcoming DVD edi- tions of I, ROBOT.
The Audio Watchdog may be contacted
on line at
OnEyeDog@aol.com. Review and promotional materials should be sent c/o Vale House, 2495 Oakton Hi lls Drive, Oakton VA 22124.
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