An Egyptian queen, a slain gay civil rights leader, a boy brought up by wolves, and animal sex…just four of the “amazing stories” in this week’s segment of Lost in the Shuffle.
BIRDS DO IT, BEES DO IT (1975) – Artificial Insemination
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In a 50-year career, David L. Wolper produced everything from classic TV miniseries like ROOTS and THE THORN BIRDS to films like L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Wolper followed up his Oscar-winning documentary on insects, THE HELLSTROM CHRONICLE (1971), with one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen: BIRDS DO IT, BEES DO IT. More a documentary-slash-propaganda film, the first 2/3 of the film follow the mating rituals of animals and insects, while the last third turns into a diatribe on animal genetics and selective breeding. Gerald Fried composed a wide variety of musical styles, combining a traditional orchestra with electronic sounds. For this track, Fried goes for dark sonorities and a hint of horror music for one of the more disturbing scenes in the film of a cow being artificially inseminated in a simulated act of actual procreation from a man on a cart. You have to see it to believe it. Years ago, I contacted Fried to get a copy of his score to discuss on my old site dedicated to Oscar-nominated film scores. Fried graciously sent me a copy along with a bill for mastering the “recording”. I was a little taken aback since I assumed he had the master copy all along and was being kind to a film score fan. While it was obviously a mistake in communication, it was worth the money to have this very rare and fascinating score.
CLEOPATRA (1963) – Pompey’s Ring
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CLEOPATRA nearly brought down 20th-Century Fox. And you can see why. Bloated to excess–in length, costumes, and sets–it became the most expensive film ever made up to that time. Now it’s remembered more for its on- and off-screen romance between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton than any cinematic qualities the film has. Rex Harrison’s performance as Julius Caesar is particularly good and the film does look spectacular. But for film score fans, the drawing card is Alex North‘s phenomenal score. This track doesn’t give you the breadth and depth of the score, but it does highlight the somber chords used in much of the score as well as the unique percussion elements.
AMAZING STORIES (1987) – Moving Day – Finale
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I somehow missed all the hoopla surrounding the Steven Spielberg-produced AMAZING STORIES episodes on TV back in the 80s. So I wasn’t as gung-ho about the trilogy of CDs that Intrada released a few years ago. But perhaps I should have been. The list of composers is nothing short of astounding–including John Williams, Danny Elfman, Jerry Goldsmith, Georges Delerue, David and Thomas Newman, to name a few–and I can only imagine what a bear it must have been to license them all. Plus any show that features a David Shire score is okay in my book. This episode concerned a teen who learns his family is bound for a new home: a planet almost a hundred billion miles away. The track builds to a grand finale that not only makes me want to watch the episode, but wishes more Shire scores were in print.
MILK (2008) – Main Titles
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The story of slain gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk had already been turned into an Oscar-winning documentary (1984′s excellent THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK) and the idea for a feature film had floated around for years. Director Gus van Sant and screenwriter Lance Black focused on Milk the man and politician as opposed to focusing on the horrific incidents surrounding his death. But the film belongs to Sean Penn astonishing, moving portrayal that is thankfully devoid of stereotypes. As Oscar time loomed, I was worried that Mickey Rourke would win. And while Rourke’s is a worthy nomination, Penn’s performance is transcendent, showing us levels that we’ve never seen in this actor. Danny Elfman‘s score falls into his GOOD WILL HUNTING style. While I don’t think it’s quite on the level of that earlier effort, it’s a worthy nomination and would have made for a far more satisfying win than SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (the film too). My only complaint? I hate the saxophone. I don’t see what it adds to the mix. If anyone knows Elfman’s reasoning behind its addition, please let me know.
THE JUNGLE BOOK (1994) – Mowgli
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I have a soft spot for the Disney animated feature of Kipling’s THE JUNGLE BOOK, but I’ve never seen the 1994 live action version. This track, while pleasant enough, doesn’t exactly rock my boat until the rush of harps and the soaring strings at 2:37. Only then do I begin to understand why so many film score fans enjoy Basil Poledouris‘s music. But I seem to be in the minority on this one. I’d love to know what you think about Poledouris and get some recommendations.
You have “Birds Do It, Bees Do It”?! Do you have it in any shareable format? What would I have to do to get it? Many bathroom walls attest to my prowess!
I adore Poledouris, and The Jungle Book was one of my first introductions to his music. I believe I’ve already recommended a few of his scores to you. If not, I heartily suggest you check out The Hunt for Red October and Les Miserables. I’m also a sucker for his Free Willy score…although there is not very much of it on the soundtrack album.
You did recommend some to me. And now you see why I need to write things down. LOL Thanks again for the recommendations.