On Thursday September 12 2024, UPtv broadcasts Euro Arts!
Annecy 2014 Season 1 Episode 13 Episode Summary
The upcoming episode of “Euro Arts” titled “Annecy 2014” promises to be a captivating experience for music lovers. This episode focuses on the closing concert of the Annecy Classic Festival in 2014, a notable event in the classical music calendar. The concert features renowned conductor Yuri Temirkanov, celebrated pianist Denis Matsuev, and the prestigious St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
During this special performance, the artists will showcase works by two iconic composers: Edward Elgar and Modest Mussorgsky. Elgar’s music is known for its rich emotional depth, while Mussorgsky’s compositions often capture vivid imagery and powerful themes. This combination of styles is sure to create a memorable musical journey for the audience.
Viewers can look forward to a beautifully orchestrated evening filled with passion and artistry. The performance not only highlights the talent of the featured musicians but also celebrates...
Annecy 2014 Season 1 Episode 13 Episode Summary
The upcoming episode of “Euro Arts” titled “Annecy 2014” promises to be a captivating experience for music lovers. This episode focuses on the closing concert of the Annecy Classic Festival in 2014, a notable event in the classical music calendar. The concert features renowned conductor Yuri Temirkanov, celebrated pianist Denis Matsuev, and the prestigious St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
During this special performance, the artists will showcase works by two iconic composers: Edward Elgar and Modest Mussorgsky. Elgar’s music is known for its rich emotional depth, while Mussorgsky’s compositions often capture vivid imagery and powerful themes. This combination of styles is sure to create a memorable musical journey for the audience.
Viewers can look forward to a beautifully orchestrated evening filled with passion and artistry. The performance not only highlights the talent of the featured musicians but also celebrates...
- 9/12/2024
- by US Posts
- TV Regular
On Thursday, September 12, 2024, at 6:00 Am, *Euro Arts* presents a special musical experience with Season 1, Episode 13 titled *Annecy 2014* on UPtv. This episode brings viewers a mesmerizing performance from the prestigious Annecy Classic Festival’s closing concert in 2014. Renowned conductor Yuri Temirkanov leads the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, accompanied by celebrated pianist Denis Matsuev, in a program filled with iconic works.
For this grand finale, the talented ensemble performs pieces by two legendary composers: Edward Elgar and Modest Mussorgsky. Their music captures the depth of emotion and grandeur, making it a fitting end to the festival. Elgar’s compositions offer a sense of nobility, while Mussorgsky’s powerful themes evoke vivid imagery.
Whether you’re a seasoned classical music enthusiast or someone looking to enjoy a beautifully orchestrated performance, *Annecy 2014* offers an unforgettable showcase of talent and artistry. Tune in for a chance to witness this remarkable concert and experience the timeless...
For this grand finale, the talented ensemble performs pieces by two legendary composers: Edward Elgar and Modest Mussorgsky. Their music captures the depth of emotion and grandeur, making it a fitting end to the festival. Elgar’s compositions offer a sense of nobility, while Mussorgsky’s powerful themes evoke vivid imagery.
Whether you’re a seasoned classical music enthusiast or someone looking to enjoy a beautifully orchestrated performance, *Annecy 2014* offers an unforgettable showcase of talent and artistry. Tune in for a chance to witness this remarkable concert and experience the timeless...
- 9/6/2024
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
Millions of people around the world remember when Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) tied the knot on April 29, 2011.
The day was quite busy for the couple. After their nuptials in front of 1,900 people at Westminster Abbey, the newlyweds greeted thousands of well-wishers from the balcony of Buckingham Palace before attending a luncheon at the Palace hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II with 600 guests followed by a dinner reception hosted by then-Prince Charles for 300 guests.
Here’s more on William and Kate’s big day including who had a hand in selecting their wedding music and which room of the Palace was turned into a nightclub.
Who chose the music for Prince William and Kate’s wedding? Prince William, then-Prince Charles, and Kate Middleton prior to Will and Kate’s evening wedding reception at Buckingham Palace | John Stillwell – Wpa Pool/Getty Images...
The day was quite busy for the couple. After their nuptials in front of 1,900 people at Westminster Abbey, the newlyweds greeted thousands of well-wishers from the balcony of Buckingham Palace before attending a luncheon at the Palace hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II with 600 guests followed by a dinner reception hosted by then-Prince Charles for 300 guests.
Here’s more on William and Kate’s big day including who had a hand in selecting their wedding music and which room of the Palace was turned into a nightclub.
Who chose the music for Prince William and Kate’s wedding? Prince William, then-Prince Charles, and Kate Middleton prior to Will and Kate’s evening wedding reception at Buckingham Palace | John Stillwell – Wpa Pool/Getty Images...
- 4/30/2024
- by Michelle Kapusta
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In his Rolling Stone cover story from this April, Ed Sheeran revealed the existence of another full Aaron Dessner-produced project that came out of the sessions for – (Subtract), which the singer-songwriter released in May. Sheeran didn’t have clear-cut goals for the album at the time. But, like his friend Taylor Swift, it seems he has hit a special stride working with Dessner. Just four months after the release of (Subtract), Autumn Variations is here. It’s Sheeran in just-in-time-for-fall mode, a collection of reflective songs with melodies that...
- 9/29/2023
- by Maya Georgi
- Rollingstone.com
Ed Sheeran has revealed that he recorded a live version of his forthcoming LP Autumn Variations by doing surprise pop-up gigs in fans’ houses. Writing on Instagram, Sheeran shared that “each song is recorded in a different fan’s living room, but all of it was a total surprise.”
The singer posted a video of himself performing an older song at one fan’s house, explaining “We got to @kariconaway‘s house at the end of the day, and I instantly knew it was gonna be a fun one. They had cats,...
The singer posted a video of himself performing an older song at one fan’s house, explaining “We got to @kariconaway‘s house at the end of the day, and I instantly knew it was gonna be a fun one. They had cats,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
There’s a chill in the air. Starbucks employees everywhere are cracking open cases of pumpkin and apple brown sugar syrups. There’s a sudden urge to spend unreasonable amounts of money on books and stationary supplies, even if it won’t curb the incoming seasonal depression. Autumn is rapidly approaching, and Ed Sheeran has prepared an entire album of new material specifically for the occasion. Less than four months after the release of his sixth studio album Subtract, the singer and songwriter has announced the forthcoming Aaron Dessner-produced record Autumn Variations,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
An anthem written by Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of 12 new pieces of music commissioned by King Charles for his coronation.
Lloyd Webber said he was “incredibly honoured” to have been given the opportunity to compose a new number. “My anthem includes words slightly adapted from Psalm 98. I have scored it for the Westminster Abbey choir and organ, the ceremonial brass and orchestra.”
The maestro also said he hoped the anthem “reflects this joyous occasion” when the new king is crowned.
Lloyd Webber, 74, was among those who travelled to Buckingham Palace to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II, after her death in September last year.
In a tribute posted to Twitter, he honoured the queen as “the most extraordinary ambassador” and thanked her for “all she has done”.
King Charles’s coronation is scheduled to be held on 6 May, and he has selected the musical programme for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Lloyd Webber said he was “incredibly honoured” to have been given the opportunity to compose a new number. “My anthem includes words slightly adapted from Psalm 98. I have scored it for the Westminster Abbey choir and organ, the ceremonial brass and orchestra.”
The maestro also said he hoped the anthem “reflects this joyous occasion” when the new king is crowned.
Lloyd Webber, 74, was among those who travelled to Buckingham Palace to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II, after her death in September last year.
In a tribute posted to Twitter, he honoured the queen as “the most extraordinary ambassador” and thanked her for “all she has done”.
King Charles’s coronation is scheduled to be held on 6 May, and he has selected the musical programme for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
- 2/19/2023
- by Helen William
- The Independent - Music
Andrew Lloyd Webber, the English composer who created the scores for blockbuster musicals such as “Cats,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Evita”, has written the anthem for King Charles III’s coronation, adapting a piece of church music that encourages singers to make a “joyful noise.”
The work by Webber is one of a dozen new pieces Charles commissioned for the grand occasion taking place May 6 at Westminster Abbey. It includes words adapted from Psalm 98 and is scored specifically for the abbey’s choir and organ.
“I hope my anthem reflects this joyful occasion,” Webber said in a statement distributed by Buckingham Palace.
Read More: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Won’t Attend King Charles’ Coronation If Atmosphere Remains ‘Toxic’: Source
The program for the king’s coronation ceremony includes older music and new compositions as the palace seeks to blend traditional and modern elements that reflect the realities of modern Britain.
The work by Webber is one of a dozen new pieces Charles commissioned for the grand occasion taking place May 6 at Westminster Abbey. It includes words adapted from Psalm 98 and is scored specifically for the abbey’s choir and organ.
“I hope my anthem reflects this joyful occasion,” Webber said in a statement distributed by Buckingham Palace.
Read More: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Won’t Attend King Charles’ Coronation If Atmosphere Remains ‘Toxic’: Source
The program for the king’s coronation ceremony includes older music and new compositions as the palace seeks to blend traditional and modern elements that reflect the realities of modern Britain.
- 2/19/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Mary McCartney’s documentary about the legendary home to the Beatles’ and many other stars’ recordings is an enjoyable diversion
Putting her privileged access to good use, Mary McCartney has directed this enjoyable documentary about Abbey Road Studios in London – famously the site of the Beatles’ classic recordings (her dad is Paul of course), but much more besides. McCartney’s film takes us through the history of the building itself.
It was designed to house a symphony orchestra, and its first occupant in 1931 was Edward Elgar conducting the Lso. It looks very different from the way we think of recording studios,small spaces divided from the mixing suite by a pane of glass. In fact two of the studios are huge, where mighty producer George Martin presided over everything from suites accessed by flights of stairs, like going up to the manager’s office from the echoing factory shop floor.
Putting her privileged access to good use, Mary McCartney has directed this enjoyable documentary about Abbey Road Studios in London – famously the site of the Beatles’ classic recordings (her dad is Paul of course), but much more besides. McCartney’s film takes us through the history of the building itself.
It was designed to house a symphony orchestra, and its first occupant in 1931 was Edward Elgar conducting the Lso. It looks very different from the way we think of recording studios,small spaces divided from the mixing suite by a pane of glass. In fact two of the studios are huge, where mighty producer George Martin presided over everything from suites accessed by flights of stairs, like going up to the manager’s office from the echoing factory shop floor.
- 1/3/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
If These Walls Could Sing is the long and winding story of Abbey Road Studios. This excellent Disney Original Documentary also happens to be the first film from an acclaimed photographer who knows the studio well: Mary McCartney. Abbey Road has been holy ground for music fans ever since her dad walked barefoot across it with the other Beatles on one of history’s most iconic album covers.
Mary McCartney has known Abbey Road her whole life — the documentary begins with baby photos of her on the studio floor. There...
Mary McCartney has known Abbey Road her whole life — the documentary begins with baby photos of her on the studio floor. There...
- 12/16/2022
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
This review originally ran September 3, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.
If you’re a fan of a particular era of British rock ’n’ roll, this was the right year to be at the Telluride Film Festival. The festival’s opening day brought onetime photographer Anton Corbijn’s “Squaring the Circle,” which looked at the rock design company Hipgnosis through memories from Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Roger Waters, Noah Gallagher and many others. And it was followed the next afternoon by onetime photographer Mary McCartney’s “If These Walls Could Sing,” which looks at London’s Abbey Road recording studio through memories from, oh, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Roger Waters, Noah Gallagher and many others.
While “Squaring the Circle” comes from a photographer and video director who has made several other feature films in the past, including “Control” and “A Most Wanted Man,” “If...
If you’re a fan of a particular era of British rock ’n’ roll, this was the right year to be at the Telluride Film Festival. The festival’s opening day brought onetime photographer Anton Corbijn’s “Squaring the Circle,” which looked at the rock design company Hipgnosis through memories from Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Roger Waters, Noah Gallagher and many others. And it was followed the next afternoon by onetime photographer Mary McCartney’s “If These Walls Could Sing,” which looks at London’s Abbey Road recording studio through memories from, oh, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Roger Waters, Noah Gallagher and many others.
While “Squaring the Circle” comes from a photographer and video director who has made several other feature films in the past, including “Control” and “A Most Wanted Man,” “If...
- 12/16/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
At least two major musical works from this year's batch of Oscar contenders have been left out of the running for Best Original Song and Best Original Score, according to Variety. Previous Oscar-winner Hildur Guðnadóttir, who took home the prize for the soundtrack to 2019's "Joker," will be ineligible for her work on "Tár," while rapper Doja Cat was left off the longlist for the song "Vegas," from Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis."
According to the outlet's sources, both determinations apparently come down to the "Original" part of the Best Music categories, as each of the two artists built upon pre-existing tracks to create part or all of the music for the new films. This is neither a huge surprise nor a scandal, as both films called for reinterpretations of existing songs as opposed to original music, but it is still unfortunate to see both contributions left out.
Awards Eligibility Guidelines Strike Again
"Vegas,...
According to the outlet's sources, both determinations apparently come down to the "Original" part of the Best Music categories, as each of the two artists built upon pre-existing tracks to create part or all of the music for the new films. This is neither a huge surprise nor a scandal, as both films called for reinterpretations of existing songs as opposed to original music, but it is still unfortunate to see both contributions left out.
Awards Eligibility Guidelines Strike Again
"Vegas,...
- 12/12/2022
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
It’s a banner year for Oscar-winning Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker”), who could make history as the first woman to be nominated twice in the same season for Best Picture contenders “TÁR” (Focus Features) and “Women Talking” (UA). Both films focus on difficult subjects like power, abuse, and identity, and take the composer in varied musical directions. Her lyrical, guitar-driven score for “Women Talking” serves its purpose well in channeling a sense of hope for the traumatized Mennonite women at the center of Sarah Polley’s film, while her meta score for Todd Field’s psychological drama about the world of classical music represents Guðnadóttir’s most personal work to date.
In “TÁR,” renowned conductor Lydia Tàr (Cate Blanchett) is forced to confront her personal demons (including accusations of sexual abuse) while rehearsing Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 5 and Edward Elgar’s under-appreciated Cello Concerto in E Minor with the Berlin Philharmonic.
In “TÁR,” renowned conductor Lydia Tàr (Cate Blanchett) is forced to confront her personal demons (including accusations of sexual abuse) while rehearsing Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 5 and Edward Elgar’s under-appreciated Cello Concerto in E Minor with the Berlin Philharmonic.
- 10/24/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
"If you're here, then you already know who she is." And if you're confused by our headline, then you most likely haven't seen the trailer for "TÁR," where Cate Blanchett's famous composer-conductor, Lydia Tár, talks all about dancing the masque, servicing the composer, sublimating one's ego, and all that good stuff. One thing Blanchett's not sublimating is her status as an Egot winner, perhaps a foreshadowing of the Academy Award nomination Blanchett herself is likely to receive for her performance.
"TÁR" is currently in limited release in the U.S., but it goes wide on October 28, 2022, and /Film's review by Marshall Shaffer calls it "a Cate Blanchett masterclass," confirming it's "a title so serious it requires special instructions to ensure capitalization and with an acute Á." The movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September, where it received the requisite standing ovation, and it marks the long-awaited return...
"TÁR" is currently in limited release in the U.S., but it goes wide on October 28, 2022, and /Film's review by Marshall Shaffer calls it "a Cate Blanchett masterclass," confirming it's "a title so serious it requires special instructions to ensure capitalization and with an acute Á." The movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September, where it received the requisite standing ovation, and it marks the long-awaited return...
- 10/22/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Branford Marsalis, Thomas Newman, Howard Shore, and Kris Bowers — what do they have in common, besides each being an accomplished composer, conductor, and/or recording artist in his own right? Within the past four years, they all produced a film score that didn’t even register as a blip on the Oscar radar. “Let Them All Talk” and “Pieces of a Woman” gained zero traction for 15-time Oscar nominee Newman and three-time “The Lord of the Rings” Oscar winner Shore. Bowers and Marsalis had respectively picked up momentum elsewhere on the awards circuit for “Green Book” (the eventual Best Picture winner) and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (the eventual Best Makeup and Hairstyling winner), yet those two films’ Oscar fortunes couldn’t do anything to boost their chances in Best Original Score.
There’s no chalking it up to crowded fields, or voter bias. It all comes down to the rules: Prior to last Oscar season,...
There’s no chalking it up to crowded fields, or voter bias. It all comes down to the rules: Prior to last Oscar season,...
- 10/12/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The film is directed and produced by Frank Mannion’s Swipe Films.
Quintessentially British, a feature documentary about British identity and industry, has completed post-production and secured theatrical distribution deals for UK-Ireland and Australia-New Zealand.
The film, which is directed and produced by Frank Mannion for his company Swipe Films, will be released by Signature Films in the UK and Ireland in December. Rialto Films has taken the film for Australia and New Zealand.
A North America deal was recently confirmed with Vision Films, which will release the film theatrically on October 12.
Quintessentially British celebrates the history and traditions of craftsmanship from Great Britain,...
Quintessentially British, a feature documentary about British identity and industry, has completed post-production and secured theatrical distribution deals for UK-Ireland and Australia-New Zealand.
The film, which is directed and produced by Frank Mannion for his company Swipe Films, will be released by Signature Films in the UK and Ireland in December. Rialto Films has taken the film for Australia and New Zealand.
A North America deal was recently confirmed with Vision Films, which will release the film theatrically on October 12.
Quintessentially British celebrates the history and traditions of craftsmanship from Great Britain,...
- 9/20/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Back Lot Music has digitally released the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Universal Pictures’ The Invisible Man, a Blumhouse/Goalpost production directed by Leigh Whannell from his screenplay and screen story. The film’s original score is by Grammy® and Golden Globe-nominated composer Benjamin Wallfisch. A vinyl release will be available March 4 through Mondo featuring two 180g discs housed inside a gatefold sleeve and an etching on side 4. The Invisible Man will be theatrically released in the U.S. on February 28th.
Starring Emmy Award winner Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), The Invisible Man is a terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal’s classic Monster character.
Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding. But when Cecilia’s abusive ex, Adrian Griffin, commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune,...
Starring Emmy Award winner Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), The Invisible Man is a terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal’s classic Monster character.
Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding. But when Cecilia’s abusive ex, Adrian Griffin, commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune,...
- 2/21/2020
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Updated: The eyes of the world turned to Windsor in the British county of Berkshire on Saturday for the wedding of Prince Harry and U.S. actress Meghan Markle, with millions of people across the globe expected to tune in to the pomp and ceremony of the much-anticipated royal occasion. The BBC said an estimated 1.9 billion people were expected to watch around the world.
The couple will become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after Prince Harry’s new official title, conferred on him by Queen Elizabeth II, was announced Saturday morning. Prince Harry will become His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Markle will be known as Hrh The Duchess of Sussex.
It was a beautiful morning in Windsor as guests started to arrive at 9:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. Pt). Amongst the earliest arrivals at St. George’s Chapel...
The couple will become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after Prince Harry’s new official title, conferred on him by Queen Elizabeth II, was announced Saturday morning. Prince Harry will become His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Markle will be known as Hrh The Duchess of Sussex.
It was a beautiful morning in Windsor as guests started to arrive at 9:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. Pt). Amongst the earliest arrivals at St. George’s Chapel...
- 5/19/2018
- by Robert Mitchell
- Variety Film + TV
A different kind of class will be back in session in New York City and London with a new semester of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies. The latest lineup of horror-themed classes and lectures will kick off stateside with an in-depth look at the 1974 folk horror film Penda's Fen, and we've been provided with two free registration slots for the class to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers.
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Prize Details: (2) winners will receive:
(1) free registration for "Sacred Disobedience: On Penda's Fen," a Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies class taking place from 7:00pm–10:00pm Est on Tuesday, January 9th at New York City's Film Noir Cinema (122 Meserole, Greenpoint, Brooklyn).
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject "Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies Contest". Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01pm Est on Monday,...
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Prize Details: (2) winners will receive:
(1) free registration for "Sacred Disobedience: On Penda's Fen," a Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies class taking place from 7:00pm–10:00pm Est on Tuesday, January 9th at New York City's Film Noir Cinema (122 Meserole, Greenpoint, Brooklyn).
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject "Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies Contest". Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01pm Est on Monday,...
- 1/5/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
In the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ announcement of 141 films qualified for Best Original Score, the biggest news stemmed from an absence: No controversy. “I, Tonya” and “The Greatest Showman” scores were deemed ineligible based on their predominant use of songs, while “Call Me By Your Name” and “Detroit” didn’t even submit, presumedly knowing they wouldn’t qualify. Those omissions merit a shrug, unlike the outrage that followed last year’s disqualification of Johann Johannsson’s “Arrival” and Lesley Barber’s “Manchester By the Sea” scores.
This year, people were closely watching what happened to Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood and legend Hans Zimmer. Each has a history of running afoul of qualification rules, and each has one of the most celebrated scores of 2017, “Phantom Thread” and “Dunkirk.”
In the case of Greenwood, devoted fans still haven’t gotten over the disqualification of his brilliant 35-minute original score...
This year, people were closely watching what happened to Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood and legend Hans Zimmer. Each has a history of running afoul of qualification rules, and each has one of the most celebrated scores of 2017, “Phantom Thread” and “Dunkirk.”
In the case of Greenwood, devoted fans still haven’t gotten over the disqualification of his brilliant 35-minute original score...
- 12/19/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
For Hans Zimmer, it began with Christopher Nolan’s pocket watch on “Dunkirk” and a creative flourish at the keyboard immediately following his first viewing of Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049.” The result was the creation of two very different but experimental scores in collaboration with Zimmer’s protege, Benjamin Wallfisch (“It,” “Hidden Figures”), which are both Oscar frontrunners. (A third composer, Lorne Balfe, also contributed to the “Dunkirk” score, but only two composers can be submitted to the academy’s music branch for Oscar consideration.)
“I love these days how we are truly breaking down the walls between sound design and music,” Zimmer said. But to help convey “the visceral realism” of “Dunkirk’s” legendary evacuation of more than 300,000 British and Allied troops under German bombardment, the score needed to be in perfect sync with picture and sound. And this was complicated by playing with time and the...
“I love these days how we are truly breaking down the walls between sound design and music,” Zimmer said. But to help convey “the visceral realism” of “Dunkirk’s” legendary evacuation of more than 300,000 British and Allied troops under German bombardment, the score needed to be in perfect sync with picture and sound. And this was complicated by playing with time and the...
- 11/16/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Stars: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Tom Glynn-Carney, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard | Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan
On paper, Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to Interstellar couldn’t be more different to the puzzle boxes which have defined his movies to date. Here’s a real historic event portrayed in well under two hours, with no room for sci-fi elements or high concept hooks. That it feels, in the end, very much like you’ve watched a Christopher Nolan film is surprising, for reasons both pleasing and not-so-pleasing.
We’re thrown into the nightmare of 1940, when more than 300,000 British Expeditionary Force troops were trapped on the titular beach, with the German hordes moving in. (In one of the film’s many authentic touches, we get to see the German propaganda leaflets promising the Allies’ imminent destruction.)
Three stories – and here’s where the narrative is Nolanised.
On paper, Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to Interstellar couldn’t be more different to the puzzle boxes which have defined his movies to date. Here’s a real historic event portrayed in well under two hours, with no room for sci-fi elements or high concept hooks. That it feels, in the end, very much like you’ve watched a Christopher Nolan film is surprising, for reasons both pleasing and not-so-pleasing.
We’re thrown into the nightmare of 1940, when more than 300,000 British Expeditionary Force troops were trapped on the titular beach, with the German hordes moving in. (In one of the film’s many authentic touches, we get to see the German propaganda leaflets promising the Allies’ imminent destruction.)
Three stories – and here’s where the narrative is Nolanised.
- 7/22/2017
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
Given all the musicals we've seen on TV recently -- NBC's live-performance versions of "Peter Pan" and "The Sound of Music," not to mention ABC's "Galavant" and all six seasons of Fox's "Glee" -- it's a wonder that the pipeline hasn't flowed in the opposite direction, from the small screen to Broadway.
That may change with the announcements that a couple of TV-based musicals are in the works. One is "Bombshell," the Marilyn Monroe biographical musical that was created and staged over the course of two seasons on NBC's "Smash." Bringing it to Broadway would seem easy enough -- the songs and choreography already exist; all that's needed is a book.
The other is a stage version of "Downton Abbey," which may launch after the British drama's sixth and final season wraps this winter. John Lunn, who composes the music for the series, says he envisions an international tour, starring...
That may change with the announcements that a couple of TV-based musicals are in the works. One is "Bombshell," the Marilyn Monroe biographical musical that was created and staged over the course of two seasons on NBC's "Smash." Bringing it to Broadway would seem easy enough -- the songs and choreography already exist; all that's needed is a book.
The other is a stage version of "Downton Abbey," which may launch after the British drama's sixth and final season wraps this winter. John Lunn, who composes the music for the series, says he envisions an international tour, starring...
- 6/26/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Scarecrow and The King of Marvin Gardens – quirky, unstylised films made in the 60s and 70s that refused to smooth their rough edges. This bravery, Adam Mars-Jones argues, is what film-makers are missing today
The label "independent film" doesn't mean what it once did, and the Sundance festival is part of the reason. The moment aspiring film-makers realised there was a potential shortcut to distribution and acclaim, they started smoothing off their rough edges – consciously or without even noticing – or at least they began to stylise themselves. Either way, the overall effect of the festival has not been to promote individuality but to erode it. So it's a mild beneficial shock to watch two American films of the early 1970s on re-release – not because they're masterpieces, exactly, but because they give the flavour of a different set of assumptions.
Scarecrow, directed by Jerry Schatzberg, won a prize at Cannes in...
The label "independent film" doesn't mean what it once did, and the Sundance festival is part of the reason. The moment aspiring film-makers realised there was a potential shortcut to distribution and acclaim, they started smoothing off their rough edges – consciously or without even noticing – or at least they began to stylise themselves. Either way, the overall effect of the festival has not been to promote individuality but to erode it. So it's a mild beneficial shock to watch two American films of the early 1970s on re-release – not because they're masterpieces, exactly, but because they give the flavour of a different set of assumptions.
Scarecrow, directed by Jerry Schatzberg, won a prize at Cannes in...
- 5/24/2013
- by Adam Mars-Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
David Cameron was left stumped by basic questions about British history and culture during his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Cameron became the first serving British prime minister to appear on the late night CBS talkshow on Wednesday (September 26), and was played in with a rendition of 'Rule Britannia' from Letterman's house band. However, he incorrectly attributed the musical arrangement of James Thomson's poem to Edward Elgar, when it was in fact set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740. "You have found me out. That's bad, I've ended my career on your show tonight," Cameron joked when told the correct answer. Letterman also asked him questions about the document known as Magna Carta, which Cameron correctly said was signed in 1215 at Runnymede. Describing the document as the country's first declaration (more)...
- 9/27/2012
- by By Kate Goodacre
- Digital Spy
London -- British rock stars are seizing the stage to close the Olympics with an extravaganza that promises to keep a worldwide audience entertained well into the night - and dancing all the way to Rio.
The Who, the surviving members of Queen and the Spice Girls were expected to headline a fun and frivolous closing ceremony, celebrating the remarkable crop of pop icons the host country has given the world for decades.
Artistic director Kim Gavin has promised "the best after-show party that's ever been," and as details of the lineup leaked in the British press days ahead of time, there was no reason to doubt him.
The ceremony had something for everyone, from tween girls to 1960s hippies. George Michael, Muse, Fatboy Slim and the One Direction, the British cotton-candy boy band of the moment, were all expected to perform.
The best seats were for the 10,800 Olympic athletes,...
The Who, the surviving members of Queen and the Spice Girls were expected to headline a fun and frivolous closing ceremony, celebrating the remarkable crop of pop icons the host country has given the world for decades.
Artistic director Kim Gavin has promised "the best after-show party that's ever been," and as details of the lineup leaked in the British press days ahead of time, there was no reason to doubt him.
The ceremony had something for everyone, from tween girls to 1960s hippies. George Michael, Muse, Fatboy Slim and the One Direction, the British cotton-candy boy band of the moment, were all expected to perform.
The best seats were for the 10,800 Olympic athletes,...
- 8/12/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
With Danny Boyle's opening ceremony setting the perfect tone, Britons can express patriotism with irony and genuine feeling
Maybe, ultimately, it was the pyjamas. Nobody, surely, has worn pyjamas on an Olympic stadium track before if not by mistake. But there was the deaf choir of children, in pyjamas, signing God Save the Queen. "It was as if someone had said: "If you get into your jimjams and brush your teeth, you can stay up late to sing for the Queen," said my colleague Tim, who was reduced to tears by that moment in Danny Boyle's opening ceremony. That was part of Boyle's crying-time genius: the human touch, the cultivation of empathy, the cunning manipulation of sentiment that any director worth his salt can deploy without – ideally – making us feel that it's phoney.
And so began an unexpected festival of emotion that, by rights, London 2012 had no right...
Maybe, ultimately, it was the pyjamas. Nobody, surely, has worn pyjamas on an Olympic stadium track before if not by mistake. But there was the deaf choir of children, in pyjamas, signing God Save the Queen. "It was as if someone had said: "If you get into your jimjams and brush your teeth, you can stay up late to sing for the Queen," said my colleague Tim, who was reduced to tears by that moment in Danny Boyle's opening ceremony. That was part of Boyle's crying-time genius: the human touch, the cultivation of empathy, the cunning manipulation of sentiment that any director worth his salt can deploy without – ideally – making us feel that it's phoney.
And so began an unexpected festival of emotion that, by rights, London 2012 had no right...
- 8/3/2012
- by Stuart Jeffries
- The Guardian - Film News
Danny Boyle described the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics as a 'warm-up' act for the Games. The Oscar winning film director is the man responsible for the incredible transformation of the stadium in Stratford, London where the athletics will take place. He said: 'Tonight's a warm-up act for the Games. That's one of the things you have to keep remembering. 'You big it up for different reasons, and you hear it bigged up or slammed or whatever it is and you've got to keep remembering we're the warm-up act.' The ceremony started with classical music from Edward Elgar, the hymn 'Jerusalem' and 'Danny Boy'. However the song soon shifted to the rock genre. Danny - who brought...
- 7/28/2012
- Monsters and Critics
The cheese-loving inventor has written a concerto for the Proms – without any help from his dog
Without being rude... your creations have a reputation for not always working as planned (1). How can you be sure your Concerto (2) will not end in tears?
Don't worry – me and Gromit will be backstage to keep an eye on things in person. What could possibly go wrong?
A concerto normally specifies which instrument(s) it has been written for. My Concerto in Ee, Lad does not do that. Is this a deliberate attempt to redefine musical form?
I just couldn't decide what to write it for – spoons, paper and comb, kazoo … So in the end I thought I'd just write it for all of them. With the odd cow bell thrown in for good measure.
Is Gromit pissed off you didn't ask him to collaborate with you?
I suspect an element of professional jealousy...
Without being rude... your creations have a reputation for not always working as planned (1). How can you be sure your Concerto (2) will not end in tears?
Don't worry – me and Gromit will be backstage to keep an eye on things in person. What could possibly go wrong?
A concerto normally specifies which instrument(s) it has been written for. My Concerto in Ee, Lad does not do that. Is this a deliberate attempt to redefine musical form?
I just couldn't decide what to write it for – spoons, paper and comb, kazoo … So in the end I thought I'd just write it for all of them. With the odd cow bell thrown in for good measure.
Is Gromit pissed off you didn't ask him to collaborate with you?
I suspect an element of professional jealousy...
- 7/26/2012
- by John Crace
- The Guardian - Film News
Ah, the joys of writing.
Well, not when you’re working on your capstone project, the culmination of the past 18 months, the paper that will lead me to that walk down the aisle in mortarboard and gown to the hallowed, somber notes of Pomp and Circumstance. How did that get to be the graduation processional march anyway? Wait, I’m going to look it up. Tawk amongst yawselves….
This is what Wikipedia says: “The Pomp and Circumstances Marches, Op. 39” are a series of marches for orchestra composed by Sir Edward Elgar. In the United States, the Trio section,” Land of Hope and Glory” of March No. 1 is sometimes known simply as” Pomp and Circumstance” or as “The Graduation March,” and is played as the processional tune at virtually all high school and college graduation ceremonies. It was first played at such a ceremony on 28 June 1905, at Yale University, where Samuel Sanford,...
Well, not when you’re working on your capstone project, the culmination of the past 18 months, the paper that will lead me to that walk down the aisle in mortarboard and gown to the hallowed, somber notes of Pomp and Circumstance. How did that get to be the graduation processional march anyway? Wait, I’m going to look it up. Tawk amongst yawselves….
This is what Wikipedia says: “The Pomp and Circumstances Marches, Op. 39” are a series of marches for orchestra composed by Sir Edward Elgar. In the United States, the Trio section,” Land of Hope and Glory” of March No. 1 is sometimes known simply as” Pomp and Circumstance” or as “The Graduation March,” and is played as the processional tune at virtually all high school and college graduation ceremonies. It was first played at such a ceremony on 28 June 1905, at Yale University, where Samuel Sanford,...
- 5/21/2012
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
Legendary British filmmaker Ken Russell, the notorious director famous for boundary-pushing films such as Women in Love, Altered States and The Devils, has died at 84 following a series of strokes.
For an artist who's been called an iconoclast, a maverick and a genius — one with a professed love for consciousness-altering drugs — Russell (born July 3, 1927) got his start in a fairly conventional manner. Following a stint in the service, Russell worked as a photojournalist to minor acclaim before going to work at the BBC as a director in 1959.
While at the BBC, Russell made a series of historical documentaries, still regarded as impressive for their impressionistic visual technique. This is the beginning of the flamboyant style that became synonymous with the name Ken Russell. Many of these television films focused on renowned composers, including Edward Elgar, Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy. Interestingly, this is subject matter Russell would return to often...
For an artist who's been called an iconoclast, a maverick and a genius — one with a professed love for consciousness-altering drugs — Russell (born July 3, 1927) got his start in a fairly conventional manner. Following a stint in the service, Russell worked as a photojournalist to minor acclaim before going to work at the BBC as a director in 1959.
While at the BBC, Russell made a series of historical documentaries, still regarded as impressive for their impressionistic visual technique. This is the beginning of the flamboyant style that became synonymous with the name Ken Russell. Many of these television films focused on renowned composers, including Edward Elgar, Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy. Interestingly, this is subject matter Russell would return to often...
- 11/28/2011
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
Ken Russell, who has died aged 84, was so often called rude names – the wild man of British cinema, the apostle of excess, the oldest angry young man in the business – that he gave up denying it all quite early in his career. Indeed, he often seemed to court the very publicity that emphasised only the crudest assessment of his work. He gave the impression that he cared not a damn. Those who knew him better, however, knew that he did. Underneath all the showbiz bluster, he was an old softie. Or, perhaps as accurately, a talented boy who never quite grew up.
It has, of course, to be said that he was capable of almost any enormity in the careless rapture he brought to making his films. He could be dreadfully cruel to his undoubted talent,...
It has, of course, to be said that he was capable of almost any enormity in the careless rapture he brought to making his films. He could be dreadfully cruel to his undoubted talent,...
- 11/28/2011
- by Derek Malcolm
- The Guardian - Film News
John Bridcut on Ken Russell, a film-maker who 'resisted the facts getting in the way of his visual imagination'
The wild visual imagination of Ken Russell brought classical music to a whole new audience, and made his name notorious in respectable musical circles. His feature films about composers went straight for the jugular – sometimes almost literally, as in his blood-soaked Mahler. He loved the music, but he also loved the sex. He sold the idea of The Music Lovers on the basis that it was a story about a nymphomaniac who fell in love with a homosexual, and sure enough the film opens in a bedroom, with an unbridled romp between Richard Chamberlain as Tchaikovsky and Christopher Gable as his lover.
His films on Liszt, Debussy, Richard Strauss and Wagner all involved sexual fantasy, to the dismay and outrage of people who took the music rather more seriously. Each one made headlines,...
The wild visual imagination of Ken Russell brought classical music to a whole new audience, and made his name notorious in respectable musical circles. His feature films about composers went straight for the jugular – sometimes almost literally, as in his blood-soaked Mahler. He loved the music, but he also loved the sex. He sold the idea of The Music Lovers on the basis that it was a story about a nymphomaniac who fell in love with a homosexual, and sure enough the film opens in a bedroom, with an unbridled romp between Richard Chamberlain as Tchaikovsky and Christopher Gable as his lover.
His films on Liszt, Debussy, Richard Strauss and Wagner all involved sexual fantasy, to the dismay and outrage of people who took the music rather more seriously. Each one made headlines,...
- 11/28/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
The director Ken Russell has died aged 84. We look back at his most memorable moments, from The Devils to Women in Love
• Ken Russell: films in photographs
After early attempts at carving out a career as a photographer, Russell and his future wife Shirley-Ann began making short films with a fantasy/parable bent – in contrast with the socially engaged spirit of the then influential Free Cinema movement. Peep Show (1956) was a parody of silent cinema, while arguably the most striking of the shorts was Amelia and the Angel, part funded by the BFI, about a girl looking for angel's wings for a school play.
Russell's proficiency got him noticed by the BBC, and he was put to work on the arts documentary strand Monitor. He made a string of TV programmes with increasingly elaborate formats – on everything from pop art to brass bands, culminating with his epic film about Edward Elgar,...
• Ken Russell: films in photographs
After early attempts at carving out a career as a photographer, Russell and his future wife Shirley-Ann began making short films with a fantasy/parable bent – in contrast with the socially engaged spirit of the then influential Free Cinema movement. Peep Show (1956) was a parody of silent cinema, while arguably the most striking of the shorts was Amelia and the Angel, part funded by the BFI, about a girl looking for angel's wings for a school play.
Russell's proficiency got him noticed by the BBC, and he was put to work on the arts documentary strand Monitor. He made a string of TV programmes with increasingly elaborate formats – on everything from pop art to brass bands, culminating with his epic film about Edward Elgar,...
- 11/28/2011
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Everett The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios in 1967.
Celebrations to mark Abbey Road’s 80th anniversary will feature never-before-heard orchestral arrangements of songs by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis and Radiohead among other popular rock and roll names.
The legendary recording venue adopted by the Fab Four and other music heavyweights, turns 80 in November but celebrations are kicking off this weekend in London. In conjunction with American Express, the studios have put together a weekend event entitled Symphony at the Park,...
Celebrations to mark Abbey Road’s 80th anniversary will feature never-before-heard orchestral arrangements of songs by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis and Radiohead among other popular rock and roll names.
The legendary recording venue adopted by the Fab Four and other music heavyweights, turns 80 in November but celebrations are kicking off this weekend in London. In conjunction with American Express, the studios have put together a weekend event entitled Symphony at the Park,...
- 8/18/2011
- by Javier Espinoza
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
London, August 7: Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Madonna all failed to make the top 100 Desert Island Discs playlist chosen by listeners to the show.
The acts, who have more than 150 top 40 hits between them, all missed out on a place on the track list after more than 25,000 people took the chance to select the discs they would want if they were marooned on the fictional island.
The top three choices were Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, Nimrod from Sir Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations and Beethoven's Symphony No 9 in D minor.
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and Pink Floyd's Comfortably.
The acts, who have more than 150 top 40 hits between them, all missed out on a place on the track list after more than 25,000 people took the chance to select the discs they would want if they were marooned on the fictional island.
The top three choices were Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, Nimrod from Sir Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations and Beethoven's Symphony No 9 in D minor.
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and Pink Floyd's Comfortably.
- 8/7/2011
- by Meeta Kabra
- RealBollywood.com
Credit: Dominic/Lipinski/Getty Images Prince William spoke to his bride, Catherine, as she held the hand of her father as the ceremony began.
Speakeasy live-blogged the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The Wall Street Journal had reporters covering the event across London, and monitored reactions in the U.S., India, Australia, and elsewhere.
Among the members of the team: Cassell Bryan-Low and David Enrich outside Westminster Abbey; Paul Sonne and Sara Munoz on the parade route...
Speakeasy live-blogged the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The Wall Street Journal had reporters covering the event across London, and monitored reactions in the U.S., India, Australia, and elsewhere.
Among the members of the team: Cassell Bryan-Low and David Enrich outside Westminster Abbey; Paul Sonne and Sara Munoz on the parade route...
- 4/29/2011
- by WSJ Staff
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Top British orchestral trumpeter with the Lso, he played on the Star Wars films
Maurice Murphy, who has died aged 75, was the leading British orchestral trumpet player of his generation. During the 30 years in which he was principal trumpet with the London Symphony Orchestra (Lso), he defined the sound of the brass section with the clarity, precision and diamond-sharp brilliance of his playing. In the concert hall he was an inspiration and could lift the orchestra with his exhilarating, visceral sound.
Millions more thrilled to the ringing top Cs he played on the soundtracks for the Star Wars films. The blazing sonority of the brass section led by Murphy was the aural equivalent of spinning through space. For the composer of the scores, John Williams, Murphy was a "heraldic spirit" whose instrument articulated "the ideal voice of a hero". After the first Star Wars film, Williams wrote the subsequent scores with Murphy's sound in mind.
Maurice Murphy, who has died aged 75, was the leading British orchestral trumpet player of his generation. During the 30 years in which he was principal trumpet with the London Symphony Orchestra (Lso), he defined the sound of the brass section with the clarity, precision and diamond-sharp brilliance of his playing. In the concert hall he was an inspiration and could lift the orchestra with his exhilarating, visceral sound.
Millions more thrilled to the ringing top Cs he played on the soundtracks for the Star Wars films. The blazing sonority of the brass section led by Murphy was the aural equivalent of spinning through space. For the composer of the scores, John Williams, Murphy was a "heraldic spirit" whose instrument articulated "the ideal voice of a hero". After the first Star Wars film, Williams wrote the subsequent scores with Murphy's sound in mind.
- 11/29/2010
- by Barry Millington
- The Guardian - Film News
Lucy Mangan on the people hitting the headlines in the past seven days
Taking liberties
Tony Blair
Turns out the attorney general warned him that going to war with Iraq would be illegal. Several times. But really – what do lawyers know? He lived with one, he was one – he knows what they're like. Anyway, things change. Not facts or anything but ... things. And eventually Lord Goldsmith came round to his way of thinking – sort of – and popped a more helpful note through the door of No 10 suggesting that what Mr B wanted and had just promised George W would be Ok after all.
And that was surely right. Why else would our Tone have received this week the 2010 Liberty Award (lovely medal, plus 70 grand to stick in the account) in the Us for "significantly furthering the expansion of freedom, self-governance, equality and peaceful coexistence" in the world. Really, it's enough to move you to tears,...
Taking liberties
Tony Blair
Turns out the attorney general warned him that going to war with Iraq would be illegal. Several times. But really – what do lawyers know? He lived with one, he was one – he knows what they're like. Anyway, things change. Not facts or anything but ... things. And eventually Lord Goldsmith came round to his way of thinking – sort of – and popped a more helpful note through the door of No 10 suggesting that what Mr B wanted and had just promised George W would be Ok after all.
And that was surely right. Why else would our Tone have received this week the 2010 Liberty Award (lovely medal, plus 70 grand to stick in the account) in the Us for "significantly furthering the expansion of freedom, self-governance, equality and peaceful coexistence" in the world. Really, it's enough to move you to tears,...
- 7/2/2010
- by Lucy Mangan
- The Guardian - Film News
- With the forthcoming releases of Control and I'm Not There - the folks over at Time Out (London) brought their collective of film and music critics together to chart the top films pertaining to music legend. The Top 50 list manages to make no mention of a recent Hollywood-ized bio-tales of Ray Charles and Johnny Cash (thank you!) and from the chunk of films that I have seen the positioning seems a propos. Todd Haynes' who has his Dylan creation coming out soon tops this list with one of my favorite films from the helmer in Superstar: the Karen Carpenter Story. Personally I would have found space another Da Pennebaker film in Depeche Mode 101 and Grant Gee's Meeting People is Easy - a brilliant Radiohead doc. Here's the top 50 list -1 Superstar: the Karen Carpenter Story (Todd Haynes, 1987)2 Don't Look Back (Da Pennebaker, 1967)3 Gimme Shelter (David Maysles/Albert Maysles/Charlotte Zwerin,
- 10/8/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
Film review:'Fantasia 2000'
In 1940, Walt Disney's "Fantasia" caught the public's imagination in an extraordinary way. The movie was a breathtaking achievement for movie cartoonists, who, despite occasional silliness, displayed a free-form approach to animation in their marriage of music to imagery.
In "Fantasia 2000", Disney animators have done it again. Employing technical tools those pioneering animators could only dream about, today's cartoonists have splashed across the screen bold and beautiful images that pulsate to several musical styles.
Freed from the confinements of traditional storytelling to pursue pure imagery, the animators experiment wildly with styles and color palettes. You can almost feel the artistic exhilaration that went into this 75-minute movie: Whales fly with birds, Donald Duck meets Noah and Al Hirschfeld sketches turn into a teeming cityscape.
Disney can anticipate a huge worldwide audience for this film that should become, as the first movie did, a perennial family entertainment, good for revival or video rentals for decades to come. In some quarters though, anxious viewers will have to wait awhile as Buena Vista launches "Fantasia 2000" in exclusive four-mouth engagements at IMAX theaters around the world beginning Jan. 1. The film will go out in regular 35mm next summer.
The IMAX release is a stroke of genius as the large-screen format brings the viewer into the surreal worlds dreamed up by the animators. The movie encounters a minor problem in the blow-up of the one sequence from the original film, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starring Mickey Mouse. Despite a meticulous restoration process, this episode does not maintain its color resolution when blown up to IMAX's super screen size.
"Fantasia 2000" contains seven new episodes starting with the staccato first movement from Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony". This three-minute selection is the most abstract of the film's sequences, as triangular fragments drift, swirl, form and re-form pastel-colored designs against a world of clouds and waterfalls much like the pieces in a kaleidoscope.
Each of the remaining sequences is introduced by hosts including Steve Martin, Itzhak Perlman, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn & Teller, Angela Lansbury and the film's music conductor James Levine.
Respighi's "Pines of Rome" evokes not Italian forests but, weirdly yet movingly, humpback whales in a sparkling, blue-tinged Nordic wonderland, performing ballets under water and in boreal skies as a lightning storm and squadrons of birds accompany their migration.
George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" borrows from caricaturist Hirschfeld to create a 1930s Manhattan with variations of blue that takes in a hard-hat construction worker, an overworked doorman, the out-of-work Joe, a little girl dragged to ballet and a Harlem jazz club.
Shostakovich's "Piano Concerto No. 2" provides the music for a telling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", an action-filled fairy tale about a one-legged toy soldier's determination to protect a lovely ballerina from an evil jack-in-the-box. Animators use CGI to create a three-dimensional plasticity for the three main characters, who move through a world where shifts in color express the story's emotions.
Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals", arguably the weakest of the new episodes, has the nimble water ballet by a flock of flamingos destroyed by one trouble-maker who sneaks a yo-yo into the "chorus line." Pleasing watercolors convey the battle between the conformity of the flock and the routine-breaking by this rebel.
Excerpts from four of the marches in Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" provide the backdrop for the story of Noah and the Ark with Donald Duck acting as his wildlife wrangler. But this is a new, poignant Donald who believes he has lost his beloved Daisy in the tumult of the creatures' boarding. His sorrow is only relieved when the Ark finally "docks" on Mount Ararat and the two love ducks are reunited.
"Fantasia 2000" saves the best for last. Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite -- 1919 Version" prompts a mythical story of life, death and rebirth in which a life-giving water Sprite, summoned by an elk, inadvertently rouses a flame-belching Firebird lurking within a volcano. The monster lays waste to a wilderness with fire and Molten Lava only for the Sprite's magical touch to reawaken the foliage. The intensity of the powerful images and fiery colors in this sequence is stunning.
Created during nine years in a project championed by Disney vice chairman Roy E. Disney, "Fantasia 2000" firmly re-establishes that studio's leadership in animation at the dawn of the new century.
FANTASIA 2000
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Executive producer Roy E. Disney
Producer Donald W. Ernst
Directors Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy,
Eric Goldberg, James Algar,
Francis Glebas, Gaetan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi
Music conducted by James Levine
Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" conducted by Leopold Stokowski
Supervising animation director Hendel Butoy
Associate producer Lisa C. Cook
Editors Jessica Ambinder Rojas,
Lois Freeman-Fox
Color/stereo
Running time -- 75 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
In "Fantasia 2000", Disney animators have done it again. Employing technical tools those pioneering animators could only dream about, today's cartoonists have splashed across the screen bold and beautiful images that pulsate to several musical styles.
Freed from the confinements of traditional storytelling to pursue pure imagery, the animators experiment wildly with styles and color palettes. You can almost feel the artistic exhilaration that went into this 75-minute movie: Whales fly with birds, Donald Duck meets Noah and Al Hirschfeld sketches turn into a teeming cityscape.
Disney can anticipate a huge worldwide audience for this film that should become, as the first movie did, a perennial family entertainment, good for revival or video rentals for decades to come. In some quarters though, anxious viewers will have to wait awhile as Buena Vista launches "Fantasia 2000" in exclusive four-mouth engagements at IMAX theaters around the world beginning Jan. 1. The film will go out in regular 35mm next summer.
The IMAX release is a stroke of genius as the large-screen format brings the viewer into the surreal worlds dreamed up by the animators. The movie encounters a minor problem in the blow-up of the one sequence from the original film, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starring Mickey Mouse. Despite a meticulous restoration process, this episode does not maintain its color resolution when blown up to IMAX's super screen size.
"Fantasia 2000" contains seven new episodes starting with the staccato first movement from Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony". This three-minute selection is the most abstract of the film's sequences, as triangular fragments drift, swirl, form and re-form pastel-colored designs against a world of clouds and waterfalls much like the pieces in a kaleidoscope.
Each of the remaining sequences is introduced by hosts including Steve Martin, Itzhak Perlman, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn & Teller, Angela Lansbury and the film's music conductor James Levine.
Respighi's "Pines of Rome" evokes not Italian forests but, weirdly yet movingly, humpback whales in a sparkling, blue-tinged Nordic wonderland, performing ballets under water and in boreal skies as a lightning storm and squadrons of birds accompany their migration.
George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" borrows from caricaturist Hirschfeld to create a 1930s Manhattan with variations of blue that takes in a hard-hat construction worker, an overworked doorman, the out-of-work Joe, a little girl dragged to ballet and a Harlem jazz club.
Shostakovich's "Piano Concerto No. 2" provides the music for a telling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", an action-filled fairy tale about a one-legged toy soldier's determination to protect a lovely ballerina from an evil jack-in-the-box. Animators use CGI to create a three-dimensional plasticity for the three main characters, who move through a world where shifts in color express the story's emotions.
Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals", arguably the weakest of the new episodes, has the nimble water ballet by a flock of flamingos destroyed by one trouble-maker who sneaks a yo-yo into the "chorus line." Pleasing watercolors convey the battle between the conformity of the flock and the routine-breaking by this rebel.
Excerpts from four of the marches in Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" provide the backdrop for the story of Noah and the Ark with Donald Duck acting as his wildlife wrangler. But this is a new, poignant Donald who believes he has lost his beloved Daisy in the tumult of the creatures' boarding. His sorrow is only relieved when the Ark finally "docks" on Mount Ararat and the two love ducks are reunited.
"Fantasia 2000" saves the best for last. Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite -- 1919 Version" prompts a mythical story of life, death and rebirth in which a life-giving water Sprite, summoned by an elk, inadvertently rouses a flame-belching Firebird lurking within a volcano. The monster lays waste to a wilderness with fire and Molten Lava only for the Sprite's magical touch to reawaken the foliage. The intensity of the powerful images and fiery colors in this sequence is stunning.
Created during nine years in a project championed by Disney vice chairman Roy E. Disney, "Fantasia 2000" firmly re-establishes that studio's leadership in animation at the dawn of the new century.
FANTASIA 2000
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Executive producer Roy E. Disney
Producer Donald W. Ernst
Directors Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy,
Eric Goldberg, James Algar,
Francis Glebas, Gaetan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi
Music conducted by James Levine
Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" conducted by Leopold Stokowski
Supervising animation director Hendel Butoy
Associate producer Lisa C. Cook
Editors Jessica Ambinder Rojas,
Lois Freeman-Fox
Color/stereo
Running time -- 75 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
- 12/23/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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