Re: Re: What's yours?


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Posted by Richard on July 08, 2001 at 20:07:26:

In Reply to: Re: What's yours? posted by Chuck Jackson on July 08, 2001 at 01:36:48:

Alex North's score for Spartacus (1960) recently reissued on a Criterion special edition DVD with lots of extras. Don't be put off by the 40 years of age of this film. The sound and the pick up on the music stand up very well to current product, and the soundtrack has been remixed for 5.1. Scored for a huge orchestra, the personnel included legendary players. North did not attempt a "phony Roman" idiom, but wrote in a contemporary style which is hard to describe - how about commercial studio band symphonic. It fit perfectly with the blacklisted scriptwriter Dalton Trumbo's hip and unsanctimonious dialogue, and with Stanley Kubrick's icily detailed direction.

In the opening credits, after a minute or so of fanfare material, the principal theme is stated quietly by two tubas and basses. One of the players is Tommy Johnson. Roger Bobo played this film too but not on tuba. Roger spelled off sessions with Charles Bovington on contrabass trombone. This was no cimbasso. This was a very large Conn BBb contrabass slide trombone, very heavy, and provided the right player blowing into it, a huge sounding instrument. Roger was on vacation from Eastman at the time. They knew what he did last summer.

Aside from his generosity to tubas and low brass, North wrote a truly powerful score, and had the sense to score his best music in places where it wouldn't be subsumed in foley or supressed for dialog. Unfortunately the "soundtrack" CD, an exact counterpart of the 40 minute 1960 LP will give you little idea of what's really there. You have to watch the whole film. Much of what North wrote could stand on its own, but it still works best in the context for which he composed it.


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