TRACK LISTING
SIDE ONE
1. TONIGHT
(From West Side Story)
2. TARA'S THEME
(From Gone With The Wind)
3. SOMEWHERE MY LOVE
(From Dr. Zhivago)
4. A SUMMER PLACE
5. THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE
(From The Sandpiper)
6. LA RONDE
SIDE TWO
1. A TIME FOR US
(From Romeo And Juliet)
2. STARS SHINE IN YOUR EYES
(From La Strada)
3. AS TIME GOES BY
(From Casablanca)
4. I WILL WAIT FOR YOU
(From Umbrellas Of Cherbourg)
5. A MAN AND A WOMAN
6. WHERE DO I BEGIN
(From Love Story)
P1971
Produced by Norman Newell
Certain
theories exist as to the actual purpose behind the introduction of music on the
film soundtrack. In the days of the silent picture, musical accompaniment was
the accepted device of atmospheric addition to the visual entertainment and also
served as a shield for assorted 'noises-off' within. the theatre. Came the sound
film and alongside its growing sophistication was the advent of the music score.
Producers were to learn of the commercial advantage of having a popular theme in
a picture and most of the melodies in this collection, having been written for
dramatic subjects, are excellent examples of how this can and has worked.
The
'grand old man' of the movie composers' world is Max Steiner whose legendary
work over the years has earned him an unprecedented reputation and respect
throughout the industry. His magnificent Tara's Theme from Gone With
the Wind vividly recalls the Rhett Butler story set in the Deep South which
captured an eager world's attention back in 1939. Also represented here is one
of Steiner's later scores, A Summer Place (1960).
The
younger breed of Hollywood writers included Johnny Mandel who worked recently on
M.A.S.H., but we include his The Shadow Of Your Smile which gently swept
through the Richard Burton - Elizabeth Taylor movie The Sandpiper in
1965.
From
the continent, some outstanding new composers have emerged over the last few
years and in the midst of them is that very talented Italian, Nino Rota; judge
here. his 1954 composition for La Strada against his haunting melody A
Three
writers represent the cream of France. The ultra-successful Francis Lai whose
work with Claude LeLouch (particularly A Man and a Woman in 1966) was
prior to the Oscar-winning Love Story music. Michael Legrand also works
extensively and successfully for the screen and this album contains his theme
for La Ronde (1964) plus I Will Wait For You from the
all-too-little-seen musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
Then
comes Maurice Jarre whose stirring themes have enriched both Lawrence of
Arabia and Ryan's Daughter as well as Dr. Zhivago highlighted
here by the theme which we know as Somewhere My Love (Lara's Theme).
And
so we come to one of the most memorable modern musicals, West Side Story
which brought together the music of Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics of Stephen
Sondheim. Tonight is just one of a whole host of songs that have combined
to make this a classic show and film.
Our
last tune has a particularly interesting cinematic history. In the 1942
release, Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart is haunted by a song that recalls
his affair with Ingrid Berman in a war-ridden Paris; the song which Miss Bergman
asks Sam to play again is of course, As Time Goes By and is the perfect
illustration of a. theme song used to its fullest advantage..
Here
then is a collection of love themes, originally written to enhance and capture
romantic scenes in motion pictures and here presented as a memory of some
classic movie moments and a representation of the screen at its sentimental
best.
ALAN WARNER