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nelson-riddle-me-this · 3 years

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Film soundtrack: Camelot

I have not seen this film or listened to the album before, so here are my live thoughts as I listen for the 1st time.

01. "Prelude and Overture"

Something about how this begins - it feels like they cut an intro, it just starts and I feel out of the loop. Also, as is usual with Broadway-film adaptations of this era, the orchestrations are larger and a little bite'ier. Pretty strings. Got that 20th Century Fox string sound - but wait, this is a Warners movie -OOOHO WAIT IT'S Alfred Newman conducting [longtime head of the Fox music dept.] heheh so I *am* right. Pretty ballads - "If Ever I Would Leave You". OOH these strings on "If Ever I Would Leave You" are GORGEOUS. And tail out. Beautiful!

02. "I Wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight?"

Richard Harris is a lot friendlier than Richard Burton was in the role of King Arthur on Broadway - and I'm into it. Also, I dig the brighter tempo here - makes it feel like we are indeed on the eve of a momentous occasion (wedding). Okay I wish they'd play with dyamics more - especially on lines like "he's wishing he were in Scottland fishing tonight" or "he's searching high and low for someplace to hide". Missed opportunities for text-painting.

03. "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood"

I can't help compare Vanessa Redgrave to Julie Andrews. Redgrave doesn't have an unpleasant sound, but she's lacking personality. I dig the 'Bolero'y millitaristic snare drum. Much of the joy in Julie's performance is how she mixes surface-level sweetness, and conniving seduction (think Betty White as 'Sue Ann Nivens' on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW). But Redgrave's performance doesn't seem to be all that thoughtful. Also, not a fan of that ending, it doesn't feel like an ending, "Oh, it's over! That was it?", but perhaps it makes more sense with picture.

04. "Camelot and the Wedding Ceremony"

Nice bassoon. ?harpsichord?? So far this arrangement is the closest to the Broadway. I wish the strings were legato/slurred on "by order Summer lingers through September". Maybe I am too mickey-mouse'y with the text painting I want, but I prefer specificity. I like the pulling back the tempo a bit there. Love these woodwind lines! Oooh love it again, we're pulling the tempo down, dynamics, and slurring. Love it. Build. Build back up! YES! Lovely! OOoh this little Medievel winds passage! And the chorus! Oh those woodwinds are gorgeous. I need to learn more about them - recorders??? At first the singers didn't sound especially English, more American. As I listen more, their pronunciation is pretty English. But perhaps the harmonies are very American - like what you'd hear in a Disney movie or Mancini score of the era - so even sung with appropriate pronunciation they sound American?

05. "C'est Moi"

Frano Nero. Never heard of him. He's fine, but feels like a step-down from Robert Goulet. He lacks that clear strong edge that Goulet has. He's not as commanding. When Goulet praises himself, I buy it. Like he has the confidence and strength to really sell what he's singing. This man isn't selling me. Maybe that's a choice - maybe they want us to see him as a phony who's over-selling himself. But I feel like I still have that with Goulet and it's better because you feel like you're reading beetween the lines a little more - like resisting an extremely good/slick car salesman.

06. "The Lusty Month of May"

Nice opening. Pretty. I love the slower tempo for this - enhances the seductivness. Gorgeous strings. And we accel! Nice! Good ?harpsichord? Now I still don't like her as much as Julie, but Redgrave works better here than in "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood", staightforward lustiness is a little easier. This 3' section is nice, though I wish it were faster - a merry-go-round, but slightly unhinged.

07. "Follow Me and Children's Chorus"

Gorgeous, tinkly. Gorgeous chorus. They're stereo ping-ponging the choirs!!!! It's really effective. Oh and the childrens chorus is so sweet. This is a completely different approach than the OBC, but it works so well. Helps that this is an utterly divine song. Favorite track on the album so far, probably to remain so. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TRACK.

08. "How To Handle A Woman"

Oooh he's upset and we're fast! This works! Even if he's generally warmer than Burton, Harris can still do angry! And pull it back, sweet and intimate. Oooh this whisper'y smolder bit O.o and now we're past the intro. I kind of like Harris better than Burton - his warmth is really an asset for this character. Oh yikes that Merlin line is very sexist :/.

09. "Take Me To The Fair"

The tempo is - not sure if it's even slower, but it's looser, and I don't like that. The precisely on-the-beat phrasing of the OBC (both vocally and instrumentally) communicates that Guenevere has this all planned out, it's an act, it's a trap, she's manipulating these silly men. Oh, the transition from "well, Sir Sagramore" to "you may sit BY me at the ball" is awful - either she just keeps going through it (but in a weird way) or they did a pickup and spliced her in there so she's slightly overlapping. Sorry Alfred Newman, but this is not IT. Who cast Redgrave? Who thought casting a non-singing actress in a role originally played by a remarkably strong actress-singer? I like the little harpsichord section. Worst Redgrave number so far. An insult to the OBC. I promise this is a good song, got listen to the cast album

10. "If Ever I Would Leave You"

Oh, so we're right into it! Nero's lack of boldness as compared to Goulet kind of works here - sweeter and softer for this intimate love song. Lots of this arrangement is just imitative of the vocal - which is nice but can get a little tiresome when it's not really in-the-pocket. Still this man doesn't have the presence that Goulet does. He just doesn't command your attention. Like this string interlude. Different. Flute :) adding ?oboe? under it. Violins. Now violas? I like it. Oh and I think the violins are doing finger tremolos. Great! The new interludes on this album are gorgeous, when the film people really get to go off and do their own thing, it's great. And are we back to the vocal? Yes, this works. Oh these strings are GORGEOUS. I miss the ?timpani? hits of the original, but actually given that Nero is not as powerful a vocalist, letting the strings lead those hits is a good choice.

11. "What Do the Simple Folk Do?"

Oigg Redgrave. Like the harpsichord and very 'royal' woodwinds. And tambourine. Very medieval. Yay, we DO get a whistling section! This is adorable :) I like this. BOOO Vanessa!!! Oh, I like the "their own folk - throne folk" rhyme, don't remember that from the OBC. Oh and Harris can get big and bold too!!! I really love Richard Harris in this. HE HAS THE RANGE. Oh, is that Marni Nixon? Sounds like her. Did you know the film composer Bronislau Kaper gave her her first break? He needed someone to dub ?Virginia O'Brien?'s singing voice for some picture, and looked in vain until some paige at the studio recommended her fellow-paige, Nixon, and the rest is history! I like this ending! Harris really carries this song on his back.

12. "I Loved You Once In Silence"

The guitar is neat, very different from the OBC - though I confess I don't remember this song as much as the others. See this is something Redgrave can do. Her soft kind of weak voice works for something intimate and straightforward like this. Still, I don't like her voice and every once in a while something in her tone feels so amaeturish that it bugs me. Oh dear, only Redgrave and Nero together. :( they just both seem like space-cases. They're not compelling. Perhaps they have screen presence, but they don't have audio presence.

13. "Guenevere"

Oooh love these ?string harmonics?! Eerie. Like this! The studio chorus is great. Some of the strings are too loud - I suspect that's just a mix issue. Oh I love the tambourine on 2 and 4! I love how large this sounds! That ?horn line? kinda steps on the male vocalists there. Oh I really love every spot the tambourine is here, huh! OH YES! BUILD! GLORIOUS!!!! Oh and the bell.... let the bell toll....... yesesssssssssssss........ fade..... Second-favorite track!

14. "Finale Ultimo" [Camelot (Reprise)]

Aww, Dicky Harris is sad :'( but I love the harp here playing the brass/w.w. figures we heard in "Camelot". Nice clarinets. And the guitar. Nice snare rolls. And here's the big finale! Big chorus! Oooh these harmonies have such body. Love hearing them linger. Get soft. BIG AGAIN! BIG DISNEY MOVIE ENDING!!!!!!!!

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Ultimately it's not as tight or well-cast as the original Broadway cast album. Vanessa Redgrave is not a good Guenevere - she lacks the spark, sacharine underhandedness, deliberateness, and vocal chops that Julie Andrews brought to the role; and she doesn't supply anything meaningful in their place. Franco Nero is a watered-down Lancelot and lacks the commanding presence and powerful voice that made Robert Goulet so effective [I did some research and it seems Lancelot's singing voice was dubbed by Gene Merlino]. -2 for them, but +1 for Richard Harris, who brings a warmth to King Arthur that Richard Burton lacks, and yet he is powerful, commanding, even angry when he needs to be. The studio chorus is GORGEOUS and truly one of this album's great strenths. The arrangements/orchestrations are very pretty, though don't always feel as thought-out as the OBC. It's likely a larger orchestra, so I understand that things might not be as tight and you might want to take tempos down for that reason, but it really waters down a few numbers. Ultimately this is an uneven album, the OBC is far better. But at the very least I recommend this version of "Follow Me".

#camelot #camelot 1967 #film score #alfred newman #my apologies for taking so long to respond to this #i really enjoyed listening to this #thank you Zach <3 :D

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marat · 5 years

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Notes on the 1997 Revival of 1776

Or at least the Lincoln Center Recording of it Added Dialogue After the cane fight scene: JA: “Mr. Dickinson, there’s a question I’ve been fairly itching to ask you. Why?” JD: “Why what, Mr. Adams?” JA: “Why are you here, Dickinson? Why have you elected to sit in this congress?” JD: “To serve the people, of course. To do colonial business that cannot wait two or three months for a reply from London. Look, I am the first to admit there are problems with our relationship with the crown, Mr. Adams, problems no sensible man could possibly deny. Problem better solved by our parliament, not England’s. BUT these problems cry out for cooperation, Mr. Adams, not separation. Democracy, yes, but not at the price of independence.”

Before Yours, Yours, Yours: JA: “I miss you and the children. More than words can say. Most times pondering your faces brings me peace, but... not tonight. I’m very lonely, Abigail...” During He Plays the Violin: BF: “Oh John, you can dance!” JA: “Not everyone’s from Philadelphia, Franklin.” Notes on Costuming

Lots of black this time around. John Adams was all in black, Jefferson was dressed in black with a red waistcoat. Both Dickinson and Rutledge looked like they were wearing black but on closer inspection, it was matching deep purple. Richard Henry Lee was in his usual orange overcoat but had a black waistcoat in this production. Wilson was dressed all in green and was a total pretty boy.

The Courier’s clothing was... singed? And he left a trail of smoke wherever he went, causing the members of Congress to cough and fan themselves whenever he went in.

Dickinson had the same hairstyle as movie Adams and he was very slick and kinda scary.

Notes on Choreography Lees of Old Virginia

The one thing that really stood out to me was that, when John was sitting on the bench by himself, Richard climbed onto it, stepping over him, and John’s head got stuck under his coat. But Mr. Adams

For the first bit, they don’t use the feather and Jefferson shoves Sherman into Adams. Then Adams shoves Sherman into a chair. And shoves him back down every time he gets up. Adams hi-fives Livingston when he says he’s having a kid.

He Plays the Violin

John is a lot more awkward and nervous before he dances with her, and it’s really cute. Also like, A+ for the period-accurate dancing. They like, gavotted.

Cool Cool Considerate Men

It’s a lot more... cozy? Than it was in the movie. Dickinson is sitting on a table and all his boys are gathered around him listening to him sing. After they say “Emblazoned on our banner is ‘Keep Cool’” They all just kinda laugh about it. Dickinson actually said things in a sane and lucid manner. On one of the last verses, they’re slamming their canes against the ground at the end of each line. By the end, where they’re all going, ‘We cool...’ over and over again, it’s like a whole couple octaves higher than the OBC or movie. It’s like no one in this cast is a baritone. It’s lovely.

Molasses to Rum

This guy isn’t a baritone either, but he’s constantly wavering between incredibly excited and terrifying. Also, instead of the table, he stands on a chair with one foot on the back of it and I was terrified he was gonna tip over.

Notes on Scenery

The stage was able to spin and the back wall was a half-circle, with the statehouse on the inside and other scenes on the outside. When they changed the dates all the lights would go out except for the one on the calendar, which was a cool idea but towards the end, the audience would clap every time the lights went out because they thought it was over.

Random Things I Noticed

When Hancock calls out to Jefferson to talk about the weather and he isn’t paying attention, Franklin calls out “Tommy!” to try and wake him up.

Adams yells a lot more like, “Not Englishmen Dickinson, AMMERRICAAAANS” and “FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIIIFE WILSOOON TAKE A CHAANCE”

They pronounced McKean “McKane,” which is more historically accurate but it sounded weird.

Thomson was... different. He somehow sounded more like an auctioneer than the OBC one. Like, “GEOrgia. *cough* GEOrgia.”

In the scene where Caesar Rodney Fucking Dies, Dickinson is actually, like, compassionate this time around? He gets him a chair and helps him up and looks genuinely concerned. Refreshing. Jefferson comforts Adams afterward.

Witherspoon just kinda walks in. Stands in silence for like 30 seconds. Then finally says something.

Jefferson is somehow sassier this time around. Much less soft spoken. “Will you be a patriot? Or a lover?” “A Loveeeerrrrrrrrrrrr” and “Oh, someday you simply MUST tell me how you did it!” Also he picks Martha up bridal style and kicks open the doors to his bedroom. Also he has a really thick Southern accent. “The rait tuh be free comes from nachuh.”

Hopkins waves his hat around in the air to volunteer for going to New Brunswick.

Adams has like... a breakdown after the south walks out.

Thomson could like... actually sing in this version. Except he said “Mr. James Dickinson.” You win some you lose some.

They brought back Richard Henry Lee for the vote.

Dickinson holds Wilson while Wilson tells him he’s voting yea.

After delivering his last dispatch the courier just takes off his hat and stands in the center of the room and stares at them all in silence for a while.

They actually had all the major characters sign, including Richard Henry Lee and James Wilson.

All in all, it was super good. I actually kinda liked this Dickinson more than the movie Dickinson. Everyone was sort of... effeminate? And it was really great. 10/10

#1776 #1776 musical #1776 revival #long post

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