WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 10/31/2019
 

I've always loved movies about werewolves (not today's hulking CGI beasts but good old-fashioned "actors in monster makeup" ones).  So it's a special treat to discover this vintage Italian thriller WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY, aka "Lycanthropus" (1961) which, up till now, I've known only via tantalizing pics in monster magazines and books. 

For a first-time viewer who's also a longtime Monster Kid, this modestly budgeted but exquisitely photographed (in luscious black and white) horror tale is something to savor, especially thanks to Severin Films' new 2-disc Blu-ray release (including a bonus CD of the musical score) which is, in their words, "newly scanned in 2k from archival elements recently discovered in a Rome lab vault."

Most of the exteriors and interiors are shot in an actual Italian mansion surrounded by stone walls, deep within a dark forest.  This adds greatly to the film's production values and atmosphere, yet doesn't detract from its charm as a modest and at times slightly hokey thriller that's nonetheless sober and intelligent enough to easily transcend the "so bad it's good" label.

The story takes place in an upper-class reform school for troubled girls, where headmaster Mr. Swift (Curt Lowens) maintains order while the school's lecherous benefactor Sir Alfred Whiteman (Maurice Marsac) pays certain students to have sex with him. Creepy groundskeeper Walter (Luciano Pigozzi of CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD as "Alan Collins") acts as his procurer.

This not only prompts a jealous Mrs. Whiteman (Annie Steinert) to take drastic measures but also opens up her husband to blackmail by a saucy young blonde (Mary McNeeran) with incriminating letters.

When the blonde is found mauled to death in the forest, suspicion wavers between vicious wolves known to roam the vicinity and a new addition to the staff, handsome Dr. Julian Olcott (Carl Schell, THE BLUE MAX), whose outwardly benign demeanor hides a shady past.

The dead girl's plucky friend Priscilla (Barbara Lass) puts her life on the line to investigate, forming an uneasy alliance with Dr. Olcott while risking a nocturnal foray or two into the forest where the carnage occurred. 

This results in some tautly suspenseful encounters with the ferocious fiend, plus a few of the more menacing human characters inhabiting the reformatory.  There's also a laboratory scene where experiments in lycanthropy management yield unfortunate results.

The fact that we aren't told who the werewolf is until near the end (unlike your usual lycanthrope tale where we know from the start) makes this a nifty whodunnit as well as a classically cool werewolf tale in which the title character is featured to very good advantage.  This uncut version includes mild gore and brief semi-nudity you probably didn't see if you caught it on TV as a kid.

The wolf man's makeup is less hairy than usual but is well-designed and looks delightfully feral, with some very effective closeups.  In fact, this fanged terror easily joins the hallowed ranks of my favorite werewolves.

Performances are fine and the film is neatly directed by Paolo Heusch (THE DAY THE SKY EXPLODED), who fashions screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi's brisk, straightforward story into a low-key but involving tour through the same sort of territory Dario Argento would explore years later with much more artistic intent. 

For me, finally getting to see WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY--especially such a lovely print as this--is a distinct pleasure that really satisfies my sweet tooth for classic old-school horror in a lycanthropic vein.  I'm happy to add it to my rotation of fun Monster Kid gems to revisit whenever the morbid mood strikes.


Buy it at Severin Films

Special Features:
   
    Commentary Track with David Del Valle and star Curt Lowens
    Bad Moon Rising: Interview with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
    Alternate Opening
    Italian Trailer
    US Trailer
    English Dub and Original Italian Soundtracks
    BONUS: CD Soundtrack and Special Booklet (w/rare photo-comic)

WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

AENIGMA -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 6/25/20


They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but it also has no fury like a woman who suffers the humiliation of a cruel college prank and then, while fleeing from her jeering tormenters, gets hit by a truck and ends up in a coma from which she uses her psychic powers to possess the body of a newly-enrolled student and exact bloody revenge upon everyone who put her there.

Which, incidentally, is the plot of Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci's murderous melodrama AENIGMA (1987, Severin Films). Inspired by such films as CARRIE, PATRICK, and Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA, this lively entry gets all of that plot set-up out of the way in the first ten minutes and then gets right down to the good stuff.

Milijana Zirojevic as the put-upon "Kathy" spends the rest of the film in a hospital bed hooked up to a jumble of wires and looking the worse for wear, while her pretty surrogate, Eva (Lara Naszinski), moves into the girls' dorm (a nice SUSPIRIA-like interior location) and wastes no time linking up with her erstwhile tormentors for one juicy episode of bloody payback after another.

These include some pretty imaginative touches, such as a museum statue coming to life and giving one of the girls a cold reception. There's also what may be the only known instance of what can only be described as "death by snails" in horror film history.

The "headless Tom" sequence is another highlight, in which one of the girls pulls back her bed covers to find her boyfriend sans noggin, then runs screaming from room to room just to encounter the same sight over and over again.

Needless to say, the comatose Kathy--no longer flatlining now that her brain waves have something fun to do--has all the power of the supernatural at her disposal in exacting these imaginative revenge scenarios. 

This gives director Fulci a free hand to indulge in whatever way-out visuals (including some pleasantly outlandish gore) that strike his artistic fancy.

The story starts to get even more interesting when neurologist Dr. Robert Anderson (Jared Martin, a prolific actor whose face you'll probably recognize) is called in to deal with poor Eva's sudden fits of violent hysteria brought on by Kathy's mental control.

A sudden romance forms between the two, one whose inevitable complications (including a jealousy-fueled love triangle) form the basis for the film's lively finale. 

Performances are good--well, good enough, anyway--and Fulci (who does a cameo as a police inspector) gets the job done with his usual workmanlike skill, infectious enthusiasm for the genre, and occasional displays of style.

The 2-disc Blu-ray from Severin Films (with slipcover) contains a CD of the robust soundtrack music by Carlo Maria Cordio. The film itself was scanned in 4K from the original negative for the first time in America. Dialogue is in both Italian and English 2.0 mono, with English subtitles.

Bonus features include an audio commentary with Troy Howarth, author of "Splintered Visions--Lucio Fulci and His Films", and Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson; an interview with screenwriter Giorgio Mariuzzo; the featurette "Italian Aenigma--Appraising Late Day Fulci"; trailers; and the film's Italian main titles.

While it could be described as derivative, I found AENIGMA's deftly-handled blend of familiar elements from earlier films to be quite enjoyable for that very reason.  It's your standard "bloody revenge in a girls' school" tale, Italian-horror style, and with Lucio Fulci at the helm it just can't help being a lot of fun to watch.


2-Disc Blu-ray Featuring CD Soundtrack and Limited Edition Slipcover
Limited to 1500 copies

AENIGMA -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

BEYOND THE DARKNESS -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 7/29/17

 

I love to watch movies while I'm eating. Some movies, however, really--and I mean really--don't lend themselves to mealtime viewing.  Joe D'Amato's BEYOND THE DARKNESS, aka "Buio Omega" (1979, Severin Films) is one of them.  Hoo boy, is it ever.

Generally speaking, it's your basic Italian 70s-era Grand Guignol potboiler dripping with that old-country Goth flavor and a sort of lurid, rough-hewn visual flair characteristic of much of Italian cinema. 

But it's the particulars in this case that really drive the film into gut-punch territory.  When D'Amato (THE ALCOVE, EMMANUELLE AND THE WHITE SLAVE TRADE) wants to shock or gross us out, he delivers with some strong, graphic gore and cringe-inducing perversion that'll most likely set your nerves on edge and your stomach on "queasy."

It all starts when otherwise handsome and normal-looking young Frank (Kieran Canter, THE LONELY LADY) loses his beloved wife Anna (Cinzia Monreale, THE STENDHAL SYNDROME, THE BEYOND).  Unable to bear the loss, he steals her body from its grave and, using his skills as a taxidermist, preserves it in his basement laboratory so that he may, err..."consort" with her as before. 

In this he's helped by faithful family servant Iris (Franca Stoppi, THE OTHER HELL), who has an unhealthy relationship with Frank that's sexual, yet weirdly maternal.  Having Anna offed by a voodoo priestess was just step one in Iris' plot to become the mistress of the manor--and now, she has a vested interest in not only helping Frank preserve his dead wife's body (for the moment, anyway) but also in covering up the murders of young women that he just can't seem to resist having sex with in the bed next to Anna's corpse.

This latter activity is where BEYOND THE DARKNESS is indeed at its darkest, as D'Amato indulges in some classic body disposal that includes meat-cleaver dismemberment and then the old acid bath.  (Cremation comes later as well.)  Entrails, eyeballs, and all matter of offal are on the menu, especially when Frank gets a bit peckish during passion.  But even he has to hurl at the sight of Iris gobbling down a post-body-disposal platter of disgusting food in a scene that's the polar opposite of the erotic meal in TOM JONES.

Making these scenes even harder to stomach are several close shots that could pass as footage from an actual autopsy.  Indeed, they're often thought by fans to be just that, although D'Amato himself reveals that animal entrails and pig skins were used.

At any rate, the film continues along its morbidly merry way until a predictable plot twist sets up the very lively, very splattery finale.  A final heart-stopping shock right at the fadeout is particularly satisfying.  

(And speaking of hearts, we just know the director is pulling our legs when Frank, having removed Anna's heart while "processing" her, lovingly kisses and then lustily bites into it, causing the severed arteries to squirt blood.  Now that's some really dark humor, folks.)

Kieran Canter is a pretty one-note actor as Frank, but it's just the right note and he plays it with conviction.  Franca Stoppi, on the other hand, gives a bravura performance as a woman who's a monster, in the words of Ed Wood, to be both pitied and despised.  Also performing at their peak are The Goblins, who contribute their usual excellent musical score.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films features both English and Italian (with English subtitles) 2.0 soundtracks.  A generous Severin bonus menu includes a documentary-length interview with D'Amato that's augmented by comments from friends and coworkers and packed with film clips.  There are also interviews with Franca Stoppi and Cinzia Monreale, as well as a live Goblin performance from 2016 of the main title track, a "Locations Revisited" short, and the film's trailer.  Best of all, the first 2500 units will contain the entire Goblins soundtrack on its own CD disc. 

"Shock is an ideal way to involve the audience in the film," Joe D'Amato declares during his interview footage. "And cannibalism is definitely pretty shocking."  As is much of what he dishes out in BEYOND THE DARKNESS, for horror fans who like to gorge themselves on the grotesque.

Buy it from Severin Films

BEYOND THE DARKNESS -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

ALL THE COLORS OF GIALLO -- Blu-ray/DVD/CD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 1/31/19

 

A primer, a history, and a celebration of giallo all rolled into one 3-disc set, Severin Films' ALL THE COLORS OF GIALLO pretty much covers all the bases for new fans wanting to learn more and old ones who just want to revel in it all.

As the publicity states, "‘Giallo’ is Italian for ‘yellow’, the color of the lurid pulp novels that inspired one of the most intense, extreme and influential genres in movie history."

The genesis of all this is the krimi, or German crime novel, which contains elements (shadowy settings, shocking murders, mysterious phantom killers, police procedurals) that would later be adopted by Italian filmmakers but jacked up to new levels of violence and lavish indulgences in cinematic style for its own sake.

Disc One (Blu-ray) starts off with a feature-length documentary by Federico Caddeo entitled "All the Colors of Giallo", an exhaustive history of the genre that takes us from the beginnings of the German krimi books and films, and in particular the works of Edgar Wallace, all the way through the evolution of the giallo thrillers by such directors as Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, and Dario Argento.

Several of giallo's main figures are interviewed including Fulci and Argento themselves, along with familiar screen talents such as Barbara Bouchet and Susan Scott.

"The Giallo Frames" offers even more on the subject, giving us an in-depth interview with John Martin, editor of "The Giallo Pages." 

But best of all (for me, anyway) is a full four-hour collection of giallo trailers that run the gamut of the entire genre and are accompanied by a commentary track from Kat Ellinger, author of "All the Colors of Sergio Martino."

Kat showed her depth of knowledge on the subject during her commentary for Martino's film "All the Colors of the Dark", but here she is a veritable gold mine of information and unbridled enthusiasm on each and every trailer that we see, keeping a running commentary that never fails to entertain.  Thus, the trailer collection becomes a four-hour documentary unto itself, and perhaps the highlight of the entire collection.

Disc two (DVD) delves deeper into the subject of the krimi, with the informative documentaries  "The Case Of The Krimi" and "The Case Of The Krimi: Interview With Film Historian Marcus Stiglegger."

Then we get yet another hour-and-a-half of trailers, this time mostly in beautiful, atmospheric black-and-white (with very nice picture quality as well) before turning to color for the later ones.

Klaus Kinski fans will be pleased to find that he appears in practically all of these krimi trailers, which are a lively bunch of clips providing much entertainment and amusement.

Disc three is a CD entitled "The Strange Sounds of the Bloodstained Films", containing twenty giallo soundtrack selections from such composers as Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani, Bruno Nicolai, Stelvio Cipriani, and others.  It's great stuff, whether you have it on in the background or don your headphones for an intensive listening session.

Experienced giallo fans will enjoy reliving old favorites with this collection of documentaries, interviews, and trailers, and those just getting into such lively, lurid, and lavishly cinematic fare may find their curiosity stoked into an insatiable desire.


Buy it from Severin Films

Special Features:
DISC 1 – Blu-ray
All the Colors of Giallo: A New Feature Length Documentary By Federico Caddeo
The Giallo Frames: Interview With John Martin, Editor Of The Giallo Pages
Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of All The Colors Of Sergio Martino

DISC 2 – DVD: The Case of the Krimi
Kriminal!: Trailer Compilation
The Case Of The Krimi: Interview With Film Historian Marcus Stiglegger

DISC 3 – CD
The Strange Sounds Of The Bloodstained Films: Compiled By Alfonso Carillo of Rendezvous! From The Archives Of Beat Records. Remastered By Claudio Fuiano.

ALL THE COLORS OF GIALLO -- Blu-ray/DVD/CD Review by Porfle

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE -- CD reviews by porfle

 

(Previously posted at time of CD's original release)

 

Among the outstanding film scores of master composer John Williams are his invaluable contributions to the Indiana Jones series. As director Steven Spielberg once said, "Sure, the whip, the hat, the jacket are part of the Indiana Jones iconography. But what really gives Indy his heart and spirit is John Williams' music."

Serving as highly convincing evidence of this comes three new CDs from Concord Records which contain the scores for RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, and INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. All are fully-remastered and augmented by previously-unreleased material, and each comes with an illustrated booklet with liner notes by Spielberg. Today I had the pleasure of listening to these CDs and would like to share my impressions of them with you.

The first thing I noticed is that, unlike many soundtrack recordings, these tracks are in the proper sequence as they appear in the movie. This is good because it helps the listener to better relive the movie in his or her mind while listening. The score for RAIDERS begins with that exotic, foreboding melody that accompanies the Paramount logo and our first view of the mysterious whip-wielding man in the fedora as he and his guide trudge through the jungle. The first four pieces--"In the Jungle", "The Idol Temple", "Escape From the Temple", and "Flight From Peru"--allow us to experience that entire opening sequence of the film in our minds. The rest of the score similarly serves as the backdrop to our own mental journey through the familiar story.

Most of this probably wouldn't appeal a whole lot to people who haven't seen the movies, because much of the music is very scene-specific, and is, in fact, almost what you might call "Mickey Mousing" (an often derogatory term used to describe music that parallels a film's action too closely). But John Williams is so good that even when he does this (as the never-sit-still nature of these movies often requires) it's still fully realized music that is exciting and intriguing to listen to.

"The Map Room: Dawn" builds dramatically to that breathtaking moment in which Indy pinpoints the location of the Ark. The sequence inside the Well of Souls and Indy's punishing fistfight on the flying wing are fast-moving tracks filled with musical variety. The longer, more cohesive pieces, such as the playful "Basket Game" or the robust "Desert Chase", are as stirring in their own right as an overture or a movement in a symphony and provide lengthy intervals of listening pleasure punctuated by moments of sheer grandeur.

While it's impossible for most of us to know exactly what images each passage of music is describing, there are those particular moments that stand out--the beam of light passing through Indy's staff and striking the map, Indy marching his horse down the mountain with grim determination in order to overtake the truck convoy, and the grand finale in which the terrifying power of the Ark is unleashed. These are the musical touchstones that bring our memories of the film to life and make the overall listening experience all the more rewarding.

This score never gets dull because it's just as kinetic and ever-changing as the movie's action. Williams uses the entire orchestra beautifully. Marion's theme is as romantic and exotic as ever, while the haunting "Ark" theme never ceases to elicit chills and evoke a strong feeling of ancient mysticism. And of course, Indy's theme ("Raiders March"), which we finally get to hear in all its glory at the end, is one of the most joyfully celebratory themes ever written for a movie character.

TEMPLE OF DOOM, as you might expect, begins on an entirely different note with a jaunty, Asian-flavored shuffle through Cole Porter's "Anything Goes", followed by a slow tension-building piece called "Indy Negotiates." Then it's off on another multi-track journey through non-stop action with "The Nightclub Brawl", "Fast Streets of Shanghai", "Map/Out of Fuel", and "Slalom on Mt. Humol", all frantic hyperkineticism filled with the familiar Williams touches, including frequent dashes of Indy's theme.

Then Short Round gets his own heroic theme worthy of an Arthurian knight, after which our journey toward the Temple of Doom begins. Again, much of the music is very scene-specific, but this time it often has a lush, orchestral openness that seems to describe vast panoramas of musical adventure ("The Scroll/To Pankot Palace"), with the occasional detour into romantic lyricism and frivolity ("Nocturnal Activities").

At this point the movie is off and running again, and so is Williams as he gives his orchestra quite a workout. The extended sequence inside the temple itself yields a number of exciting and often downright dissonant tracks ("Children in Chains", "The Temple of Doom", "Short Round Escapes", "Saving Willie") filled with pounding drums and the occasional chanting vocal chorus. In "Short Round Helps", Indy's theme bursts through the darkness for a welcome return, but is quickly pulled back into the maelstrom again. If you don't know quite what's going on in the story at any given time, just imagine Indy, Short Round, and Willie in big trouble and that really creepy bad guy and his minions trying to kill them, and the music will do the rest.

What I was waiting for mainly was "The Mine Car Chase." That's what I remember most about this movie, and the score here, as expected, is a mad dash of intensity that doesn't let up for a moment. (I can imagine the musicians all falling out of their chairs after the last note.) "Water", "Sword Trick", and "The Broken Bridge/British Relief" bring the action to a climax in similar style, finally giving way to the triumphant fadeout and another stirring end credits rendition of the "Raiders March", this time sprinkled with various TEMPLE OF DOOM-related themes. Overall, it's a difficult, almost exhausting score to listen to--the most nightmarish of Indy's adventures--but I found the experience rather invigorating and cathartic.

LAST CRUSADE has my favorite opening of all--a near 12-minute piece called "Indy's Very First Adventure" which starts out in a slow but inviting manner, builds ever so gradually, and finally blossoms into an exciting, delightfully humorous, and fairly self-contained composition that moves briskly and ends with a fanfare version of Indy's theme. I can see Williams conducting this at some formal event, like maybe the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Piggly Wiggly or something.

There must not have been much music for awhile after that, because we skip directly to "The Boat Scene", "X Marks the Spot", and "Ah, Rats!!!" (if you've seen the movie you'll no doubt recall those particular scenes) which continue the uncommonly lush orchestration of the opening piece. This sound will continue throughout the entire score, making it perhaps the most genuinely listenable of the three. There's a richness to the orchestrations and an abundance of melody that are almost intoxicating, at times given a religious-epic tone by the stately "Grail" theme which appears intermittently, and a noticeable lack of the harsh dissonance found throughout TEMPLE OF DOOM.

The score continues in this vein as Indy and his dad make their way into Austria and battle the Nazis. I have no idea just what's going on throughout much of this, but there's a lot of tension-building stuff mixed with passages of pure romanticism and the occasional action stings, all of which are a distinct pleasure to listen to. "Scherzo For Motorcycle and Orchestra" is especially invigorating and enjoyable, and is a great example of how much fun Williams seems to be having with this entire score.

"On the Tank" and "Belly of the Steel Beast" are just what they sound like--it's the action centerpiece of the film and the music drives it forward like a powerful engine. It's like classical music that's been working out at Gold's Gym every day for a few years. Then we proceed into "The Canyon of the Crescent Moon" to meet "The Keeper of the Grail", wherein the music takes on a solemn yet richly substantive elegance (with that "Grail" theme finally kicking in full-force) until the rip-roaring "Finale & End Credits." This reprise of the "Raiders March" and its recap of various themes from the film seems more joyous and triumphant than ever.

After a while I stopped keeping up with the track titles and just let the music carry me along. Even the most scene-specific passages seem to flow as though the composer were simply writing the grandest music he could think of for his own amusement, and it's never less than effortlessly entertaining on its own. I think Williams really improved a lot in the years between the first Indy film and this one--if it weren't for the sentimental attachment I have to RAIDERS and the feelings its music evokes in me, this score would easily be my favorite of the three. Maybe it is anyway.

I'll definitely be keeping these three Indiana Jones CDs handy for frequent background listening. Each has its own feel and its own strengths, perfect for whatever mood I may happen to be in at the time, and each is a splendid example of motion picture scoring at its absolute finest.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE -- CD reviews by porfle

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK -- Blu-ray/CD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 1/27/19

 

I'm not all that familiar with the Italian "Giallo" genre (save for some Dario Argento classics such as TENEBRE) which consists of warped, horror-tinged murder stories with lots of bloody violence and other lurid elements. 

So it's always nice to catch a really good one like the Italian/Spanish co-production ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, aka "Tutti i colori del buio" (Severin Films, 1972) from Sergio Martino, the director who also gave us TORSO, SLAVE OF THE CANNIBAL GOD, and SCREAMERS.

This one is nowhere near as formally-shot and polished-looking as the usual Argento effort, but Martino has a loose, imaginative style that fits the "anything goes" nature of the material, as well as a talent for staging suspense scenes in interesting ways. 

Our heroine, Jane (cult star Edwige Fenech), has been plagued by horrible nightmares ever since the traumatic loss of her unborn baby following a car crash.  Her lover, Richard (George Hilton), is devoted but unable to help, especially since his job keeps him away for days at a time. 

Jane's sister Barbara (Susan Scott) advises her to visit Dr. Burton, the seemingly kindly psychiatrist she works for.  But Jane finds more solace with a new friend, Mary (Marina Malfatti), a mysterious woman who inducts her into a black magic cult filled with arcane rituals that take place in a creepy old castle in the country.

While the mentally and emotionally frazzled Jane may be a bit slow on the uptake, we can tell right away that being forced to drink fresh dog blood and then getting gang-banged by a bunch of stabby, whacked-out weirdos in a cult from which there is no escape probably isn't going to help her as much as a few quiet sessions with Dr. Burton.  Especially since one of the cult members is a creepy trench-coated stalker with neon blue eyes (Ivan Rassimov) who keeps following her everywhere and trying to kill her.

We're never quite sure if we're seeing something real or just one of Jane's waking nightmares, but this lively film keeps us on our toes by constantly alternating the talkier scenes with sudden bursts of action and sometimes shocking violence. 

Much of the suspense is effectively staged around the creaky, open elevator and winding staircase in Jane's shadowy apartment building, and there's a terrific sequence inside Dr. Burton's country estate where Jane discovers a grisly scene involving the elderly caretakers who've been charged with watching over her.

I noticed a few similarities here and there with ROSEMARY'S BABY, which had me suspecting Jane's lover Richard, her sister Barbara, her friend Mary, her shrink Dr. Burton--oh heck, practically everybody--of secretly being part of the cult and their sinister plans for Jane.  Director Martino does like to keep us guessing, all the way up to a nifty fake-out ending in which fantasy and reality clash with deadly results.

The 2-disc Blu-ray from Severin Films is widescreen 1080p full HD resolution with a new 4k scan from the original negative.  Audio is 2.0 English and Italian with English subtitles.  Bonus features include a very learned and thoughtful commentary with Kat Ellinger (author of "All the Colors of Sergio Martino"), interviews with Sergio Martino, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, actor George Hilton & horror expert Antonio Tentori, trailers, and the unrestored alternate US cut of the film entitled "They're Coming to Get You." Also included is a CD of the film's musical score by Bruno Nicolai.

With a fine cast (Edwige Fenech fans will be extra happy), great use of scenic London locations, and a scintillating story full of colorful characters and sinister goings-on, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is pure nerve-wracking fun all the way.




Special Features:
They’re Coming To Get You: Alternate US Cut (88 mins.)
Color My Nightmare: Interview with Director Sergio Martino
Last Of The Mohicans: Interview with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
Giallo is the Color: Interviews with Actor George Hilton & Italian Horror Expert Antonio Tentori
Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of All The Colors of Sergio Martino
Trailers
BONUS Disc: CD Soundtrack 

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK -- Blu-ray/CD Review by Porfle

ZOMBIE 3 -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 5/19/18

 

Gory, lurid, and just plain nuts, Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE 3 (Severin Films, 1988) sails over the top from the very first scene and just keeps on going. 

It's definitely not part of the George Romero universe.  Created by accident during a lab experiment to reanimate the dead, these zombies are some of the most groteseque, malicious, and aggressively hostile undead fiends to ever come leaping out of the bushes at you.

As expected, the makeup and gore effects are crude--obvious rubber masks and such--but are so wonderfully extreme that they're effective and fun nonetheless.  Lots of bladder effects are used to good advantage in the facial makeups, with plenty of graphic gore and severed limbs to go around.

The action is confined to a tropical resort island that just happens to have a top-secret military base where the disastrous experiment takes place.  After that, the good-guy scientists struggle to come up with an antidote to the highly-contagious zombie virus while the bad-guy military brass decide to just kill off everyone in the infected area, locals and tourists alike.

This includes a bevy of fun girls and their boyfriends in an RV, a young couple tooling around in their convertible, and three rowdy soldiers on leave, looking for a good time. 

Their trouble really starts when all are attacked by swarms of infected, virus-carrying birds, after which the injured must be protected by the others against growing hordes of horrific zombies intent on turning them all into pulled pork.

The rest of the film is a series of lively setpieces as various protagonists endure harrowing undead encounters which several of them won't survive.  Not only that, but they also must contend with military hit squads in hazmat suits who are machine-gunning anything that moves (which is where our three vacationing soldiers come in handy).

Direction and camerawork are pretty artless as usual, which is part of the film's charm.  ZOMBIE 3 was begun by Italian schlockmeister Lucio Fulci (ZOMBIE, DOOR INTO SILENCE, THE DEVIL'S HONEY) but actually completed by fellow filmmakers Bruno Mattei (ZOMBIES: THE BEGINNING, ISLAND OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE JAIL: THE WOMEN'S HELL, VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON) and Claudio Fragasso (ZOMBIE 4, TROLL 2).

As a result, ZOMBIE 3 is a frenetic conglomeration of so-bad-it's-good fun in which the subpar acting and dialogue, goofy characters, and hokey effects only add to its perverse appeal.  It's a non-stop zombie blowout that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy.



Release date: May 28, 2018

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Bonus Disc: CD Soundtrack (pictured below)
The Last Zombies – Interview With Co-Director/Co-Writer Claudio Fragasso and Co-Writer Rossella Drudi
Tough Guys – Interview with Actors/Stuntmen Massimo Vanni and Ottaviano Dell’Acqua
The Problem Solver – Interview with Replacement Director Bruno Mattei
Swimming with Zombies – Interview with Actress Marina Loi
In the Zombie Factory – Interview with FX Artist Franco Di Girolamo
Audio Commentary With Stars Deran Sarafian and Beatrice Ring
Trailer

ZOMBIE 3 -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

AVAILABLE NOW - Listen to the Carter Burwell Soundtrack from Joel Coen's "THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH"

 

"THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH"

SOUNDTRACK FROM THE APPLE ORIGINAL FILM

WITH MUSIC BY CARTER BURWELL

AVAILABLE NOW FROM MILAN RECORDS 

AVAILABLE NOW IN SELECT THEATERS, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH PREMIERES GLOBALLY ON APPLE TV+ TODAY, JANUARY 14



NEW YORK, NY – Milan Records announces the release of THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH (SOUNDTRACK FROM THE APPLE ORIGINAL FILM) by award-winning composer CARTER BURWELL. Available everywhere now, the album features music written by Burwell for the Apple Original Film based on the play by William Shakespeare, written for the screen and directed by Joel Coen. The film is the latest in a career-spanning partnership between Burwell and Coen, whose prolific partnership dates back to 1984 and has gone on to include almost every film from the four-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker including Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, True Grit and more.

 WATCH THE TRAILER:

Speaking of his approach to the score, composer CARTER BURWELL says, “Among the ways one might play Macbeth musically are to let the witches run the show, or make Lady Macbeth a bully, or play Macbeth as a blood-thirsty madman. I did none of these in The Tragedy of Macbeth. The way Joel Coen adapted the play, and the way the actors played it, the Macbeths are human and supportive of each other. Loving even. And culpable. But the music also plays the film as a thriller. A murder sets a mechanism in motion that will unwind with greater pace and greater stakes until the end.”

The soundtrack finds Burwell weaving string-heavy instrumentation with onscreen dialogues performed throughout the film, with vocal contributions by Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand and more featuring on nearly half of the album’s 13 tracks. Burwell’s orchestra of strings further showcase the melodic quality of the Shakespearean dialogue, of which the composer says:

“In any adaptation of Shakespeare, the language is the featured player, and Joel and I often discussed how much or little the music should play during the great monologues. We arrived at the maxim that, in these scenes, the dialogue was the melody and the score its accompaniment. With this in mind I tried to write around and below the words, placing much of the score in the lowest registers – cellos and basses – where it wouldn’t fight the speech. This also accentuates the darkness of a very dark story.”

The score’s ominous tone is punctuated by moments of solo violin Burwell describes as “taking flight out of the darkness.” Eerily alien and slightly off-kilter, these portions reflect a conscious decision by Burwell to find something “rough-hewn like a fiddle, but not a fiddle from any place we know.” Burwell enlisted award-winning violinist Tim Fain to help create a folk-style sound from unknown lands, crediting the musician for his ability to go “off the page” enough to give the compositions character and life. From Shakespearean speeches to simmering, otherworldly textures, Burwell’s score coalesces into a darkly foreboding and propulsive soundscape that ultimately captures the essence of the story as well as its nuances.

Starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, The Tragedy of Macbeth is available now in select theaters from A24 and premieres globally on Apple TV+ today, January 14.

 
 

 
ABOUT THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand star in Joel Coen’s bold and fierce adaptation; a tale of murder, madness, ambition and wrathful cunning.

Apple Original Films presents an A24 and IAC Films production, The Tragedy of Macbeth, based on the play by William Shakespeare and written for the screen and directed by Joel Coen. The film stars Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling and Brendan Gleeson. The producers are Joel Coen, Frances McDormand and Robert Graf. The film features casting by Ellen Chenoweth, music by Carter Burwell, costumes by Mary Zophres, editing by Lucian Johnston and Reginald Jaynes, production design by Stefan Dechant and cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel.

 

CONNECT WITH THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH (WEBSITE)




THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH (SOUNDTRACK FROM THE APPLE ORIGINAL FILM)

TRACKLISTING –

1.    Fair Is Foul (feat. Kathryn Hunter)

2.    My Black Desires

3.    Come What Come May (feat. Denzel Washington)

4.    Leave All the Rest to Me (feat. Denzel Washington & Frances McDormand)

5.    Blood Will Have Blood

6.    Is This a Dagger? (feat. Denzel Washington)

7.    Something Wicked This Way Comes

8.    Be Not Found Here

9.    Out Damned Spot (feat. Frances McDormand, Nancy Daly & Jefferson Mays)

10.  Birnam Wood

11.  Come Seeling Night

12.  Tomorrow and Tomorrow (feat. Denzel Washington)

13.  The End of Macbeth

 
 

 
ABOUT CARTER BURWELL

Carter Burwell has composed the music for more than 90 feature films, including Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Rob Roy, Fargo, The Spanish Prisoner, Gods and Monsters, Velvet Goldmine, Three Kings, Being John Malkovich, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (BAFTA Nominee for Film Music), Before Night Falls, A Knight’s Tale, The Rookie, Adaptation., Intolerable Cruelty, No Country for Old Men, In Bruges, Burn After Reading, Twilight, Where the Wild Things Are (Golden Globe Nominee for Best Original Score), A Serious Man, The Blind Side, The Kids Are All Right, True Grit, Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 & 2, Mr. Holmes, Legend, Anomalisa, Hail, Caesar!, The Founder, Missing Link and The Good Liar.

For television, Burwell wrote the music for Apple’s drama series The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup and Steve Carell which had it first season premiere on November 1, 2019. The second season of The Morning Show premiered on September 17, 2021. Burwell also wrote the music for the first season of the comedy series Space Force starring Steve Carell which premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2020.

In 2017 Burwell wrote the music for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, written and directed by Martin McDonagh. Burwell received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his work for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and won the British Independent Film Award for Best Music on behalf of the film.

In 2015 Burwell wrote the music for the drama Carol starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara directed by Todd Haynes. Burwell received his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for Carol, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award. Burwell won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s Award for Best Music Score for Carol and Anomalisa.

Other recent films include Wonderstruck which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2017 and was Burwell’s fourth collaboration with director Todd Haynes, and the Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a six-part Western anthology film for Netflix which marked their 17th project together and premiered in November 2018. His original score for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was named to the 2019 Oscar shortlist.

Burwell also previously worked with Todd Haynes on Velvet Goldmine and HBO’s mini-series Mildred Pierce starring Kate Winslet for which Burwell was nominated for two Emmy Awards, winning in the category of Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score).

His most recent project is the upcoming The Tragedy of Macbeth directed and adapted by Joel Coen starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand which opened in select theatres on December 25, 2021 and will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on January 14, 2022.

His theater work includes the chamber opera The Celestial Alphabet Event and the Mabou Mines productions Mother and Lucia’s Chapters of Coming Forth by Day.

In 2005 he developed a concert work for text and music titled Theater of the New Ear, presented in New York, London and Los Angeles. The text, by Joel and Ethan Coen and Charlie Kaufman, was performed by a dozen actors including Meryl Streep, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hope Davis, Peter Dinklage, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The music was performed by the 8-member Parabola Ensemble, conducted by Mr. Burwell.

Burwell’s dance compositions include the pieces The Return of Lot's Wife, choreographed by Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, and RABL, choreographed by Patrice Regnier. He has performed around the world with his own ensembles as well as others, such as The Harmonic Choir.

His writing includes the essays "Music at Six: Scoring the News Then and Now," published in the inaugural issue of Esopus magazine in 2003 and reprinted in Harper's Magazine in 2004, “No Country For Old Music” in the 2013 Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics, and “How Nino Rota Saved Me from a Subterranean Freakout” in Arcana IX, 2021.

Burwell has taught and lectured at The Sundance Institute, New York University, Columbia University, and Harvard University.

His website is carterburwell.com.

AVAILABLE NOW - Listen to the Carter Burwell Soundtrack from Joel Coen's "THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH"

Sony Classical Set To Release "John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection" On March 17

Sony Classical Set To Release
John Williams & Steven Spielberg:
The Ultimate Collection
On March 17, 2017

"Marion's Theme from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'"
Now Available via The Hollywood Reporter, here: https://goo.gl/g1Vusx

Pre-Order via Amazon

Special 3-CD Collection Includes New Recordings
Plus Bonus DVD Featuring Documentary
Steven Spielberg & John Williams: The Adventure Continues

February 16, 2017 - Celebrating one of the most definitive and beloved partnerships in the history of motion pictures, John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection delivers an essential sampling of Williams's musical scores for Spielberg's films - a critically acclaimed, award-winning, chart-topping collaboration now in its fifth decade. Comprised of a three-CD set and bonus DVD, John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection is available from Sony Classical on March 17, 2017.

This collection brings together Williams's two previous discs of his music for Spielberg films, which he recorded with the Boston Pops Orchestra for Sony Classical: The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration (1991) and Williams on Williams: The Classic Spielberg Scores (1995). Those discs include music from Sugarland Express (1974) through Jurassic Park and Schindler's List (1993).

Bringing the collection up to date is an all-new third disc, recorded in 2016 with Williams conducting the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles, and with Spielberg as executive producer. It features the first release of brand new recordings of music from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Amistad, The BFG, Lincoln, The Adventures of Tintin, Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse, The Terminal, Munich and Spielberg's 1999 documentary The Unfinished Journey.

The bonus DVD that accompanies this new three-CD collection presents Steven Spielberg & John Williams: The Adventure Continues, a new documentary by filmmaker and film historian Laurent Bouzereau, who has been documenting Spielberg's work for more than twenty years.

"I was very happy with the fact that when I was music director of Boston Pops, we were able to record a lot of the music that I'd written for Steven's films," Williams said about the first two discs in the collection. "So I said to him, 'Steven, wouldn't it be great if we could complete the Sony collection and put in all the things that we didn't have when the last disc was recorded, this time with our great orchestra here in Los Angeles?'  To which Steven responded, 'This is a great idea. Let's do it!'"

When Steven Spielberg made his first theatrical feature The Sugarland Express (1974), he sought John Williams to compose the score. With two exceptions, all of Spielberg's films have featured a Williams score. In its continuity and its infinite range of style and expression, their partnership is unique, even in light of other such legendary collaborations in film history, including Bernard Herrmann with Alfred Hitchcock, Nino Rota with Federico Fellini, and Ennio Morricone with Sergio Leone.

"Oh, this has been a great adventure," Spielberg tells Williams at the end of Bouzereau's film. "This has been a greater adventure than all the Indiana Jones movies put together for me ... It's been an honor for me to work all these years with John and to have his friendship, his partnership, his brotherhood. When we made Sugarland Express, we didn't realize we'd set our paths to be partners and friends for the rest of our lives."

In his ongoing career, now in its sixth decade, Williams has won five Academy Awards (three for Spielberg films), seven BAFTA (British Film Academy) awards, four Golden Globes, and twenty-two Grammy Awards for his film scores. His fifty Academy Award nominations, as of 2017, are a record among composers, and he is second only to Walt Disney in holding the most Academy Award nominations by an individual artist.  Fifteen of those nominations are for scores from Spielberg films.

Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.SonyMasterworks.com.

John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection Tracklisting:

DISC 1 - CD
1 Raiders of the Lost Ark from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" 
2 Theme from "Always" 
3 Adventures on Earth from "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"
4 Theme from "Sugarland Express"
5 Title Theme from "Jaws"
6 Out to Sea / The Shark Cage Fugue from "Jaws" 
Out to Sea
The Shark Cage Fugue from Jaws
7 Exsultate Justi from "Empire of the Sun" 
8 Parade of the Slave Children from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"      
9 Over the Moon from "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" 
10 March from "1941" 
11 Cadillac of the Skies from "Empire of the Sun" 
12 Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"
13 Close Encounters of the Third Kind/When You Wish Upon a Star Medley
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Excerpts)
When You Wish Upon A Star (interpolated)  

DISC 2 - CD
1 Flying from "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"   
2 Theme From "Jurassic Park"    
3 Remembrances from "Schindler's List"   
4 Flight to Neverland from "Hook"     
5 The Battle Of Hollywood From "1941" (includes the Irish folksong "The Rakes of Mallow")  
6 Smee's Plan From "Hook" 
7 The Barrel Chase From "Jaws"
8 My Friend,The Brachiosaurus from "Jurassic Park"  
9 Jim's New Life From "Empire Of The Sun"    
10 The Dialogue From "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" 
11 The Lost Boys Ballet From "Hook" 
12 Theme from "Schindler's List"  
13 The Basket Chase from "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" 
14 The Face Of Pan from "Hook"     
15 The Banquet Scene from "Hook"

DISC 3 - CD
1 The Adventures of Mutt from "Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
2 Dry Your Tears, Afrika from "Amistad" 
3 The BFG from "The BFG"
4 With Malice Toward None from "Lincoln"
5 The Duel from "The Adventures of Tintin"
6 A New Beginning from "Minority Report"  
Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra from "Catch Me If You Can" 
7 Movement 1: Closing In 
8 Movement 2: Reflections
9 Movement 3: Joy Ride
10 Marion's Theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
11 Hymn to the Fallen from "Saving Private Ryan"
12 Dartmoor, 1912 from "War Horse"
13 Viktor's Tale from "The Terminal"
14 Prayer for Peace from "Munich" 
15 Immigration and Building from "The Unfinished Journey"
16 With Malice Toward None from "Lincoln" (Alternate Version)

READ OUR REVIEWS OF JOHN WILLIAMS' SCORES FOR THE FIRST THREE INDIANA JONES MOVIES HERE

Sony Classical Set To Release "John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection" On March 17

Sony Classical Premieres Hans Zimmer's "Flight (From 'Man of Steel')" feat. Lang Lang and Maxim Vengerov" With Nerdist

Sony Classical Premieres
"Flight (From 'Man of Steel') feat. Lang Lang and Maxim Vengerov"
With Nerdist, Here: https://goo.gl/1g6jDE

Set To Release Hans Zimmer - The Classics On January 13, 2017

*Pre-Order  The Classics via Amazon*

Listen to "Main Theme (From 'The Dark Knight Rises') feat. Lindsey Stirling" via Billboard,
here: https://goo.gl/KZyUrA

Listen to "Now We Are Free (From 'Gladiator') feat. Leona Lewis" via Consequence of Sound,
here: https://goo.gl/r2Nw0w

January 3, 2017 - Sony Classical has teamed up with Nerdist to exclusively premiere their new single "Flight (From 'Man of Steel') feat. Lang Lang and Maxim Vengerov" today! Listen to it now, here: https://goo.gl/1g6jDE. This is the third single from the upcoming album Hans Zimmer - The Classics that is set to release on January 13th via Sony Classical.

Hans Zimmer - The Classics is a brand-new album performed by stellar musicians of the day that showcases some of Hollywood's greatest ever movie themes, written by one of the world's most innovative musical talents and leading film composer of our time - Hans Zimmer.

This vivid collection of back-to-back blockbuster hits brings together for the first time Zimmer's unmistakable movie themes, re-imagined and in arrangements especially written for some of our top musicians including superstar pianist, Lang Lang; cello wizards, 2CELLOS and Tina Guo; outstanding violinists, Maxim Vengerov and Lindsey Stirling; Classic BRIT Award-winning saxophonist, Amy Dickson; global video superstars, The Piano Guys and with stupendous vocals by Leona Lewis.

This eagerly anticipated album showcases Zimmer's musical versatility and absolute mastery of the genre, showcasing key themes from such magnificent scores as The Dark Knight Rises; Interstellar; Pirates of the Caribbean; Gladiator; Man of Steel; The Lion King; Inception and many more, all in stunning new arrangements.

A mighty collection of classics from one of the most in-demand composers in Hollywood, this brand-new album is a must-have for Zimmer's legions of fans around the world and Zimmer - a pioneer in the use of new technology - shows himself to be a master in integrating the electronic musical world with traditional orchestral arrangements.

Hans Zimmer has scored more than 120 films, which have collectively grossed over 24 billion dollars at the worldwide box office.  His Academy award-winning score to The Lion King has sold over 15 million copies since release in the early 90s.  He has been honored with an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, four Grammys and many more awards and nominations including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in Film Composition from the National Board of Review and ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement plus and a Classic BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Spring 2016 saw his first-ever European tour featuring his band, orchestra, choir and soloists.

The Classics is set to release on January 13, 2017. For more information on Hans Zimmer, please visit: http://www.hans-zimmer.com/.

Check out more on Hans Zimmer here:
Website: http://www.hans-zimmer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanszimmer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealHansZimmer

Sony Classical Premieres Hans Zimmer's "Flight (From 'Man of Steel')" feat. Lang Lang and Maxim Vengerov" With Nerdist

Concord Records to Release First Three Expanded Indiana Jones™ Soundtracks Individually 2/17/09

Originally Available as Part of Last Year’s Limited-Edition Boxed Set, These Expanded and Remastered Soundtracks Feature Previously Unreleased Music From The First Three Films!

"Sure, the whip, the hat, the jacket are part of the Indiana Jones iconography. But what really gives Indy his heart and spirit is John Williams’ music."
- Steven Spielberg

Beverly Hills, CA – On February 17, 2009 Concord Records will release individually the soundtracks to the original three Indiana Jones films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

All three feature Oscar-winning composer John Williams’ soundtracks digitally remastered from the original tapes, plus unreleased music from each respective film. Previously available only as part of last year’s highly successful box set release Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection, these reissued CD’s will be available individually for the first time. About the boxed set, Film Music Magazine raved, "It’s a collection on five CD’s that delivers over an hour of unheard Indy music, all with spectacular sound and sleek packaging. The chance to finally hear that minute of Indy toppling the Anubis statue in ‘Raiders’ is like a dream come true. Now with just about every bit of Indiana Jones music on deck here, listing to some of John Williams’ greatest achievements for the popcorn cinema has never sounded more fun, or fresh. Raid this covenant of CD’s immediately."

Produced by Laurent Bouzereau, the reissued CD’s expand the first three iconic Indiana Jones soundtrack albums, which have been collectors’ items for many years.

Concord Records also released the soundtrack to last year’s mega-blockbuster Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which was recently nominated for a 2009 Grammy® Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media).

With 45 Academy Award nominations and five Oscars® under his belt, John Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in history, and has collaborated with Steven Spielberg for the past 35 years on 23 films including Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Schindler’s List. Williams also composed the acclaimed scores for George Lucas’ STAR WARS saga, Superman: The Movie, Memoirs of a Geisha, and the first three Harry Potter films.

Mr. Williams’ most recent work "Air and Simple Gifts," was commissioned for President Barack Obama’s inauguration and performed by renowned musicians Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill January 20th, 2009 for a global audience of millions.

INDIANA JONES, STAR WARS and related titles, character names and properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

Indiana Jones Audio Streams:
"Washington Ending" & "Raiders March" Link 1 Link2

"Keeping Up With the Joneses" Link 1 Link 2

Indiana Jones Trilogy Music Video

Amazon.com links:

Raiders

Temple

Crusade

Concord Records to Release First Three Expanded Indiana Jones™ Soundtracks Individually 2/17/09

Concord Records to Release "Indiana Jones™: The Soundtracks Collection" 11/11/08

Limited-Edition Boxed Set Of All Four Indiana Jones Soundtracks Featuring Newly Expanded CDs And Previously Unreleased Music From The First Three Films"Sure, the whip, the hat, the jacket are part of the Indiana Jones iconography. But what really gives Indy his heart and spirit is John Williams’ music."
- Steven Spielberg

Beverly Hills, CA – On November 11, 2008 Concord Records will release Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection. This limited-edition boxed set will include all four of Oscar-winning composer John Williams’ soundtracks for the Indiana Jones film series - RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and this year’s summer blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Exclusive to this set are expanded and remastered versions of the original soundtracks for the first three films. The set will also include a bonus CD featuring additional previously unreleased music from the films, as well as excerpts from interviews with Williams, director Steven Spielberg, and executive producer/story creator George Lucas in which they discuss the making of the music for these historic films.

Produced by Laurent Bouzereau, the boxed set will be presented in a handsome, embossed leatherette slip case with a full-color booklet that offers more than 25 pages of behind-the-scenes photos, storyboards and other memorable images from the films. This new set reintroduces and expands the first three iconic Indiana Jones soundtrack albums, which have been collectors’ items for many years.

"I’ve had the great honor and pleasure of visiting the behind-the-scenes of the four Indiana Jones films from several angles: first as a writer/director/producer of documentaries, then as a collaborator on a book chronicling the making of all four films," Bouzereau says. "I felt I had come full circle when I was asked to collaborate on assembling expanded CD soundtrack albums for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The result represents a unique musical experience for listeners and fans of the now-classic film series that stimulates the imagination and makes you want to watch the films again."

With 45 Academy Award nominations and five Oscars® under his belt, John Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in history, and has collaborated with Steven Spielberg for the past 35 years on 23 films including Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Schindler’s List. Williams also composed the acclaimed scores for George Lucas’ STAR WARS saga, Superman: The Movie, Memoirs of a Geisha, and the first three Harry Potter films.

Available at Amazon.com

For more information, please contact:
Catie Monck - Director of Publicity
Ph: 917.536.4464
catie.monck@concordmusicgroup.com

INDIANA JONES, STAR WARS and related titles, character names and properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

Concord Records to Release "Indiana Jones™: The Soundtracks Collection" 11/11/08

"Radio Archives" -- Listen to Classic Radio Shows On CD!

From the Radio Archives home page: "If you're old enough to remember the 'Golden Age of Radio', when the glowing dial of that formidable Philco or Atwater Kent console brought comedy, drama, suspense, music, and news into millions of American homes, then you know just how wonderful radio was. If you don't remember those days, but have spent hours listening to rebroadcasts from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, then you understand just how engrossing radio entertainment can be. If you've never heard any of the vast variety of programs that once dominated the airwaves...well, you're in for a real treat!"

Radio Archives has diligently assembled collections of some of radio's finest programs and made them available on CD. Their latest online newsletter features an in-depth look at Orson Welles' legendary Mercury Theater by actor and radio historian Craig Wichman, who has performed in several modern radio dramas himself and is founder of the Quicksilver Radio Theater. Some of the best-remembered dramas by Welles' Mercury Theater can be had in a ten-CD set (for $39.95) which includes "Dracula", "Around the World in 80 Days", and "The Count of Monte Cristo", performed by Welles and his star-studded group.

Other radio show episodes available include "Dragnet", "Father Knows Best", "Have Gun , Will Travel", "Space Patrol", "Cisco Kid", "Amos 'n' Andy", "Fibber McGee and Molly", and modern retellings of original "Twilight Zone" shows featuring a variety of stars such as Adam Baldwin, Jason Alexander, Kate Jackson, Jim Caviezel, and many others (including Wichman himself).

Whether you're already a radio fan or you want to sample some of the countless hours of awesome audio entertainment available, turn your digital dial to the Radio Archives, check out their vast archive of classic radio shows on CD, and feel the nostalgia!

"Radio Archives" -- Listen to Classic Radio Shows On CD!