Bill Wrobel's DVD - Film Score Rundowns

Another very good Jack Webb production that lasted several seasons. I used to
always watch the series when originally aired on television. I like the stars, especially
Martin Milner. He came from another great series, Route 66 that of course was quite
critically acclaimed.
-Adam-12 Season Two *** 1/2
http://www.amazon.com/Adam-12-Season-Two-Martin-
Milner/dp/B001B187C0/ref=sr_1_4?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1292886879&sr=1-4
More of the same recommendation as above: “See the dvd, man!”
-Mysterious Island (1961) *** 1/2 [music *****]
http://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Island-Widescreen-Michael-
Craig/dp/B00006JDRG/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1292886959&sr=1-1
I reviewed this dvd on Talking Herrmann, and I also did a full rundown:
http://herrmann.uib.no/talking/view.cgi?forum=thGeneral&topic=1193
http://www.filmscorerundowns.net/herrmann/mysterious_island.pdf
http://www.filmscorerundowns.net/blogs/35.pdf
-Contact (1997) ***1/2 [music **]
http://www.amazon.com/Contact-Snap-Case-Jodie-
Foster/dp/0790733226/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1292887140&sr=1-3
There are some highly impressive visual effects sequences in this movie, starting
with the opening sequence of the rapid pull back from planet Earth thru the solar system
and thru our own galaxy and other galaxies. It lasts a couple of minutes and really gives
the audience a terrific perspective of how much of an infinitesimal speck our planet really
is! But then you have to wait quite a long time (almost two hours) before Sparks (Jodie
Foster) goes on her fascinating journey first to Vega and then other destinations! The
sequence starting at 2:0034 is quite beautiful (alien beach scene). I love the idea of the
alien contacting her in the guise of her beloved father (played wonderfully by David
Morse). The movie that needlessly goes on for another 20 minutes or less, leaving us
quite earthbound as Sparks tries to convince unbelievers that she actually went anywhere.
Waste of time and deflating the good feelings I had up to then. Oh, well. The music by
Silvestri is ok (barely). I happen to have the meager two-stave piano reduction of the socalled
“Main Title” but of course there is no music played in the opening sequences. The
music I have is actually the primary theme of the movie that you hear in the young
Sparks home scene at dvd 00:04:52, and then heard again later when an adult at 00:07:43.
So the top staff in the key signature of three flats show Line 1 G/Line 2 Eb/G
arpeggiando 8ths to Ab 8 th to Bb quarter note to Line 2 D/G/Bb/Line 3 Eb (Eb maj 7 th )
arpeggiando quarter notes to Line 2 G-Ab 8ths to (Bar 2) Line 2 C/G/Bb arpeggiando
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