Bill Wrobel's DVD - Film Score Rundowns

Of special merit in this dvd Special Collector’s Edition (I have the first one, the
two-disc set) is Katherine Orrison’s excellent commentary. She knows her stuff! She
really knows what she is talking about. She is not just the best of the Joe Friday ethic
(“Just the facts, ma’am…”) to the nth degree, she also provides an entertaining
commentary. She earlier wrote “Written in Stone: Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic, The Ten
Commandments.” Definitely listen to this commentary because you’ll learn a lot!
Another commentary that really made an impression on me was by Michael Jeck, a
Japanese film scholar, on Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. Here is a special interview of
Orrison in the Film Chat site:
http://filmchatblog.blogspot.com/2006/03/katherine-orrison-interviews-up.html
Another impressive special effects night scene is 1:59:48 with the red-cloud
shrouded Sinai mountain (Jehovah is staying there tonight!). Nice general scene here,
well-written, peaceful, calming, reflective. Then soon, at the end of this scene, we have a
close-up effects scene of the sacred mountain where God is residing tonight (2:02:34)!
The burning bush scene (dvd 2:10:13) I think is very effective and stylistic. Orrison
totally criticizes it but I like it! I can almost see this scene in Jason & the Argonauts (the
working title was Jason and the Golden Fleece) when Jason and the others see the fleece
on the tree. It would’ve been a great effect. Or it might fit on a night scene in Forbidden
Planet out there in the desert near the spaceship.
In Disc Two at 00:05:59, when Moses picks up the snake and it turns back into
his staff, you can see partially how the effects people did it. For one or two seconds the
actors are filmed frozen—not standing frozen in simulation, but as a still—so that the
snake can be animated back into a staff. Just before that Heston slowly moves his right
hand up along the cobra so as to straighten it out. Soon Rameses (Yul Brynner) mocks his
“magician’s trick” with, “Moses, Moses…” I am sure an alternate title (or sub-title) for
this movie could’ve been Moses, Moses because that repeating of his name is stated many
times in this picture! The deathly green hand of God over the Moon scene (00:30:45) as
the first-born die is very effective, Halloweenish. The hall scene at 00:39:35 when Moses
walks into the hall with the green fires burning is also quite atmospheric. At 1:16:09
when Moses is alone up in Mount Sinai while the orgy is taking place far below, we have
a good atmospheric scene of the mountains. If you deleted Heston here and inserted
James Mason or Skanussem, then it would be a great scene for Journey to the Center of
the Earth!
-Charade (1963) *** 1/2 [music ****]
http://www.amazon.com/Charade-Criterion-Collection-Cary-
Grant/dp/B0001J3SVI/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1292992468&sr=1-3
Wow! I forgot what a delightful movie (and excellent score by Henry Mancini)
this is! It wasn’t until I popped the Criterion dvd into my Sony dvd player earlier (it has
been over six years since I watched it last) that I was so pleasantly reminded! I heartily
recommend this dvd to anyone. It should be part of anyone’s dvd collection. I would
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