Bill Wrobel's DVD - Film Score Rundowns

http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Clark-
Gable/dp/B00004RF96/ref=sr_1_5?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1293329541&sr=1-5
Personally I was never that interested in the movie itself. I know it is considered a
“classic” by many people, a big part of film history, big winner of the Academy Award
and all that, but to me it is a glorified B movie (B minus at that). I was far more interested
in the music by Max Steiner, although the movie was heavily carpeted by the music
(wall-to-wall music!). Generally I am not anywhere as fond of the early scores of Max
Steiner as the mid to later years (the late Forties thru the Fifties are the best). More on the
music later.
There are several what I call “freeze frame” shots I liked, nice picturesque shots
or nice color compositions and framing. For instance, believe it or not, I liked the Victor
Jory introduction scenes at 00:13:36 and then 00:13:42. I liked the blues and the
background and the overall moody constitution of the shot in Technicolor. The fire scene
aftermath at 1:26:16 looks nice, almost like something from DeMille with the reddish hue
saturating the scene., and also at 1:27:35 and the next scene change immediately
following. The rainbow after the storm special effects scene is interesting (dvd 1:32:19),
and soon afterward the sunset scene with the burnt barn (dvd 1:33:15). So there were a
fair number of nice cinematic touches in this rather long movie!
I researched the conductor score available at USC when I researched there in 2-
27-2004. Most of the cues were up to four staves. The full score is of course not available
anywhere that I am aware of—probably dumped in the infamous MGM Landfill event.
-“Main Title & Foreword” 12 pages, 94 bars. Reel �. Bars 1-6 was the Dixie
theme, Bar 7 starts the Mammy theme briefly, and then Bar 11 starts the Tara theme.
Poco maestoso in 2/4 time, the timp, bass drum and snare drum in the grace bar
play a “3” triplet value figure of 3 16 th notes (timp on small octave D-D-D). In Bar 1,
horns play small octave G dotted quarter note to “3” triplet value G-G-G 16ths to (Bar 2)
G half note tied to 8 th next bar to G 8 th to G-A-Bb-middle C 16ths. After an 8 th rest,
instruments (not specifically indicated) play Line 32 G-A-Bb-Line 3 C-D-Eb 32 nd notes
to Line 1 Bb/Line 2 D/F/Bb/Line 3 D/F half notes trem tied to quarter notes trem next
bar, and so forth. The harp is gliss upwards in Bar 1. Skipping to Bar 11 in 2/2 time in
the key signature of one flat, we find (after an initial quarter rest) strings and other
instruments sounding forte Lines 1 & 2 C quarter notes crescendo up to Lines 2 & 3 C
dotted quarter notes down to A 8ths to (Bar 12) G whole notes to (Bar 13), after a quarter
rest, Lines 1 & 2 C quarter notes up to Lines 2 & 3 C dotted quarter notes down to G 8ths
tied to (Bar 14) whole notes. This is the start of the Tara theme. The second staff in Bar
11 shows, after a quarter rest, Line 2 C quarter note up to F/A half notes legato down to
(Bar 12) Line 1 Bb/Line 2 D whole notes to (Bar 13), after a quarter rest, C quarter note
up to E/G half notes down to (Bar 14) A/Line 2 C whole notes. After a half rest in Bar 12,
horns play “3” triplet value quarter notes Line 1 F-E-D up to (Bar 13) G half note tied to
quarter note (followed by a quarter rest). After a half rest in Bar 14, the horns play E-D-C
triplet value quarter notes to (Bar 15) F dotted half note. Etc.
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