Bill Wrobel's DVD - Film Score Rundowns

Orient Express that of course did not star Cotton! I purchased this dvd simply because
Dimitri Tiomkin wrote the score (good or perhaps only okay but certainly not great).
Tiomkin is not consistently good, unlike Herrmann and most of Steiner’s works.
Herrmann, Steiner, Korngold are top-notched, top-drawer composers, whereas Tiomkin
makes it in that category now & then. Here are details on the score from the official
Tiomkin site:
http://www.dimitritiomkin.com/production_details.cfm?ProductionID=0F5BCB51-
DD4E-AAF9-32A51842F85B69CB
The evil Kwon is played by Marvin Miller. I thought I recognized him, although
he was made up as a Chinese guy. He was best known in the Michael Anthony role, the
guy who forked over a million-dollar check each week on the old CBS series, The
Millionaire.
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-The Black Knight (1954) ** � [music ** 1/2]
http://www.lovingtheclassics.com/The-Black-Knight-1954-DVD/prod_317.html
This is no Prince Valiant. This certainly applies to John Addison’s okay music
compared to Waxman’s excellent, memorable score for Prince Valiant. However, there
are many good stars in this weak King Arthur tale including Alan Ladd, Peter Cushing
(as the bad Saracen chief), Andre Morrell especially, and many others. Patricia Medina is
okay as the female lead (she reminds me a bit of Yvonne DeCarlo) but I would’ve
preferred Paula Raymond! Paula is far more alluringly sexier to me! This movie was very
poorly conceived and edited. Why, just the opening of the movie, before the Main Title
credits, with the troubadour on a horse singing away is a pretty lame or weak start of a
movie!
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-The Deep Blue Sea (1955) ** [music *** 1/2]
http://www.lovingtheclassics.com/The-Deep-Blue-Sea-1955-DVD/prod_710.html
This movie got good critical reviews, plus on the plus side you have Vivien Leigh
and Kenneth More (I always liked Kenneth More). However, I found this somewhat
heavy-handed movie (especially in the stagy, melodramatic beginning) a bit of a drag for
me. Movies about weak & badly flawed characters usually don’t appeal to me. I did not
care for the ending but I suppose it makes sense considering the situation between the
two (her need to overcome her neediness of a weak man she happened to love but needed
to let go). Leigh’s short, slick-backed hairstyle in this movie seems rather severe and
uncomplimentary. No wonder she got depressed a lot and was suicidal! If you like heavy
emotional type of plays, then this may be your cup of tea! The music by the esteemed
composer, Malcolm Arnold, is better than the movie, and he does a very fine job in
conveying the torturous emotional turmoil.
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