Klarinet Archive - Posting 001224.txt from 2003/03

From: "Kent Krive" <k.krive@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Benny Goodman Story (movies about jazz musicians)
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 10:40:32 -0500

How about movies about instruments such as THE RED VIOLIN (1999)? It's a
dark, totally absorbing movie about a violin, built in 1681, how it became
"red," its incredible journey through the centuries, and how it became the
center of an authentication controversy in recent times. The sound track by
John Corigliano, featuring Joshua Bell, provides the material for his "The
Red Violin: Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra".

Kent

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subject: [kl] Benny Goodman Story (movies about jazz musicians)

> Ed Lacy wrote,
> >We have mentioned several really sappy movies about
> >jazz musicians. It might be fun to try to decide which
> >one is the best (or the least bad) of the group.
>
> Great lists from several of you! There are *hundreds* of movies about
> musicians. Here some more, that I've enjoyed watching more than once.
All
> are (or have been; some may be out of print) available on VHS or DVD:
>
> THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971) and its sequel, DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN
> (1972), in which the science fictional villain is a mad organist.
>
> ALL THAT JAZZ (1979), a musical, Bob Fosse's surreal autobiography; and
> FOSSE (2001), a musical about him.
>
> AMADEUS (1984), a heavily (controversially) fictionalized but entertaining
> biography that apparently convinced a lot of people that Salieri murdered
> Mozart (he didn't).
>
> THE BAND WAGON (1953), the best musical about the making of a musical ever
> made, IMHO.
>
> CHICAGO (2002), hoofers in the hoosegow, not on DVD yet, but soon will be!
>
> THE COMPETITION (1980), not one of the best movies on this list, but
> notable because the stars, Richard Dryfus and Amy Irving, both studied
> piano seriously enough to look good in wide shots where the soundtrack
> looping is usually so distractingly apparent.
>
> DANCER IN THE DARK (2000), anti-American and extremely depressing, but
> brilliant surrealism, about an amateur singer trying to escape a lousy
life
> through dissociation into musical fantasy.
>
> FIVE EASY PIECES (1970), about a pianist who quit.
>
> 42nd STREET (1933), another of those classic Golden Age musicals about
> musicals.
>
> MAHLER (1974), strange and frantic, but interesting, about a man with a
> complicated life....
>
> MARAT / SADE (1967), with the imprisoned Marquis de Sade as a musical
> director.
>
> THE MUSIC MAN (1962), another classic. (Has anyone *not* performed this
> one in high school?)
>
> OPERA (1987), dark, gory and sick, definitely not for watching with the
> kids, for Dario Argento fans only.
>
> THE ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL (1979), one of Fellini's best.
>
> THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, numerous versions (1924, 1925/29, 1943, 1962,
> 1998 and others), in which the anti-hero is a maimed mad organist.
>
> THE RED SHOES (1947), the great re-telling of the Hans Christian Andersen
> story, though I hate the ending, in which the ballerina heroine plays out
a
> damaging, anti-feminist stereotype.
>
> SHOW BOAT (1933 and 1951), strong social commentary woven into a musical
> about riverboat entertainers. The earlier version, with Paul Robeson,
will
> be on Turner Classic Movies channel this spring, so set your VCR on stun!
>
> SONG OF THE THIN MAN (1947), a cross between a film noir mystery (the only
> one in the Thin Man series that's a true film noir) and a musical, in
which
> a mentally ill clarinet player is accused of killing his band director.
> I've never been able to find out who plays the clarinet on the soundtrack,
> alas.
>
> THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984), a cult hit, satire about the world of rock
stars.
>
> THREEPENNY OPERA (1931), Kurt Weill's brilliant re-working that weaves the
> musicians' stories into a revue.
>
> Lelia Loban
> lelialoban@-----.net
>
>
>
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>
>

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