Mr Ugly comes to town! This 1968 recording from United Artists Records to the 1966 Lee Van Cleef (“The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”) Spaghetti Western picture, co-starring Tomas Milan (“Traffic”), and directed by Sergio Sollima (“Revolver“), is one of Morricone’s most fun, and surprisingly emotional scores.
Listen to the album here:
The soundtrack to “The Big Gundown.”
Listen to the standout track, “Run Man Run (Main Theme)” here:
Main theme “Run Man Run.”
Watch the trailer for “The Big Gundown” here:
Trailer for “The Big Gundown” on YouTube.”
Watch the full movie here:
Full film available on YouTube.
Watch the original 1973 trailer for “Revolver,”* also directed by Sergio Sollima, and starring Fabio Testi and Oliver Reed, here:
I have a real soft spot for this picture, and it features another stand-out Morricone soundtrack. Expect a future post on this album.
On this week’s episode of The Filmography podcast, Bjorn and I dive into PaulSchrader’s 2002 BobCrane biopic, “Auto Focus,” a dark and funny portrait of the destabilizing effects of Crane’s twin addictions to sex and videotape.
Original theatrical poster.GregKinnear giving the best performance of his life as sex and video-addicted BobCrane.
GregKinnear gives a performance of great depth, one that was only suggested by his most popular roles, such as his Oscar-nominated turn in “AsGoodAsItGets.”
WillemDafoe having a blast as John “Carpy” Carpenter, Crane’s friend, enabler, and (possibly) murderer.
In a brilliant supporting part, WillemDafoe plays Crane’s friend, enabler, and (possibly) murderer, John “Carpy” Carpenter.
Their strange co-dependent relationship, and the chemistry between Kinnear and Dafoe, make for a fascinating psychological portrait of the destructive forces of addiction.
Wielding the video camera like a weapon.The (video) fruits of Bob’s labour.
It’s a lot funnier than it’s subject matter would suggest, thanks in no smart part to the influence of co-producers ScottAlexander & LarryKaraszewski.
As co-screenwriters, Alexander & Karaszewski practically invented this particular brand of empathetic but irreverent biopic with their script for TimBurton’sEd Wood, and perfected it with their scripts for MilosForman’s brilliant AndyKauffman and LarryFlynt biopics (ManOnTheMoon and ThePeoplevs. LarryFlynt, respectively).
Ed Wood poster art (detail) from the soundtrack album (score by Howard Shore).Man on The Moon theatrical poster (detail).Theatrical poster (detail) for Milos’ Forman’sThe People vs. Larry Flynt.
Listen to the podcast here:
TheFilmography podcast, streaming on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Listen to the DVD audio commentary here:
PaulSchrader’s audio commentary for “Auto Focus.”
Watch the trailer for Ed Woodhere:
Trailer for Ed Wood on YouTube.
Watch the trailer for The People vs. Larry Flynt here:
Surf guitar, strings, vocal melodies, pop, classical, and jazz, Morricone’s 1964 score to Paolo Cavara’s mondo youth picture, “i Malamondo,” contains a wide range of sounds, moods, and passions, befitting the soundtrack to an anthology picture of such varied episodes as Italian students butchering a pig; teenagers skiing nude in Switzerland; a Parisian “happening”; Swedish students contemplating suicide; a nighttime orgy in a graveyard; a performance from the male Royal Ballet, etc. There are moments that suggest Morricone’s later work on Spaghetti Westerns, a little James Bond vibe here and there (as there will be on Morricone’s score for “Slalom,” a year later), and some of the dark, dissonant sounds of Morricone’sgiallo scores.
This 2021 release from CAM Sugar and Decca Records features nine bonus tracks, and striking artwork by Eric Adrian Lee. It is the second in CAM Sugar’s Morricone Segreto series, celebrating the “secrets (sogretto is Italian for “secret”) of Morricione’s genius.”
Inner-gatefold album artwork by Eric Adrian Lee.
Fans of Wes Anderson may already be familiar with the standout track L’ultima Volta (The Last Time), which was featured in “The French Dispatch” (both the film and the trailer).
DVD cover art for Paul Schrader’s “Forever Mine,” a film every bit as horny as critics said “The Comfort of Strangers” was.
On this week’s episode of The Filmography, Bjorn and I are joined by special guest Cameron Pulley for a discussion about Paul Schrader’s stylish and strange (and barely released!) 1999 neo-noir melodrama, “Forever Mine,” starring Joseph Fiennes, Gretchen Moll, and Ray Liotta.
Paul Schrader and Gretchen Moll on the set of “Forever Mine.”
The film is so strange in fact that rather than attempt to summarize the narrative myself, I’ll just re-post the synopsis from Paul Schrader’s website here:
“Forever Mine” synopsis fromhttp://paulschrader.orgJoseph Fiennes and some very strange make-up choices.(The greatly underrated) Gretchen Moll.
Listen to the podcast here:
Now streaming on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
“I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares, as opposed to ugly things. That’s my intent.”
On the subject of film titles & poster design, one name looms majestically above all others, Mr. Saul Bass!***
*And his collaborator and wife, Elaine Bass. **With admiration and recognition of Pablo Ferro, who takes a very respectable second place.
Saul Bass stands before some of his work.
Saul Bass is probably best known for his collaborations with Hitchcock, Preminger, and Scorsese, but his iconic work is featured in so many excellent pictures (all the more excellent for his contribution), which, taken in their totality, have left a distinctive mark on the history of cinema and represent a peerless legacy, not just as a designer of titles and posters, but also as a one-of-kind filmmaker in his own right.
Below are just a few samples of his work, some personal favourites, that make the argument for Saul Bass’ reputation as the best to ever do it. Naturally, this is not an exhaustive collection, as that would require a book, not a post. For that, I can recommend no greater source than Jennifer Bass’ and Pat Kirkham’s“Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design,” featuring a forward by Martin Scorsese.
Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design.Title sequence for OttoPreminger’s“The Man With The Golden Arm” (1955).
Title sequence for Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960).Saul Bass’ titles for “Psycho” are legendary, but lesser known is his contribution to the infamous shower scene, as evidenced by his storyboards above.
Simple but powerful poster design for John Sturges’ “The Magnificent Seven” (1960).Poster design for John Frankenheimer’s “Seconds” (1966).Sketch for “Seconds” (1966).
Title sequence from Martin Scorsese’s “Cape Fear” (1991).Also from the “Cape Fear” titles, red-infused negative image of Juliette Lewis’ eyes.Complimentary to the red imagery above, this green and black silhouette “cut out” imagery recalls the plummeting Jimmy Stewart figure from “Vertigo.”
For more on the best of film titles, please visit (and consider donating to) the authority at its source: The Art of The Title website, which boasts a breathtaking collection, and is currently (and entirely coincidentally!) featuring a tribute to none other than (you guessed it!) Saul Bass! Prepare to enter a rabbit hole!
On this week’s episode of The Filmography, Bjorn Olson and I take a deep dive into Paul Schrader’s adaptation of Russell Banks’ harrowing account of the fallout from an abusive father-son relationship, featuring Oscar-nominated turns from Nick Nolte (who has only ever been better in Neil Jordan’s “The Good Thief“), and James Coburn. As the abusive father, Coburn won the Oscar.
Listen to the podcast here:
Now streaming on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch the trailer for “Affliction” here:
Nick Nolte was Oscar-nominated, and James Coburn won, for their portrayals of an embattled father and son on a collision course.
See what Siskel& Ebert had to say about “Affliction” here:
Siskel & Ebert raise their thumbs for Schrader’s picture.
Nic Cage in Martin Scorsese’s criminally underrated “Bringing Out The Dead.”
Brian Doyle Murray as Jack Ruby in Oliver Stone’s “JFK.”
Adrian Brody & Jennifer Esposito in Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam,”shot by Ellen Kuras (in the Bob Richardson style).
Isiah Washington in Spike Lee’s “Clockers,” shot by Malik Hassan Sayeed (in the Bob Richardson style).
Teaching myself lighting for camera, this is my first attempt at recreating the Robert Richardson look from Oliver Stone’s“JFK,” and Martin Scorsese’s“Bringing Out The Dead,” shooting on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Also inspired by Malik Hassan Sayeed’s work on Spike Lee’s“Clockers,” and Ellen Kuras’ work on “Summer of Sam,” also for Spike Lee.
The Bob Richardson look: halo effect from top light, heavy backlight, blown out afterglow.
I didn’t quite nail it (not enough fill and bounce, too much top light) but I’ll continue to tweak, aided by back issues of American Cinematographer featuring interviews with Richardson and Kuras.
Back issues of American Cinematographer (right to left, top to bottom: “Clockers,”“Summer of Sam,” “Natural Born Killers,” “Casino,”“JFK,” and “Nixon.”
Special thank you to my Dad, who allowed me to interrupt his morning coffee to sit for this.
Next up, I’ll attempt to recreate the look of Janusz Kaminski’s photography on Steven Spielberg’s“Minority Report.”
The “Film Bleu” look of Janusz Kaminski’s photography for Steven Spielberg’s“Minority Report.”
Watch the trailer for “Bringing Out The Dead” here:
Featuring 9 bonus tracks, this 2018 Dagored limited edition (500 copies) of Morricone’s score to the 1966 Italian crime thriller “Svegliati E Uccidi” (aka “Wake Up & Die,” aka “Wake Up & Kill,” aka “Too Soon To Die”) is the first time the complete soundtrack has been available on vinyl. Described as “dark and powerful,” this early work from Morricone showcases his mastery of not just film scores, but pop songs, too, as evidenced by the stirring, mournful opening track “Una Stanza Vuota” (“An Empty Room”) sung by the film’s lead actress, Lisa Gastoni, who also starred in the Morricone-scored films “Grazie Zia,”“Maddalena,” and “I Pugni In Tasca” (aka “Fists In The Pocket”).
Elmore Leonard and two of his finest novels, "La Brava," and "Cuba Libre."
Somewhere along the way, I heard a story that one of Elmore Leonard’s fans asked him how he writes such effortless opening and closing lines. His answer says a lot about what it takes to be a writer of his calibre.
“It only seems effortless. That line took me three weeks!”
Although CamSugar pressed a new LP in 2021, as the third in their “MorriconeSegretto” collection, I sourced the original 1982 vinyl from Discogs, primarily for the excellent cover art.
Italian theatrical poster.The Maestro in 1980, the year he composed the score for “The Blue-Eyed Bandit.“
Released in 1980, The Blue-Eyed Bandit (aka Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzurri) is an amusing Italian poliziottesco picture. Written and directed by Alfredo Giannetti, it stars Franco Nero and Dalila Di Lazzaro, and features Morricone’s jazziest score.
The Maestro’s screen credit 1.Screen credit 2.
The Album:
Cover-art for “The Blue-Eyed Bandit“
Side 1.
Side 2.
Reverse album cover.
Other Editions:
2013 Italian CD release.2021 CAMSUGAR release.Lato B.Inner-sleeve.Reverse inner-sleeve.Reverse album cover.
The Film:
From MUBI.com:
The male-pattern baldness bandit.
Franco Nero stars as a mild mannered, elderly bank clerk, who shuffles in and out of the bank everyday, unnoticed by his co-workers, or anyone else for that matter.
Franco Nero disguised as an old, balding, dark-eyed bank clerk.
But this is quickly revealed to be a facade. The balding hairline is a wig. The dark eyes, contact lenses. The shuffle, an affectation.
Some hairpiece.The bandit’s bald wig.His dark eyes……are contacts.
The disguise is in aid of Nero’sreal job, robbing banks as “The Blue-eyed Bandit” of the title.
Not Sean Connery in “The Untouchables.”
Complicating things at work is his attraction to (and attention from) his beautiful co-worker, played by DalilaDi Larraro, who also starred in the Morricone-scored “StarkSystem” the same year (co-starring GianMariaVolonte, star of many Morricone-scored films himself).
“StarkSystem” album cover art.
The Director:
Giannetti with the Oscar he won for his screenplay for “Divorce Italian Style.“Giannetti with Italian film icon, AnnaMagnani.
