. . . but the fact remains that Michigan native Laurence Rosenthal, who picked up one of the 12 Oscar Noms garnered by the 1964 "shoe-box epic" flick BECKET, did NOT win a golden statuette. Many people know the story of how the tyrannical GWTW film producer David O. Selznick belittled, lampooned, and terrorized director Alfred Hitchcock during the filming of REBECCA in 1940, making Hitchcock a control freak AND a tyrant himself for the rest of his career (as the "Stockholm Syndrome" took him in its firm grip). One reason this sad saga stays current today is that both Selznick and Hitchcock became film legends, and REBECCA won the "Best Picture" Oscar (despite Selznick's meddling, and successful campaign with his fat cat producer buddies to insure Hitchcock would not be voted an Oscar that year or ANY year). BECKET, on the other hand, involved lesser folks, so its tawdry tale languishes in obscurity. Producer Hal Wallis was no Selznick, and composer Rosenthal is not Max Steiner reincarnated. However, it IS enlightening to hear the latter recount how the former called him up in the middle of the night to spout off against the composer's RUMORED plans for the Becket score, insisting that the post-assassination fanfare for Peter O'Toole's King Henry II character be as heroic as possible, since Henry "was a better man for the whole 'Becket Experience.'" This idiocy on Wallis' part is another piece of the puzzle of how his penny-wise, pound-foolish clueless approach to trying to do a LAWRENCE OF ARABIA "on the cheap" confirms my theory that most rich people become so by ruthless accident and a total lack of human empathy, making their inevitable meltdowns LESS of a mystery than they would be if their own theory--"Our riches come from God"--were actually true. Just as Jesus said a quarter-ton camel would squeeze through a microscopic needle eye BEFORE even ONE rich person was admitted to Heaven, the idea of a wealthy individual creating True Art all by their lonesome is equally preposterous, as reading between the lines of A TAPESTRY OF MUSIC: LAURENCE ROSENTHAL ON HIS SCORE FOR 'BECKET' amply proves.
User Reviews
Review this title2 Reviews
It's impossible to label someone born in Detroit as a "loser" . . .
oscaralbert26 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Great Insight Into Artist's Creativity
marcin_kukuczka10 July 2011
The 30-minute documentary about the music score for one of the most accurate medieval content in motion picture history is usually included in the DVD release of Peter Glenville's film. And rightly so because this is a very helpful stuff not only for the fans of the genre but also for anybody interested in how the music score in the film is being created.
No doubt about the fact that music constitutes a great degree in the success of the film. To a greater extent, the role of music appears significant in the historical movies where the certain period of time is being evoked by the tunes. At the same time, it is important to incorporate that within the emotions of certain scenes. Who is needed in that respect is someone who can create this effect and lead the viewers to the accurate atmosphere. The young and inexperienced at the time Laurence Rosenthal appeared to be right for that task...
In this short documentary Mr Rosenthal himself briefly supplies us with certain hints about the background material that he used for the concrete tracks. One fact makes the whole composition an accurate piece of work for both learned historians and the contemporary movie buffs: the medieval music combined with the modern elements, history combined with entertainment. This primarily refers to the title theme based upon the medieval hymn to the Holy Ghost VENI, SANCTE SPIRITU (sometimes referred to as the 'Golden Sequence'). That tune is soon supplied with modern instruments that appear and express powerful yet changeable emotions. Among many curiosities mentioned, a great revelation appears to be the cooperation with the Gregorian Chant singers, young boys from the singing school near London, young boys who "were singing like gods." (Rosenthal). Indeed, the blissful chants are quintessential in the very spirit of the period. But not only sacred music... what needs particular attention is the Gwendolen's song...the Welsh song Mr Rosenthal consulted with Sian Phillips, the Welsh born actress who sings it in the film. It is amazing what Mr Rosenthal recalls in that case...
A highly recommended documentary with lots of interesting stuff, clear and insightful presentation of the topic, great for both the movie and the music buffs. The culture of Mr Rosenthal's language and his high standard of conveying emotions in viewpoints make it one of the most convincing documentaries I have seen.
No doubt about the fact that music constitutes a great degree in the success of the film. To a greater extent, the role of music appears significant in the historical movies where the certain period of time is being evoked by the tunes. At the same time, it is important to incorporate that within the emotions of certain scenes. Who is needed in that respect is someone who can create this effect and lead the viewers to the accurate atmosphere. The young and inexperienced at the time Laurence Rosenthal appeared to be right for that task...
In this short documentary Mr Rosenthal himself briefly supplies us with certain hints about the background material that he used for the concrete tracks. One fact makes the whole composition an accurate piece of work for both learned historians and the contemporary movie buffs: the medieval music combined with the modern elements, history combined with entertainment. This primarily refers to the title theme based upon the medieval hymn to the Holy Ghost VENI, SANCTE SPIRITU (sometimes referred to as the 'Golden Sequence'). That tune is soon supplied with modern instruments that appear and express powerful yet changeable emotions. Among many curiosities mentioned, a great revelation appears to be the cooperation with the Gregorian Chant singers, young boys from the singing school near London, young boys who "were singing like gods." (Rosenthal). Indeed, the blissful chants are quintessential in the very spirit of the period. But not only sacred music... what needs particular attention is the Gwendolen's song...the Welsh song Mr Rosenthal consulted with Sian Phillips, the Welsh born actress who sings it in the film. It is amazing what Mr Rosenthal recalls in that case...
A highly recommended documentary with lots of interesting stuff, clear and insightful presentation of the topic, great for both the movie and the music buffs. The culture of Mr Rosenthal's language and his high standard of conveying emotions in viewpoints make it one of the most convincing documentaries I have seen.
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