Threaded Order Chronological Order
| 1960 Oscars | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 01:35 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 01:33 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| In reply to: re: The Apartment vs Promises, Promises (longish). - AlanScott 07:30 pm EST 12/26/22 | |
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| I'm a huge Hitchcock fan. Psycho should have been nominated for Best Picture (over The Alamo), although at that time a thriller/horror film (even one that features some very dark humor) would never have been the winner. Strangely, Psycho never released a soundtrack LP, which may account for it not being nominated for Best Score. 1960 was a very strong year for original scores. While Tiomkin's The Alamo, Previn's Elmer Gantry, Gold's Exodus (the winner), and Elmer Bernstein's The Magnificent Seven were very worthy scores, I would have nominated Herrmann's Psycho over both Previn and Gold. I think the Oscar that year should have gone to Bernstein. Herrmann had a reputation for being cantankerous and (supposedly) Johnny Green hated him, so that may be another reason for the Psycho score not getting a nomination. Herrmann shortly before his death conducted the National Philharmonic Orchestra in recording the complete Psycho score. I have the CD, and it is outstanding. I agree that Jean Simmons should have been nominated for Best Actress over Greer Garson. I also think that MacLaine gave the performance of her career for The Apartment and should have won over Elizabeth Taylor. It was Taylor's 4th nomination, and she undoubtedly won more for her career as a whole rather than for the rather ordinary Butterfield 8. |
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| re: 1960 Oscars | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 09:52 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| In reply to: 1960 Oscars - BroadwayTonyJ 01:33 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
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| I also have the Unicorn CD of Herrmann conducting the score. Some folks seem to prefer the one conducted by Joel McNeely, which I've never heard. The score seems not to have been mentioned in many reviews of the film, at least not in the reviews to which I have access. I like some of Herrman's concert works, too, particularly his only symphony. It's a work that I think would be popular with audiences if only orchestras would program it. |
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| re: 1960 Oscars | |
| Posted by: StanS 12:07 pm EST 12/28/22 | |
| In reply to: re: 1960 Oscars - AlanScott 09:52 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
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| For me, Herrmann is far and away the greatest film composer, nobody else even comes close. But his symphony and other concert works (again, for me) don't rise to the same level. It's an interesting comparison with Erich Wolfgang Korngold, whose film music is highly overrated but whose concert music is more compelling than Herrmann's. | |
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| re: 1960 Oscars | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 04:12 pm EST 12/28/22 | |
| In reply to: re: 1960 Oscars - StanS 12:07 pm EST 12/28/22 | |
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| Oddly, I don't know any of Korngold's concert music. I keep meaning to get to know it. | |
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| re: 1960 Oscars | |
| Posted by: BobPlak 07:20 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| In reply to: 1960 Oscars - BroadwayTonyJ 01:33 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
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| The rise in anti-Semitism has me down, so I will take this opportunity to point out that all five nominees for the 1960 Oscar for Best Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture were Jewish. If Bernard Herrmann had replaced one of the five, it would have still held true. (So now the anti-Semites will say the Oscars were rigged in favor of Jews. You can't win with them!) |
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| re: 1960 Oscars | |
| Posted by: bicoastal 03:50 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| In reply to: 1960 Oscars - BroadwayTonyJ 01:33 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
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| The Herrmann score is phenomenal and has more than stood the test of time, even over those other iconic scores. One of the great joys of my life was getting to sit in the music stage when Danny Elfman recorded the original score for the PSYCHO remake (ugh). To be on the stage with a 70 string orchestra playing that score---a total thrill! | |
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| re: 1960 Oscars | |
| Posted by: StanS 03:45 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| In reply to: 1960 Oscars - BroadwayTonyJ 01:33 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
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| We've been through this before about Herrmann and the Oscars. He disdained them and none of his iconic scores were even nominated. When you say the Oscar should have gone to Bernstein, do you mean since Psycho wasn't nominated? Because I would probably put the score to Psycho in the top 10 scores of all time. Only Vertigo is even greater. |
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| re: 1960 Oscars | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 09:08 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 09:06 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| In reply to: re: 1960 Oscars - StanS 03:45 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
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| I made two statements. Statement #1: all 5 nominees were worthy scores. Ernest Gold won for Exodus. IMO the Oscar should have gone to Elmer Bernstein for The Magnificent Seven. Statement #2: IMO the Psycho score should have been nominated instead of either Previn's Elmer Gantry or Gold's Exodus. I agree that the score for Vertigo is even greater than that of Psycho. Herrmann did receive Oscar nominations for the scores to Citizen Kane, The Devil and Daniel Webster, Anna and the King of Siam, Obsession,and Taxi Driver -- 5 iconic scores. He won the Oscar for his Devil and Daniel Webster score. He probably deserved at least 10 additional nominations for many other scores. It's very strange that the Psycho score did not receive a soundtrack LP in 1960. Apparently, the recording session primary elements were re-used, i. e., recorded over. However, the stems remained and may still exist. I believe the original soundtrack (possibly truncated) did appear briefly on CD some years ago, although probably with archival sound. I don't remember the label, most likely an import. I'm almost positive that Screen Archives was the distributor. I never bought it because I had the very comprehensive re-recording with conducting by Herrmann himself. Some day when the technology improves, the original soundtrack recording may be released again (with improved sound) by one of the more reliable boutique labels. |
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| re: 1960 Oscars | |
| Posted by: bmc 02:40 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
| In reply to: 1960 Oscars - BroadwayTonyJ 01:33 pm EST 12/27/22 | |
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| Miss Taylor herself said it was a 'hangover' award for SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER the year before(also her tracheotomy when she had pneumonia.) | |
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