CLASSIC Biblical Trifecta Miklos Rozsa which score is the best? No 4K for Ben Hur? (1 Viewer)

[RobertMG]

Surprised we have not seen a three film release of QUO VADIS, BEN HUR, and KING OF KINGS 1961 with tons more extras on Quo Vadis and King of Kings. Have seen a great short subject made during the filming of Quo Vadis with great scenes of Cinecitta and shots of Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr meeting two ladies one which narrates the short. These three films also contain some of the best music scores ever written for film. My favorite of all of Maestros scores is King of Kings. The first strains of the music from the title sequence is inspiring and even with your eyes closed you immediately know the film it heralds. In the mid 70's there was a great PBS show highlighting selections from these films with the Maestro conducting a great orchestra - that would be a great addition to any future release!

 

[Robin9]

Why are you surprised?

 

[RobertMG]

Would be a natural ----- tons of more behind the scenes material must be in the vaults? Supplements on King of Kings were nice but very sparse.

 

[skylark68]

Three of my favorite films. I’d love to have new releases with more supplements

 

[RobertMG]

Is this a cut scene from King of Kings 1961?

 

[richardburton84]

Is this a cut scene from King of Kings 1961?

View attachment 169889

Judging from the costuming, it looks to be a still from the Baptism scene. Whether it indicates that scene was originally longer or not is anyone’s guess.

 

[RobertMG]

Judging from the costuming, it looks to be a still from the Baptism scene. Whether it indicates that scene was originally longer or not is anyone’s guess.

Thank you you pegged it --- it had me saying what scene is this from? Great film - great score I actually love it more than Ben Hur I also love Quo Vadis

 

[Alan Tully]

I love Miklos Rozsa scores & have several on CD. I think my favourite (for this month anyway) is Ivanhoe (the great rerecording by Intrada), & then there's Knights Of The Round Table, it's amazing just how great the original 1953 stereo soundtrack sounds. Also amazing is that the FSM CD is still available (a 2-CD set with The Kings Thief, a very catchy score), & then there's Lust For Life, Rozsa in impressionism mood (great sounding original score in stereo from FSM, but long sold out), & of course Ben-Hur, but I haven't listened to that for a few years. And late Rozsa, The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes (great new recording from Tadlow). You certainly don't get soundtracks like that anymore, but then that music wouldn't suit todays films. I have a feeling that we'll see a 4K of Ben-Hur this year, but then the Blu-ray we have looks damn good.

 

[uncledougie]

Ben-Hur having been filmed in Camera 65 (essentially Ultra Panavision), and King of Kings in Super Technirama 70, would be perfect candidates for a 4K release. I don’t know if the elements exist to justify it for Quo Vadis, but it, too, deserves a remastering. The existing Blu-rays of each of these are very good (Quo Vadis being less so than the other two), but no question 4K would be far and away a better experience. All three scores are magnificent, as expected of the peerless Miklos Rozsa. In my opinion, his score for Ben-Hur is the pinnacle of all film scoring, and I have the soundtrack recordings of all three, which I highly recommend. I presume Warner Bros has access to the best elements available for these films, and it’s a worthy effort to urge them to upgrade them asap.

 

[RobertMG]

Ben-Hur having been filmed in Camera 65 (essentially Ultra Panavision), and King of Kings in Super Technirama 70, would be perfect candidates for a 4K release. I don’t know if the elements exist to justify it for Quo Vadis, but it, too, deserves a remastering. The existing Blu-rays of each of these are very good (Quo Vadis being less so than the other two), but no question 4K would be far and away a better experience. All three scores are magnificent, as expected of the peerless Miklos Rozsa. In my opinion, his score for Ben-Hur is the pinnacle of all film scoring, and I have the soundtrack recordings of all three, which I highly recommend. I presume Warner Bros has access to the best elements available for these films, and it’s a worthy effort to urge them to upgrade them asap.

How great would a box set of all three be with more supplements

 

[PaulRossen]

Surprised we have not seen a three film release of QUO VADIS, BEN HUR, and KING OF KINGS 1961 with tons more extras on Quo Vadis and King of Kings. Have seen a great short subject made during the filming of Quo Vadis with great scenes of Cinecitta and shots of Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr meeting two ladies one which narrates the short. These three films also contain some of the best music scores ever written for film. My favorite of all of Maestros scores is King of Kings. The first strains of the music from the title sequence is inspiring and even with your eyes closed you immediately know the film it heralds. In the mid 70's there was a great PBS show highlighting selections from these films with the Maestro conducting a great orchestra - that would be a great addition to any future release!

Recommend the Tadlow recording of the complete score. When I want to listen to KoK that’s the recording I listen to…

 

[RobertMG]

Recommend the Tadlow recording of the complete score. When I want to listen to KoK that’s the recording I listen to…

WB's did a great King Of Kings soundtrack does an original exist of Quo Vadis?

 

[PaulRossen]

Is this a cut scene from King of Kings 1961?

View attachment 169889

KoK went through a tough post production process with many scenes/story lines deleted, writing and recording narration. It’s the narration and Rozsa’s score that turned a mess into a coherent story.

 

[RobertMG]

KoK went through a tough post production process with many scenes/story lines deleted, writing and recording narration. It’s the narration and Rozsa’s score that turned a mess into a coherent story.

THANK YOU this I never knew! It turned out to be one of the best EPICS

 

[PaulRossen]

WB's did a great King Of Kings soundtrack does an original exist of Quo Vadis?

On cd FSM released what was available on their huge Miklos Rozsa Treasury Box. Here again the Tadlow recording of the complete score is outstanding.

 

[richardburton84]

On cd FSM released what was available on their huge Miklos Rozsa Treasury Box. Here again the Tadlow recording of the complete score is outstanding.

Be forewarned that a large percentage of the Quo Vadis material is derived from a music-and-effects track as the original masters sadly perished in a fire prior to the film’s release. Therefore, I second the Tadlow recording of Quo Vadis.

 

[RobertMG]

On cd FSM released what was available on their huge Miklos Rozsa Treasury Box. Here again the Tadlow recording of the complete score is outstanding.

Be forewarned that a large percentage of the Quo Vadis material is derived from a music-and-effects track as the original masters sadly perished in a fire prior to the film’s release. Therefore, I second the Tadlow recording of Quo Vadis.

Interesting any documentation on that fire wonder what else was lost - on King of Kings two years after the release Jeffrey Hunter said he was getting 1,500 letters a month telling him how much the film meant to them

 

[richardburton84]

KoK went through a tough post production process with many scenes/story lines deleted, writing and recording narration. It’s the narration and Rozsa’s score that turned a mess into a coherent story.

A few examples of these deleted scenes/subplots include a longer temptation scene in which the Devil was seen as well as heard (Rózsa scored this longer scene) and a subplot which would have featured a part for Richard Johnson. George Komar of the Miklós Rózsa Society gives a detailed description of this subplot in his analysis of the score:

Take note of the moment in this sequence at which Jesus is first seen entering the Temple square riding on a donkey. In the next shot, Barabbas rouses his men to take their positions: “He’s coming!” To the left of Barabbas, you will notice a tall, darkly clad figure who immediately reacts and leads the way into the crowds. This is David (played by Richard Johnson), a character who appeared in Yordan’s original storyline but was eventually dropped. David is a wealthy Judean merchant and boyhood acquaintance of Barabbas, and an opportunist who many years before had left his oppressed homeland in order to seek his freedom and fortune in Rome, where he had become a Roman citizen and befriended Pontius Pilate. He has returned to Jerusalem to reclaim his heritage and “find his soul.” In an intended earlier scene with obvious parallels to Ben-Hur, Pilate seeks David’s advice as to how to get along with the Jews, to which David candidly replies, “Just collect your taxes and leave them alone.” Rather than furthering Pilate’s career and rising with him in power, David chooses to renounce his Roman citizenship and end his friendship with the new prefect. He allies himself instead with Barabbas and offers to plan and finance a revolt against the Roman occupation, hence his “footprint” presence in this scene, some of which seems to have been replaced by clumsily inserted studio shots of Judas peering into the crowds. David can also be seen in the final shot of Jesus ascending the steps of the Temple; look for a beardless aristocratic figure in the center of the screen. As he passes, Jesus slowly turns and stares intently at David. In Yordan’s storyline, Jesus’ compassionate smile penetrates deep into David’s troubled soul and transforms it, causing the transfixed David to drop his sword and abandon his revolutionary plans, a move that enrages Barabbas to seize the moment and signal the attack.

FSM: King of Kings (Miklós Rózsa)

 

[RobertMG]

A few examples of these deleted scenes/subplots include a longer temptation scene in which the Devil was seen as well as heard (Rózsa scored this longer scene) and a subplot which would have featured a part for Richard Johnson. George Komar of the Miklós Rózsa Society gives a detailed description of this subplot in his analysis of the score:

FSM: King of Kings (Miklós Rózsa)

For years the voice of the Devil kept me guessing then I read it was Ray Milland - I might posted that here b4!

 

[Ed Lachmann]

I also love the expansive score Rózsa composed for Sodom and Gomorrah, which is filled with exotic dance pieces. The fabulous Tadlow recording is superior to all the previous several releases, even the tinny 2 CD original tracks set of a couple decades ago. The "Queen's Favorite" cut is mesmerizing, one of my all time top Rózsa pieces. The recent German Explosive Media blu-ray 2 disc is a wide-screen revelation, especially after that ridiculous pan-and-scan DVD Fox put out years ago.