Does the longer version of SOUTH PACIFIC still exist? (1 Viewer)

[Mark B]

From my LP's "Deluxe 8 page full color story and picture booklet":

"PROLOGUE

Riding a giraffe, Doctor John Dolittle (Rex Harrison) enters the exotically beautiful clearing around a forest pool in Equatorial Africa, tipping his tall hat and addressing various birds and beasts and reptiles in their respective languages. He dismounts and approaches a groaning crocodile; quickly determines it is suffering from a toothache. He attaches a string to the offending molar, then hails an elephant to whose tail he ties the string. The extraction is successful to the crocodile's relief. With exquisite courtesy to all, Dolittle hitches a ride on a rhinoceros and heads for Nairobi, explaining he must be back in Puddleby by Saturday."

 

[Joe Caps]

Yes, but the LP was made up way ahead of the premiere to promote the movie. The LP also tells where all of the cut songs come in.
However, there is a book called the studio by John Donne which follows one year in the life of Twnetieth Century Fox and records everything about Doolittle, - where the longer version was test screened, when the film was cut (BEFORE the opening of the film). You really can not follow the soundtrack album as far as information goes.
Fox was so certain they had a mega hit, they ordered the first run of Dolittle soundtracks to be as many as the complet run of the original cast album of My Fair Lady!!
You can still find sealed albums of the Dolittle album for around $3.98 or cheaper.

 

[Mark B]

I should have clarified my post. I'm aware of the fact that the soundtrack was completed before the film was issued. I just found it an interesting document of the intended continuity.

 

[Mark B]

I assume the shot of Brazzi was for publicity, but what's with the sand "dame?"

 

[Greg_M]

I would guess both were for publicity.

 

[Joe Caps]

The lower shot is not publicity - it's a shot from brazzi doing the song Loneliness of evening, never put in the film.
the film part is gone but the recording still exists among the raw sessions for the film.

 

[Mark B]

Thanks, Joe. That was my first thought, but then I dismissed it.

 

[Carlos_M_Nash]

Where did those images come from? Also, how much of the raw audio still exists? I wish RCA would have taken the opportunity to do something with them when they re-released the soundtrack not too long ago.

 

[Mark B]

They are on the 1994 Laserdisc sleeve. The sand "dame" is also on the insert of the DVD.

 

[MatthewA]

Where did those images come from? Also, how much of the raw audio still exists? I wish RCA would have taken the opportunity to do something with them when they re-released the soundtrack not too long ago.

Me too. Since there is no problem with the United Federation of Musicians and pre-1960 films, if the elements exist, why don't they release a more comprehensive soundtrack?

 

[Mark B]

I wish someone would follow in the footsteps of the Turner/Rhino MGM soundtracks and release the R&H musicals with all of the underscoring and full length songs. The recent CDs with material straight from the film soundtrack, foley and all, were awful.

 

[Drew Salzan]

Agreed. Those Rhino soundtracks are amazing. However, the CD's that were included in the laserdisc sets of The King and I and The Sound of Music in the '90's were mastered from the session tapes. I don't know if the Angel release of the former was also, but the 2 disc RCA release of the latter does indeed include the extended versions and additional instrumental tracks taken from the session masters. There are no Foley or effects on these recordings.

 

[MatthewA]

Joe Caps said that there are no music tracks for "Oklahoma!" still extant, but there are for Carousel (albeit unmixed), The King & I, The Sound of Music, and South Pacific. I wish more people would follow the Turner/Rhino model for soundtracks of older films.

 

[Joe Caps]

I would love to see a two cd set from South Pacific.
All of the raw sessions exist for this film, including Alfred Newmans background score and the song Loneliness of evening sung by Giorgio Tozzi, recorded and filmed but not included in the film.
I would love to see a Flower Drum song from the raw sessions (the current cd is from the lp master with different reverb) and with Newmans background score.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Just as an unrelated digression, I was in an opera when I was in high school directed by Giorgio Tozzi. He was quite the character.

I've never been as fond of SOUTH PACIFIC as I am of most of the other R&H shows. It seems to go on forever with no real momentum. None of the characters are extremely likable. I have tried, time and time again, to watch the film but the filters get me every time. I'll definitely put the new release on my NetFlix queue once it's released, though. I'm interested to see if the longer version makes any difference as far as the overall rhythm of the film goes.

 

[Mark B]

I saw an excellent stage production a couple of years ago, and it finally clicked for me.

Unfortunately the film is miscast and disheveled. The orchestrations are tops, though, and would make a great CD set.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Joe Caps said that there are no music tracks for "Oklahoma!"

That's interesting. My Oklahma CD soundtrack says "ADD" (digital mixed...not using an previous LP 2-channel master) and it's quite an outstanding sounding film soundtrack from that era...dynamic, good frequency response, and very open and "analog like" for the most part (ie, nothing like the old RCA Sound of Music CD that sounded like compressed nuns singing in a tin-can).

 

[Joe Caps]

There are two versions of sound of music cd - both appeared on the last twqo CD set- one uses the rca album master =- with and without the rca album reverb and the other uses an explanded version from the raw studio sessions tapes, which is what Boulet, I assume, is referring to.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

I was referring to that first awful sounding SOM soundtrack taken from the (horrid) LP master. The new remixed soundtrack CD set sounds much more listenable...though the best is the gold CD soundtrack that came in the $100 SOM LD box set...75% of the reason I shelled out and bought that laserdisc!

dave

 

[Carlos_M_Nash]

The sand "dame" is also on the insert of the DVD.

Goes to show you, I don't pay very much attention to one-page inserts in my DVD collection. I like those booklets with production stills and interesting information -- not a card with track listings.