Composer Monty Norman has passed away. He was one of the last remaining major contributors to the first James Bond film, "Dr. No", released in 1962. Norman had a humble childhood, growing up in East London as the son of a cabinetmaker. His mother sewed in order to provide additional income for the fiancially-strapped family. When WWII broke out in 1939, Norman was initially evacuated from London along with countless other children, but later returned to the city just in time to endure the terrors of Hitler's Blitz. The son of the family's landlord used to play the guitar and it had a mesmerizing effect on young Norman. His parents scrimped and saved to buy him his own guitar. It proved to a good investment. Following a stint in the army, Norman became a proficient musician and entertainer. He started his
career in show business as a singer, following in the footsteps of his
uncles who were amateur opera performers. He later began to host jazz-related radio broadcasts that caught the ear of top band leader Cyril Stapleton, who signed Norman as a singer for his band. There would be no looking back. Soon, Norman was touring with future superstar Benny Hill as a comedy/singing act and he also performed with Ted Heath's band. He later worked with the famed comedy troupe the Goons, which included Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan.
Although Monty Norman found success as a big band singer, he chose to concentrate on composing music. His first song, "False Hearted Lover", was a hit. He then turned his attention to composing shows for London's West End, working occasionally with the likes of director Peter Brook and and actor Paul Scofield. He adapted a hit French musical comedy, "Irma La Douce", for an English-language run and it was a smash hit both on the West End and on Broadway. He also found success with an original show, "Expresso Bongo", which would inspire the acclaimed feature film that would be a major career stepping stone for young Cliff Richard. His 1959 show, "Make Me an Offer", also won acclaim. Norman later took a chance by launching the show "Belle", a musical that was based on the notorious murderer Dr. Crippen. The show was his first major failure, but it had unforeseen positive aspects. One of the investors in the production was film producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli, who along with his partner, Harry Saltzman, had recently acquired the film rights to Ian Fleming's James Bond novels for their production company, Eon. Broccoli had liked Norman's score for "Belle" and hired him to compose the score for the first Bond movie, "Dr. No". The year was 1962. Norman based the famed signature theme for agent 007 on a previous composition, "Bad Sign Good Sign", that he had written for a musical that was never produced. He also contributed some innovative other tracks for the film including the song "Underneath the Mango Tree", "Jump Up Jamaica" and a reworking of "Three Blind Mice" that was used for nefarious purposes in the opening of the movie. Broccoli and Saltzman were not entirely satisfied with Norman's arrangement of "The James Bond Theme" and hired up-and-coming composer John Barry to rework the track. The result was one of the most recognizable pieces of pop culture music in history but it also led to some hard feelings. Norman, who went on to score the Bob Hope comedy "Call Me Bwana" for Broccoli and Saltzman, had a bit of a falling out with Saltzman over a contract, and was never employed by Eon Productions again. As the Bond juggernaut took off, the Barry became the go-to composer for most of the films and Norman seethed, as Barry was often credited with composing the Bond theme. The matter would finally be settled in a London courtroom many years later when Norman was legally confirmed to be the composer of record of the theme, even though Barry's orchestrations were undeniably pivotal in its success and longevity.
(Note: in the above video interview, the photo of Harry Saltzman is incorrectly designated as Albert R. Broccoli)
In 1989, Norman received the Gold Badge of Merit, for Services to British Music from from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors. Over the years, Norman embraced his association with the Bond films and appeared at numerous 007-related events and premieres, taking satisfaction at his enduring contribution to the world's longest-running film franchise. He told interviewer Sandra Kessell, "‘Well, I hope when the time comes people will remember that I’ve done quite a few things, but the fact that James Bond is so iconic in everybody’s mind - you can’t argue with that and nor would I want to."
(For more about Monty Norman's life and career, visit his official web site.)
The Film Detective release the B movie classic,
The Brain from Planet Arous on Blu-ray. The company continues to impress with their stable
of underground, cult classics. Teenage monsters, juvenile gangs and deceitful
femme fatales have all made it into their catalogue and have provided an
excellent, wide range of pure entertainment. The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)
is no exception.
Nathan Juran’s wonderful piece of science
fiction hokum remains a firm favourite among B movie buffs. With a cast headed
by John Agar and Joyce Meadows, the story finds Professor Steve March (Agar) in
his laboratory with his assistant Dan Murphy (Robert Fuller). Both men are
troubled by some unusual readings and bursts of radiation coming from the
desert, specifically, the wonderfully
named Mystery Mountain. Both are eager to head out there and inspect the
situation as quickly as possible. Steve's fiancée, the domestic goddess Sally
Fallon (Joyce Meadows) is fully behind the boys, but refuses to let them leave
on empty stomachs, especially after preparing the perfect barbecue in the
garden - what a gal!
Steve, Dan and a bellies full of hamburgers
arrive in the desert to discover a newly-formed cave. As they begin to explore
inside they are met by a large, telepathic, floating brain. The alien lifeform
kills Dan and proceeds to enter the body of Steve. A week later, Steve returns
home, concocting a story about Dan taking a break and taking off to Las Vegas.
It soon becomes apparent that Steve is not acting in a normal manner , in fact, he’s become something
of a horny sex pest, especially towards Sally, who he practically tries to rape
at any given opportunity.
Steve has obviously become possessed by the
alien brain (called Gor) (and is incidentally voiced by the film’s associate
producer Dale Tate). The possessed Steve has become a power-mad tyrant who
gleefully blows passenger planes from the sky or deights in destroying entire
towns with his newly- found powers and abilities.
It’s all wonderful material and a complete
joy to absorb. Agar really seems to be enjoying this role. After so often
portraying the clean-cut, all-American hero, he appears to relish the
opportunity in playing the bad guy.
The Film Detective has provided a beautiful
4K restoration and the film looks incredible. There are two options to view it,
either in a theatrical widescreen (1.85:1) ratio, or a straight-forward full
frame (1.33:1) format. I would actually recommend the latter. After watching
both versions, the full frame version seems to retain a greater element of fine
detail, but of course this is down to individual choice. The contrast and depth offered in the black
and white photography really shines through, as does the lovely clean audio
track.
Extras on this special edition are also very
enjoyable, and this is where I believe The Film Detective really notches up the
fun factor. Their presentations always carry a firm tongue-in-cheek element.
These films were never going to be multi-Oscar winners, and The Film Detective
recognises that - but never without a lack of respect. There is a terrific commentary
track featuring the always enthusiastic and knowledgeable film historian Tom
Weaver, Monstrous Movie Music’s David Schecter (who released a great
re-recording of the score and whose CD I still recommend) and the lovely Joyce
Meadows joins in with the memories of making the movie. In fact, Joyce Meadows
also has her own featurette / introduction on the disc, ‘Not the same Brain’,which
finds her recreating her role as Sally, visiting locations and basically having
a great deal of fun with it all. There are also a couple more featurettes, ‘The
Man before the Brain: Director Nathan Juran’ and ‘The Man Behind the Brain: The
World of Nathan Juran’. Both are original Ballyhoo productions, and despite
some overlapping information between them both, they are nevertheless
insightful and enjoyable. Also inside there is an excellent 10- page booklet
featuring an essay by Tom Weaver, ‘The Brains Behind the Brain: The Sci-Fi Career
of Producer Jacques Marquette’.
The Film Detective are on a fine roll of
releases of late, and I only hope they continue on the same path. They have
captured a format that really works in both their choices of titles and their
presentation.
(Darren Allison is the Soundtracks Editor for Cinema Retro. Read his column in every issue.)
Click here to order from Amazon or click here to order directly from the Film Detective web site.