TunePlay TAI PAN Tribute to Maurice Jarre 1986

>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=cXGUCtfft9Y

Just tell me, is it good or bad? . Most things (especially in cinema) aren't so simple. An analogy - remember LPs? Approximately 12 tracks - six per side. And of those you maybe loved four, could take or leave another four, and couldn't stand the rest. Over the years however you'd find yourself warming up to them. Same with the 1986 adaptation of James Clavell's TAI-PAN. Lambasted by critics upon release it's certainly no SHOGUN - 1980's critically acclaimed 9 hr. TV mini-series based on Clavell's later novel, and of which TAI-PAN the movie seeks to emulate down it's choice of composer - the legendary Maurice Jarre. While far from perfect (it's own director, THE THORN BIRDS' Daryl Duke, felt it would have worked better as a mini-series), TAI-PAN is also far from the celluloid dog some cinephiles claim. An uphill battle to get made, the resultant effort is yes, at times histrionic, overplayed and sappy, but also possessed of a rare old school brio and energy not seen (and certainly not often felt) in contemporary cinema. A lustful, hairy chested, widescreen, bustier-ripping epic of the first order. • Based on Clavell's 1966 novel, TAI-PAN (translation Supreme Leader ) is - in particular, a veiled re-telling of the establishment of Jardine Matheson Co (today known as Jardine Matheson Holdings), and - in general, a succinct depiction of the1842 influx of British and American traders into China in the wake of the First Opium War. This economic invasion would lead to the controversial establishment of the island of Hong Kong as a British colony for (with the exception of a short time during WW2) the next 155 years. During this early turbulent era, former shipmates turned competitors Dirk Straun (Bryan Brown as a stand-in for real life William Jardine) and Tyler Brock (stage actor John Stanton essaying a fictional version of Thomas Dent) wage their own war (business and personal) over who will claim the title Tai-Pan - head of the largest western trading company in Japan. Both novel and film details the Machiavellian goings-on between the two family empires, as well as those families' slow-but-true naturalization into Chinese culture. • There had been earlier attempts to bring TAI-PAN to the screen. In 1968 MGM promoted an upcoming adaptation to be produced by DOCTOR ZHIVAGO's Carlo Ponti and Martin Ransohoff; directed by Michael Anderson, and to star Patrick McGoohan. Eventually sunk by budgetary concerns other attempts would rise and fall throughout the 1970s (with such names attached as Carl Foreman and Richard Fleischer, and actors Steve McQueen and Roger Moore) until uber producer Dino De Laurentiis (an expert at securing unobtainable properties like DUNE and THE DEAD ZONE) landed the rights. • During the 70s - 80s, when disco - then all the pop and cinema rage, had driven many composers to television, Maurice Jarre (of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and ZHIVAGO fame) effortlessly floated back and forth between both mediums to great critical acclaim. While still scoring cinematic epics such as MOHAMMED, LION OF THE DESERT and ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD, he'd also produce lauded works for long form television, among them JESUS OF NAZARETH and the now classic SHOGUN. TAI-PAN offered Jarre a chance to return to one of his favorite musically ethnic territories - the sounds of Asia , but this time with a more broad orchestral canvas on which to paint than he'd had on SHOGUN. And this not just because of the limited TV budgets at the time, but also because (as television speakers of the day did not enjoy our contemporary sonics) on SHOGUN he had to compose within a limited frequency range. • With no such restrictions on TAI-PAN (the film released in 6-track Dolby Stereo) Jarre - a percussion student in his early days, rolled out a battalion of his favorite instruments in a stunning Main Title sequence wherein timpani, Taiko drums and more keep pace with the arrival of the Emperor's barge into Canton harbor; the Sovereign come to destroy the westerner's opium, and the music mimicking the determined rowing rhythm established by the vessel's pace keeper / drummer. Magnificent! • CEJ • 1) Main Title (0:00 of 14:53) • 2) Chinese Fog (3:47 of 14:53) • 3) Jinqua (6:47 of 14:53) • 4) It Was A Boy (9:35 of 14:53) • 5) A New Tai-Pan (12:06 of 14:53) • For more on MAURICE JARRE check out our in depth biography (incl. music excerpts) @ http://gullcottageonline.com/Downbeat... • For more TunePlay mini movie music suites go to http://gullcottageonline.com/TunePlay... • Bear Mann is a YouTube channel of The GullCottage/Sandlot, a film blog and growing reference library Celebrating The Art of Cinema, ... And Cinema As Art • Visit us on the web at: http://www.gullcottageonline.com • And on FACEBOOK at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gu... • All rights held by copyright owner. Presented here for educational and criticism purposes only.

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