Cinema Classics 2006

Cinema Classics 2006, Classical music made famous in films. Naxos 8.556833 Composer(s): Bach, Johann Sebastian; Donizetti, Gaetano; Elgar, Edward; Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus; Pachelbel, Johann; Purcell, Henry; Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay Andreyevich; Rossini, Gioachino; Strauss II, Johann; Strauss, Richard; Traditional Conductor(s): Fedorov, Victor; Halasz, Michael; Humburg, Will; Hurst, George; Kosler, Zdenek; Leaper, Adrian; Morandi, Pier Giorgio; Muller-Bruhl, Helmut; Wildner, Johannes Orchestra(s): BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Budapest Failoni Chamber Orchestra; Cologne Chamber Orchestra; Hungarian State Opera Orchestra; Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra; Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice Ensemble(s): Eder Quartet; Red Army Band; Scholars Baroque Ensemble Choir(s): Red Army Choir Artist(s): Amps, Kym; Charlston, Terence R.; La Scola, Vincenzo; Mescheriakova, Ma­rina “Oompa-Loompas are crazy for Coco-Beans” [ Track 1] CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Director: Tim Burton Cast: Johnny Depp (Willy Wonka), Freddie Highmore (Charlie Bucket), David Kelly (Grandpa Joe), Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs Bucket), Noah Taylor (Mr Bucket), Missi Pyle (Mrs Beauregarde), James Fox (Mr Salt), Deep Roy (Oompa Loompa), Christopher Lee (Dr Wonka). Story: Most nights in the Bucket home, dinner is a watered-down bowl of cabbage soup which young Charlie gladly shares with the many members of the household. Every night, the last thing he sees from his window is Willy Wonka's great factory and he falls asleep dreaming about what might be inside. For nearly fifteen years no one has seen a single worker going in or coming out of the factory, or ever caught the slightest wink of Wonka himself. But one day Willy Wonka announces that he will open his factory to five children and reveal all its secrets and magic. Music: Sunrise from ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’ by Richard Strauss (1864–1949) Also featured in: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 2010 (1984), and Casino (1995). “Never judge a man by his cover” [Track 2] THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS Director: Stephen Hopkins Cast: Geoffrey Rush (Peter Sellers), Charlize Theron (Britt Ekland), Emily Watson (Anne Sellers), John Lithgow (Blake Edwards), Miriam Margolyes (Peg Sellers), Peter Vaughan (Bill Sellers), Sonia Aquino (Sophia Loren), Stanley Tucci (Stanley Kubrick), Stephen Fry (Maurice Woodruff) Story: Peter Sellers was one of the finest comic actors of the twentieth century, with an uncanny ability to adapt to a wide variety of rôles including Inspector Clouseau, probably his best-loved impersonation. As he said himself, this almost led to his not having any identity of his own. Behind all the comic banter was, however, a darker side with bouts of mental illness, maltreatment of his women and contempt for his colleagues. Good or bad, it is all here with a bravura performance of Sellers by Geoffrey Rush. Music: The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II (1825–1899) Also featured in: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Age of Innocence (1993), Colonel Redl (1985), The End of the Affair (1999), Harold and Maude (1971), The Last Emperor (1987), Roxanne (1987), Strictly Ballroom (1992), Titanic (1997), True Lies (1994) and many others. “It Can Open Any Door” [Track 3] THE SKELETON KEY Director: Iain Softley Cast: Kate Hudson (Caroline Ellis), Gena Rowlands (Violet Devereaux), John Hurt (Ben Devereaux), Peter Sarsgaard (Luke), Joy Bryant (Jill), Maxine Barnett (Mama Cynthia) Story: Having answered a Help Wanted ad, Caroline Ellis finds herself working as a live-in caretaker to Ben Devereaux, a stroke victim who has lost the ability to speak. Ben's mother, Violet, gives Caroline a skeleton key with which she can open any door in the house – with one exception, which she says she has never been able to open. But curiosity gets the better of Caroline and she opens the door to find a wealth of objects representing the history of the old house. There is also an ancient form of folk magic and a dark secret of which Violet knows more than she is willing to let on. Music: Porgi amor from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Also featured in: Freak City (1999). “Repair for adventure!” [Track 4] ROBOTS Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha Cast (Voices of): Ewan McGregor (Rodney Copperbottom), Paula Abdul (Watch), Halle Berry (Pigeon Lady), Jim Broadbent (Madame Gasket), Mel Brooks (Bigweld), Greg Kinnear (Ratchet), Drew Carey (Crank), Stanley Tucci (Mr Copperbottom), Dianne Wiest (Mrs Copperbottom), Fender (Robin Williams) Story: Everybody agrees Rodney Copperbottom is a master inventor. Rodney has two big dreams: he wants to make the world a better place to live in and wants to meet his big idol Bigweld, the greatest inventor the world has seen. So he sets out on a journey where he runs into a lovely executive ‘bot, with whom he instantly falls in love, but also wicked company tycoon Ratchet and assorted other mechanical beings. Music: Overture to 'The Barber of Seville’ by Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) Also featured in: Breaking Away (1979), A Clockwork Orange (1971), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), and Prizzi's Honor (1985). “Passion Temptation Obsession” [Track 5] MATCH POINT Director: Woody Allen Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Chris Wilton), Matthew Goode (Tom Hewett), Emily Mortimer (Chloe Hewett Wilton), Scarlett Johansson (Nola Rice), Brian Cox (Alan Hewett), Geoffrey Streatfield (Alan Sinclair) Story: A one-time tennis pro, Chris Wilton was used to falling just short in his life. But when he befriends Tom Hewett and marries his sister, Chloe, the doors are opened to the kind of money and success that Chris had once dreamed of. Chris should have settled for happiness, but he is torn by his attraction to Tom's impossibly beautiful and sensual fiancée, Nola. The attraction turns to an obsession that forces Chris to make a critical choice. Now everything in his life hinges on whether or not he falls short again – and if his luck runs out. Match Point is a drama about ambition and obsession, the seduction of wealth, and the often discordant relationship between love and sexual passion. Perhaps most important, however, the story reveals the huge part luck plays in the events of our lives, refuting the comforting misconception that more of life is under our control than really is. Music: Una furtiva lagrima from ‘L'elisir d'amore’ by Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) Also featured in: Family Resemblances (1996), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), Prizzi's Honor (1985) and Lorenzo's Oil (1992) “Something bunny is going on” [Track 6] WALLACE and GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT Directors: Steve Box, Nick Park Cast (Voices of): Peter Sallis (Wallace/Hutch), Ralph Fiennes (Victor Quartermaine), Helena Bonham Carter (Lady Campanila Tottington), Peter Kay (PC Mackintosh), Nicholas Smith (Rev. Clement Hedges), Liz Smith (Mrs Mulch) Story: In the little town where Wallace and his faithful dog, Gromit, live, the big news is the annual vegetable contest, arranged by Lady Tottington for her friends. The tension runs high as everyone tends to their vegetables and tries to get them in best possible shape. Then something terrible happens. Vegetables are consumed en masse, to the horror of their owners. But it turns out the criminals are ordinary rabbits and quite cute ones at that. But danger strikes in the form of a monster and Lady Tottington has to call in Anti-Pesto to save the day. Music: First movement (beginning) from Symphony No. 1 by Edward Elgar (1857–1934) Also featured in: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Head in the Clouds (2004) and Robots (2005). “Movie of Heaven” [Track 7] KINGDOM OF HEAVEN Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Orlando Bloom (Balian), Liam Neeson (Godfrey), Jeremy Irons (Tiberias), Eva Green (Sibylla), Brendan Gleeson (Reynald), Edward Norton (King Baldwin), Ghassan Massoud (Saladin), Marton Csokas (Guy de Lusignan), Alexander Siddig (Nasir), David Thewlis (Hospitaler) Story: In late 12th century France, a blacksmith called Balian has lost his family and his faith. A great lord, Godfrey of Ibelin, returns from the Crusade in the Holy Land and reveals himself to be Balian's father. Mortally wounded in a skirmish, Godfrey passes his sword and titles to his newly-claimed son, and the humble blacksmith becomes a Crusader Knight, heading east to the Holy City of Jerusalem in search of fortune, renown and redemption. Here an uneasy peace reigns thanks to the efforts of the tragically leprous Christian King of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV, but it is not to last. Ambitious and unscrupulous Crusader lords Reynald and Guy de Lusignan provoke renewed conflict between Christian and Moslem, and Balian finds himself bravely but hopelessly defending Jerusalem against the great Moslem leader Saladin. Music: ‘Jesu, meine Freude’, a motet by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), not to be confused with the same composer's ‘Jesu bleibet meine Freude’, also known as ‘Jesu Joy of Man's desiring’. “Sometimes what tears us apart helps us put it back together” [Track 8] THE UPSIDE OF ANGER Director: Mike Binder Cast: Joan Allen (Terry Ann Wolfmeyer), Kevin Costner (Denny Davies), Erika Christensen (Andy Wolfmeyer), Keri Russell (Emily Wolfmeyer), Alicia Witt (Hadley Wolfmeyer), Evan Rachel Wood (Popeye Wolfmeyer), Mike Binder (Adam ‘Shep’ Goodman) Story: The movie spans three years of a woman's life after her husband's sudden disappearance. Her sweetness changes into violent rage after her husband's desertion and she suspects him of having gone to Sweden with his Swedish secretary. Barely keeping up with four daughters, she befriends Denny Davis, a retired baseball player and radio personality who lives up her street. Music: Canon and Gigue by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706) Also featured in: Ordinary People (1980), Defence of the Realm (1985), Father of the Bride (1991), The Runaway Bride (1999) and Equinox (1992). “April 1945, a nation awaits its …” [Track 9] THE DOWNFALL (Der Untergang) Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel Cast: Bruno Ganz (Adolf Hitler), Corinna Harfouch (Magda Goebbels), Ulrich Mathies (Joseph Goebbels), Juliane Köhler (Eva Braun), Heino Ferch (Albert Speer) Story: Berlin, 20th April, 1945. Hitler has retreated to a bunker system under the German chancellery. His private secretary is awakened by tremors from artillery fire. The Russian army is closing a ring around Berlin. The capital is reduced to rubble. Germany's defeat is inevitable. Only a handful of soldiers and children from the Hitler Youth continue fighting in the streets. Inside Hitler's bunker his mistress Eva Braun is preparing a celebration of the Führer's 56th birthday. One last time the leaders of the Nazi regime gather for a champagne reception. Among them is the Minister of the Interior, Heinrich Himmler, who begs Hitler to leave Berlin for a safer place. Hitler refuses. He will never leave this city. The next day Hitler gathers his staff for a final farewell. He thanks the cook for a very good lunch and he and Eva Braun return to their private quarters. Music: Dido's Lament from ‘Dido and Aeneas’ by Henry Purcell (1659–1695) Also featured in: England, My England (1995) and The Man Who Cried (2000). “She met the perfect man. Then she met his mother” [Track 1 0] MONSTER-IN-LAW Director: Robert Luketic Cast: Jennifer Lopez (Charlie), Jane Fonda (Viola Fields), Michael Vartan (Kevin), Wanda Sykes (Ruby), Adam Scott (Renny), Monet Mazur (Fiona), Annie Parisse (Morgan) Story: After many years of looking for Mr Right, Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Cantilini finally finds the man of her dreams, Kevin, only to realise that his mother is the woman of her nightmares. A recently fired national news anchor who is afraid she will lose her son the same way she has just lost her career, Viola Fields will do everything to scare off his son's fiancée. Music: First movement from String Quartet No. 21 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) “A romance ahead of its time” [Track 11] PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Director: Joe Wright Cast: Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Bennet), Rosamund Pike (Jane Bennet), Jena Malone (Lydia Bennet), Carey Mulligan (Kitty Bennet), Talulah Riley (Mary Bennet), Donald Sutherland (Mr Bennet), Brenda Blethyn (Mrs Bennet), Matthew Macfadyen (Mr Darcy), Simon Woods (Mr Bingley), Judi Dench (Lady Catherine de Bourg) Story: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” So what is Mrs Bennet to do with an elderly husband and five unmarried daughters? Both Pride and Prejudice are blocking the way, but as this is Jane Austen it all ends happily, at least for the virtuous ones. Music: Rondeau from ‘Abdelazar’ by Henry Purcell (1659–1695) This is the tune on which Benjamin Britten based his variations in The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, also known as Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell. “The first and most important rule of gun-running is: never get shot with your own merchandise” [Track 12] LORD OF WAR Director: Andrew Nicol Cast: Nicolas Cage (Yuri Orlov), Bridget Moynahan (Ava Fontaine), Ethan Hawke (Jack Valentine), Jared Leto (Vitaly Orlov), Jean-Pierre Nshanian (Anatoly Orlov), Shake Tukhmanyan (Irina Orlov), Jasper Lenz (Gregor), Kobus Marx (Boris), Ian Holm (Simeon Weisz) Story: Yuri Orlov is a gun-runner but not just any gun-runner. From the start when he sells his first Uzi to two sleazy thugs, he knows that this is going to be the future for him and his kid brother Vitoly. Business is great and soon he is supplying vast amounts of arms to governments all over the world. Wherever there is a war he is there. Morality is not a consideration for him, it is just a case of supply and demand. But all things come to an end and so it does for Yuri Orlov, too. Music: Song of the Volga boatmen (trad.) “Love Is a Force of Nature” [Track 13] BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Director: Ang Lee Cast: Heath Ledger (Ennis Del Mar), Jake Gyllenhaal (Jack Twist), Anne Hathaway (Lureen Newsome), Michelle Williams (Alma), Randy Quaid (Joe Aguirre), Graham Beckel (L. B. Newsome), David Harbour (Randall Malone), Roberta Maxwell (Jack's mother), Peter McRobbie (John Twist) Story: Early one morning in Signal, Wyoming, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist meet while lining up for employment with local rancher Joe Aguirre. Both young men seem certain of their set places in the heartland, obtaining steady work, marrying, and raising a family, and yet hunger for something beyond what they can articulate. When Aguirre dispatches them to work as sheepherders up on the majestic Brokeback Mountain, they gravitate towards camaraderie and then a deeper intimacy. At summer's end, the two must come down from Brokeback and part ways. Remaining in Wyoming, Ennis weds his sweetheart Alma. Jack, in Texas, catches the eye of rodeo queen Lureen Newsome, whom he marries. Four years pass. One day, Alma brings Ennis a postcard from Jack, who is en route to visit Wyoming. Ennis waits expectantly for his friend, and when Jack at last arrives, in just one moment it is clear that the passage of time has only strengthened the men's attachment. In the years that follow, Ennis and Jack struggle to keep their secret bond alive. They meet up several times annually. Even when they are apart, they face the eternal questions of fidelity, commitment, and trust. Ultimately, the one constant in their lives is a force of nature – love. Music: Capriccio espagnol by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908) Track Listing: Disc 1: Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30, TrV 176: Introduction (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) 00:01:49 An der schonen, blauen Donau (The Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314 (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers) 00:13:38 Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492, Act II: Porgi amor (The Skeleton Key) 00:03:49 Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Overture (Robots) 00:06:39 L'elisir d'amore, Act II: Una furtiva lagrima (Match Point) 00:05:10 Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55: I. (opening) (Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the Were - Rabbit) 00:03:17 Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227 (excerpt) (Kingdom of Heaven) 00:04:10 Canon and Gigue in D major (The Upside of Anger) 00:04:21 Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626: Dido's Lament (The Downfall - Der Untergang) 00:04:58 String Quartet No. 21 in D major, K. 575: I. Allegretto (Monster - In - Law) 00:07:40 Abdelazer, Z. 570: Hornpipe in D minor, Z. T684, "Round O" (Pride and Prejudice) 00:01:34 Song of the Volga Boatmen (Lord of War) 00:03:51 Capriccio espanol, Op. 34 (Brokeback Mountain) 00:15:58