KRITZERLAND: THE ANTS IS COMING (Dana Kaproff) & Rhapsody Of Steel (Dimitri Tiomkin)

[Beaverhausen]

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Kritzerland

December 20, 2009

Greetings!

Kritzerland is proud to present two limited edition soundtracks - a world premiere release and a first time on CD release! EMPIRE OF THE ANTS Music Composed and Conducted by Dana Kaproff and RHAPSODY OF STEEL Music Composed and Conducted by Dimitri Tiomkin

THE ANTS IS COMING

ants

Empire Of The Ants is the first time a score to a film by Bert I. Gordon (affectionately known as Mr. BIG) has come to CD, and this is its world premiere release - in other words, this is a BIG event. Mr. BIG has made some of the most beloved genre films of all time, most of them featuring BIG creatures of one kind or another - Earth vs. The Spider, Beginning Of The End, The Amazing Colossal Man, War Of The Colossal Beast, Attack Of The Puppet People, and on and on. His early films were made at a time when movie going was fun - weekly double bills, shlock and classics playing side by side - a giddy time for audiences and filmmakers alike. After some lean years in the early 1970s, during which movie tastes had changed, in 1976 Mr. BIG hit it BIG with Food Of The Gods, a movie filled with a plethora of giant critters. The film did well enough at the box-office that the following year Mr. BIG was back with Empire Of The Ants, a deliriously wacky film about giant ants run amok - seeing those two films was like taking a trip back in time to another era. For the score, Mr. BIG hired a young composer who was just starting out, Dana Kaproff. Kaproff, who was 24, had begun working in TV, and Empire Of The Ants would be his first feature film score. Kaproff's orchestral score is quite effective, using repeated hammering notes on the piano, along with mysterioso string writing, excellent giant mutant ant music, and, as with the film, there's a sense of real spirit and fun to the score. Kaproff would go on to be a prolific composer for television and film, and some of his terrific work includes scores for hit TV shows such as Cagney and Lacey (many episodes), Falcon Crest, The Bionic Woman, Matlock, along with a whole slew of TV movies, plus such films as Sam Fuller's The Big Red One, the classic chiller, When A Stranger Calls, The Golden Seal, and many others. The CD is mastered from the original two-track stereo session masters and includes every note of music written for the film. This release is limited to 1000 copies only. The price is $19.98 plus shipping. The first one hundred copies purchased from Kritzerland will be signed by Dana Kaproff.

"THE PROGRESS OF MAN IS THE PROGRESS OF STEEL" Rhapsody Of Steel was a short animated industrial film commissioned by United States Steel. Normally, industrial films were not widely seen, but the twenty- two minute Rhapsody Of Steel, a sort of child's history of steel from the first meteor hitting earth to modern times (circa 1959) and the first manned space rocket turned out so well that it was shown as an added attraction at thousands of US movie theaters in 1959. The creative team included John Sutherland (who'd been an assistant director at Disney and who'd voiced the adult Bambi), Eyvind Earle (who, the same year, had leant his distinct artistry to Disney's Sleeping Beauty), and Maurice Noble (Duck Dodgers). The wonderful actor Gary Merrill was brought on board to speak the narration. For the score, Sutherland managed the incredible coup of landing Dimitri Tiomkin - Tiomkin had already won Oscars for High Noon and The High and the Mighty, and would, the same year as Rhapsody Of Steel, win yet another for The Old Man and the Sea, not to mention composing scores for some of Hollywood's all-time classic films, including Lost Horizon, Duel In The Sun, Red River, High Noon, Strangers On A Train, I Confess, It's A Wonderful Life, Portrait of Jennie, The Thing from Another World, The High and the Mighty, Dial 'M' For Murder, Giant, Friendly Persuasion, Gunfight At The O.K. Corral, Rio Bravo, The Unforgiven, The Alamo, The Sundowners, The Guns Of Navarone, and many others. His music for Rhapsody Of Steel is propulsive and energetic, capturing the essence of the progress of steel through the ages. It's exciting, dramatic, and compelling music and doesn't let up for the full running time of the film. Playing the score was the marvelous Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which was only appropriate since United States Steel was headquartered in Pittsburgh. Tiomkin conducted and the result is a virtuoso performance by the orchestra and a thrilling listening experience in fabulous monophonic sound. Originally released as a promotional LP for friends and family of United States Steel, the LP was a highly prized and sought after collectible, and we're very happy to finally bring it to CD. The score is presented two ways - the score only, and the score with Gary Merrill's narration. Rhapsody Of Steel is being offered as a budget-priced CD, as our way of saying thank you to all our wonderful customers. This release is limited to 1000 copies only. The price is $12.98 plus shipping. If ordered with any other single title, shipping is, of course, free.

Visit Our Website

Both CDs will ship by the third week of January - however, preorders placed directly through Kritzerland usually ship one to five weeks earlier (we've been averaging four weeks early). To place an order, see the cover, or hear audio samples, just visit Kritzerland Records - hard-to-find classics, reissues and new releases. MERRY CHRISTMAS and here's to a GREAT 2010!

Sincerely,

steel

Bruce Kimmel

Kritzerland

email: kritzerland@gmail.com

web: Kritzerland Records - hard-to-find classics, reissues and new releases

[ronin1975]

hm, kenn von Kaproff ja nix ausser WHEN A STRANGER CALLS und das is ein Hammerscore, der hoffentlich auch noch rauskommt. Fake hat den zumindest auf dem Zettel... mal sehen ob der hier auch was taugt, der Film is auf jeden Fall nen totaler Witz...

[Gast Stefan Jania]

Der erste Film heißt übrigens Empire Of The Ants und nicht The Ants is coming.

[Gast Stefan Jania]

Die Tiomkin-CD mit Rhapsody Of Steel kam heute an. Tiomkin-Hasser sollten lieber die Finger davon lassen, denn das ist Tiomkin at his best. Klanglich sehr gut, ohne den schrecklichen Hall, den es auf der Bootleg-Fassung (zusammen Land Of The Pharaohs) gab. Leider ist nur wenig des Artworks der alten LP-Fassung für die CD übernommen worden. Das komplette Artwork sowie den kompletten Film gibt es aber hier.