' ' Cinema Romantico: What Happened To The Movie Overture?

Friday, February 11, 2011

What Happened To The Movie Overture?

So prominent during cinema's so-called golden age, the overture has all but died. It brings to mind a different era, an era of "event" films, films like "Gone With The Wind" or "Ben Hur", an era when there were not 25 different showtimes for a single film spread out through varying theaters at numerous cineplexes. Nope, you showed up for the 8 pm show or you didn't see it at all. Thus, it became an "event" and to set the tone of the "event" certain films would include an overture as people found their seats and settled in to prepare them for what was to come.

Basically this is my way of saying that if I were ever able to get my dream movie made and released (ha!) then I would want this song to be its overture. In a perfect world....

2 comments:

Wretched Genius said...

The director's cut of Ridley Scott's highly underrated (though held just slightly back from greatness by Orlando Bloom's leaden performance) Kingdom of Heaven has an overture at the beginning of the film, and again at the halfway point.

Nick Prigge said...

Is that right? Interesting. That is definitely the sort of film that would work with an overture. I remember seeing it in the theater and being surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Except, of course, for, as you mentioned, Bloom's leaden performance.