GREMLINS 40th Anniversary

[chrissiddall 216]

Shameless plug (sorry not sorry), but also a heads up so you don't miss this opportunity to get your hands on Jerry's fantastic score. Remember, don't expose it to bright lights (especially sunlight), don't get it wet, and never read it after midnight!

 

8th June 1984 saw the US release of "Gremlins".  Join us in celebrating the 40th anniversary of this cult classic with a monstrous 40% off by using the coupon code "GREMLINS40" at the checkout (offer ends Monday 10th June).

 

https://www.chrissiddallmusic.com/store/p101/Gremlins_In_Full_Score.html

 

After their first collaboration, 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie, director Joe Dante and composer Jerry Goldsmith reunite a year later for the mischievously funny horror movie Gremlins. At this time, Goldsmith is deep into his experimentation with analogue synthesizers and the combination of electronics and traditional orchestral instruments works surprisingly well, creating a subversively silly tone that matches the on-screen chaos.

 

Incorporating a total of eight synthesizers, a drum machine and a digital polyphonic sequencer, the score reads like a “who's-who” of classic 80s synths. Roland's Jupiter-6 (notably providing the “cat's meow” sound heard prominently when the Gremlins turn evil), Sequential Circuits' Prophet T8, Rhodes' Chroma, Yamaha's GS1, Moog's memorymoog, a pair of Yamaha's ubiquitous DX7's and an Oberheim trio; the OB-8 synth, DSX sequencer and DMX drum machine round out the electronics.

 

Rather than being pre-recorded or fed directly into the mixing desk, these were amplified and played live with the 80-piece orchestra under the baton of maestro Goldsmith.

 

 

[DangerMotif 1,303]

Any update on when Braveheart will be released?

[chrissiddall 216]

11 minutes ago, DangerMotif said:

Any update on when Braveheart will be released?

 

Not really at the moment.  I have a huge infodump of things I want to talk about, but been too busy to get to it.  Braveheart has essentially been "parked" since November when I finished copying the manuscript due to other projects with fixed deadlines.  My books always have a flexible "ASAP, but when they're finished to a high standard" deadline.  I won't hold myself to an arbitrary target date to the detriment of the finished product.

 

It's very likely that another title or two may be ready before Braveheart but I'll talk about that later in a separate post.

[Corellian2019 482]

Couldn't really find the right thread for this, but apparently the 160-minute rough cut of this film has been unearthed on videotape

[Mr. Hooper 7,964]

27 minutes ago, Corellian2019 said:

Couldn't really find the right thread for this, but apparently the 160-minute rough cut of this film has been unearthed on videotape

Warner and Amblin are okay with this being out there?

[Xander Harris 9,059]

What the hell is the extra footage? Sounds completely unnecessary. God damn foreign rough cuts.

[Corellian2019 482]

50 minutes ago, Mr. Hooper said:

Warner and Amblin are okay with this being out there?

 

Perhaps they didn't know, or forgot, about its existence

[NewBlueEyes 150]

I don't know if Chris is aware of this too.

[Andy 7,138]

Wow, never knew this existed.  Hope we get to see it. 

[Naïve Old Fart 12,665]

106 minutes of GREMLINS is quite enough, thank you.

I've no desire to see an extra 54 of them.

[FBC Director 10,728]

Gremlins was only out about 20 years ago. "40th anniversary" is just jumping the gun.

[Marian Schedenig 11,315]

1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

106 minutes of GREMLINS is quite enough, thank you.

I've no desire to see an extra 54 of them.

 

For years, Gremlins was a film of about 70 minutes for me: When it was first broadcast on German TV station Sat.1, I couldn't watch it, but had our VCR programmed to record it. Apparently Sat.1 had scheduled it too early - 21:15, but it was age-restricted (FSK 16) and therefore not allowed to be broadcast before 22:00. One of their competitors intervened, and so the beginning of my recording has a TV announcer explaining that the film will be delayed, followed by some 45 minutes of some other stuff I don't remember. When it finally started, it was too late for my programmed recording window (I had as usual extended it a bit, but not by 45+ minutes).

 

The film ended right after Mrs. Deagle is thrown out her window. I've seen the film up to that point countless times - and the rest probably twice, maybe three times.

[Andy 7,138]

3 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

106 minutes of GREMLINS is quite enough, thank you.

I've no desire to see an extra 54 of them.

Not for me! Gimme gimme.  

[Mr. Hooper 7,964]

I'd like to see it if only for curiosity's sake.

[FBC Director 10,728]

Extended versions of movies usually ruin my own sense of a film's flow when I decide to watch the original version again.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,812]

Gremlins as it is has just the right length.

[Mr. Hooper 7,964]

25 minutes ago, FBC Director said:

Extended versions of movies usually ruin my own sense of a film's flow when I decide to watch the original version again.

Just fast forward and watch the unseen bits. No different than watching deleted scenes assembled on a disc.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,812]

Then, whats the point of an expanded cut?

[Xander Harris 9,059]

What else could they possibly add to it? Unless it’s a subplot about Mister Futterman hunting Gremlins in his Kentucky Harvester.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,812]

Probably a lotta extra stuff with Judge Reinhold.

[Naïve Old Fart 12,665]

39 minutes ago, FBC Director said:

Extended versions of movies usually ruin my own sense of a film's flow when I decide to watch the original version again.

Sometimes they work (THE ABYSS; DUNE Spice Driver Edit), and sometimes they don't.

I'd love to see the Schumacher cut of BATMAN FOREVER.

[Mr. Hooper 7,964]

14 minutes ago, #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal said:

Then, whats the point of an expanded cut?

But it's not an expanded cut, it's the original rough cut.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,812]

Same difference 

[Xander Harris 9,059]

I can be theatrical and maybe even a little rough

[Mr. Hooper 7,964]

Just now, #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal said:

Same difference 

 

I'd venture to call it an "expanded cut" if the rough cut was much closer to Dante's vision, and the studio forced him to pare it down.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,812]

Sometimes a studio is right.

[Mr. Hooper 7,964]

1 minute ago, #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal said:

Sometimes a studio is right.

Yeah, sometimes the director's too in love with the material and has trouble letting scenes fall to the cutting room floor.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,812]

1 hour, 46 minutes is perfect for a film of this kind. Comedy/Horror 

[Andy 7,138]

1 hour ago, #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal said:

Probably a lotta extra stuff with Judge Reinhold.

I would assume the scene where he’s locked in the bank vault will be in there. 
 

I guess I should clarify, I’d probably prefer them as deleted scenes rather than watch a 3 hour unfinished VHS quality work print in one sitting.  But who wouldn’t want to see cutting room floor stuff from Gremlins?

 

Now if only Dante’s original cut of Explorers would surface. 

[Marian Schedenig 11,315]

2 hours ago, #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal said:

Gremlins as it is has just the right length.

 

That's what Gizmo said.

[FBC Director 10,728]

5 hours ago, Andy said:

Now if only Dante’s original cut of Explorers would surface. 

 

Isn't the theatrical version all there is because they had to stop working on it?

[Andy 7,138]

Maybe I’m mistaken, but I seem to recall Dante saying there was about 90 minutes of more footage, but the studio made them stop editing to make the release date.  

[FBC Director 10,728]

If he could access that extra footage, it'd be nice if he could make a new "redux" cut, like they did with Caligula.

[Andy 7,138]

Again my memory may be failing but I think he tried for the Blu Ray but was unsuccessful. 
 

Sadly nothing I’ve read about the deleted material seems to pertain to the final act where the film could use the most work.  It’s mostly character stuff from the more solid first acts. 

[filmmusic 3,011]

1 hour ago, FBC Director said:

 

Isn't the theatrical version all there is because they had to stop working on it?

There are 2 cuts on the blu-ray.

[Andy 7,138]

 Yes but very small differences.  Some edits were originally made for the VHS home video version.  I think part of the bully fight and when the boys are rolling the Tilt A Whirl and it gets away from them. 

[FBC Director 10,728]

I'm pretty sure my old Paramount DVD is missing a couple of bits that the YouTube Free-With-Ads version seems to have. They were in the deleted scenes section of that old DVD.

[Andy 7,138]

That sounds correct, as I recall it. Only the Blu Ray reincorporated those scenes.