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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... only if you're an extreme Basil Poledouris enthusiast, or are a fan of his popular daughter Zoë. Avoid it... if the hassle of finding and purchasing the old VHS-format video isn't worth the money you could spend instead on one of Poledouris' collectible scores. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The production quality of the video is professional, but nothing that would blow you out of your seat. The cost of including original clips, both in video and sound, were simply too exorbitant for FSM, so you instead receive significant photography and a consistent use of Poledouris' solo piano performances, which were used to score the video. Poledouris himself seemed patient with the production, but not overly enthusiastic; this could simply be a personality trait, especially given that he and FSM had a strong and viable relationship through the years. In content, the video features in-depth interviews with Poledouris about Starship Troopers, Free Willy, Conan the Barbarian, Lonesome Dove, and the opening and closing themes for the Centennial Olympic Games. While Poledouris' piano performances sometimes mirror the scores being discussed, he also throws in some The Blue Lagoon and Farewell to the King. Technically speaking, while it may be difficult to appreciate these solo performances of such grand symphonic works, the sound quality on the video is excellent. Some viewers who prefer wall-to-wall analysis of the industry and the scores might be bored by the lengths to which the video details Poledouris' family life. Indeed, those folks will be far more fascinated by Poledouris' description of how the job of scoring a film had changed in the previous decade (the complications, technologically and professionally), as well as the scenes involving the massive, seven track mixing equipment of the time. One thing you'll notice about Poledouris' personality is the difference in his speaking style when talking about different subject matters. When discussing scores, the film music industry, or other individuals with whom he works, Poledouris was very serious and professional. Yet when speaking of his relationship with Bobbie, an enormous smile (and a little blushing) lit up his face. This was interesting because of the fact that he separated his work (especially in his quiet, undisturbed work room) from his love of family, sailing, etc, even though they were very much intertwined. In the end, the production did not succeed as Kendall had certainly hoped it would. Given the expenses of these projects, and the necessity of generosity in time that is required of the composer who agrees to be profiled, this first video in the series unfortunately turned out to be the only entry. At a selling price of $30, the video was slightly too expensive for the masses of casual fans to bother with, and yet the price wasn't high enough to allow the video to use the original film and soundtrack clips that would have been necessary to make the production a success. The price eventually fell to $20 when the product did not sell well. Even if the original investment had been there, the cost of the video with such elements secured would have killed the series anyway. Film Score Monthly really did deserve praise, however, for at least trying in this venture. They continued to sell the product in VHS and PAL (European) formats for several years, never transferring the masters to laserdisc or DVD as hoped. Included on this review page is a track listing compiled by Filmtracks that could have simulated the chapter titles of the video had it been transferred to DVD format. It had been available through their own site's store and soundtrack specialty outlets, though it slowly disappeared through the years. When FSM transferred their store to the Screen Archives site in the mid-2000's, the availability of the video apparently went lost. It may not have been hard to predict that the video wouldn't sell well, but its content was interesting, its production qualities were fine, and it was a one-of-a-kind idea that was worth exploring at the time. ****
These listings do not appear on the packaging. The segments are titled here to give you the distribution of time (approx.) for each subject area.
The packaging includes little extra information about the video. There is a surprise ending after the conclusion of the end credits, so don't turn it off too soon. Screenshot: 
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