'Pavlova Western' winning rave US reviews
'Pavlova Western' with Victoria University connection
winning rave US reviews
A 'Pavlova Western' movie with a Victoria University connection is winning plaudits from United States critics.
Dunedin director Mike Wallis used the landscapes of Central Otago and the Mackenzie Country as a stand-in for the old American West for his film Good for Nothing. The soundtrack for the film, which is also receiving accolades, was composed by Professor John Psathas of Victoria University and the New Zealand School of Music. The recording of the score was supported by a grant from Victoria University.
The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in January to positive reviews from high-profile critic Leonard Maltin, trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter and movie website Ain't It Cool News. Screenings of the film sold out so festival organisers added extra sessions.
Psathas, best known for his music for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens 2004 Olympics, says he fell in love with Good For Nothing after watching an early cut of the film and selected the project to be his first ever film score composition.
"This was the first film that I felt I could contribute to," he says. "We really wanted it to reflect the amazing landscape shots with quite epic, broad brushstrokes. I had some real space to stretch my wings in terms of music and that was really gratifying."
The score is performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO), making Good for Nothing the epitome of a New Zealand-made production. "We really wanted to get a gritty, dirty sound," says Psathas. "It's an environment of dirty, unwashed men, so we made a decision to use no electronic music-we wanted to do it all acoustically.
The film's music was composed, recorded, orchestrated and produced by Psathas, with scoring and recording supported by Victoria University of Wellington.
Director Mike Wallis says having Psathas on board was a real privilege. "John has a genuine passion for the art of cinematic scoring," says Wallis.
"More importantly, he was genuinely excited about the chance to create a unique orchestral 'Pavlova Western' soundscape-one that embraces elements of the traditional Western score as well as using modern influences and that meant a lot to us in creating something truly original."
Producer and lead actress Inge Rademeyer says she has been blown away by the reaction to the film and its soundtrack. "We're thrilled with the US audience response to the film and the music . To say the soundtrack has been very well received would be an understatement During the Santa Barbara festival one of the main questions we had was 'who did the music? It's amazing!' and 'Where can I buy the soundtrack?'" One reviewer, Jim Svejda from Classical KUSC, America's largest classical music station, said of the score: "One of the principal glories of the film is the score by John Psathas, in which genuine sweep and poetry are combined with affectionate send-ups of Ennio Morricone. It would be a major achievement for an experienced film composer; as a first film score, it's little short of astonishing." She says the film would not have been completed without the support of Victoria University and the talent of Professor Psathas.
"We feel very lucky that we live in a city with such a great resource as Victoria University and the New Zealand School of Music, and are grateful for their willingness to get involved."
Spaghetti westerns were low-budget western films shot in Italy by Italian producers in the 1960s. The film was New Zealand's contribution to the Western genre, Wallis said.
"The idea of this film was that it is like a spaghetti western, but it is shot in New Zealand rather than Italy so it is a Pavlova Western."
John Psathas' latest work, The New Zeibekiko, will be premiered at the Auckland Town Hall, at 7.30pm, Friday 18 March. The work is being performed in conjunction with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO), and is part of the 2011 Auckland Arts Festival.
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