Movie Musical Director - Muir Mathieson
Composer and Conductor Muir Mathieson preferred to be the Musical Director on most of the movies that he worked on. He earned credits on 475 films in the forty years that he worked in the industry. As a Musical Director he could incorporate music from a variety of first rate composers and arrange and conduct their scores. He was nicknamed the 'Tsar of Music for British Films' and was a hard man to impress. But what a result for all that hard work.
The following titles have some of the best filmscores - ever!
This list is dedicated to one of Muir's American fans - blueish35.
The following titles have some of the best filmscores - ever!
This list is dedicated to one of Muir's American fans - blueish35.
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- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierRobert NewtonLeslie BanksIn the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.The first Technicolor film ever made of a Shakespearean play it was a real morale booster to a war weary nation. - "Then should the war-like Harry, like himself, assume the port of Mars; and at his heels, leashed in like hounds, would famine, word, and fire crouch for employment."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by William Walton.
Conductor and Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorPeter GlenvilleStarsRichard BurtonPeter O'TooleJohn GielgudKing Henry II of England comes to terms with his affection for his close friend and confidant Thomas Becket, who finds his true honor by observing God's divine will rather than the King's.Two magnificent actors play two influencial characters from English history and bring the screen alive with their art. - "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Laurence Rosenthal.
Conductor and Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.The mystery romance thriller especially written for Alfred Hitchcock and one of his best productions. - "If I let you change me, will that do it? If I do what you tell me, will you love me?"
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Bernard Herrmann.
Score conducted by Muir Mathieson. - DirectorLudwig BergerMichael PowellTim WhelanStarsConrad VeidtSabuJune DuprezAfter being tricked and cast out of Bagdad by the evil Jaffar, King Ahmad joins forces with a thief named Abu to reclaim his throne, the city, and the Princess he loves.The film that started in London but got Blitzed to Hollywood; see if you can spot the difference. - "I am Abu the thief. Son of Abu the thief. Grandson of Abu the thief."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Miklos Rozsa.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorBrian Desmond HurstStarsAnton WalbrookSally GrayDerrick De MarneyDuring World War II, an American newswoman falls for a Polish piano virtuoso...who wants to go back and fight.Anton Walbrook was actually playing the piano on screen but his performance was dubbed on the soundtrack by Louis Kentner. - "We can always meet in the dark."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Richard Addinsell.
'Bridal Chorus' composed by Richard Wagner.
Musical Director - Muir Matheson. - DirectorMichael PowellStarsLeslie HowardLaurence OlivierRichard GeorgeA World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.Michael Powell's film which tried to convince America to support Britain in the struggle against Hitler. - "You can't even begin to understand democracy. We own the right to be fed up with anything we damn please and say so out loud when we feel like it."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorZoltan KordaStarsSabuRaymond MasseyRoger LiveseyDuring the British Raj, Captain Carruthers works under cover to track smuggled shipments of arms on the restless Northwest Frontier of India. He fears a full-scale rebellion is brewing. To forestall this, the British governor signs a treaty with the friendly, peace-loving ruler of Tokot, a key kingdom in the region, which is described as four days' march northward from Peshawar. Meanwhile, the king's son, Prince Azim, befriends Carruthers and a British drummer boy, Bill Holder, who teaches him how to play the instrument.The natives are restless on the North West Frontier but the British Raj has a secret weapon, Drummer Holder. - "Well Azim, you 'old the sticks like this, see."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by John Greenwood.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorThorold DickinsonStarsAnton WalbrookDiana WynyardFrank PettingellTwenty years after the murder of Alice Barlow, her house is finally occupied again. However, the husband from the couple who have moved in has a secret which he will do anything to keep hidden.The earlier and darker version of this classic murder/ madness mystery tale from old foggy London town. - "You will die, raving, in an asylum."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Richard Addinsell.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorLeslie HowardStarsLeslie HowardDavid NivenRosamund JohnAircraft designer/patriot R. J. Mitchell, alarmed at growing German militarism, works to perfect a defense against the German Messerschmidt at the cost of his health.Ironically this was Leslie Howard's final screen performance before losing his life in an aircrash. - "Two eighty-five? Mitch, this is 1927, not 1977!"
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by William Walton.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorDavid LeanStarsRobert NewtonCelia JohnsonJohn MillsJust after World War I, the Gibbons family moves to a nice house in the suburbs. They live an ordinary life throughout the years, but everything changes when World War II breaks out.The story of a middle class London family from 1919 to 1939. - "Well, they're cutting down the navy, and they're cutting down the army. The only thing they don't seem to be cutting down is the unemployed!"
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Muir Mathieson and Clifton Parker.
Conductor and Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorHenry CorneliusStarsDinah SheridanJohn GregsonKay KendallTwo British couples pit their vintage automobiles against each other in an exciting cross-country race.Ambrose and Alan agree on everything except for their beautiful Vintage cars. - "This is the end! Making a public spectacle of yourselves. I couldn't have believed you could have behaved like this, either of you. Just hauling like brooligans."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Larry Adler.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsBurt LancasterNick CravatEva BartokDuring the 1700s, pirate Captain Vallo seizes a British warship and gets involved in various money-making schemes involving Caribbean rebels led by El Libre, British envoy Baron Jose Gruda, and a beautiful courtesan named Consuelo.Before Jack Sparrow was a twinkle in his father's eye, Captain Vallo was swashbuckling the Spanish Main. - "You may be over-confident, Captain Vallo. There are 200 of the King's marines aboard this vessel."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by William Alwyn.
Musical Director - Muir Matieson. - DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsKenneth MoreRonald AllenRobert AyresOn her maiden voyage in April 1912, the supposedly unsinkable RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.Made before CGI and greenscreen this was the landmark in 1950's disaster movies. - "Gentlemen, we are in a precarious position. We must be prepared to abandon ship."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by William Alwyn.
Conducted by Muir Mathieson. - DirectorDavid LeanStarsCelia JohnsonTrevor HowardStanley HollowayMeeting a stranger in a railway station, a woman is tempted to cheat on her husband.Ah! The smell of Railway engines, the taste of Railway tea and the sound of Railway Rachmaninov. - "I love you. I love your wide eyes, the way you smile, your shyness, and the way you laugh at my jokes."
Soundtrack included: 'Piano Concerto No.2' by Sergei Rachmaninoff,
'March Militaire' by Franz Schubert and 'Spanish Dances No.5' by Moritz Moszkowski.
Additional music composed by Percival Mackey and Muir Mathieson. - DirectorSidney GilliatStarsAlastair SimSally GrayTrevor HowardAfter the nurse who declares that a recent surgical death was a murder also dies, an enigmatic Scotland Yard inspector arrives to investigate.This dark murder/ comedy mystery has incredible atmosphere, or maybe it's the nitrous oxide? - "In view of my failure - correction, comparative failure - I feel that I have no alternative but to offer you, sir, my resignation, in the sincere hope that you will not accept it. Full stop."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by William Alwyn.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorMarc AllégretStarsStewart GrangerValerie HobsonWalter FitzgeraldThe childless widow of Allan Fury bequeaths the Fury estate to her Fuller relatives, but Allan's illegitimate son who masquerades as a servant hopes to grab the estate for himself.There are more cads in this movie than you can thrash in one session, no wonder she is plotting their downfall. - "The ape of the Furies is said to protect the family and wreak vengeance on anyone who crosses them."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Clifton Parker.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorPhilip LeacockStarsSteve McQueenRobert WagnerShirley Anne FieldIn 1943, while stationed in Britain, arrogant Captain Buzz Rickson is in command of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, but his recklessness is endangering everyone around him.Captain Buzz Rickson is a daredevil pilot who meets his match in the delightful Daphne. - "In wartime you don't fall in love, you make love. You know what I mean?"
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Richard Addinsell.
Conducted by Muir Mathieson. - DirectorLewis GilbertStarsAlec GuinnessDirk BogardeMaurice DenhamOn the H.M.S. Defiant, during the French Revolutionary War, fair Captain Crawford is locked in a battle of wills against his cruel second-in-command Lieutenant Scott-Padget, whose heavy-handed command style pushes the crew to mutiny.Unlike the 'Bounty' this ship has a caring Captain and a fearsome First Lieutenant. - "I've been leniant with you Mr Crawford. Obviously much too leniant."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Clifton Parker.
Conducted by Muir Mathieson. - DirectorLewis GilbertStarsMichael RedgraveDirk BogardeBonar ColleanoIn the North Sea in 1944, passengers of a downed Royal Air Force transport aircraft talk about their lives while awaiting rescue in their dinghy.An everyday story of Air Sea Rescue in the English Channel, except that this time it is special. - "You mean you forgot to check the engine before you went off duty!"
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Malcolm Arnold.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorDavid LeanStarsCharles LaughtonJohn MillsBrenda de BanzieWidower Henry Hobson refuses to let his three daughters get married because he doesn't want to pay settlements, so they'll just have to outsmart him.Bootmaker Hobson has the ideal life but his daughters have other plans. - "It's no good Father, Will and I are married and there's nowt you can do about it!"
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Malcolm Arnold.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorJulian AmyesStarsStephen BoydRonald LewisGeorge BakerDuring the Korean War retreat in 1951, a small British recon group is surrounded by Chinese troops and holds out in a lonely temple atop a hill.A British patrol in Korea take refuge in an old temple before they realise that it is surrounded by Chinese troops. - "Blimey, we're in for it now."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Malcolm Arnold.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorCarol ReedStarsDavid NivenStanley HollowayJames DonaldWorld War II drama that follows a group of British draftees, starting with their rigorous basic training, and ending with their deployment in North Africa.Two Chelsea Pensioners discuss how their old Battalion is progressing through the war. - "Do you know their officer? He seems to be giving them a very hard time at the moment."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by William Alwyn.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsMarilyn MonroeLaurence OlivierRichard WattisAn American showgirl becomes entangled in political intrigue when the Prince Regent of a foreign country attempts to seduce her.This was the 1950s equivalent of 'Legally Blonde' which proved that women could have brains and beauty. Olivier gave up directing films for 13 years after his experiences with Marilyn. - "Oh, don't give me that. I'm an American citizen, no one can do anything to me. Besides, who cares about your old Balkan revolutions, anyway? You have them all the time."
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by Richard Addinsell.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorLewis GilbertStarsVirginia McKennaPaul ScofieldJack WarnerDuring World War II, a recently widowed young woman is recruited to work as a spy in France.Based on the true story of Violette Szabo, a French speaking English rose who went as an Agent into occupied Franch to help the Resistance movement. - "The life that I have, Is all that I have, And the life that I have, Is yours"
ORIGINAL MUSIC composed by William Alwyn.
Musical Director - Muir Mathieson. - DirectorBryan ForbesStarsLeslie CaronAnthony BoothAvis BunnageA single, pregnant woman moves into a London boarding house where she meets a group of fellow misfits.A lovely story about a pregnant, unmarried mother when such things were not openly discussed. Good use of Brahms' 'Concerto No. 1 in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra' in the soundtrack. - "What am I going to do about you Toby?"
Jazz sequences composed by John Barry.
Music arranged and conducted by Muir Mathieson.