M a Dry White Season

A DRY WHITE SEASON ade in 1989, A Dry White Season , things straight. He hires a lawyer, Ian this first ever release of the score, we used a searing indictment of South Africa Mackenzie (Brando), a human rights attor - only score cues and those cues are as they Munder apartheid , was a superb, riv - ney who knows the case is hopeless but were originally written and recorded. The eting film that audiences simply did not who takes it on anyway. The case is dis - film order worked beautifully in terms of dra - want to see, despite excellent reviews. Per - missed, more people die, Du Toit is threat - matic and musical flow. We’ve included two haps it was because South Africa was still ened, he is abetted in his political bonus tracks – alternate versions of two in the final throes of apartheid and the film awakening by a reporter (Susan Sarandon), cues, which bring the musical presentation was just too uncomfortable to watch. Some - has his garage bombed, and has his wife to a very satisfying conclusion. times people need distance and one sus - and daughter turn against him. Only his pects that if the film had come out even a young son knows that what Du Toit is trying Dave Grusin is one of those composers decade later it would have probably been to do is right. Eventually, gathering affidavits who can do everything. And he has – from more successful. As it is, over the years from many people, he is able to outwit the dramatic film scoring to his great work in tel - people have discovered it and been truly af - secret police and have the documents de - evision (It Takes A Thief, Maude, Good fected by its portrayal of racial turmoil in a livered to a newspaper, but in the end it Times, Baretta, The Name Of The Game, country divided and the way the film was does no real good. And Du Toit pays the ul - Columbo, etc.), to wonderful light comedy able to put the politics of apartheid in mean - timate price for standing up for human scores, as well as his jazz and arrang - ingful human terms. rights and equality. ing/conducting projects for such incredible people as Quincy Jones, Paul Simon, Ser - Set in 1976 around the time of the Soweto The performances are superb – it’s truly gio Mendes, Al Jarreau, Patti Austin, Billy riots, the film was adapted from a novel by sad that Sutherland, who gives the per - Joel and many others. He is a multiple Andre Brink (the only book in Afrikaans to formance of his career, was not nominated Grammy Award-winner, a multiple Academy be banned in South Africa), and directed by for an Academy Award. Marlon Brando is Award nominee (he won the Oscar for The Euzhan Palcy, who was the first black fe - unforgettable as the attorney – he has only Milagro Beanfield War) . Now in his mid-70s, male director ever hired to direct a major two scenes but gives a brilliant performance he’s still the coolest guy in any room, and studio film (MGM). Palcy had made the crit - for which he received an Academy Award he’s still going strong. ically acclaimed feature Sugar Cane Alley , nomination for Best Supporting Actor (the which was highly thought of by other film - film’s only nomination). Thanks to DVD and This first ever release for A Dry White Sea - makers. She co-wrote A Dry White Season cable, new audiences have been able to son was taken from the three-track half-inch with Colin Welland. The film was shot on a discover this important and terrific film. Its mixdowns housed in the vaults at MGM. fairly tight budget of nine million dollars, an reputation keeps growing with each pass - They were in perfect condition. There was amazing figure when you consider the cast ing year. previously only a promotional cassette involved – Donald Sutherland , Janet Suzman, made for the music branch of the Academy Susan Sarandon, and, coming out of re - Adding immeasurably to the project is Dave – that cassette only had music as used in tirement because he was so moved by the Grusin’s score. Grusin proved to be the per - the final film, and had erratic volume levels project, Marlon Brando, who worked for fect choice, and in a career filled with great and some sound effects as well. It is a scale. The supporting performances are scores (The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, pleasure to finally put out the entire score in equally stellar, including Zakes Mokae, Win - Heaven Can Wait, Tootsie, The Goonies, On pristine sound. ston Ntshona and Jurgen Prochnow. Palcy’s Golden Pond, The Milagro Beanfield War, direction was praised and she was invited Three Days Of The Condor, The Goodbye — Bruce Kimmel to meet Nelson Mandela after he saw a Girl, Murder By Death, and on and on), A screening and was very impressed with the Dry White Season is one of his best - film. moody, haunting, tension-filled, and ex - tremely moving – like the film, it really gets Sutherland plays a South African school - under your skin. teacher named Ben Du Toit. When his gar - dener Gordon’s young son is arrested and The score as used in the film is quite short, killed by the corrupt secret police, and then about twenty-eight minutes. The film also Gordon, too, is tortured and killed, Suther - uses traditional African music. Some cues land becomes involved in trying to set went unused, some were truncated, but for.

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