VCL 0516 1171

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Music Composed by PINO DONAGGIO

back cover ZELLY & ME

“You have to break them, humiliate them. Then they can be trained.” Such is the warped child-rearing conceit that hangs over Zelly & Me (1988). Hidden behind the well-manicured hedges of 1958 Virginia, young orphan Phoebe (Alexandra Johnes) finds herself caught between her abusive, possessive grandmother Coco (Glynis Johns) and the nurturing, unconditional love of her governess Zelly (Isabella Rossellini). “It’s a mishmash of personal experience and fantasy,” first-time writer/director Tina Rathborne said in the production notes. “I can’t tell where one ends or the other begins.” Rathborne came up with the idea for the script while watching Carl Dreyer’s 1928 silent classic The Passion Of Joan Of Arc. “Since I was small, I have thought [Joan] was a heroine, both physically and morally,” she said. “She represents to me a fully defined person. Even though she was young, she knew what she believed in.” In the film, the story of the French martyr gives Phoebe strength, particularly from a well-worn LP which Coco eventually shatters in a fit of jealous rage. In one particularly disturbing scene, Phoebe even resorts to burning her own flesh. Further ties to the Maid of Orleans include Zelly’s real name and the casting of Rossellini, who pays homage to mother Ingrid Bergman by sporting the same sharp haircut Bergman wore in 1948’s Joan Of Arc. Zelly & Me was filmed on Virginia’s peninsula on an 18th-century Colonial Revival plantation, the perfect embodiment of Coco’s refined tastes. “Coco is very calculating, and everything in this house was placed in very precise choreography,” said location manager Barry Rosenbush. “There was an organized mania about it that was Coco.” For Glynis Johns,

6 3 that “organized mania” was a far cry from agreed, The Boston Globe called Zelly & Me “heartfelt, and marked by some devoted her most famous role as Mary Poppins’ work.” “It’s a flinty character indeed,” said The Wall Street Journal, “who wouldn’t be beloved “sister suffragette,” Mrs. Banks. touched by this delicately crafted piece of work.” Another touching element is the heartfelt, “I was horrified by the character,” Johns delicately crafted work of composer Pino Donaggio. said. “She is so unwholesome. It pressed so Shortly after scoring ’s (1984), Donaggio said in our many buttons from moments from my own interview, “I was hanging out in New York and Brian wanted to introduce me to Tina, who childhood that I didn’t want to go near it. was a very close friend of his. He arranged for the three of us to see her film together and [...] I found myself getting as irritable as from there it snowballed to a formal commitment to write the score.” Donaggio enjoyed “a Coco. It’s much more pleasant to play a kind very smooth and easy relation” with Rathborne. “We instantly agreed on the scenes that person.” should be scored and on the general atmosphere the score should convey. After that she Eleven-year-old Alexandra Johnes, a four- trusted me to find the right themes to depict the various characters and I was given total year veteran of print modeling and television freedom as for what musical devices to use to that end, which is a privilege I rarely enjoy, commercials, had never acted before. “I even today!” didn’t know that you could draw from your With Zelly & Me, Donaggio once own experience to create emotions,” she said. “Tina and I went through the script and again found himself exploring the dark figured out all the emotions I would have to use. I formulated or recalled incidents that would corners of childhood. “Curiously both make me feel the way I was supposed to feel in each scene.” One incident involving her the first film I had scored (Don’t Look own stuffed bear conjured particularly painful emotions. “When they wrapped Waddles in Now) and the second (A Whisper In cellophane,” she said, “I burst into tears.” The Dark) were dealing with a child Another newcomer to acting was director David Lynch. “Mainly I did it because I had a character, and here was another story fascination to see if I could do it,” he said in a 1990 interview. “Mainly to overcome this centered on a little girl!” he says. “It fear of acting, which is phenomenally fearful.” Lynch “never would have made it without felt more than mere coincidence and Isabella,” he said of his real-life partner in the production notes. “A lot of my delivery was the by then I was confident that I’d know result of how she delivered her lines. That’s the magical thing: two people form each other.” how to musically portray the struggle of After appearing in the film, Lynch later felt comfortable enough to appear on screen in Twin youth against the idiosyncratic fears of Peaks and, by way of thanks, hired Rathborne to direct two episodes of the TV series. a menacing world.” “Very rarely have I found women’s feelings — their fears, futilities, dreams, and longing That struggle of youth is evident in for men — so well understood and portrayed,” Rossellini said of the film. While not all critics the main title sequence [track 1], which

4 9 features the voice of a young girl singing a lovely yet unsettling wordless lullaby over a series Phoebe,” said Rossellini. “The film shows her quest of how to be fully feminine, how to be of childish crayon drawings of Joan meeting the Archangel Michael, leading her troops, and understanding without being submissive, how to assert yourself without hurting someone burning at the stake. The chilling contrast of images and music momentarily dissipates when else.” an adult voice joins in unison, providing some semblance of comfort and safety in numbers. Donaggio found the film to be “an intriguing combination of romanticism and bitterness. In addition to the lullaby, Donaggio gave each of the principal characters their own theme. I was caressing the idea of experimenting with a mélange of styles, which proved the right “You always want to typify as much as possible,” he says, “because this helps the flowing of path to follow. So for the first time I was free to write using a variety of different musical the story while giving anchor-points of perception to the viewer.” A gently syncopated melody languages. It didn’t hurt that Brian [De Palma] was approving wholeheartedly. Behind my for woodwind solos underscores Zelly’s inherent kindness, while period synthesizers [track 2] back!” give the impression of a woman ahead of her time. A classically tinged guitar accompanies Nearly 30 years later, the film still holds a special place for the composer. “It’s a pity that the love scenes between Zelly and Willie [track 7], while gently pulsing string chords and [Tina and I] didn’t have a chance to reiterate the experience,” Donaggio says. “But that’s the minor key harp arpeggios foreshadow a secret lurking behind their love. Coco’s abuse is movies for you.” given musical voice as ominous low strings and staccato violins peck away at a yearning, — Jim Lochner plaintive flute solo [track 12], a sound reminiscent of the composer’s menacing strains in Carrie (1976). But amidst all the drama, “sometimes I find room for a little nostalgia,” Donaggio says. “Going back to my classical studies in my hometown () seemed like a nice idea for the wedding [track 3], so I wrote a piece that would fit my early introduction to Vivaldi.” Willie’s Eagle House mansion [track 11] features a ripe operatic aria as source music. “I just adopted a more stately Victorian stance and wrote something a bit more pompous just to suggest a Virginian old-aristocracy flavor.” The score was recorded at Forum Studios in Rome, a decision that was “more budget- oriented than artistically motivated,” Donaggio says. “But some snippets, such as the theme sung by the little girl, were recorded in New York on some very snowy winter nights.” Long- time collaborator Natale Massara conducted. “We enjoyed a very long and fruitful relation,” says the composer, “and I certainly benefitted from his experience and knowledge on many instances.” Zelly & Me “is a very tender and honest portrayal of the subtle jealousies and misunderstandings that result in abuse,” Lynch said. “Everyone can identify with

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(1:38) (4:30) (4:33) (2:15) (2:34) (1:18) Richard Kraft (1:00) (1:02) Erick Labson and Natala Massara Pino Donaggio ZELLY COCO 13. 12. TALK TO ME Executive Producers: Music Composed by EAGLE HOUSE ZELLY AND ME 10. AND QUEENIE THIS IS WHO I AM 11. ZELLY AND WILLIE ZELLY AND 18. Mastered by IN THE HAMMOCK THE IN Manufactured by Varèse Sarabande Records, LLC, WEDDING OF WADDLES WEDDING THE BIRTH OF SOCKY Produced by 7. 1988 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. 2. 16. PHOEBE COMES HOME PHOEBE COMES 9100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 455E, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Conducted by THE LOCKED BEDROOM 6. PHOEBE AND ST. JOAN ST. AND PHOEBE I WANT TO BE WITH YOU I WANT TO BE WITH WADDLES AND QUEENIE AND WADDLES 14. 8. PINO DONAGGIO PC PHOEBE FEELING LONELY PHOEBE FEELING WHY WAS JOAN BURNED? WAS JOAN WHY 1. Robert Townson 17. 4. 9. 15. 5. PREPARING FOR THE WEDDING FOR PREPARING Limited Collector’s Edition of 1000 copies Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Printed in the U.S.A. 3.

DONAGGIO ZELLY & ME VARÈSE SARABANDE VCL 0516 1171