"Return to Oz" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack -
David Shire/The London Symphony Orchestra
This will always be my true OZ. None of that munchkin, techno-colored sh*t for me. No happy-go-lucky song and dance hoopla. No scared scarecrow, cowardly lion, and hollow tin-man. No sir, even Toto stayed home for this one. Introduce a smart, cackling chicken, a "small army", a Pumpkin Head, and a Gump into a dark, magical world filled with mystery, mischief and imagination and you've got yourself one amazing, classic film entitled, Return to Oz.
Critics were cruel to Director Walter Murch for thinking way beyond the outside of the box and basing most of the plot on the original novels of OZ written in the early 1900's. However, I believe that it was largely due to the fact that they were unfortunately, misled into thinking that this was some sort of sequel to its MGM predecessor, Director Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. Although the new characters are obviously linked to the original characters, they were a bit more daring and this time there was no wizard at the end of the yellow brick road. In fact, everyone was turned to stone and the OZ as we knew it was in ruins. So, the whole story evolved around Dorothy unexpectedly returning to OZ to rescue her friends and bring the Emerald City and all the people in it back to life.
Return to OZ should, in no way, have been perceived as a "family-fun film" since its opening scene on electric-shock therapy to "cure" a child's dreams can come off as quite a shocker to audiences worldwide. Eerie sounds of patients moaning in pain locked in cellars below, during a thunderous rainstorm and a sudden blackout, while the beloved Dorothy laid helplessly strapped onto a hospital bed was definitely not something you would see in a children's movie. Squeaking "Wheelers," a headless witch with 30 beautiful heads, and Nomes weren't exactly the kind of kid-friendly, Disney characters some were accustomed to seeing at the time. So, it wasn't hard to imagine just how much negative backlash this movie received in the box office.
However, the reason why Return to OZ broke out of its confined shell was because it slowly separated itself from The Wizard of OZ. Although they loosely shared similar stories, both of these films were drastically different from each other even in music. One of the most beautiful, under-rated pieces of sheet music came from this unappreciated film. I have included the score's introduction (courtesy of You Tube) and the finale (courtesy of Playlist) to honor this astounding work of art. Together with the film, Murch and composer David Shire captivated a cult following of people who admired their attention to detail. They were able to take such carefully written words almost a century old and turn them into their masterful stories of fantasy that has been able to withstand the test of time all on its own.
Track List
1. Dorothy Remembers/Home/The Ride To Doctor Worley's (04:20)
2. Ozma/The Flight in the Storm (03:56)
3. Oz/The Ruined House (04:53)
4. The Deserted City/The Wheelers/ Tik Tok (04:55)
5. Mombi's Hall Of Heads (02:47)
6. Jack Pumpkinhead (02:48)
7. The Flight Of The Gump (03:58)
8. Dorothy And The Nome King/The Ornament Room (04:27)
9. The Defeat Of The King/ The Restoration (06:09)
10. The Mirror (02:36)
11. Finale And End Credits (Theme From "Return To Oz") (04:26)
12. The "Return To Oz" Rag March (02:44)
http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/return-oz-original-motion-picture-score-320kbps-62498/
David Shire/The London Symphony Orchestra
This will always be my true OZ. None of that munchkin, techno-colored sh*t for me. No happy-go-lucky song and dance hoopla. No scared scarecrow, cowardly lion, and hollow tin-man. No sir, even Toto stayed home for this one. Introduce a smart, cackling chicken, a "small army", a Pumpkin Head, and a Gump into a dark, magical world filled with mystery, mischief and imagination and you've got yourself one amazing, classic film entitled, Return to Oz.
Critics were cruel to Director Walter Murch for thinking way beyond the outside of the box and basing most of the plot on the original novels of OZ written in the early 1900's. However, I believe that it was largely due to the fact that they were unfortunately, misled into thinking that this was some sort of sequel to its MGM predecessor, Director Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. Although the new characters are obviously linked to the original characters, they were a bit more daring and this time there was no wizard at the end of the yellow brick road. In fact, everyone was turned to stone and the OZ as we knew it was in ruins. So, the whole story evolved around Dorothy unexpectedly returning to OZ to rescue her friends and bring the Emerald City and all the people in it back to life.
Return to OZ should, in no way, have been perceived as a "family-fun film" since its opening scene on electric-shock therapy to "cure" a child's dreams can come off as quite a shocker to audiences worldwide. Eerie sounds of patients moaning in pain locked in cellars below, during a thunderous rainstorm and a sudden blackout, while the beloved Dorothy laid helplessly strapped onto a hospital bed was definitely not something you would see in a children's movie. Squeaking "Wheelers," a headless witch with 30 beautiful heads, and Nomes weren't exactly the kind of kid-friendly, Disney characters some were accustomed to seeing at the time. So, it wasn't hard to imagine just how much negative backlash this movie received in the box office.
However, the reason why Return to OZ broke out of its confined shell was because it slowly separated itself from The Wizard of OZ. Although they loosely shared similar stories, both of these films were drastically different from each other even in music. One of the most beautiful, under-rated pieces of sheet music came from this unappreciated film. I have included the score's introduction (courtesy of You Tube) and the finale (courtesy of Playlist) to honor this astounding work of art. Together with the film, Murch and composer David Shire captivated a cult following of people who admired their attention to detail. They were able to take such carefully written words almost a century old and turn them into their masterful stories of fantasy that has been able to withstand the test of time all on its own.
Track List
1. Dorothy Remembers/Home/The Ride To Doctor Worley's (04:20)
2. Ozma/The Flight in the Storm (03:56)
3. Oz/The Ruined House (04:53)
4. The Deserted City/The Wheelers/ Tik Tok (04:55)
5. Mombi's Hall Of Heads (02:47)
6. Jack Pumpkinhead (02:48)
7. The Flight Of The Gump (03:58)
8. Dorothy And The Nome King/The Ornament Room (04:27)
9. The Defeat Of The King/ The Restoration (06:09)
10. The Mirror (02:36)
11. Finale And End Credits (Theme From "Return To Oz") (04:26)
12. The "Return To Oz" Rag March (02:44)
http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/return-oz-original-motion-picture-score-320kbps-62498/
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