the song…
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bullit2513 — 20 years ago(September 21, 2005 04:24 PM)
Did anyone else find it funny that on the Extended Version DVD, the new reissue trailer ends with the line "Fall in Behind the Major, Spring 2005!"? The new version uses a new score, much better by the way, and one of the main reasons people don't like the original version is the music, especially Mitch Miller and Co. singing Fall in behind the major.
Good stuff.
"I don't mean to be a sore loser, but if when it's over, I'm dead, kill him." Butch Cassidy -
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Hancock_the_Superb — 20 years ago(February 14, 2006 04:12 PM)
As I've said before, my main problem with the old score isn't the music itself, it's just poorly used. I have the soundtrack, and the music itself for the most part is actually pretty good outside of the movie (even though for some odd reason they decided to a) add sound effects [gunshots, war whoops, Richard Harris's death scream] to the music from the battle scenes and b) stick in a bunch of Godawful Mitch Miller songs that weren't even in the movie). But the way the movie was edited, with the "Apache doorbell" playing every five seconds and the constant use of loud, bombastic music behind dialogue scenes, kills the effect. As I've said before, the music for the final battle with the French is great - the version with the new score, with almost no music at all, is horrible.
The new score is good to a point, but it isn't the cure-all that certain people (like DVD Savant, who knows a lot of info but still manages to be an ignorant jackass) have claimed it is. The best parts are the introduction music, the expedition first leaving Fort Benlin, the music during the campfire fight between Dahlstrom and Benteen, and the silence during most of the critical dialogue scenes (though that's not really music). I do like the river ambush a lot better with the new score too (though the original's music during that scene is pretty surreal IMO). So, that's my critique.
But I love the "Major Dundee March", it's cheesy and stupid but in a good way. I think kitsch is a better word for it.
"I've got orders to obey, thank God. Not like that poor devil - he's riding the whirlwind!" -
johnathompson63101 — 20 years ago(February 24, 2006 08:54 PM)
I can appreciate what you and others are saying about loud music behind dialogue scenes, but the way it was "corrected" here was distracting to me. A sentence of dialogue with subtle ambience between the words was surrounded by dead silence. It was as if a group picture had been made up of photos of individual people trimmed around the edges then pasted on a common background. The new score was particularly bad during the last battle with the French. The original score covered up some lame battle sound effects. The new scores silent spaces exposed what sounded more like a couple of Foley artists rattling a silverware drawer than a cavalry battle. I also noticed that they replaced the original bugle call (which actually sounded French) with what sounded like a watery version of the United States charge.
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Hancock_the_Superb — 20 years ago(March 12, 2006 02:54 PM)
I agree with you on most points. One dialogue scene I liked with the original music was Potts' briefing of Dundee at Fort Benlin, with the ominous brass/string music and the beep beep BEEP! popping up. (They also used the track during the build-up to the river ambush.) It fits very well with the topic of their conversation, which is the loyalty of Riago and Potts' other scout, and builds up a great sense of forboding. Quite frankly, this scene sucks without the music. However, I far prefer Dundee and Tyreen's dialogue after the campfire fight, as well as the planning of the final battle with Charriba (to name just two examples), without the loud tracks that are heard in the original version.
The sound dubbing for the film was done on an extremely cheap scale, I think others have commented on that. The first three minutes of the French battle was almost excrutiating without the music. As I said in my above post, that's one scene where the original score is absolutely right. Even when the music does kick in, it's lameass and "restrained" (i.e. boring) - not at all fitting for a battle scene.
"What have I done?"
~ Sir Alec Guinness, "Bridge On The River Kwai" -
deanofrpps — 20 years ago(February 19, 2006 06:35 AM)
I too prefer the score released with the film: FALL IN BEHIND THE MAJOR. After seeing both versions I prefer the released 1965 version over the directors cut. Believe it or not the studio cut make Peckinpah's point about love loyalty and betrayal clearer than Peckinpah's edition. I frankly would not have rated MAJOR DUNDEE with 12 O'Clock High and Godfather I & II (combined version), the greatest American studies of leadership.
Did Mitch Miller's chorus sing Fall In Behind The Major? Geeze Mitch Miller was far better than I ever gave him credit!
HA Andrews -
The_Khazi — 20 years ago(February 24, 2006 12:05 PM)
Just watched the film with the new score & can
t say I was particularly impressed.So unimpressed in fact that I started hankering for the doorbell every time Chariba appeared.I had the original on L.P. for many years & thought it did the job although such a shame it wasnt mixed 5.1DD for the dvd. -
deanofrpps — 20 years ago(February 25, 2006 08:32 AM)
After comparing the two versions, I prefer the 1965 release. I think it made all the points Peckinpah wanted. The cuts honed the essential point; the added material muted it & I do prefer FALL IN BEHIND THE MAJOR to that whiney tune Peckinpah wanted.
HA Andrews -
coxm-1 — 17 years ago(January 26, 2009 11:01 AM)
It's actually called the "Major Dundee March", but that's being nitpicky.
I like it. If I'm the only person on the face of the Earth, that's fine with me.
I've been looking for the lyrics - do you have them Hancock the Superb? -
Hancock_the_Superb — 16 years ago(October 08, 2009 06:27 PM)
Fall in Behind the Major
Fall in, and mind the Major
Fall in, and I will wager
That the major brings all of us back!
Fall in, and keep your guard up!
Who knows when things will start up?
Fall in, behind the Major,
Every Tom, Bob, Joe, Jimmy and Jack!
Though your heart be with the North,
Or your heart be with the South,
Uphold the Blue or Gray,
It's no nevermind
Won't be long till we'll be home
Raining kisses on the mouth
Of the girls we left behind!
Fall in, and get to movin'
No use in disapprovin'!
Fall in behind the Major
And we'll all get home again!
"I do NOT want your tawdry tales of office lust infecting my newsroom!" -
waynec50 — 20 years ago(March 09, 2006 05:23 PM)
I liked it, too, but it's kind of strange that while riding through the carnage of the massacre, this jaunty march with its incongrous words is playing. All I've heard is how lousy the original score is (was?), but the new one is practically non-existent.
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Sid-Blitzen — 17 years ago(February 18, 2009 06:54 AM)
I missed the song on the DVD version that I watched recently. I always thought they were singing "Boys, behind the Major".
I enjoy the cheesy theme songs of those old Westerns:
"Yee-har, giddyup there;
We're a kitchy white quartet,
Singing of the lone prairieee,
Yee-har!"