Code of Honor: The Making of Three Great American Westerns

Book Description

This book lavishly illustrated with photos and other rare memorabilia, examines the controversies surrounding the films, the problems experienced in their production, and the drama or comedy-that occurred among the real life cast and crew members.

Customer Reviews:

Candid glimpse of what great cinema requires.......2003-07-20

Code Of Honor: The Making Of Three Great American Westerns by Emmy award-winning makeup artist Michael F. Blake, delves into the formative process behind the classic movies "High Noon," "Shane," and "The Searchers." Original interviews, behind the scenes anecdotes, screenplay evolution, the motives behind casting choices, and much, much more fill the pages of this involving and candid glimpse of what great cinema requires behind the screen. Code Of Honor is a welcome and informative contribution to personal, academic, and community library Cinema History collections and reading lists.

Outstanding work! ENCORE!.......2003-05-26

Michael F. Blake has turned in a labor of love, & it shows. CODE OF HONOR not only deals with the making of these three classic films, but why the protagonists act the way they do without 'analyzing' the film, like so many do. In other words, Blake's book is a FUN read, & not a studious one. He writes for the public, & not over thier heads, something I appreciate. The items he points out are fascinating, such as the ties between THE SEARCHERS & STAR WARS, or how many different characters in SHANE all have thier own code of honor.
Well done! I look forward to his next work!

Book Description

Three important orchestral works, including very popular Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, reproduced in full score from original editions. This volume and its companion volume make available for the first time in convenient, inexpensive editions all the important Strauss tone poems. Study score.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect dover edition.......2003-11-14

I should firstly state that i am merely a 20 year old autodidact "musician", or better said "music-logyst", since i don't master any instrument. my wisdom is only intuitive.

- REGARDING THE EDITION: dover edition is perfect, flawless.
- ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA: I believe it the best in the lot, although i do not enjoy it all. Straus intention was an homenage to Nietzshe's genius, an homenage he achieved only in: "of the backworldsmen", which i believe is the culmination, the highest piece of that kind of harmony wagner introduced in his "tristan und isolde" prelude.It starts with the "crescendo" of the cellos and violins creating a melodic armony, an aparent armony; and as the crescendo goes on and on the melodic-armony begins to be in danger by it, and so is evident to the spectator that if the crescendo continues, at some point, necessarily, the armony will blow up, vanish. The maximum of the string crescendo is power-full.
Reading clearly the symbols of music gives you the aptitude of recreating it, and this dover editions should become classics of shining representation.

Three Great Tone Poems.......2003-08-12

Richard Strauss was in many ways the epitome of the late romatic composer, and perhaps the only true musical descendant of Richard Wagner. His tone poems, like any great piece of music, are like a whole seperate world.

The tone poems in this volume are three of his most popular. The escapades of Til Eulenspiegel, the familiar opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra (and the less familiar final bars that can't make up their mind what key to close in), and the 'heroic' Ein Heldenleben reveal Strauss at his most complex, lyrical, bombastic and egotistical. True masterworks worth repeated hearings.

The complexity of these scores is astounding. But with a little patience and experience, following along with the score can reveal many inner beauties of this music that is well worth the effort.

No complaints with Dover's edition. Large format, clearly printed, and economical. How does Dover do it? Recommended!

Just as great as Tone Poems Series I.......2001-12-08

Another superb score from Dover. It's large (9 3/8 x 12 1/4), lays easily on a stand or table, very readable, durable, and generally free of errors (notation-wise, it's perfect).

Excellent again.......2000-06-17

Richard Strauss' tone poems for orchestra are among the finest pieces of the music History, and we have to thank Dover Pubs. for reprinting and putting together all the music in this inexpensive edition. All the tone poems are impressive demostrations of orchestral force and virtuosism (specially Zarathustra), and with this book you can fully appreciate the genius of the author. The layout is very clear and easy readable, which is excellent to follow the music and enjoy it completely. At this price, it is a must for anyone willing to study the pieces or just to have a good time with Strauss' music. Definitely recommended, as well as the other volume (Series I).

Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra (Cambridge Music Handbooks)

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Cambridge Music Handbooks - for the serious student of music
Overly abstruse academic nonsense.

Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra (Cambridge Music Handbooks)
John Williamson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521409357

Book Description

Richard Strauss's tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra is one of his most controversial works, but it is also one of the staples of the virtuoso orchestra. Its greatest popularity has been achieved in recent years with its association with Kubrick's film 2001--A Space Odyssey. This guide examines the intellectual background of the work and considers the ways in which it has been received by composers and writers. It also discusses the musical background of Liszt and Wagner which gave rise to the genre "tone poem," and provides an analysis of several aspects of Strauss's musical language.

Customer Reviews:

Cambridge Music Handbooks - for the serious student of music.......2007-01-25

All of the books in this Cambridge series are for the professional musician or the serious student of the art. How serious is that? Here's a good rule of thumb: serious enough to have a score in hand as you read the book. If that is too big an investment to make for your purposes in getting acquainted with the music, the Cambridge series is not for you. You will be more interested in any number of more popular introductions to the repertoire that exist on the Internet, in liner notes, and in other publications.

The Cambridge Music Handbooks are a valuable resource, though, for those of us for whom music is a life's work. Each of these Cambridge guides provides a comprehensive guide to the origin and publication history of the title work, the different versions and editions that exist, the performance history, and the structure of the music. The scholarship in this series is consistently high and the citations and references are solid. If you are preparing for a performance of a piece Cambridge has included in this series, you will definitely want to pick up the relevent guide as part of your study.

Overly abstruse academic nonsense........2006-07-23

I was looking for a book that took one of the tone poems by Strauss and gave a good musical analysis with historical background. I am a trained amateur musician and I have read several biographies on Strauss, so I thought reading this book would be no problem. Boy, was I wrong.
The book feels like a PhD thesis and is quite difficult to read. (I'm not sure if it is a thesis or not.) Actually, it feels more like a parody of a PhD thesis. 90 percent of the book seems completely irrelevant to understanding the piece. The author spends a lot of time on 19th century discussions of program music vs. pure music, and a lot of time on how the music relates to the Nietzsche's work. At times I was totally lost in the abstruse philosophical discussions. There is no comprehensive explanation of how the piece is put together, but rather many separate discussions of different parts of the piece. There are many references to bar numbers, so unless you have the score in front of you, these are useless. There is also some of musical analysis, but with relatively few musical illustrations, most of this is just not understandable.
The only good thing about this book is that (including footnotes at the end of the book and the index) it's only 126 pages.

Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (Dover Miniature Scores)

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Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (Dover Miniature Scores)
Richard Strauss
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486449521

Book Description

Most often recognized as the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey, this monumental tone poem — based on Nietszche's work of the same name — is an epic of nine continuous sections. The work evolves as a musical survey of mankind, ranging from contemplative Gregorian chant movements to the burlesques of the cafes of Strauss' Germany.

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Also Sprach Zarathustra
Richard Strauss
Manufacturer: London Records
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000W89KQU

Also Sprach Zarathustra 2001 Space Odyssey Theme ; Easy Piano Solo

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Also Sprach Zarathustra 2001 Space Odyssey Theme ; Easy Piano Solo
Richard Strauss
Manufacturer: Brimhall Music Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M46UP8

Also Sprach Zarathustra for Eight Electronic Keyboards: Conductor Score and Individual Parts

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Also Sprach Zarathustra for Eight Electronic Keyboards: Conductor Score and Individual Parts

Manufacturer: Warner Bros Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0757980228

Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Study Score

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Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Study Score

Manufacturer: Eulenburg London (Schott)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback

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ASIN: 3795766567

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Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000AUVEPU

Product Description

This is not a compact disc, but is a large record/LP that is played in record players. Contact me via e-mail by clicking on Zaheen if you have any questions.

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra Mahler: Totenfeier Chicago Symphony Orchestra/ Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 289 457 649-2).: An article from: Sensible Sound

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Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra Mahler: Totenfeier Chicago Symphony Orchestra/ Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 289 457 649-2).: An article from: Sensible Sound
Karl W. Nehring
Manufacturer: Sensible Sound
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Sensible Sound, published by Sensible Sound on April 1, 2000. The length of the article is 436 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra Mahler: Totenfeier Chicago Symphony Orchestra/ Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 289 457 649-2).
Author: Karl W. Nehring
Publication: Sensible Sound (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2000
Publisher: Sensible Sound
Page: 63

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Welt, Leben und Kunst als Themen der "Zarathustra-Kompositionen" von Richard Strauss und Gustav Mahler (European university studies. Series XXXVI, Musicology)

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Welt, Leben und Kunst als Themen der "Zarathustra-Kompositionen" von Richard Strauss und Gustav Mahler (European university studies. Series XXXVI, Musicology)
Anette Unger
Manufacturer: P. Lang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

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ASIN: 3631444931

Book Description

A delightful way to build children's self-esteem and self-confidence—from age three to twelve.

The key ingredient in children's development, emotionally, socially, and intellectually, is a strong sense of their own self-worth. The 300 games and activities in this fun book will give them just that. These joyful activities help children learn how to make friends, express feelings, trust others, accept themselves, use their imaginations, and more. The book combines upbeat, positive advice—including tips for better parenting—with step-by-step directions for each activity.

BARBARA SHER, MA, OTR (Whitehorn, California) has 30 years' experience as a teacher and occupational therapist, specializing in pediatrics. Under the sponsorship of the Center for Intercultural Education of Georgetown University, she conducts self-esteem workshops for parents, teachers and children around the world.

A delightful way to build children's self-esteem and self-confidence—from ages three to twelve.

The key to children's development—emotionally, socially, and intellectually—is a strong sense of their own self-worth. The 300 games and activities in this fun book will give them just that. Developed by author Barbara Sher over the course of thirty years as a parent, teacher, and play specialist, these joyful activities require no special preparation or equipment. Families can play a game virtually anywhere, with any number of participants.

Combines upbeat, positive advice—including tips for better parenting— with easy directions for positive play.

Helps children learn how to make friends, express feelings, trust others, accept themselves, use their imaginations, and more.

Barbara Sher, OT (Whitehorn, CA), has 30 years' experience as a teacher and occupational therapist, specializing in pediatrics. She conducts self-esteem workshops for parents, teachers and children around the world.

Customer Reviews:

A quick help.......2003-06-02

This is a great book to be able to grab when you need an activity. One thing that I really enjoy about B. Sher's activities is that the are low prep. and you know that anything you find in her book will be of value to the children.

What a disappointment.......2001-04-20

Most activities in this book are only appropriate for very young children. I am a fan of Barbara Sher's other books so I bought this without browsing it first. Many of the '300' activities are chants with various words. For example: "we've all got a name, first and last, tell us your name and we will laugh". Another activity is to let the child smell food flavorings. Fun stuff if you're 3 but there isn't much for an 8 year old.

easy to use.......2000-02-07

Wonderful book for parents, teachers, baby-sitters, etc. Gave the Hebrew edition (available in Israel) to a friend who enjoyed using it to entertain the children on a trans-atlantic flight. I highly reccomend this book and others by Barbara Sher, including "Extrodinary Games with Ordinary Things"

Easy-to-read, very fun approach to the subject........1998-10-28

Like Barbara's other books, Self Esteem Games is a well-written, easy to read, fun guide to a serious subject. Is appropriate for parents and professionals alike.

Book Description

The late 1950s and early 1960s were the golden years of horror television. Anthology series such as Way Out and Great Ghost Tales, along with certain episodes of Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, were among the shows that consistently frightened a generation of television viewers. And perhaps the best of them all was Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff.

In Thriller the horror was gothic, with a darker, bleaker vision of life than its contemporaries. The show's origins and troubled history is first discussed here, followed by biographies of such key figures as producer William Frye, executive producer Hubbell Robinson, writers Robert Block and Donald S. Sanford, and Karloff. The episode guide covers all 67 installments, providing airdate, production credits, cast, plot synopses and critical evaluations.

Customer Reviews:

As sure as my name is Boris Karloff . . ........2005-03-22

What a wonderful book! I love watching the old horror programs on television, such as Karloff's Thriller, The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. What I enjoy most is watching each program, and then spend a few minutes reading up on the production history and trivia about the program, thanks to books like this. I just spent the last three years reading "The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion" by Grams and Wikstrom and watched each and every episode of the Hitchcock TV series one by one. What a fascinating program. So logically, I purchased this book and am done the first season. With each viewing I turn to this book and find out trivia I did not know, and other neat facts. That's what tells me if the book is a good book or not. A must-have. Do yourself a favor. Buy this book now, get the entire TV series on DVD, (you can e-mail me if you want to know where to get the entire series) and "enjoy" the episodes.

The thrill is not gone...........2002-09-16

Forty years later, "Thriller" still has some thrill left in it, though many of its episodes are becoming awfully dated. This is something that invariably happens to decades-old popular entertainment. And "Thriller" IS popular entertainment, and nothing more. Nonetheless, "This Is a Thriller" takes the usual route of presenting a TV show as a great and lasting contribution to the arts, a conceit that isn't helped, for example, by the fact that many of the "Thriller" scripts were based on stories originally published in the pulp magazine "Weird Tales." How nice it would be if TV-show surveys could simply treat classic television as great ENTERTAINMENT, and leave it at that. As if that weren't enough. Anyway, this is an otherwise enjoyable, detail-packed volume with lengthy (if sometimes confusing) plot synopses. The author pans a number of my favorite "Thrillers," including "Rose's Last Summer" and "Cousin Tundifer," the latter one of the series' most offbeat and imaginative entries. Meanwhile, such fluff as the Robert-Bloch-scripted "Waxworks" and "The Devil's Ticket" are given top billing. To be sure, two of the scariest "Thriller" episodes--"The Cheaters" and "The Hungry Glass"--are taken from Bloch stories, but they are scripted by far better screenwriters. These are personal gripes, of course; I can hardly expect my favorites to be acknowledged as such. However, books like these, as fun as they are, only serve to show up the deficiencies of horror and sci-fi TV dramas by treating them as great art. What works beautifully as a 60-minute horror drama may not hold up under much literary analysis. "Pigeons from Hell," for example, television's greatest exercise in horror, suffers from a contrived and unclear plot that does little to diminish the sheer scariness of the episode. On paper, however, the whole thing sounds ridiculous. How hilarious to find out that the zombie lady of the episode appeared in at least two other episodes (one of them unbilled here!). I refer to British actress Ottola Nesmith, whose relatively brief bio on page 115 seems paltry in light of her impact on the show. "Rather amazingly," the book notes (quoting associate producer Doug Benton) "She was a great beauty in her day." Amazingly? It seems to me that heavy makeup can transform ANY woman into a hag, even a former beauty. It's only television, folks.

Fantastic Guide to a Classic Show That Is Sadly Overlooked.......2001-09-11

This book is a must for diehard fans of the excellent classic TV horror anthology THRILLER (a.k.a. BORIS KARLOFF'S THRILLER), and it would be great reading for any heretofore non-fan interested in learning about the series. Warren provides interesting info on the development of THRILLER as a series, as well as detailed exposition on the genesis and behind-the-scenes production processes for each episode. And the episode guide is the greatest--it is well written and contains very detailed plot descriptions, the author's critical commentary, and observations and anecdotes from some of those involved in the production of certain episodes.

Some reviewers have faulted Warren for making the episode guide too detailed, but considering the fact that THRILLER is rarely available via reruns these days--the run on the Sci-Fi Channel a few years ago notwithstanding--and few episodes are available via home video, Warren'w thorough episode synopses provide an much-needed means for THRILLER newbies to become familiar with the excellence of this TV show and a way for longtime fans to relive their favorite stories.

Vast wasted opportunity.......2000-07-08

While this book does score points for being the first episode guide to THRILLER, a beloved (by many) television series, the bad here unfortunately far outweighs the good.

A discussion of each episode consists almost entirely of synopsis, of which one can (unbelievably) fault for being TOO detailed? To include excessive character conversation in one's synopsis for an episode is a bit much. Being long on summation tries to hide a lack of truly interesting background or history of any particular episode. We get more background information on other films and TV series that an episode's actor appeared in than we do interesting anecdotes about the particular episode from said actor(s). My biggest complaint of the book is the author's analysis (or lack of) of the performances in each episode. It feels that little effort went into trying to truly analyze, understand, or rate a performance. The author falls into an easy habit of merely throwing out simple (most times unexplained) adjectives: "very good", "capable", "above average", "below average", or my favorite, "adequate". The author uses the term "adequate" over 150 times (and there were only 60+ episodes!). I was almost pulling my hair out upon every subsequent encounter of this word. Another major fault is the lack of photographs. The number of photos can basically be counted on one hand. This is a major loss. Also, when presented with a book of nearly 200 pages that is nearly all text, makes for very difficult reading.

THIS IS A THRILLER was a commendable idea for a book on a deserving TV series that ends up being...just adequate.

Solid reference work........1999-12-29

Good job - detailed plot analysis for those who are not familiar with the episodes, cast and characters, etc. Each episode has a critical evaluation that, if one does not agree with, has to admit is at least well-written. It would have been better with more pictures and perhaps longer interview segments, and less commentary on other similar tv programs - the author dismisses the excellent NIGHT GALLERY, for example - but this is a labor of love for THRILLER, and I for one am glad I bought it.

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