Release date: December 27th 2004
Certificate (UK): PG
Running time: 87 minutes
Year of production: 1988
Director: Howard Brookner
Composer: Jonathan Sheffer
Writers: Howard Brookner, Colman deKay, Randy Quaid
Cast: Madonna, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Julie Hagerty, Rutger Hauer, Esai Morales, Anita Morris, Ethan Phillips, Madeleine Potter, Randy Quaid
Jonathan Sheffer has worked as a conductor on film scores for the past 25 years. His credits include Alien³ (1992), Batman Returns (1992), Interview With The Vampire (1994), Heat (1995) and most recently Public Enemies (2009).
For Bloodhounds Of Broadway, a 1988 film directed by Howard Brookner and starring Madonna, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey and Rutger Hauer, Sheffer worked as both musical arranger and composer and now joins us for a chat to talk about how the musical aspects of the film were handled.
Bloodhounds of Broadway went through some changes in post-production including re-cuts as well re-working the musical elements, was this when you were brought in to work on the movie?
Can you tell me a little bit about what the music was like originally and why it was changed?
When the decision was made to replace the band behind the singers, the musicians had a tough task ahead of them didn’t they?
This also means that you got to work on the bare vocals from Madonna and Jennifer Grey doesn’t it?
Since I Surrender Dear is the only song in the movie they both sing on, was there anything that struck you in the quality of their voices?
As this was pre-Mac and Protools, what kind of equipment were you using to score movies in the late ‘80’s and how has this changed for you over the years?
Are there any songs you worked on that didn’t end up in the final cut?
Do you have a particular favourite number or piece you are proudest of which appears in the film?
How long did you spend working on Bloodhounds of Broadway?
Has there been one thing which has remained a constant for you in scoring for the past 25 years?
As for my conducting other composers’ scores, that experience opened my mind and my ears in ways that changed my composing, and was the launching of my conducting career, which grew enormously, and for that I am truly grateful. After further study and hundreds of concerts, ballet and opera productions, for a while the conducting of scoring sessions felt rote to me. But now I find a lot of joy just being in the mix. Music production is exciting! And the privilege of being among great musicians deepens with age.”
Bloodhounds Of Broadway is a film I tend to often revisit. With its all-star cast in a roaring (albeit late) 1920’s setting the film is impossible to imagine without its music. For that reason it’s been absolutely delightful to talk about it with someone who helped make it possible and to get such an insight into a much treasured childhood gem.
The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.
Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.
Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.
Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.
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