Yuku free message boards

Omega Man wrote:

---

You're advocating mutliple viewings of Zardoz???

Uh huh. And I like the film's eerie version of Beethoven's 7th as well. (2nd Movement, I believe.)

Medieval Music Plays Role In Futuristic Film "Zardoz"

Ancient musical instruments from medieval times are used in the film "Zardoz," described by its director, John Boorman, as "a futuristic adventure."

The instruments have strange sounding names. There are gemshorns and sackbuts, shengs and psalteries, angklungs and crumhorns, as well as the more familiar viols, recorders and harps.

"Although my film is set in the 23rd Century I refuse to think that by that time everything would be electronic," said Boorman. "The story is set in a commune dedicated to preserving the best of man's culture, so it followed that they would cherish the beautiful instruments of the past."

Boorman commissioned David Munrow to write the musical score for "Zardoz" knowing that Munrow directs the Early English Consort of London, an ensemble that specializes in medieval music and has the world's finest colleetion of early instruments.

So the future sounds of "Zardoz" are made by tenor cornets portative organs, medieval bells, notch flues and tromba marinas as well as by a choir which includes counter-tenors.

In addition there is a theme in the musical score adapted from the Allegretto of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.

"Zardoz," starring Sean Connery, is being released by 20th Century-Fox.

VoodooRob wrote:

---

I read that the director felt he should have made it into a novel instead of a movie. Anybody know if that ever happened?

John Boorman wrote a novelization of the film in collaboration with Bill Stair, published in 1974. In his introduction to the novelization, Boorman states that after he had finished writing the script for the film, he felt it would have worked better as a novel.