awareness of how music and \ isuals worked in tandem was the black and white television series It’n/n'ns’un ('rnsne. 'a l'it'cltclt series. very badly duhhed’. with an equally grainy soundtrack which. along with The Hits/ting li/m/e. shottld he itnprinted on the memory of anyone met the age of 35 owing to its continued repeats well into llte 70s. ‘I ltad a friend. (‘ltrisline Rogers. and (hi istine and I had a competition one night to see who could remember the entire thematic underscore material.'
:\fter thought. Doyle names the /’\\'t'/tw. lug/In! git/metre): and Slur llQH'y scores as among his layourites. and Henry Mancini. Jerry (ioldstttitlt and licrnard Hcrrmann as admired film composers.
stttltt‘
llsls
His own route to filtn composing was far
from deliberate. Although he had stttdied piatto and singing at (ilasgow's RS.\.\ll) in the early 7()s and taught music briefly at llillhead High School. it was the tlteatre that gripped hint. Like theatre-goers. he
so tnany (ilasw egian
gravitated towards the ( ‘iti/ens‘ 'l‘healre for his dramatic fix. llis ow n acting work included
. ‘\~!'J"T" my .fiflo‘ _._,‘I. -' I
Winning formula: Oscar— nominated Kate Winslet (left) and Emma Thompson ponder life and love
‘In certain cases you’re required to pastiche, but I think there’s nothing wrong with that, because that demands a particular knowledge and skill.’
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY FEATURE
playing the part of Hector in The Slab Buys. He first met Kenneth Branagh (before his darling- of-the-thesps days) through John Sessions and became musical director of the Renaissance Theatre Company in l987. composing music for productions including Twelfth Night. From there the leap to the big screen was tnade possible.
Although cinema was never an option he had given much thought to lwforchand. Doyle now says it consumes him and that he doesn't miss acting.
'l'm very content in what I do.‘ he says. 'Yourioh is very often to be subservient like a lot of the other crafts. It's a collaborative process. bttt there are also many opportunities for the filth composer to shine. The gratifying thing these days is there‘s a great interest in film soundtracks and there‘s a whole cttltttre now blossottiitig.‘
.\ culture in which Patrick Doyle. self-styled 'composer for hire'. can already be lauded with a hey nonny nonny.
Sense .-lni/ .S'ensi/n/ity goes on genem/ re/euse ()II Friday 39’ /"e/n'uur\'. l’uriek Hoyle is originu/ sunni/lritek is released by Sony (‘/(t.s.sieu/.
‘s..‘.~.‘ b...\ Fr;
t
Coffee morning: Austen’s women in conference
‘3' E.
Playin’ Jane
Feature films, television dramas, books on the best—seller lists: just who does this Jane Austen think she is? Fiona Shepherd defines the novelist‘s lasting appeal.
hakespeare took myths. historical
events and European folklore as source
material for his grandiose drama. Jonathan Swift wrote political parables with a satirical and didactic edge. The Brontes favoured high melodrama brimming with intense emotions. Noble literary endeavours all round. But when was the last time a film or television adaptation of any of their works provided the conversational fodder next day at work‘.’
Jane Austen. on the other hand. commands populist appeal. For six weeks at the end of last year. Pride And Prejudice captured the public imagination like no other costume drama. (Incidentally. the consensus among the audience — largely female. it must be said — was that Elizabeth and D’Arcy’s shock encounter beside the lake at Pemberley was the most captivating, sexy scene in the whole series. nay. in television history.)
Why is it that Austen’s microscopically- obscrved tales of day-to-day existence among the rural middle classes and gentry of Regency England are so compelling to a late 2()th century audience? Strip away the reams of meticulous (but repetitive) description along the lines of ‘she was a handsome figure of a woman with a pleasing countenance. lively eyes, a pert nose, a glowing complexion and a mischievous air. but her attire betrayed her want of style and money blah blah blah’ and what have you got? involving tales about cool women chasing Mr Right or gossiping about chasing Mr Right. A theme you will encounter every week on Home And Away and l-Iu/lyoaks. Still a universal theme. despite the passage of nearly 200 years.
The addition of long frocks. bonnets, corkscrew curls and cleavage serves as fancy trimming. and women chewing on their pens as they compose a constant stream of personal letters is the Austen equivalent of twisting the telephone wire as you ring your best mate fora chinwag — but the storyline remains the same. Sophisticated Mills & Boon. a period Four Her/dings And A Funeral, where the course of true love runs in a zig-zag pattern before reaching the inevitable consummation.
And like Four l‘.”(/(/i/2gs. it’s nOt only Britain that is sold on Austen. Specifically, the Oscars love Sense And Sensibility. \vith nominations in four key categories for this tale — modest apart from the occasional rain- battered heath - of two sisters, one with sense. the other sensibility. and their contrasting approaches to love and commitment.
The List 33 l‘cb 7 Mar two 17