Universal launches film music restoration program

[juhana]

Universal Launches Music Restoration Program, New Soundtrack Imp..

Universal has embarked on a long-range plan to preserve and restore its unreleased movie music and, starting next week, release some of these scores as limited-edition soundtrack albums.

The imprint will be called Universal Pictures Film Music Heritage Collection, and its first release, to be formally announced Tuesday, will be Michel Colombier’s music from the 1970 science-fiction film “Colossus: The Forbin Project.”

Following in August will be Henry Mancini’s score for the 1979 Peter Sellers remake of “The Prisoner of Zenda.” Both will be on the La-La Land label, which specializes in movie and TV soundtracks.

“We’re a century-old media company,” Mike Knobloch, Universal Pictures president of global film music and publishing, told Variety. “As much as we’re always looking forward, sometimes we have to look back, and recognize and value our history. Our catalog dates back to the beginning of cinema and the advent of sound. This is just the tip of the iceberg that’s in the vault.”

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Upcoming titles, to be released every other month, are expected to include Ennio Morricone’s colorful score for the 1970 Clint Eastwood film “Two Mules for Sister Sara,” previously only issued on vinyl; the final two scores in the “Airport” series, “Airport ’77” by John Cacavas and “The Concorde: Airport ’79” by Lalo Schifrin, both unreleased; 1989’s “Fletch Lives,” by Harold Faltermeyer; and the Gil Melle score for the 1977 horror film “The Sentinel.”

NBC Universal’s vast television archives may eventually become part of the program, executives said.

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Serving as producer for these initial albums is Mike Matessino, who in recent years has received praise for his expert restoration and release of many high-profile scores from “Jaws” and “E.T.” to “Superman” and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”

Matessino has been researching, evaluating, and digitally archiving a number of Universal-owned scores “so that the material exists in an accessible and monetize-able way. Happily most of them will be able to be released as albums. There is a lot of history to explore at Universal and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”