Bernard Herrmann

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Bernard Herrmann
Topic Started: Sep 12 2007, 09:47 AM (1,013 Views)
mort bakaprevski	Sep 12 2007, 09:47 AM Post #1
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,433 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Rented THE DEVIL & DANIEL WEBSTER at my nearby DVD store the other day mainly to hear Bernard Herrman's score (I'm a big fan of his). The Criterion package is fabulous. Picture is clear & crisp & includes approximately 20 minutes of film which had been cut over the years. There is an "extra" which is an interactive bit about Herrmann's score (Academy Award winning, yet). It tells you about a certain portion, then you hit play & watch & listen to the section under discussion. The commentary also has a 10+ minute discussion of Herrmann's approach to the film. I recently decided to see all of the Hitchcock films I've never viewed AND to see as many films which feature Herrmann scores as possible. S-o-o-o-o, my next three films will be MARNIE, THE WRONG MAN & THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY: all Hitchcock AND Herrmann!!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Sep 12 2007, 10:22 AM Post #2
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,188 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	Herrman makes an appearance in Hitch's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956). Herrman is the conductor of the orchestra at Albert Hall. Hitch permitted Herrman to write a score for the scene but Herrman used the original from the 1935 version. IMHO, Herrman's music for Psycho's shower scene made the scene as creepy as it was.
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Sep 12 2007, 10:28 AM Post #3
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,188 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	Yeah....I know....I forgot the extra "N" at the end of his name. Anyone who reads my ITB posts doesn't expect much more.
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


JazzGuyy	Sep 12 2007, 11:23 AM Post #4
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 2,181 Group: Members Member #110 Joined: June 1, 2006	There's a DVD called Bernard Herrmann - Music for the Movies coming out on the 25th of this month.



Inspector Carr	Sep 12 2007, 04:09 PM Post #5
Charter Member Posts: 2,787 Group: Members Member #48 Joined: September 14, 2005	Many years ago I purchased two Bernard Herrmann LP's the first one was called "The Fantasy worlds of Bernard Hermann" recorded by the London Phiharmonic it contained music from The Day the earth stood still, as well as Jason and the Argonauts (the other twi films I cannot remember) the other LP was Hermann plays Hitchcock (?) containing a series of his Hitchcock pieces, both excellent, and in quadraphonic to boot! The Fantasy worlds LP was available on Cd however I do not know if it is still in print today....
	"Reality is for people who can't handle alcohol"


Paul	Sep 13 2007, 09:29 PM Post #6
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 308 Group: Guests Member #57 Joined: October 1, 2005	Inspector Carr Sep 12 2007, 04:09 PM Many years ago I purchased two Bernard Herrmann LP's the first one was called "The Fantasy worlds of Bernard Hermann" recorded by the London Phiharmonic it contained music from The Day the earth stood still, as well as Jason and the Argonauts (the other twi films I cannot remember) the other LP was Hermann plays Hitchcock (?) containing a series of his Hitchcock pieces, both excellent, and in quadraphonic to boot! The Fantasy worlds LP was available on Cd however I do not know if it is still in print today.... There were two Herrmann sf/fantasy film LPs on London: "The Fantasy Film World of..." and "The Mysterious Film World of...". Jason and the Argonauts made it to a 1988 London "Cinema Gala" CD along with his recordings of excerpts from Citizen Kane, Jane Eyre, The Devil and Daniel Webster and The Snows of Kilimanjaro. In 1996 came Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Fahrenheit 451 and The Three Worlds of Gulliver on the London Phase 4 CD "Bernard Herrmann Great Film Music." The Musical Heritage Society licenced the "The Great Htitchcock Movie Thrillers" for a 1987 CD; in the 90s, London itself issued a CD under the original LP name. It's out of print, but ArkivMusic sells a licensed CD-R clone. Incidentally, the LPs weren't quadraphonic. The confusion arises because they were part of London's "Phase 4" series. These were products of London's (actually British Decca's) pop division. An explanation of what the "4" in "Phase 4" was can be found here. Reducing all that PR hype, what it boiled down to was that the orchestral instruments (including those in the series' classical releases) were very closely miked and spotlighted, producing an acoustic that was deliberately artificial, one you'd never hear in a concert hall. One more obsessive-compulsive detail: the Hitchcock pieces were recorded with the London Philharmonic, but the fantasy/sf items were with the "National Philharmonic," in reality an ad hoc group culled from a number of London orchestras. They, or at least the musicians who happened to be grouped under this name, made scads of records for various labels in the 70s, including RCA's "Classic Film Scores" series with Charles Gerhardt. They're even billed on some pop and rock super-productions.



mort bakaprevski	Sep 14 2007, 04:30 PM Post #7
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,433 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Just finished MARNIE. Thought Herrmann’s score was more mainstream than usual & some of it reminded me a bit of VERTIGO (others have claimed that Herrmann re-used a lot of his score from BLUE DENIM for this film. Since I’ve never seen/heard BLUE DENIM, I can’t comment). The accompanying special feature states that Herrmann attempted to create a “pop” song for the picture, ala Tiomkin, which was actually recorded by Nat “King” Cole, but went nowhere. This was (sorta) Herrmann’s last collaboration with Hitchcock. He did a goodly portion of Hitch’s next film (TORN CURTAIN), but due to a falling-out between the two, Hitchcock utilized a score by John Addison. It’s too bad because there seemed to be a real symbiotic relationship between the two. As for the movie itself, it served to remind me of just how slow moving Hitch could be on occasion. Also, his seeming infatuation with the artificial. The set of the street where Marnie’s mother lives is just pathetic. Well from their last project to their first. My next movie will be THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Inspector Carr	Sep 15 2007, 04:03 PM Post #8
Charter Member Posts: 2,787 Group: Members Member #48 Joined: September 14, 2005	First off thank you to both Paul and Mort for clearing up the Bernard Hermann issue and I would like to ask are those LP's such as Fantasy world of Bernard Hermann still available in Cd Format.....I linked over to the CDR version of the Hitchcock Cd.....thanks for the clarification and insight.... till next
	"Reality is for people who can't handle alcohol"


Paul	Sep 15 2007, 09:21 PM Post #9
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 308 Group: Guests Member #57 Joined: October 1, 2005	Inspector Carr Sep 15 2007, 04:03 PM I would like to ask are those LP's such as Fantasy world of Bernard Hermann still available in Cd Format.....I linked over to the CDR version of the Hitchcock Cd.....thanks for the clarification and insight.... ArchivMusic also has licensed CD-R clones of Herrmann's "Music from Great Film Classics" (includes Jason and Mysterious Island, among others) and the 1996 compilation "Great Film Music" that I mentioned. Also, check Amazon for used copies of the original pressed CDs from various Marketplace sellers. There's a copy of "Great Film Music" for just three smackers, I see.



Inspector Carr	Sep 16 2007, 04:02 PM Post #10
Charter Member Posts: 2,787 Group: Members Member #48 Joined: September 14, 2005	Thanks......I will mosey over there and give it a gander........
	"Reality is for people who can't handle alcohol"


mort bakaprevski	Sep 16 2007, 07:22 PM Post #11
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,433 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY Ahhh, this is more like it. A really clever score that captures the spirit of the movie perfectly. This was, purportedly, Hitch’s favorite Herrmann music from any of his movies… even though Herrmann stole a lot of it from a radio series he was working on at the time. The movie itself is a bit draggy, but the autumnal shots of Vermont are beautiful… and a young Shirley MacLaine (20/21) is as toothsome as a crème brulee… with raspberries on top, yet!!! I think I’ll take a break from Herrmann/Hitchcock collaborations & rent ON DANGEROUS GROUND (Nicholas Ray & Herrmann)!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


mort bakaprevski	Sep 18 2007, 04:18 PM Post #12
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,433 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	ON DANGEROUS GROUND From the moment the screen lights up with the RKO antenna, you KNOW you’re listening to a Herrmann score: the rhythms, voicings, etc. all have (for the 1940’s & 50’s) a “modern” music flair. If you’re familiar with the movie, you know that the first third of the film consists of a trio of policemen going through their nightly rounds and the music strongly complements the urban night scenes being displayed by the camera. However, once the film shifts to a rural setting, Herrmann completely changes his approach. It almost has a romantic era feel to it. This is highlighted by the utilization of a viola d’amour (for more info, go to Wikipedia… a fascinating instrument). The theme is played on this instrument with rather simple harmonies supplied by the rest of the orchestra. The soloist (Virginia Majewski) even receives screen credit. As for the film, the acting is first class (Ward Bond surprised me with more depth than I thought he was capable of). The story is a bit uneven, but that’s probably because, in the edited movie, the time sequences differ from those in Bezzerides’ script. That reminds me: minny, minny years ago, I had occasion to meet one of Mr. Bezzerides’ daughters on numerous occasions. A VERY bright lady… as was her father! Now, back to Mr. Hitchcock: THE WRONG MAN!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Sep 20 2007, 05:52 AM Post #13
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,188 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	mort bakaprevski Sep 14 2007, 04:30 PM The set of the street where Marnie’s mother lives is just pathetic. I watched Marnie last night for the first time. Mort, you don't mean to say that the ocean liner at the end of the street DID NOT belong to Marnie's mother ?
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


mort bakaprevski	Sep 20 2007, 08:20 AM Post #14
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,433 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Isn't that a hoot??? And, can you imagine what it looked like in a theatre????
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Sep 20 2007, 10:13 AM Post #15
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,188 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	I'd say the ship should've been named The Albatross.
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


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