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Kritzerland is proud to present a new limited edition soundtrack release – two classic Bernard Herrmann soundtracks on one CD:
HANGOVER SQUARE – EXPANDED EDITION
and
5 FINGERS
Music Composed and Conducted by Bernard Herrmann
Sometimes a movie comes along in which all the elements align perfectly – cast, writer, director, photography, art direction, costumes, and music – and the result is often a unique film that works on every level, and the 1945 film Hangover Square is a perfect example. The cast was perfection, with Laird Cregar as composer/pianist George Henry Bone, beautiful and talented Linda Darnell and the always-wonderful George Sanders. In a film in which a musical composition also plays a leading role, the choice of composer is key to the film’s success. In this case, the match was sublime – Bernard Herrmann.
For Hangover Square, Herrmann’s task was to compose George Henry Bone’s piano concerto. The resulting “Concerto Macabre” is a tour de force – the concerto had to accomplish many things, including beginning and ending with just piano, but it also had to portray the mind of its on-screen composer and his descent into madness. But the concerto is but one piece of Herrmann’s musical tapestry in Hangover Square, and the rest of the score is as evocative and brilliant as the concerto.
5 Fingers was a 1952 spy picture directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Bernard Herrmann
was once again the perfect choice for the film. His score conveys every bit of suspense and emotion, from the dramatic main title, to the jittery music for “Cicero,” to the brief-but-beautiful cue “Romance,” to the exciting music for “Escape.” Much of the score almost seems like a preview of what Herrmann would go on to compose for his legendary series of films with director Alfred Hitchcock. It’s a world-class score by a world-class composer.
Both 5 Fingers and Hangover Square were released in the Bernard Herrmann at Fox box set on Varese Sarabande. For that release, Hangover Square was a much-truncated presentation. But thanks to advances in technology and a couple of new sources we present it here with over sixteen additional minutes of music, and what music it is. While the source material for 5 Fingers was in excellent condition, the sources used for Hangover Square were not in as prime condition. Everything possible has been done to clean them up, but the music is so important we wanted to include every note we could. For this CD, Mike Matessino has gone back to the 5 Fingers elements and done a fresh new transfer, which sounds absolutely stunning, and he’s done the same for Hangover Square.
Hangover Square/5 Fingers is limited to 1000 copies only and is priced at $19.98, plus shipping. CDs will ship by the last week of September. However, never fear – on average we usually ship two to four weeks ahead of the official ship date. To place an order, see the cover, or hear audio samples, just visit www.kritzerland.com.
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Glad to see Varese did Hangover Square right the first time around. /s
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Wonderful artwork! Can't wait for this one.
Do Indiegogo donors need to do anything to obtain? Or will this automatically ship?
Thanks!
No, no need to do anything if you want it as an Indiegogo selection. The only time you need to email us is if you're opting out of a title
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Wow. What a way to start my Indiegogo selections! Absolutely stunning music -- in what looks like a definitive edition. As I said before: WOW!
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Very much looking forward to a fuller Hangover Square!
If you don't already have a version of Five Fingers, you should.
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FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!
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So excited to get this as an Indigo sponsor, Bruce!!
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I LOVE Five Fingers. I'm a great fan of spy novels and thrillers by folks like John Le Carre, Eric Ambler, Richard Condon, and Graham Greene (entertainments, as he called them). I think Five Fingers fits right in especially with Eric Ambler's style of ironic thriller, even though based on a true story. Wonderful low-key-but-suspenful film with some of the best dialogue I've ever heard in this kind of thing. (I've only seen Hangover Square once and frankly don't remember it that well, so nothing to add.)
It's so fun to see this release and know I don't have to do anything at all to pick it up, just wait for my Indiegogo contribution to get it sent automatically (and already paid for to boot!).
EDIT: Agree with Basil below on the Five Fingers recording, but delighted to get the original!
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) 
