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I always liked the Addison score, but then I was a big fan of his in the 70s, when I started collecting.
I don't know that any score would have helped Torn Curtain much. Apart from that classic murder scene and Albert Whitlock's amazing matte effects, it's one of the master's flattest films. (especially strange given that the two leads can be fantastic in the right film - Newman especially is an all-time talent, but clearly he and Hitch were a bad fit - and the writer was Brian Moore, an extremely acclaimed novelist).
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This is obviously an exciting release, and a great combo to have Herrmann’s own recorded cues of his rejected score along with the expanded Addison one.
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Posted: |
May 2, 2024 - 12:28 AM
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By: |
RichC
(Member)
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There's really nothing "wrong" with what Addison provided, given the mission he was tasked with. He delivered what was asked of him, and the score is as enjoyable as any of the Hitchcock-lite/bouncy-spy style scores we were given during that decade.
It's just that, it might be reasonably argued, it doesn't quite equate with the first half of the film, which features nothing less than the systematic destruction of a young woman's life. To her confusion and dismay, the one person she thought she coud trust suddenly becomes a remote, detached stranger - at times, even a genuinely frightening one. He defies her every attempt to understand the change, to the point that she is left absolutely desolated. It's an act of astonishing emotional abuse - done for the most laudable of reasons perhaps (at least as far as Michael has rationalized it), but still a dreadful way to play with a loved one's affections.
Herrmann acknowledges this from the first downbeat - this is going to be a wrenching, cold-hearted rollercoaster. People could come away scarred by this - or dead. It's only later we get the pay-off: Hitchcockian chases, and thrilling cat-and-mouse games, done with a wink and a smile. But the opening half of the film is a bruising experience, and, possibly, we really needed Herrmann there to cement just how bereft Sarah feels.
Addison's job, of course, was to mitigate just how unfeeling and calculating Michael's behaviour comes across. He's there to stop the film becoming too harsh an experience, especially in that first half. It's not even remotely "pop". But it is a lot of fun. And that's fine too. Which is why I'll happily devour both scores and take something different away from each.
I just wish we could experience the film itself with a choice of either score - that would be perfect.
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I just wish we could experience the film itself with a choice of either score - that would be perfect.
That would be cool.
I've seen TORN CURTAIN, but it was a long time ago, I might have been 15 or so. I enjoyed the movie back then for what it was, but I knew even then it wasn't one of Hitchcock's all time best movies. But as the cold war was still going on and the DDR still existed when I first saw it, it was certainly an interesting movie.
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There's really nothing "wrong" with what Addison provided, given the mission he was tasked with. He delivered what was asked of him, and the score is as enjoyable as any of the Hitchcock-lite/bouncy-spy style scores we were given during that decade.
It's just that, it might be reasonably argued, it doesn't quite equate with the first half of the film, which features nothing less than the systematic destruction of a young woman's life. To her confusion and dismay, the one person she thought she coud trust suddenly becomes a remote, detached stranger - at times, even a genuinely frightening one. He defies her every attempt to understand the change, to the point that she is left absolutely desolated. It's an act of astonishing emotional abuse - done for the most laudable of reasons perhaps (at least as far as Michael has rationalized it), but still a dreadful way to play with a loved one's affections.
Herrmann acknowledges this from the first downbeat - this is going to be a wrenching, cold-hearted rollercoaster. People could come away scarred by this - or dead. It's only later we get the pay-off: Hitchcockian chases, and thrilling cat-and-mouse games, done with a wink and a smile. But the opening half of the film is a bruising experience, and, possibly, we really needed Herrmann there to cement just how bereft Sarah feels.
Addison's job, of course, was to mitigate the just how unfeeling and calculating Michael's behaviour comes across. He's there to stop the film becoming too harsh an experience, especially in that first half. It's not even remotely "pop". But it is a lot of fun. And that's fine too. Which is why I'll happily devour both scores and take something different away from each.
I just wish we could experience the film itself with a choice of either score - that would be perfect.
Yes, exactly right. Herrmann scored the film that Hitchcock made - he was brilliant at that, which is why the collaboration was so strong. Even if you watch the bits on the Blu-ray with the Herrmann score you can see how well it would have worked. I do hope Mike fixes the VERY VERY VERY dry recorded sound with some natural room ambience because it needs it and you can tell that also by watching/hearing the Blu-ray. Addison provided a lighter score and the film, like it or not, was a hit, doing very well at the box-office. I enjoyed it thoroughly back then, because we hadn't been bashed over the head with what we NOW know - we didn't know Herrmann was fired and we weren't told that Addison's score was lightweight. We just - and I know this is radical - watched the movie and enjoyed it for what it was. Learning the backstory happened much later.
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I enjoyed it thoroughly back then, because we hadn't been bashed over the head with what we NOW know - we didn't know Herrmann was fired and we weren't told that Addison's score was lightweight. We just - and I know this is radical - watched the movie and enjoyed it for what it was. Learning the backstory happened much later.
Yep, that's how I first saw it for sure, I had no idea about the music backstory then.
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I don't know that any score would have helped Torn Curtain much. Apart from that classic murder scene and Albert Whitlock's amazing matte effects, it's one of the master's flattest films
The movie itself is a weaker one by Hitchcock
But yes Hitch made a mistake.Wouldnt have helped the movie though.
I remember forcing myself to watch the movie years ago, and I felt like a five year old who's been dragged to the bank with his mother, just staring at the ceiling and moaning "When will this be over?"
Agreed with all of these comments about the movie! And the thing is, "When will this be over?" was honestly my reaction to every single one of Hitchcock's four 60s films after Psycho. Now... there's always *something* interesting/good in them -- the murder scene in the case of Torn Curtain -- which points towards the director being a master of his craft. But each and every one of them (for me) is a total chore to sit through, with tons of things that don't work and other things that just rub me the wrong way.
Fortunately once we get to the 1970s I found a lot more in Frenzy to enjoy (despite how truly dark that film is), and Family Plot is a complete delight and a wonderful way for Hitchcock to end his career.
I think Addison's score is pretty good, but the "Green Years" love theme is very much of its time and sounds pretty corny now, and some of the cutesy detours – including quoting Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette for Hitchcock's cameo – make me cringe. It's one of those scores where a few missteps (to me) take on outsize weight in my memory of the whole. Looking forward to hearing this new release, though!
These criticisms of the score are totally fair Schiffy! I'm not saying the Addison score is high art or among the best scores ever written for Hitchcock. But (those few missteps or "cutesy detours" aside) I do think it's *good* overall and I've always been surprised at the way it's been negatively written about by many film music fans.
Yavar
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Oh my!
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LLL Announces TORN CURTAIN
Music Composed and Conducted By John Addison
Expanded and Remastered
Unused score Composed and Conducted by Bernard Herrmann
Coming May 7th
Elmer Bernstein recorded Torn Curtain for his Film Music Collection in 1977. 42 minutes, 30 seconds.
Original release was in LP format later included in a 12 CD box set of all the FMC recordings.
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Elmer Bernstein recorded Torn Curtain for his Film Music Collection in 1977. 42 minutes, 30 seconds.
Original release was in LP format later included in a 12 CD box set of all the FMC recordings.
A separate re-issue of the Torn Curtain disc would be most welcome.
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1/2 stereo masters exist, I just checked the FMC box notes, but it sounds like our favorite easy going, pleasure to deal with, company granted those tapes for use exclusively in the box set. Warners.
Please correct if incorrect!!
At least they exist. Love that recording.
https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/cdID/366/
"The central problem was that Elmer only had masters for the first five albums: Helen of Troy/A Summer Place through Young Bess. These he had on the original 1/4" stereo tapes. The later albums were recorded at Olympic Studios and the masters discarded (along with a good deal of the history of rock music) when the studio closed its doors. (Artists were supposed to be notified to pick up their masters, but Elmer—and many others—got word too late.)
Fortunately, three of these "lost" albums were reissued by Warner Bros. Records in 1978 during a shortlived deal to broaden the FMC's distribution. Warner Special Products graciously allowed us to use their 1/4" stereo masters for The Thief of Bagdad (BSK 3183), To Kill a Mockingbird (BSK 3184) and Torn Curtain (BSK 3185).
In reviewing the contract for these three LPs, we discovered that this was not a term license—Elmer sold the albums' distribution rights in perpetuity. (Viva Zapata!/Death of a Salesman was to have been the fourth FMC title reissued by Warner Bros., but this never transpired.) Fortunately Elmer retained for himself one key right: that of distribution by mail order, which we are using for this box set. Otherwise the three FMCs handled by Warner Bros. are the domain of that company forever, and further distribution of the Collection is that much more complicated."
So two things:
1) I don't think Warner Bros. Records deserves your sarcasm; they are a separate entity from Warner Bros. Pictures which has ceased to license to the specialty labels these past few years. And it seems like they very kindly let Lukas use the master tapes in their possession for those three albums, despite the fact that he wasn't even sub-licensing the albums from them due to their perpetuity rights, because of the "distribution by mail order" loophole!
2) That loophole presumably still applies today, if another specialty label wanted to reissue one of these three FMC titles, as long as their distribution is only through "mail order".
Yavar
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