Not only is this my favourite Hitchcock score from any Hitchcock movie, but also one of my favourite music scores of all time. Does anybody else agree?
"Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage"- Madeleine Kahn(CLUE, 1985)
Yes, this film score is outstanding and a large part of the reason is
the use of the theramin.
The musical score in Spellbound was at its best when it conveyed an eerie vibe, no doubt to the theremin which was used. It created an outworldly sound which fitted perfectly with John's troubled mindset.
"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".
Yes, but... I think subsequent 50s B-movies mean that the theremin may have different associations for other viewers, e.g. flying "saucers" with visible string
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW7Op86ox9g
Sorry, it all seemed a little too melodramatic. I like Hans Zimmer soundtracks, but I suppose the same probably applies, or will do given the same time span.
... Sanity and Happiness are an impossible combination ...
The soundtrack by Miklos Roza (Academy award winner) is absolutely mesmerising. The use of a theremin in the soundtrack is among one of the first times it was used in a movie score.
Yes. And Rozsa won the Academy Award.
shareI thought the main theme was great but the love theme was too melodramatic and too heavy handed.
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I liked it a lot at first, but I thought it was way overused. Sometimes it just went on and on for minutes at a time. It got so bad that at a couple points when there was no dialogue I muted the tv because I was so sick of the repetitive music.
shareer yyyyyes... but a little too much of it. Old movies weren't very subtle with their music, which was usually a bit noisy, not unlike John Williams's filler music. Beautiful theme, and great theremin use, but no subtlety.
shareFor me, this movie has one of the greatest love scenes of all time, when Ingrid enters Greg's quarters on the pretext of having him explain something in the textbook he authored. The music built up her emotions beautifully. As another of Hitch's music score collaborators, Bernard Herrmann, admitted 'I have spent a lifetime doing it and still cannot tell you why movies need music, but they do.".
Me? Never had a sick day in ma life ... 'cept when I get throw'd 'n tramped on.
Yes it is pretty brilliant, what people don't realize is that certain moments were intentionally melodramatic. The main character lives entirely in his ego because he has shut out his subconscious memories of a traumatic event. That's just my interpretation. Miklos Rozsa was a masterful composer, he could be melodramatic, subtle, melancholy if the moment called for it. I think he is mostly remembered for his vibrant, bombastic, and striking power chords, but my favorite moments of his scores tend to be the more quiet and subtle ones.
Hitchcock famously stated that he didn't like the music because it overpowered his direction. Imagine that!! You know you're a brilliant composer when you can steal an entire film from a director like Hitchcock. Many people consider it one of his weaker efforts, but it's actually my favorite film from him. I also think Dali's imagery and the cinematography definitely uplifts what could have been an average film at best.
Although I like the music very much, I, too, felt that sometimes it was overpoweringly loud.
shareI am actually watching the film at this moment (not seeing it for many years). As soon as I heard the music, I noticed that it is strikingly similar to the music in George Pal's "The Time Machine", which was made 15 years later.
share