Pros/Cons of the two Soundtracks

What do you all think of the new soundtrack vis-a-vis the old?

I thought it was an improvement with regards to eliminating some of the annoying aspects of the original. The absence of the reocurring ringing twang whenever "until the Apache is taken or destroyed" was quoted improved the movie. I also thought that the new soundtrack did well by actually not adding score during certain scenes, while the old score just got in the way. The one surprise was the absence of any music during the first half of the clash with the French--it tended to highlight the actual sounds of the physical clash between cavalries, with the sounds of sabres meeting, horses squealing and dropping, and gunfire. The newer version also exceeded the older in the conclusion of the film when stirring music needed to segue into something more somber-something the older should have done.

I once thought that the Mitch Miller performed "Fall in Behind the Major" was out of place, but considering popular folk songs of the 19th Century like "Oh Suzanna," it really is something more in line of that era.

With that said, I found myself missing much of the old soundtrack when I viewed the new DVD. The original score sounded more like music derived from martial music than the newer version. The orchestrated variation of "Fall in Behind the Major" was well done in the original score, although maybe used a little too often. I thought the old soundtrack was much better in more than just the stirring scenes:

-Countdown to Tyreen's execution
-The cavalry's departure from Fort Benlin
-The cavalry's entry into the Mexican village
-The appearance of the French cavalry (sort of brought out the grandeur of the French cavalry)
-The rush to the river
-The last battle

Given the choice of the two soundtracks that the new DVD offers (excluding going back and forth), I'll probably stick with the old one, detractions and all. I find the positives outweigh the negatives. The new score is a good one, but I like how the old succeeded in enhancing the action scenes. Plus as a fan of this movie since I saw it back in '65 on the big screen, the old score's shortcomings don't seem so objectionable as if I were a younger, newer fan of this film.