Although most of us are familiar with Hermann’s wonderful collaborations with Hitchcock and his many fine films scores for films such as Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds. He was also active on films where the film score is maybe not remembered to the same exent such as Jane Eyre, Portrait of Jennie, Ghost andd Mrs. Muir, Bride Wore Black, Fahrenheit 451, Cape Fear (1962), and Battle of Algiers. He also wrote the score for two other great films of Welles: Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons. Obviously, Welles was another director who had spotted his talent – at an early age, too.
It seems like Hitchcock got the best out of him and his scores for Hitch’s films immediately stick in the mind. I find him a brilliant composer of mood and style at his best. Too bad that Hitch and the studio ditched his score for Torn Curtain – one of Hitch’s most troubled film productions. I have heard a bit of the score for Torn Curtain and it is certainly different from the Addison score that was eventually used. Perhaps Vertigo is the score that most sticks in my mind. However, when recently rewatching Taxi Driver, I noticed the perfect blending of the score and mood of this film, too. Sadly, it was to be his last score.
One of the great film score composers and a great model for anyone. He could write dramatic music that was never geared to sentimentality or showy effects. A true professional.
RLS, while I agree with you completely that Hermann is one the greatest film score composers, the score for Battle of Algiers was written by Ennio Morricone. I suppose I should answer the original question, I was always fond of his fantasy film work, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Mysterious Island and of course Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.
Chris – Whoops – major faux pas on my part. Like the lazy person I am, I was looking up Herrman’s filmography on wiki and for some reason the film Battle of Neretva (nover heard of it – what the hell is this?) was transposed in my addled brain into the much more illustrious Battle of Algiers. But, to be fair, it was scored by another of the greats – Morricone (as you rightly point out) who is on par with Herrmann surely.
My apologies for too hasty posting, folks. This is why I hate that 30 min. limit thing for correcting our posts. Otherwise, I could have read your post, Chris, and then corrected my mistake and say ‘what ya talkin’ about?" Ha!
Man, that’s a difficult-to-impossible question…
The Psycho score has had a greater, more lingering effect on the general moviegoer/viewer than all but a handful of other orchestral movie scores. (And it stands as an example of a score which flouts the truism that a “good” movie score is unobstrusive, so integrated as to be almost subliminal.)
I’d pick Taxi Driver, if only because it’s a great précis of every one of Herrmann’s virtues: those Wagnerian crescendi (to the image of wipers clearing the windshield! a poetic leap only a Master could take) that are like phenomenal punctuation to the musical phrase; that tattoo on the snare leading up to those crescendi – one’s recall of the tension of the film is rooted in that accelerating tat-tat-tat-tat; and the alto saxophone with its love theme, hearkening back with all force to Alban Berg’s use of the instrument in his Lulu …It’s also remarkable that the Taxi Driver score doesn’t lean on the characteristic arpeggios of so much of his other major work. And Herrmann expresses New York City in the score in a way that’s matched only by Bernstein…
He was an amazingly bold old man, choosing to work on Scorcese’s film, after reading Schrader’s script!
Great take on the Taxi Driver score, Witkacy – thanks! I recently heard a cd of Herrmann’s various scores conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. It belongs to my son-in-law, who is very interested in films scores and has written a few himself for some local independent films. He is my authority on composers of film scores and Herrmann is one of his favorites, too. I’ve included a link to the cd on amazon. Highly recommended to Herrmann fans.
Hangover Square
On Dangerous Ground
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Farenheit 451
North by Northwest
Psycho
Citizen Kane
The Magnificent Ambersons
and of course
Vertigo
For me he’s hard wired to Hitchcock. North by Northwest
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a brilliant score. I also love Vertigo, Psycho and Taxi Driver. North by Northwest is the catchiest, though.
I love his score for Vertigo.
Glad to see this thread start off with OBSESSION, which I actually came here to recommend after reading the title. For what it’s worth, WAY better than the movie itself. Totally overshadows the film. And goes great hand in hand with TAXI DRIVER, his two final scores.
Oh, and his electronic soundscape of total Hell for THE BIRDS.
Vertigo and Obsession are magnificent pieces of music in their own right.
“Battle of Neretva” is a film of the classical era of Yugoslav cinema. Part of their national realism (variant of socialist realism), in this case better known as a Partisan war film. It was a huge international co-production with Orson Welles, Curt Jurgens, Yul Brenner, and of course, a score by Hermann. Consider it an Eastern European “The Longest Day.”
My heart tells me “Vertigo” is his best score, but my head tells me its “Psycho.” The score for that film just has a virtuosity that sends a chill through your spine. It’s powerful, precise, at times experimental. Reminds me how awe-inspiring great musical creations really are. That’s probably the most mysterious, magical art form to me. I have no idea how lush compositions can enter someone’s head and then be transposed onto the page. It’s the definition of a miracle. I can imagine the mental process of drawing, or sculpture, or writing, not that I have had experience with some of those. But the creation of complex music is a total mystery to me, and I played for many years!
Moderated
I think his score for FAHRENHEIT 451 is gorgeous, a lyrical, wistful piece of work that is also full of tension. The score for the final scene is like the golden yellow of the world’s loveliest autumn transferred to sound.
I think his score for Larry Cohen’s monster baby movie IT’S ALIVE is underrated. It sounds like a rough draft for his score for TAXI DRIVER. I love the jazziness of his late work.I wish he had lived on for another decade, just to see how far he would take that influence.
Cape Fear’s theme is absolutely badass. Psycho’s theme as someone said earlier just always sticks with you. But I suppose the ethereal saxophone line from Taxi Driver takes the cake. On TCM Robert Osborne said Hermann agreed to do Taxi Driver since he loved the fact that the script had Travis pour peach brandy on his cereal. Yum.
I think it was peach Schnapps.
Vertigo ;)
Hangover Square
What are some of your favorite scores by Bernard Herrmann?
“Obsession” gets my #1 spot.