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Nicholas Ray is one of my favorite directors ever, so I revisited this film recently and I had forgotten what a great noir it was.
What I was shocked to discover was that Herrmann scored it and it sounds SO much like Elfman that my jaw hit the floor the moment the main titles started to roll.
I heard everything from [of all things] Planet of the Apes to Red Dragon to Batman to Sleepy Hollow.
The film itself is, like most of Ray’s output, a masterpiece.
Yeah, it is a great movie and a great ‘forgotten’ score by Herrmann. The full score was released by Film Score Monthly not long ago. The best piece in the film, “The Death Hunt” is featured on the CD by Charles Gerhardt and The National Philharminic Orchestra; “Citezen Kane: The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann.” I think it may be out of print, but well worth finding. This re-recording is far superior to the original. Frankly, it IS one of the most thrilling pieces of film music ever written. I’ve got lots of obscure Herrmann stuff, and that is one of my very favorites…
Is it so dead here we have to talk about film noir music from the 40’s/50’s? Sheesh….
What I was shocked to discover was that Herrmann scored it…
It’s funny that you know On Dangerous Ground from its director rather than its composer, considering that it’s the great Bernard Herrmann.
The full score was released by Film Score Monthly not long ago. The best piece in the film, “The Death Hunt” is featured on the CD by Charles Gerhardt and The National Philharminic Orchestra; “Citezen Kane: The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann.” I think it may be out of print, but well worth finding.
I challenge anyone here to find that album. The Death Hunt is one of the greatest action cues I’ve ever heard. Fans of Elfman should grab his stuff wherever they can find it.
“It’s funny that you know On Dangerous Ground from its director rather than its composer, considering that it’s the great Bernard Herrmann. “
*Yes, but don’t forget that Nicholas Ray is perhaps just as famous as Herrmann. ODG is no REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, but easily one of the best Hollywood noirs…
TenderLumpling, the last time I saw On Dangerous Ground was about 8 years ago in a ratty VHS tape, so watching it again on the wonderful DVD by WB [those film noir sets are must owns!] was like seeing it for the first time.
I became a film music fan thanks to my love for film and Nicholas Ray has always been one of my favorites ever since I saw Johnny Guitar [when is THAT coming out on DVD??], so I knew ODG because of him and not Herrmann.
And yeah, when that brass started I seriously thought I was listening to some unused cue from PoTA [sans the synth, of course].
What’s great on the Film Music CD is to hear Bernard Herrmann squawking about someone messing up, hahaha.
I’ve said this in another post, but I believe that Silva re released those tracks from the “Citizen Kane” collection and put them on a “Taxi Driver” collection along with a few bonus tracks (like Twisted Nerve).
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