The first half of the 1970s witnessed a magnificent resurgence for one of Hollywood’s legendary composers: Bernard Herrmann. Living in England, the notoriously cantankerous Herrmann?a near-pariah within the Hollywood establishment?suddenly became the darling of young directors like Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma and Larry Cohen.
Cohen wrote, produced and directed It’s Alive near the beginning of a storied career as a high-end exploitation filmmaker. Although his plans to reunite the two principal actors from Psycho for his film about a mutant killer infant came to naught (John Ryan and Sharon Farrell instead played the hapless parents), he did manage to hire the composer of the iconic score for the Hitchcock classic.
Herrmann’s score for It’s Alive represents the epitome of his succinct style. The music evolves from short, mostly conjunct motives (usually only 2-5 notes), repeated sequentially. There is little in the way of extended melody. The orchestration is also typical for Herrmann: an unusual ensemble consisting of 6 clarinets, 8 French horns, 6 trumpets, 6 trombones, 2 tubas, 2 harps, Moog synthesizer, electric bass guitar, organ and percussion. The only string instrument is a solo viola d’amore, a Baroque-era instrument that the composer previously used for On Dangerous Ground and one of his Twilight Zone episode scores.
This CD features the premiere release of Herrmann’s nearly complete score (only one five-second cue is missing), mastered from a set of ?″ monaural tapes in the Warner Bros. vaults. (No stereo masters survive.) FSM’s 16-page booklet, designed by Joe Sikoryak, includes a detailed, perceptive essay on film and score by Jeff Bond and Frank K. DeWald.
The film’s tag line reads: “There is only one thing wrong with the Davis baby. It’s alive.” The only thing “wrong” with this CD is that it took 37 years to bring Bernard Herrmann’s third-to-last score to the public. FSM is happy to correct this oversight as a final tribute to the composer at the end of his centennial celebration.---＊FILM SCORE MONTHLYより抜粋
トラックリスト
1. It's Alive (Main Title)?2:09 2. The Delivery/Something Small?3:39 3. I'll See You In the Morning/The Father Returns Home/Cry Baby 4:10? 4. Murdered Boy/Getting Ready for Fishing Trip/The Milkman Goeth?3:35 5. Frank Visits Basement?1:07 6. Raid on the School?1:01 7. Davis Arrives at School/Something in the Room?1:30 8. Your Kid Goes Here?0:59 9. Two Policemen/Another Victim?2:12 10. Frank Refrigerates the Milk?0:41 11. Restless Night/Where's Lenore?/Someone's Thirsty?3:33 12. Where's Chris or Someone??1:30 13. Empty Fridge/Father Stalks Baby?2:22 14. Father Continues Search?0:48 15. Father Searches for Baby?2:35 16. Charley's Dead?1:23 17. The Big Search?1:16 18. More Searching/Frank Waits?1:24 19. Still More Searching/Police Pick Up Mother?1:11 20. Father and Child/Father Protects Child?2:57 21. Father Runs With Child/Father Keeps Running With Child?1:54 22. Kill?It/Sad Reunion/End Title?1:49???
B級映画の巨匠ラリー・コーエンが監督・製作・脚本をした異色ホラー。音楽はバーナード・ハーマン！マスターテープが発見され、ついにサウンドトラックが発売！！わずか５秒の音源のみ欠けた、ほぼ完全盤。限定3000枚。
トラックリスト平凡な夫妻の間に誕生した新生児は突然変異の怪物だった。医師や看護婦を殺害し病院から逃げ出したその赤ん坊は殺戮を繰り返しながら両親の住む家へと向かう……。ただ単に赤ちゃんを怪物視して描いたモンスター映画ではなく、前触れのない厄災に見舞われた夫婦の焦燥や世間との軋轢を主眼にした異色の恐怖映画。特にクライマックスの、傷ついた赤ん坊と対峙した父親の感情の変化は、この異能な作品の中で奇妙にドラマチックな感動をもたらす。劇中、フランケンシュタインというのは科学者の名ではなく怪物の名前だと思っていたと語る父親の台詞と原題が示すように、これは“フランケンシュタイン”の寓話--忌まわしき物とそれを作った者との愛憎--の再現であろう。ラリー・コーエンはＢ級映画の佳作を作り続けている監督であるが、この「悪魔の赤ちゃん」シリーズこそ代表作と言える。監督：ラリー・コーエン、出演：ジョン・Ｐ・ライアン、シャロン・ファレル。
The first half of the 1970s witnessed a magnificent resurgence for one of Hollywood’s legendary composers: Bernard Herrmann. Living in England, the notoriously cantankerous Herrmann?a near-pariah within the Hollywood establishment?suddenly became the darling of young directors like Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma and Larry Cohen.
Cohen wrote, produced and directed It’s Alive near the beginning of a storied career as a high-end exploitation filmmaker. Although his plans to reunite the two principal actors from Psycho for his film about a mutant killer infant came to naught (John Ryan and Sharon Farrell instead played the hapless parents), he did manage to hire the composer of the iconic score for the Hitchcock classic.
Herrmann’s score for It’s Alive represents the epitome of his succinct style. The music evolves from short, mostly conjunct motives (usually only 2-5 notes), repeated sequentially. There is little in the way of extended melody. The orchestration is also typical for Herrmann: an unusual ensemble consisting of 6 clarinets, 8 French horns, 6 trumpets, 6 trombones, 2 tubas, 2 harps, Moog synthesizer, electric bass guitar, organ and percussion. The only string instrument is a solo viola d’amore, a Baroque-era instrument that the composer previously used for On Dangerous Ground and one of his Twilight Zone episode scores.
This CD features the premiere release of Herrmann’s nearly complete score (only one five-second cue is missing), mastered from a set of ?″ monaural tapes in the Warner Bros. vaults. (No stereo masters survive.) FSM’s 16-page booklet, designed by Joe Sikoryak, includes a detailed, perceptive essay on film and score by Jeff Bond and Frank K. DeWald.
The film’s tag line reads: “There is only one thing wrong with the Davis baby. It’s alive.” The only thing “wrong” with this CD is that it took 37 years to bring Bernard Herrmann’s third-to-last score to the public. FSM is happy to correct this oversight as a final tribute to the composer at the end of his centennial celebration.---＊FILM SCORE MONTHLYより抜粋
1. It's Alive (Main Title)?2:09
2. The Delivery/Something Small?3:39
3. I'll See You In the Morning/The Father Returns Home/Cry Baby 4:10?
4. Murdered Boy/Getting Ready for Fishing Trip/The Milkman Goeth?3:35
5. Frank Visits Basement?1:07
6. Raid on the School?1:01
7. Davis Arrives at School/Something in the Room?1:30
8. Your Kid Goes Here?0:59
9. Two Policemen/Another Victim?2:12
10. Frank Refrigerates the Milk?0:41
11. Restless Night/Where's Lenore?/Someone's Thirsty?3:33
12. Where's Chris or Someone??1:30
13. Empty Fridge/Father Stalks Baby?2:22
14. Father Continues Search?0:48
15. Father Searches for Baby?2:35
16. Charley's Dead?1:23
17. The Big Search?1:16
18. More Searching/Frank Waits?1:24
19. Still More Searching/Police Pick Up Mother?1:11
20. Father and Child/Father Protects Child?2:57
21. Father Runs With Child/Father Keeps Running With Child?1:54
22. Kill?It/Sad Reunion/End Title?1:49???
Total Time: 44:45
Bonus Tracks
23. Restless Night/Where's Lenore?/Someone's Thirsty (alternate)??3:20
24. Father?Continues Search (alternate)?0:42
Total Time: 4:06
Total Disc Time: 48:58