Citizen Kane has been declared to be one
of the greatest films of all time by a number of sources. Whether that is
true or not will never be fully realized since what makes a film great is in
the eye of the beholder so to speak. Frankly, I abhor such titles and
distinctions since there are so many varying tastes out there in the ocean
of humanity. Still, while I may not believe in "greatest film ever
made" statements, Citizen Kane is a terrific film, one that
anyone with a serious interest in film should watch.
I won’t go into all of the details of the
movie since I’m saving that for a DVD review when it finally arrives someday,
and really don’t want to end up spoiling anything for those of you who
haven’t seen it. The film is basically a character study and while that
may sound a little boring to some, it is wrapped up in a mystery of sorts
that makes it highly intriguing. Basically, if you don’t know who or what
"Rosebud" is in the story until you’ve watched the entire thing,
you’ll be better off (I did but I still liked the movie).
For Orson Welles (who is a genius) he managed to
pull of a minor coup by hiring the services of one of the best composers who
has ever worked in the film industry: Bernard Herrmann. Of course, it was
only a minor coup since this was Herrmann’s first film score. He had yet
to make a name for himself in Hollywood (and some would argue that the
controversy surrounding this film hurt Herrmann almost as much as it hurt
Welles).
Herrmann’s first entry into film is
interesting in that he didn’t play it safe and composed along the
conventional lines of the time. The music is a mix of styles that run the
gauntlet between sprightly dance music, gentle Waltz, and grim, eerie music.
The score morphs itself from a light, and even humorous tone, to something
darker and more sinister (keeping in perfect tone with the film itself). The
lighter pieces are quite good, though sometimes they resemble source music
more than actual underscore. Still, even those pieces work quite well in the
film and as an isolated listening experience.
These pieces begin to fall away into the darker moments at the onset of
track nineteen. Actually the true darkness of the score is evident in the
first few opening tracks, but the light waltzes and such eclipse that until
the somber refrains return to remind us that happiness cannot last forever.
Even the waltz in the very next track (Theme and Variations) is
affected and has a darker edge to it. There is a differing approach to the
darkness, however. Sometimes, Herrmann approaches it with ominous string
chords, while in others it consists of "sneering" brass from the
orchestra. It is at these bleak times that the main theme comes into play.
It is first introduced in the opening track and it pops up frequently
throughout the more ominous sections. This theme is interesting in itself
since it could be transposed up to a major key, thus giving it an almost
lighthearted feel, but Herrmann never does so, instead keeping it performed
in minor key for its dark tone. It doesn't pop up a lot (usually to
underscore some important scene that is helping to piece things together in
the film). John Williams would go on to pay homage to this theme buy
including a variation of it as one of his main themes for Close
Encounters of a Third Kind. Although some of the lighter cues come back
into play after Theme and Variations, the darkness has invaded and is
never fully turned away.
Varese Sarabande’s re-recording of this
classic score is terrific and I really couldn’t detect any major
differences between the original (as I heard it in the film) and this one
(besides the far better sound quality). The entire score is presented on
this album as well as some bonus tracks featuring cues that Herrmann worked
on, but didn’t get included in the film. As with the excellent Psycho
re-recording, Joel McNeely and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra do a
tremendous job.
Despite the moments of gaiety this score can be
slightly depressing at times, especially during some of the darker tracks
(like the music for the Xanadu sequences). That said, it still works quite
well on its own (though you should really see the film first as it will help you
to appreciate it even more). This is a classic film score and no true fan of
this era should be without this CD. I don’t know if the original
recording can be purchased or not, but I highly recommend this release to
anyone wishing to obtain this score.
Varese should be commended for this terrific album. *****
