The difference between Marco Polo's release and
Rhino's release of this Max Steiner classic are like night and day. Okay, I
know that is clichéd, but it is true nevertheless. Both John Morgan and
Williams T. Stromberg have done an excellent job in capturing the feel and
spirit of what is considered to be the first true film score.
Previously, the only experience I'd had with
Steiner's music was the original recording which was released by Rhino
(which only ran like twenty minutes), and a great recording of the main
title from the Cinema Century 2000
collection. Rhino's release was a good effort, but the source materials for
the original soundtrack were just too far gone to really do anything with.
At the very least however, it did give me a way to compare the two without
having to rush out and rent a copy of the film. I must say that this
recording is absolutely excellent and it deftly captures the essence of
Steiner's original.
The album contains over 70+ minutes of material
and even presents some cues that were cut from the film. I was really surprised
at just how modern this score sounded. Of course, I really shouldn't be
since music is music no matter which period you live in and classical-styled
music is timeless. Still, the surprise was a welcome one. I guess what
really struck me was the sound of some of the action cues. They are really frantic
and complex. There is some really great stuff here. Tracks nine and eleven
really stand out in this regard. There is some excellent theme use as well,
and I couldn't help but grin at some of the ways Steiner incorporates his
theme for the giant ape within the score.
The linear notes are excellent and contain notes
from some very notable names in the film industry regarding Steiner's work
in the industry. The track by track analysis is really nice and there is
even a picture of both Steiner's original original sketch page and the
reconstructed orchestration page from the Aboriginal Sacrificial Dance
track. The only problem I have with this album is that it was mixed at a
lower volume than is normally done on CDs which forced be to turn up the
volume on my stereo a little louder than normal.
There is a fantastic reconstruction of a
fantastic score. There is absolutely no reason you should be without this
one unless you just want something that isn't "modern." And if you
are like that, then you are definitely missing out on some great music. *****
