Today is, somewhat appropriately, a double feature. A birthday shout out to two fantastic men that have been sending everyone behind the sofa and under the bed in fright. Sir Christopher Lee of the Hammer horror fame and the legendary Vincent Price were born on this day, May 27th. I am exceptionally fond of these actors because of how impressive they could be, both with fangs and without. Lee was a man with a wonderfully chilling baritone voice that could strike fear in the bravest, but also could be so eloquent in such odd films from the minds of directors such as Jess Franco. And Vincent Price is a man of versatility as well, whether it was his early years in films like The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex and Laura, or his team-ups with men like Roger Corman for a grand night of frightening people with the power of Poe. And so today, I salute you two terrifying gents today. Happy birthday.
Well then, this is new... INTRODUCTION So I am an insane fan of Bernard Herrmann. I will watch a crap film just to hear one of his scores, and I can be sucked into a brilliant film even deeper through his brilliant sense of "musical psychology," an odd term I'll use to describe how Herrmann suggested ideas and spun narratives solely through the power of the film score. And to celebrate the legend's birthday, I thought we would tackle the big score of Herrmann's iconic collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo . I call this one the biggie as, while Psycho definitely is a masterpiece in and of itself, Vertigo is one of the most complex and highly regarded film scores ever. And, it serves as just one of the great elements of the twisted tale of obsession woven in such a way as to create one of the most highly regarded films of all time. The man of the hour, American composer Bernard Herrmann BACKGROUND First, I believe setting the stage migh...
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