At the time of its release, Casablanca: Classic Film Scores for Humphrey Bogart seemed an odd way to sell film music, hooked around the star of the movies for which the material was written, rather than a specific composer or genre. But it worked -- with the picture of Bogart from Casablanca on the front jacket, it was the closest thing to a soundtrack that anyone had ever seen of the title film, which was just getting popular with a new generation of viewers. The album opens with a sweeping eight-minute suite that is a ...
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At the time of its release, Casablanca: Classic Film Scores for Humphrey Bogart seemed an odd way to sell film music, hooked around the star of the movies for which the material was written, rather than a specific composer or genre. But it worked -- with the picture of Bogart from Casablanca on the front jacket, it was the closest thing to a soundtrack that anyone had ever seen of the title film, which was just getting popular with a new generation of viewers. The album opens with a sweeping eight-minute suite that is a pastiche of themes -- including several variations on "Les Marseilles" -- from Max Steiner's score for Casablanca. The second track is a four-minute summary of Steiner's score for Passage to Marseille (1944), a less-successful follow-up to Casablanca that opens with a glorious love theme that is one of the highlights of Steiner's Warner Bros. output -- that score, alas, also suffers to some extent from Steiner's reliance on military songs and national anthems. Much more impressive is the nearly eight-minute-long selection of material from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which reveals the dark, ironic side of Steiner's writing, with its mix of lighthearted melodies, pounding rhythms, and ominous string passages. "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" is a lesser-known, more melodramatic and lyrical piece of music, authored by Franz Waxman with great parts for the brass and horns. "Sabrina," authored by Frederick Hollander, is a much more lighthearted piece of music with a waltz beat and glittering harp glissandi. Miklos Rozsa's title theme from Sahara is in a class by itself, a piece of martial film music that would be just as valid heard in the concert hall, the aching lyricism of its middle section evoking anthem-like patriotic echoes. The disc returns to Steiner for two final tracks, "Virginia City" and "Key Largo"; the latter, a short suite, is prime Steiner, resplendent in dense post-romantic textures and dark, sonorous passages giving way to an achingly lyrical finale depicting the resolution of the plot and the Bogart character's triumph. The music was well-recorded in the early '70s and holds up well on CD. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
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Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Fine. No longer factory sealed but disc, booklet, and jewel case are all in excellent/ like new condition. All items guaranteed, and a portion of each sale supports social programs in Los Angeles. Ships from CA.
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Like New. CD and inserts are MINT, and jewel case is near perfect. Inserts are unaltered. Ships in cardboard CD mailer with complimentary Delivery Confirmation. Books, box sets, and items other than standard jewel case CDs and DVDs that sell for $9 or more ship in a box; under $9 in a bubble mailer. Expedited and international orders may ship in a flat rate envelope rather than a box due to cost constraints. All US-addressed items ship with complimentary delivery confirmation.
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