Rejection! Any film composer of reasonable experience has, at one time or another, had his or her music replaced. It’s an occupational hazard. Poor test screenings, creative differences, interpersonal difficulties, and producer panic have all contributed to the rejection of original film scores. Since music is usually the last ingredient in the creation of a film, it is also the most vulnerable to change. This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’ll work through the pain to lavish some belated respect on the efforts of four eminently- (perhaps over-) qualified composers.
A strong argument could be made that there was no greater film composer than Bernard Herrmann. Of the eight films he worked on with Alfred Hitchcock, three are indisputable masterpieces: “Vertigo,” “North by Northwest,” and “Psycho” (Hitch’s biggest box office success).
However, things began to change within the studio system, and Hitchcock became increasingly insecure. The emphasis shifted more and more to the bottom line, and the mounting pressure extended to every aspect of his subsequent films.
After “Marnie,” only a moderate success with audiences, Hitchcock became desperate for another hit. It was the studio’s thinking that its music scores should forthwith be attuned to a younger sensibility. In particular, the suits were interested in a hit single that they could use to help promote the film. All of a sudden, Herrmann’s reliance on a symphony orchestra was perceived as terribly old fashioned.
By the time Hitchcock and Herrmann began work on “Torn Curtain,” in 1966, the tension between director and composer neared the breaking point. When Hitch learned Herrmann hadn’t produce what he had requested, the composer was fired halfway through the first day’s recording sessions. Of course, Herrmann had defied Hitch before – when the director instructed him that the shower scene in “Psycho” should play without music!
Herrmann’s replacement was John Addison, who was a hot commodity at the time, having won the Academy Award in 1963 for his music for Tony Richardson’s freewheeling adaptation of “Tom Jones.” Ironically, instead of going “popular,” as the studio wanted, save for one incongruous, Mancini-esque song at the end, Addison did what all of Hitch’s subsequent composers did – he emulated Herrmann. “Torn Curtain” failed to gain traction with younger audiences, and the film was not a success.
Herrmann and Hitchcock would never work together again. The “Torn Curtain” debacle spelled the end of one of the greatest artistic partnerships in all of cinema. Chalk it up to another boneheaded decision by management.
I hope you’ll join me for selections from Herrmann’s original, rejected score, alongside jettisoned music for “2001: A Space Odyssey” (by Alex North), “Edge of Darkness” (John Corigliano), and “The Battle of Britain” (Sir William Walton).
Take it from a guy who knows a thing or two about rejection. We’ll show some belated appreciation for these talented, seasoned professionals who got the shaft, when we savor an hour of their rejected scores, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
Remember, KWAX is on the West Coast, so there’s a three-hour difference for those of you listening in the East. Here are the respective air-times for all three of my recorded shows (with East Coast conversions in parentheses):
PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday on KWAX at 5:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (8:00 PM EASTERN)
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – ALL NEW! – Saturday on KWAX at 8:00 AM PACIFIC TIME (11:00 AM EASTERN)
THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday on KWAX at 4:00 PM PACIFIC TIME (7:00 PM EASTERN)
Stream all three, at the times indicated, by following the link!
PHOTO: Hitch and Herrmann – who’d have predicted anything could have gone wrong?
