Customer Reviews

The Song Of Bernadette: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alfred Newman, one of the founding fathers of film music, won an Academy Award for this 1943 score. This release, taken directly from the original optical film elements, is a 2-CD set. The sound is surprisingly good considering the age of the recordings. Although some film music enthusiasts would prefer a new, stereo re-recording, there is NO ONE who could conduct this music properly. Anyone who is thoroughly familiar with Newman's music will admit that only the composer himself seemed capable of getting the kind of high string sound that is the trademark of Newman's work. At its best, his style is mystical, spiritual, and filled with great beauty.

Prior to this release, the score existed only on an old Decca 10" LP (a 1950's transfer from the original 78s from the mid-1940's) and on a Varese Sarabande reissue from the 1980's. That performance consisted of Newman's re-recordings of some themes (around 25 minutes) from the score. Within the last year, a bootleg 2-CD set was marketed -- and it does contain some passages not on this set -- but it obviously cannot compete with this release.

For those who love the music from the Golden Age of Hollywood, please support this soundtrack and send your encouragement to Varese Sarabande. Thanks to producers Nick Redman and Rick Victor, this classic 20th Century-Fox score is available for us to enjoy!

One of Alfred Newman's greatest Oscar wininig scores available for the first time in its entirety from the original tracks. While sonically this recording may not be up to today's standards, It is a joy to listen to as Newman recorded it. The sound is quiet good considering it was recorded 56 years ago. Avoid the terrible boot which was released last year and get this great Varese-Fox release. The classic soundtrack release of 1999!! Lets hope Varese-Fox can come up with more winners like BERNADETTE.

This is a double CD with, I'm guessing, over an hour of music. Alfred Newman's musical score for SONG OF BERNADETTE has to be the pinnacle his career, and that's saying something. The Oscar-winning score is as romantic and magical as its subject. It's hard to believe there could be so many stunningly beautiful musical themes in one movie soundtrack. I was literally able to listen the complete double CD (30 tracks) and like all of it and absolutely adore most of it. This is the original soundtrack and they don't get any better. Please note that all of the tracks (including exit music and some unused, but excellent, bonus tracks) are in mono not stereo.

This recording of Newman's beautiful soundtrack to The Song of Bernadette" is good as far as it goes, but the very soft chorale background music of the nuns singing in the distance, when Gladys Cooper is lecturing Bernadette about her doubts etc. and also in the final death scene of Bernadette, are still noticably absent. To me, these are the loveliest most spiritual moments in the whole movie. Were they ever recorded on some other version of the soundtrack before? I would have given this 2 record set a 5 star rating if these were on it. Buyer beware. Bo Biffa

I was concerned the sound quality would not be acceptable due to the age of the score. I am happy to say the sound, while not the quality of the CD scores recorded today as would be expected, was excellent. I was aware of some of the themes from previous offerings of suits of the score but was amazed at just how many other themes of unbelievable beauty and complexity are throughout the complete score of Song of Bernedette. This CD proves just how remarkable and prolific a composer Alfred Newman was. His style was always reconizable but each score had new and never rehashed melodies. If you were only going to add one score to you collection to represent the talets of Alfred Newman this would be the one to add.

At last the entire score to the movie The Song of Bernadette. Spread out on two CDs is 90 minutes of 'Newman strings.' The sound quality is quite good for a recording this old (60 years), however I still have trouble listening to too much of this at once. Certainly it is a masterpiece, and I am sure it fits the movie perfectly from what I know of the plot, however for me it isn't as interesting a listening experience as other scores from this time period (Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, etc.) Nevertheless a very strong score by Newman and this score shows why Newman was 'the man' at Fox.