Customer Reviews

True Grit [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

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

 

 

How excited I was when I received this CD in the mail! How horrified I was when I put it in my CD player and pressed play! Despite all the pictures of John Wayne, Kim Darby, and Glen Campbell on the cover, this is NOT the True Grit soundtrack. It is instead "Elmer Bernstein conducts Themes from his Original Score." The difference: The true movie soundtrack is among the biggest, most booming western music ever recorded. This CD is some of the weakest, cheesiest 60's/70's orchestra music that has survived until now. The grand True Grit themes sound perverse mixed into music that would be more at home in Our Man Flint. The only redeeming quality of this CD is that the last track is the actual recording of the theme song that is used in the movie. If not for that, this album would be a total waste.

This album was "never" the original soundtrack recording but a disc of outlandishly "commercial" arrangements of thematic material from the film score. It therefore remains something of an oddity. Those wanting a faithful rendition of Elmer Bernstein's score wil be pleased to note that a recording of the entire score - every note of it - has now been made utilising the original manuscripts - with the original orchestrations by Leo Shuken and Jack Hayes - and is due for release on the Tadlow Music label in June 2006.

I saw "True Grit" in the theater when it came out in the late 60s, and loved it - it is still one of my favorite movies. I remember buying this LP back then, and loving it also. The music is beautiful (as was most of Bernstein's music), and at the time it didn't seem as cheesy as it surely will today. I can certainly understand why someone buying this album today might not readily appreciate the beautiful music underneath all of the 60s "pop-fusion" elements of orchestra, sitars, organs, tinny electric guitars, harpsichord, and big-bandish rhythm section. And yes, I can certainly understand why someone today, or then, expecting a faithful recording of the actual soundtrack or score of this film would be disappointed. With that said, I am still today moved by the beautiful music in this album and am quite pleasantly surprised to see that a remastered edition of it has appeared on CD. Yep, this is probably one of those love-it-or-hate-it kinda CDs. I one of those who love it!

I can't thank you enough for your review, Mr. Douglas, that saved me from considering buying the dreck being sold as the "True Grit" original soundtrack album. Having watched the film in the theater in its original release (albeit as a fairly young person), I was very familiar with (the recently late) Elmer Bernstein's brash "western" score for the film, and had thought of purchasing the CD. However, your timely warning prompted me to listen to the samples provided so thoughtfully on the Amazon website.

I don't have words strong enough to agree with you in your assessment of these recordings as "some of the weakest, cheesiest 60's/70's orchestra music that has survived until now." When I listened to the samples, a thrill of horror crept over me, and I felt a polyester leisure suit begin to form out of the atmosphere and encase itself about my body. The energy and inventiveness of the original music had been turned into "Muzak" renditions that made the themes mawkish and almost unrecognizable. If Bernstein himself had been involved in the creation of these "themes from his original score" conducted on the album, then he has certainly fallen lower in my estimation. Composers need to make a living like everyone else, so I'm not faulting him for that, but there's a difference between earning an income and prostitution....

In close, all I will say is that I have a two-disc set of "Great Western Movie Themes" recorded by some Czecho-Slovak symphony orchestra or other, and the faithfulness of their rendition of the "True Grit" music--certainly when compared to the that on the "official" soundtrack album--makes me wonder if the musicians weren't at least from western Czechslovakia!

What can I say? It is my favorite movie. This soundtrack is great!
I listen to it while using my treadmill. I listened to the soundtrack when I was a kid.....over and over and over....I'm still a John Wayne fan.
When he died, an era died with him. If you love Western themes, this is
a got to have. A little 70'ish but I love it.

Some of the score is available recorded by Bernstein on a compilation recording he made in the 80's of his John Wayne western scores. Originally 2 albums, I belive it is now available on 1 CD. A digital recording from the original score has appeared recently, though not conducted by Bernstein.

I don't think this CD should be bashed just because it doesn't cover the whole 2 hours and 5 minutes of the movie.I too saw the movie in 1969 and have watched it at least once a year since it came out on VHS/DVD.This CD is an exact reproduction of the original soundtrack album issued in 1969(or early 70?)by Capitol Records(album # ST-263).As I write this review,I'm listening to the album that I purchased 36 years ago.There is not any difference.If you want a CD of the complete soundtrack,you will just have to wait(maybe forever).If you are interested in remembering how it sounded 36 years ago spend the money and buy this CD.

i remember when my parents had this in vinyl (the white cover with the pic of john wayne on it... with the glen campbell song) - it IS what came out as the soundtrack to the movie true grit and it's awesome. i'm as excited to get this on cd as i was when the soundtrack to paint your wagon came out
the song by glen is wonderful...