“Frenzy” (1972), Alfred Hitchcock’s penultimate film, deals with a series of dreadful necktie murders in London. Two weeks ago we featured Henry Mancini’s rejected score for the picture and now it is time to check out the used and Golden Globe nominated score by Mancini’s close friend Ron Goodwin. Before misunderstandings would happen again, this time the director would provide his thoughts to the composer on how he imagined the music to sound like - a service that certainly would have been helpful for Mancini, as he just was tasked to “score the picture”. For example, Hitchcock now asked for the main titles to sound like they were written for a “documentary about London”. All in all Goodwin came up with a great score and the menacing, mostly rhythmically underlined “Frenzy” theme. The director, staying in Los Angeles, got updated about the progress of Goodwin’s recording sessions in Denham, as newly made takes were sent to him, from where he would telegraph his thoughts back to England. For example, the composer would reprise the triumphant opening music in the end credits - a take that was ultimately swapped with a reprise of the darker “Frenzy” theme. Thanks go once again to the people at Quartet Records, who premiered both scores in their entirety on a single release. Enjoy!
Excellent. That waltz is so haunting. Wonder how Goodwin came up with that. Most composers would probably have come up with something more sinister rather than so haunting, eh?
Hello, Fred! This was Hitchcock 's triumphant return to his beloved homeland, and it to be a celebration ( as was his wish ), no one better his fellow countryman Ron Goodwin to score! What Goodwin did was truly worthy of a celebration: the main title are so gloriously British, colorful and pulsating that they deserved to become National Anthem! For moments of tension, Goodwin created an absolutely extraordinary theme ( supported by metal winds and strings in mid _ low region ) which is presented in variations ( insinuated in " Death of Brenda ", bombastic in " Frenzy " ... ). Unforgettable! Nominated for a Golden Globe, it lost to the equally superlative " The Godfather " ( by Nino Rota). Thanks and bye!!
Listening to it now, it seems like a traditional score for a film made in England. It doesn't want to be conspicuous, it just supplies a typically generic tension, without much artistic commentary on the content of the film. I do like the opening titles, but the rest is pretty forgettable.
Muito boa essa música e não me recordava dela. Cumpre bem o seu papel em sublinhar o macabro suspense hitcoqueano; Sendo curioso o fato de ter sido descartada a música composta por H. Mancini para a mesma obra.
Hitchcock returns to Britain and makes a film a bit more to his liking! ...his only R rated film! I always liked Goodwin 's score here ok....but I always find myself wondering what this would've sounded like with a Bernard Hermann score.
“Frenzy” (1972), Alfred Hitchcock’s penultimate film, deals with a series of dreadful necktie murders in London.
Two weeks ago we featured Henry Mancini’s rejected score for the picture and now it is time to check out the used and Golden Globe nominated score by Mancini’s close friend Ron Goodwin.
Before misunderstandings would happen again, this time the director would provide his thoughts to the composer on how he imagined the music to sound like - a service that certainly would have been helpful for Mancini, as he just was tasked to “score the picture”. For example, Hitchcock now asked for the main titles to sound like they were written for a “documentary about London”. All in all Goodwin came up with a great score and the menacing, mostly rhythmically underlined “Frenzy” theme.
The director, staying in Los Angeles, got updated about the progress of Goodwin’s recording sessions in Denham, as newly made takes were sent to him, from where he would telegraph his thoughts back to England. For example, the composer would reprise the triumphant opening music in the end credits - a take that was ultimately swapped with a reprise of the darker “Frenzy” theme.
Thanks go once again to the people at Quartet Records, who premiered both scores in their entirety on a single release. Enjoy!
Fan of Goodwin for years since first watching Battle of Britain. Great main title accompanying one of my favourite shots in film.
Excellent. That waltz is so haunting. Wonder how Goodwin came up with that. Most composers would probably have come up with something more sinister rather than so haunting, eh?
Thank you for posting Goodwin's score. It is nice to compare the two. Both are fine scores that attack the problem in different ways.
«Mr. Rusk, you are not wearing your tie», a magnificent way of arresting a criminal, and it is pronouced in that great film.
Hello, Fred! This was Hitchcock 's triumphant return to his beloved homeland, and it to be a celebration ( as was his wish ), no one better his fellow countryman Ron Goodwin to score! What Goodwin did was truly worthy of a celebration: the main title are so gloriously British, colorful and pulsating that they deserved to become National Anthem! For moments of tension, Goodwin created an absolutely extraordinary theme ( supported by metal winds and strings in mid _ low region ) which is presented in variations ( insinuated in " Death of Brenda ", bombastic in " Frenzy " ... ). Unforgettable! Nominated for a Golden Globe, it lost to the equally superlative " The Godfather " ( by Nino Rota). Thanks and bye!!
Gracias ❤
Listening to it now, it seems like a traditional score for a film made in England. It doesn't want to be conspicuous, it just supplies a typically generic tension, without much artistic commentary on the content of the film. I do like the opening titles, but the rest is pretty forgettable.
Muito boa essa música e não me recordava dela. Cumpre bem o seu papel em sublinhar o macabro suspense hitcoqueano; Sendo curioso o fato de ter sido descartada a música composta por H. Mancini para a mesma obra.
Hitchcock returns to Britain and makes a film a bit more to his liking! ...his only R rated film! I always liked Goodwin 's score here ok....but I always find myself wondering what this would've sounded like with a Bernard Hermann score.