Saturday 8 January 2011

Saturday Playlist #16: Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann was a bit of a genius, wasn't he? I mean, when your first film score is for Citizen Kane, your last is for Taxi Driver and in the middle somewhere are Vertigo, North By Northwest and Psycho then I think you've pretty much qualified as a genuine genius.
Herrmann is best known for his collaborations with fellow genius Alfred Hitchcock (with whom he would eventually fall out after Hitch called him "Bernie Hermie" once too often*), but his work on other landmark films like the theremin-laced score for The Day The Earth Stood Still and the bombastic cymbalism of Jason And The Argonauts proved him to be a master of all genres.

So pop yourself in the shower, take a string quartet and a sturdy kitchen knife with you and scream your tits off as you...

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO
SATURDAY PLAYLIST #16:
BERNIE HERMIE
BERNARD HERRMANN

*I have, in all likelihood, made this up
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6 comments :

  1. Tony Cox8 January 2011 at 10:10

    Very good playlist. I think the Overture for 7th Voyage of Sinbad is the best stand alone piece. Tarrantino used the Twisted Nerve theme to great effect in Kill Bill Vol.1.
    The Prelude for Psycho has lots of stabbing strings to spook you before anything happens.

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  2. Tony Cox8 January 2011 at 20:13

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i94nansYjsM

    Links to the Kill Bill Vol.1 scene of Elle Driver whistling the theme from Twisted Nerve.

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  3. prairie_oysters8 January 2011 at 22:41

    The animosity between Hitchcock and Herrmann allegedly arose over Hitchcock's rejection of his score for Torn Curtain.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Incredible Suit8 January 2011 at 23:24

    No, it was definitely the Bernie Hermie thing. Also Herrmann was constantly giving Hitch wedgies while he was trying to direct. Seriously, what rubbish have you been reading?

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  5. Gary Penrice9 January 2011 at 19:05

    I might just be being thick, but its just coimng up with a empty playlist in Spotify when I click on the link. Am I really going to have to go to the effort of typing "Bernard Herrmann" into the Spotify search bar myself?

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  6. The Incredible Suit9 January 2011 at 20:10

    I'm sure you're not being thick but it works fine when I test it. Takes a few seconds to appear but it's definitely there. Um... have you tried turning it off and on again?

    ReplyDelete

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