Search - Giuseppe / Kaun, Bernhard Becce, Franz Waxman :: Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein

OK if you don't mind music between the lines

Maxwell Wiley | New York, New York | 02/13/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Several months ago I bought this series' release of "The Third Man" soundtrack and was a little startled to find that I had bought a recording of that movie's music as it is heard in the movie--actors' dialogue and all. This is a product I suppose I could make for myself if I could figure out the white, red, and yellow plugs on the back of my VCR and audiotape decks. There is something to be said, however, for having somebody do it for you; and I do enjoy hearing the music as it was originally scored and performed, dramatic noise notwithstanding. And so, forewarned, I picked up this recording of "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein." I think it's worth the money and great to listen to. The last cut is the Bride of Frankenstein "suite"--which from the sound of it was a contemporaneously recorded pastiche of the themes from the film's score, and as far as I know not available anywhere else. The cuts from "Frankenstein," of course, are heavily dialogue-ridden, as that 1931 movie contained no "soundtrack" or "score" per se, but only some cues from the Universal library, and very few of them at that. The "Bride of Frankenstein" cuts take up the lion's share of the album, including the aforementioned Suite. This is a very similar product to the Rob Zombie- produced "Words and Music of Frankenstein." It lacks the "Son of Frankenstein" music found on the Zombie disc, but contains a much more complete sampling of the "Bride of Frankenstein" score, as well as--again--that nifty Suite. If you're like me and just have to listen to Franz Waxman's original performances of his "Bride" score, this CD is well worth it. After a few listenings you'll no longer regard the dialogue as an interruption; you might even enjoy it (get the 1993 re-recording of Waxman's "Bride," though, so you have some recourse to pure music). The CD's packaging is nice, but the liner notes contain only basic information about the movies, and--strangely--not a word about the music."