A good collection, although I'd preferred if all the tracks
Snorre Smari Mathiesen | Norway | 02/03/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Last year, two collections of music from the films of Marlon Brando were released; the first one, a two-disc entitled MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF MARLON BRANDO, included re-recorded tracks from different films through his entire career. I liked the new arrangments very well, but still longed to find certain music as it actually was presented in the films, for example the "Streetcar" theme by Alex North.
I was very pleased, then, when I discovered this other volume, MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF MARLON BRANDO 1951-1955. Included here are six tracks from A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, one track from VIVA ZAPATA! (the main title which was not included in the other release), one track from JULIUS CAESAR, four tracks from THE WILD ONE, one track from ON THE WATERFRONT and finally, four songs from GUYS AND DOLLS including vocals.
I was thrilled at first. Thankfully, here the original theme to "Streetcar" was included, with its jazzy and moody atmosphere. Unfortunately, I wasn't as delighted while listening through the entire CD. The music from "Zapata!" and "Caesar" are both great (though I still prefer the version from the latter film on the other release), but the music from THE WILD ONE was a disappointment. The company had decided not to include the original music but rather some re-recorded selections from an LP released sometime in the 1950's -- while these tracks work all right as music, they lack the energic pizazz which was so extraordinarily well done in the movie itself.
Neither was the one track from ON THE WATERFRONT what I expected. The music goes from one theme in the movie to another and back to the original again; it's beautiful enough, but nowhere as wonderful as the music included in the film.
About the songs from GUYS AND DOLLS, I can't really make a statement inasmuch as I'm not a fan of the movie. But if you are, I'm pretty sure you'll like these recordings.
All in all, MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF MARLON BRANDO 1951-1955 is, despite the disappointing fact that a lot of the music isn't the original film recordings, a fine collection with superb sound quiality. If you are a fan of Brando or a collector of film music, you certainly should add this to your library, just take into consideration that some of the tracks are more satisfying than others. But what the heck; isn't it so with most composions anyway?"
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1