Musical Underscore in TORN CURTAIN

TORN CURTAIN'S REJECTED UNDERSCORE

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FOR DEDICATED STUDENTS who wish to analyze a film's musical underscore, youtube has most of the cues from composer, Bernard Herrmann's score for Torn Curtain rejected by director, Alfred Hitchcock, apparently for being too unmelodic. I am sending only the link to the first part of the four-part post. Students can easily find the other parts themselves.
    Unfortunately, John Addison's score, used in the final film is not available on youtube, not even the credit sequence music. Ironically, Addison's score is almost forgotten but Herrmann's score, rejected by the director, has achieved almost legendary status.
    In addition, students may wish to listen to Charles Gounod's Funeral March for a Marionette, made famous in the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series. (Go here.) John Addison quotes the music in a trombone cue during the director's cameo in the picture, where he is shown holding a baby in his lap. There are other versions of Gounod's march on youtube.
    For students unfamiliar with Hitchcock's films, the director appeared in cameo parts in all his Hollywood films and many of his British films (before 1939, when he moved to Hollywood). These cameos are much loved by film enthusiasts; many of them are collected and may be found on youtube.
    A cameo is a small, usually "walk-on," part, lasting a few seconds or minutes. Hitchcock's barely lasted a few seconds but were much appreciated by audiences.
    Many Hitchcock enthusiasts can remember where he appears in all his films. In Torn Curtain he cannot be missed, since he's holding a baby in his lap and John Addison quotes the famous Funeral March for a Marionette, for many years associated with Alfred Hitchcock, since it was used in the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series, as noted above.

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