Disconforme releases original scores only. I don't know about the sound quality of this particular
release, but usually, these are historical, unremastered recordings.

coma, June 19, 2007; 2:08 PM

I've seen a few of the Disconforme/Soundtrack Factory CD's. Cheap packaging (often with blurred cover art). I passed up the Bride Of Frankenstein release for that reason.

"Classic Films Scores For Franz Waxman" with the "Creation Of The Female Monster" track is a great sampling of the composers scores.

I often brag about having an original 1930's 16mm print of "Bride Of Frankenstein". As a matter of fact that's how I became so fond of this score.

The Silva recording of the score conducted by Kenneth Alywn is a quality recording although I never could see the purpose of using systhesizer even if "discreetly used".

Avoid the recording "Chiller" (Erich Kunzel/Cincinnatti Pops). It includes a track from "Bride Of Frankenstein" score, as well as "Psycho" with novelty shower sounds and screaming. In my opinion it's a piece of Southern Ohio trash.

One of my favorite films! Nearly perfect, without flaw! How many films can that truly be said of?

victoravalentine, June 19, 2007; 4:59 PM

!! Avoid like plague !!

Music, sound effects and dialogues taken from the movie print in poor sound quality with poor artwork is all that you might get for your money.

42zaphod, June 19, 2007; 7:43 PM

Thanks for the responses. I read this review on Amazon by a guy from New York;

"OK if you don't mind music between the lines
  
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."

So it looks like no copies of the original score are preserved and all re-recordings were done by
listening to the original movie soundtrack. The orchestrations were probably based on what's
heard in the film rather than from original copies on paper. This explains the use of
synthesizers to recreate sounds that are otherwise hard to imitate with instruments if you
don't know what was originally used.

One more question. Is Gerhardts 'The Creation of the Monster' similar to the 'Danse Macabre'
on 'Legends of Hollywood Volume Two' (I like that track a lot and it is a welcome addition to
the complete recording on Silva since it's such a different treatment)? I ask this because they
have more or less the same length. Since it was hard work to transcribe the score I can
imagine it is easier to take an existing reconstruction (Gerhardt's) and record that.

chris, June 20, 2007; 6:03 AM

"The Creation Of The Female Monster" from The Classic Film Scores of Franz Waxman" and "Danse Macabre" were composed for two different scenes. The first, when Elsa Lancaster is being brought to life. The orchestral heartbeat runs throughout the scene. Danse Macabre was composed for the scene in the crypt as Boris Karloff and Dr. Pretorious dine, drink wine and smoke cigars. All the while Pretorious is scheming an angle in order to manipulate and use the ignorant Frankenstein monster.

Sort of reminds me of CNN or Fox news here in America.

I was wondering the same thing about the Disconforme/Soundtrack Factory recording regarding the origin of the music. No info on cover of CD. The entire thing looked el cheapo to me. As well as the Herrmann score from Jane Eyre.

I'll second what 42zaphod's suggests... Avoid like the plague!

victoravalentine, June 20, 2007; 4:52 PM

Ditto on those Disconforme/Soundtrack Factory releases.....you could actually do much better making your own recordings right off a DVD.

kriegerg69, June 25, 2007; 3:12 AM