Jay 37,043 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Kritzerland is proud to present a new limited edition soundtrack release to one of the most beloved classics ever:LAURAMusic Composed by David RaksinLaura—both the 1944 film and the immortal David Raksin score that supports and, in the opinion of some, lends it classic status—is the ultimate in noir-ish Hollywood glamour: a dark masterpiece that somehow transcended all the difficulties strewn along its path to production to become one of the great exemplars of the accidental artistry of a largely commercial studio system. With a brilliant cast, including Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, and Judith Anderson, and sublime direction by Otto Preminger, Laura, based on the novel by Vera Caspary, is as iconic a film noir as there ever was. The film is filled with classic bon mots, most of them coming from Clifton Webb as the acerbic Waldo Lydecker. “I should be sincerely sorry to see my neighbor’s children devoured by wolves,” or “I don’t use a pen, I write with a goose quill dipped in venom,” or “I cannot stand these morons any longer. If you don’t come with me this instant I shall run amok.”The film, which runs a brisk eighty-eight minutes, was nominated for four Academy Awards – Clifton Webb received a Best Supporting Actor nomination and the others were for screenplay, director, art direction, and photography. It took home the prize for Joseph LaShelle’s velvety beautiful black-and-white photography. But what becomes a legend most? In the case of Laura it is clearly one of the greatest movie themes ever written. Laura was David Raksin’s first major composing assignment and he delivered the goods, with a breathtakingly beautiful monothematic score that fits Laura like a glove. Shockingly, there were twenty best score nominations in 1944 and Laura was not one of them. But the theme and the score have endured and grown even more popular over the years. Many singers have recorded the song (with its lyric by the great Johnny Mercer), and there have been an equal number of instrumental and jazz covers – in fact, during Raksin’s lifetime it was said to be the second most recorded song in history. In tandem with the film’s release on Blu-ray, we are thrilled to present for the first time on CD, the complete score for Laura. The previous CD release on Arista, which has been out of print for many years, was missing about ten minutes of cues. Additionally, what was presented was compiled into a twenty-seven minute suite with no track breaks – one long track. That release was taken from a reel-to-reel tape, but for this complete release the original elements were used. Additionally, we include as a bonus some test demos and the entire suite from the previous release. In total, eighteen tracks of prime David Raksin, and a score that truly stands the test of time. Laura – a movie and musical masterpiece. Laura is limited to 1000 copies only. The price is $19.98, plus shipping. CD will ship the second week of March but preorders placed at Kritzerland usually ship one to five weeks early (we’ve been averaging four weeks). To place an order, see the cover, or hear audio samples, just visit www.kritzerland.com. http://www.kritzerland.com/Laura.htm Marc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannhauser 101 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Great! The theme from Laura is one of my favourite pieces of golden age film music. Will be interested to check it out further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Hope this doesn't sell out by Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Brausam 213 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 This and the Intrada Bernstein have been the most exciting releases of 2013 for me so far, and they'll certainly be among my favorites at the end of year too! A great start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,385 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 John Williams has expressed his admiration for this score for a long time -- especially the theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,086 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Just 1000, eh? I can never remember the theme, although it's lauded so often. I should probably get this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,053 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Excellent release! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck 154 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I just gotta post this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Guess I waited too long. Kritzerland's 1,000 copy limit sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delorean90 42 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Ditto to both sentences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,053 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 You guys could always email Bruce Kimmel, he might keep extra copies for emergencies (lost / damaged orders) and once those are taken care of the leftovers are available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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