Elmer Bernstein GREAT ESCAPE Film Soundtrack Score LP Steve McQueen James Garner
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Description
Elmer Bernstein – The Great Escape (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Vinyl LP) (1963)
British 1st release of the landmark soundtrack to classic war film ‘The Great Escape’ (1963, dir. John Sturges), composed and conducted by Elmer Bernstein.
The movie starred Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough and featured James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, and Hannes Messemer.
Condition VINYL: G+. Clean on visual inspection. No major marks apart from a few light hairlines and scuffs. Played just pre-listing and sound clarity is good, and very good in places. Odd click/pop and static and some distortion in places. Some light surface noise at run-ins and between some cues. Some tracks sound cleaner than others with less surface noise. Plays with no skipping, jumping or sticking. OUTER SLEEVE/COVER: G+. Classic laminated front cover. Clean in central artwork area but noticeable tear right through centre of front laminated artwork. This could be fixed with sellotape from the inside. A few creases in from sides and one or two light dents. Corners lightly nicked but edges and spine in great shape. Back of sleeve yellowed round edges but flipbacks present and attached. Overall a very good example but for the large tear across the front. INNER SLEEVE: VG. Original. White poly-lined paper. Yellowed but this may be original colour. Some buckling, folding and creasing in corners. Intact.
Track listing: A1. Main Title. 2:05 A2. Premature Plans. 2:06 A3. Cooler And Mole. 3:23 A4. Blythe. 2:13 A5. Discovery. 2:53 A6. Various Troubles. 2:40 A7. On The Road. 2:53
B1. Betrayal. 2:04 B2. Hendley's Risk. 2:22 B3. Road's End. 1:59 B4. More Action. 1:56 B5. The Chase. 2:47 B6. Finale. 3:14
Composer, Conductor – Elmer Bernstein Orchestration – Jack Hayes, Leo Shukin
A review A perennial favourite, The Great Escape is one of the most legendary (and entertaining) films ever made, a product of a time when not every blockbuster action movie bent over backwards to pander to illiterate morons. The escape itself may have turned out to not be so great after all (since virtually every escapee ends up dead or recaptured) but their adventures are pure cinematic gold, something not harmed by the stellar cast on display, with Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasance and - just as important as any of them - Elmer Bernstein.
Just as he had in his previous collaboration with the director John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven), Bernstein outdid himself and wrote the definitive score of the genre - a position both scores have held ever since, in the proceeding years.
What can possibly said about the main title? One of the classic film themes, it never loses its lustre despite having been heard in countless situations over the years, from loving parodies in other scores to even being the anthem of England's football supporters. When Bernstein performed it in concert in London in 2002, virtually the whole audience started whistling along, which amused the composer/conductor greatly. Needless to say, it appears on countless occasions on this album - and could easily appear a dozen more without outstaying its welcome.
Of course, there's more besides - much more. Great, dynamic action music in Bernstein's unmistakable style; soaring emotion; classic suspense; a lovely, moving finale. There's not a dull moment, not a single bar of music which is redundant.
I've always felt that Bernstein's strongest scores have come when he has written for a chamber ensemble for serious drama, as is the case here. The album is probably a little too schizophrenic to be entirely satisfying and be considered alongside his very best works, but even so this is a strong score bolstered by the composer's typically touching orchestrations and some rare branching out into different territories for Bernstein.
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