Two Media Views Of The Philip Glass Dracula Score: "...what a letdown. We're
talking clouds of nervous noodling, stuck-groove arpeggios, obsessive two-note patterns
and harmonies that range all the way from C Major to C Minor. Rhythmically, the music is
simple and unvaried. The gentle hiccups that depict Dracula in the opening title track
make Bela Lugosi sound as scary as Pepe le Pew..." "...Cool idea. Revive Tod
Browning's horror classic by jacking it up with a new score by composer Philip Glass (as
performed by the avant Kronos Quartet). This gives the film something it never had before:
a soundtrack (the original was made without music). Now Bela Lugosi is really mesmerizing.
Look into his eyes, listen to the score, and you are getting sleepy, sleeeepy..." Music Cuts From The Album:
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In the beginning, there was Dracula. But Dracula had nearly no music. So the studios execs said, "let there be music." And composer Philip Glass obliged. As a result, if you prefer, you can now have your...
By JOE WINTERS The re-scoring by classical composer Philip Glass of the 1931 classic horror film Dracula has caused considerable controversy among critics and fans of both the film and the composer. Glass's 1983 scoring of Koyaanisqatsi, a film with no dialog, was a feast for the eyes and for the ears due to Glass’s haunting score. He scored again in film after film, including the controversial 1988 documentary The Thin Blue Line. From film and theater to the Olympic Games, Glass displays a style that’s unique…moving…memorable. Recently, Glass, along with the Kronos String Quartet, attempted to breathe new life into Tod Browning’s 1931 original, largely scoreless (the only music that crept into the original are pieces from "Swan Lake" and the overture to "Die Meistersinger"), version of Dracula, by adding a full music score to the film. Was this a good thing? Depends on who you ask.
To some, it mangles a movie that relied much on dialog and quiet images instead of music at a time when the talkies were just beginning to talk. To others, the music enhances a film almost devoid of original musical accompaniment and makes the film more accessible to viewers looking for more than the film alone offers. Music, more often than not, creates and controls mood within a film. Music can heighten tension, relax us, make us sad, and so on. In Dracula, it seemed to be Browning’s intent to let the silences do the work of the music, allowing us to be drawn into the atmosphere and in relying on Lugosi, Frye, and company to involve us. The film, like all other celluloid versions, is merely one interpretation of Bram Stoker’s novel. Glass’s music takes the interpretation another step, and we may choose to ignore it if we feel like it, or sample it, even savor it, as the mood strikes. From the beginning there are differences. Gone is the classical opening theme music so familiar in many of Universal’s films from the period. In it’s place, and through most of the film is the new score, with its circular, almost hypnotic swirl of strings drawing us into the dizzying world of Dracula. Glass is careful not to overpower key sound effects, such as wolf howls, the castle door creaking open, or the dialogue, including "The blood is the life", "I trust you kept your coming here…a secret?," and the immortal "I never drink…wine." Great care was taken to keep all these memorable moments unobscured, while at other times the musical swells would actually enhance tense moments. The burst of strings when Renfield cuts his finger, or during the Count’s initial attack on Mina.
In the London theater scene where Dracula first meets Doctor Seward and company, I noticed the music from the original soundtrack was left in, as was the music box theme in Lucy’s bedroom. In other rare instances, I would hear no music. For example, the scene where Martin the caretaker has responded with gunfire to the "intruder" on the grounds and exclaims to the maid of his employers, "They’re all crazy…" This scene is one of comedy relief, where the music would have been out of place, and is sensibly left out. In some ways, I felt that the music contemporized the entire film, taking it out of one time and transporting it to another. I reasoned that Dracula is a tale for all times. And, as Lugosi himself said in an interview years after the film first appeared regarding it’s popularity, "Dracula never dies." Early on while watching and listening, I mused over what Browning or Lugosi would think of the changes. After a while, I accepted the new music as simply part of the current viewing. Does the addition of music make Dracula a Philip Glass film rather than a Tod Browning film? I don’t believe so. The re-scored 1984 version of Fritz Lang’s 1925 Metropolis was a treat to see on the big theater screen and was my first opportunity to actually view that great film. Since then, I’ve seen other versions on video, including a shoddy version with an extremely inappropriate old-time musical score that would have sounded more at home under an "Our Gang" comedy.
The film’s power was almost completely diminished, and when viewing it, I had to turn the volume down, and run a different soundtrack through my stereo. Then, more recently I saw the Kino version with its clear images and dynamic score that suits the film beautifully. I had found my Metropolis! Another healthy example of re-scoring was that of 1922’s Nosferatu by renowned Hammer film composer James Bernard. (What music he makes!) With silent films, re-scoring seems to be a practice embraced by fans, and when done well, can compliment, rather than distort a film. Besides, it’s hard for us to complain about the "original" music of most silents being altered, since most of us weren’t there when they premiered with live accompaniment. It is the visuals in Metropolis, Nosferatu, and others that stay with us most. The sights of these films will always outlive the constantly revised sounds, though the right sound definitely helps. In the case of "Dracula", the film we all know will forever be like opening a bottle of the Count’s very old wine. It can always be savored as the nostalgic gem many of us grew up with. Those of us who treasure it in its original form, creaks and all, should always be able to do so.
I’m certainly not bothered as much by this re-scoring as I was by the annoying colorization of films including Lugosi’s classic White Zombie. The process makes that and other films look like so much old wallpaper. Or how about the unnecessary re-make of Psycho? But again, we have choices. We can turn the color down on White Zombie or even seek out a solid black and white print. We can, and always will, have access to Hitchcock’s original masterpiece. And we’ll always have critics, fans, artists, and hopefully entertainment executives who will keep unnecessary tampering from getting out of hand. As for the re-scoring of Dracula, if that’s what it takes to lure new victims into the Count’s clutches, time will tell. Let’s just be sure the new children of the night are permitted and taught to appreciate the choices and leave room on their video shelves for the originals. Love or hate it, Dracula is certainly not the same with actual music running throughout it. But we suspect that the bloody Count would have preferred the "children of the night"...and the "music" they make. Cheers! Article copyright Joe Winters |
