The Bravados is a stark and realistic western starring Gregory Peck as a man seeking revenge on a band of outlaws. The film features a powerful and handsome score co-written by two Hollywood greats: Alfred Newman and Hugo Friedhofer. The composers often contributed to each others' scores, just without the fanfare that followed the collaboration between Newman and Bernard Herrmann on The Egyptian. In fact, the score to The Bravados was credited in the film to Lionel Newman, who did not write a note but supervised the score's recording in Germany during a Hollywood musicians strike in 1958 (Bernard Kaun conducted).
The melodic and exciting score for The Bravados features both composers working at the top of their games. The main title theme, "The Hunter," is a driving, quintessential Alfred Newman march which takes melodic and rhythmic western staples to a whole new level. On the other side of the coin, Newman composed the film's love theme and solemn "A Mother's Prayer" material; the 6:17 "The Dead Miner and Emma/Josefa" is the highlight of his contribution, with stirring string passages recalling his masterpiece, The Robe.
The Bravados is a dark and violent film as well as an adventure and Hugo Friedhofer composed the brooding theme for the titular characters. He adapted Newman's march into many of his cues, underscoring the exciting showdowns between Peck's character and the fleeing bandits. Friedhofer keys into the moral ambiguity of the story and his cues are appropriately haunting and dramatic.
FSM's CD restoration is divided into several sections: first is the complete underscore in stereo (minus one cue which was damaged); followed by the film's guitar and church source music; the aforementioned damaged stereo cue; and then a suite of selected cues repeated in mono. The liner notes by longtime film music scholar William H. Rosar delineate the contributions by each composer and shed light on the recording process overseas. The album is a Bravados feast and a fitting tribute to this important score and its two brilliant composers.
Track listing
1. The Hunter (Main Title) (03:04)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman
2. The Scaffold (01:28)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer
3. Mistaken Identity (01:23)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer
4. Jailbreak (01:06)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer
5. The Real Mr.Simms* / Who Is He? (04:27)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer,*by Alfred Newman
6. The Posse Rides (01:41)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman
7. Parral's Ambush (02:43)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer
8. A Mother's Prayer (02:39)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman
9. Douglas and Taylor / Posse Finds Taylor (03:25)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer
10. The Death Miner and Emma / Josefa (06:17)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman
11. Over The Border (01:24)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer
12. Douglas and Lujan (01:34)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer
13. The Truth (01:04)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhoffer
14. A Mother's Prayer (Finale) (01:12)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman
15. Josefa (End Title) (00:35)
STEREO SCORE from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman
16. Josefa (04:22)
GUITAR SOURCE from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman
17. Carmela (01:39)
GUITAR SOURCE from "The Bravados" (Various)
18. O Saluteris Hostia (00:53)
CHURCH SOURCE from "The Bravados" (Various)
19. Panis Angelicus (03:22)
CHURCH SOURCE from "The Bravados" (Various)
20. Salvatore Mundi (02:38)
CHURCH SOURCE from "The Bravados" (Various)
21. O Sanctissima,O Piissima (00:47)
CHURCH SOURCE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer
22. The Posse Leaves (06:54)
DAMAGED STEREO from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman
23. The hunter (Main Title) (01:49)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer
24. The Scaffold (01:28)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer
25. Mistaken Identity (01:23)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer
26. The Posse Leaves (01:49)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer
27. The Real Mr.Simms* / Who Is He? (04:27)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer,*by Alfred Newman
28. Parrals Ambush (02:43)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer
29. Douglas and Taylor (02:56)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer
30. The Truth (01:04)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Hugo Friedhofer
31. Josefa (End Title) (00:35)
MONO SUITE from "The Bravados" by Alfred Newman |
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