The best film score ever-Hugo Friedhofer
The 'Solider of Fortune' score is breathtaking. None better IMHO.
shareIt really is great. I have a CD of it, no longer in print, but sadly they could only rescue parts of the soundtrack, which had deteriorated so badly that portions of it are lost. Fortunately the main theme tracks are intact, beginning and end, but if you listen closely to some of the other tracks you can faintly hear some degradation. It was a secondary score on a CD with Friedhofer's music for Fox's BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL (1956). But SOLDIER OF FORTUNE is by far the more beautiful score. If you remember the 1960-61 TV series "Hong Kong" with Rod Taylor, filmed at Fox, they re-used parts of the SOF score on some episodes as background music, which was fitting.
Friedhofer won an Oscar for his music for THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES in 1946 and created an appropriately dissonant and almost ugly score for Billy Wilder's ACE IN THE HOLE in '51. A man of great versatility.
Lionel Newman conducted the score for the film & also did the music for the TV series HONG KONG.
shareAbsolutely agree with you on all points regarding Hugo Friedhofer, one of the all time great film composers who is totally forgotten today.
His main theme for SOF is one of the most memorable instrumental love themes ever written for a film; I'm surprised it didn't become a standard among jazz musicians, who have made other movie themes like Green Dolphin Street and Invitation (both by Bronislaw Kaper) part of the jazz lexicon.
The CD is excellent but missing much of the music from the final part of the film, due to the quality of the original recordings.
Between Heaven and Hell is darker, more moody, as befitting the film itself, a grim war drama with one of young Robert Wagner's best screen performances.
Best Years speaks for itself; Ace in the Hole is the best film score never released on CD.
Best Years has never been released on CD either, and should be. But I erred in my post of four years ago, above: the Between Heaven and Hell/Soldier of Fortune CD is still available (or at least, is again available), as of this date. It can be found at Screen Archives Entertainment (screenarchives.com) for I believe $19.95. I suppose it can also be had on Amazon, and probably ebay, in addition to SAE, which also carries other Hugo Friedhofer scores on CD.
shareBest Years of Our Lives was re-recorded and released as an LP in 1979, while the composer was still alive. I have the LP, and it's fantastic. It may have been reissued on CD, but i'm not sure.
shareThanks for that, although I must admit I prefer the original soundtrack wherever possible. Just biased, I guess. But I'll check out this LP and see if it's around, or as a CD. If I find anything I'll let you know here.
Update: I checked on SAE and the Best Years recording is available on CD. The description says a 1978 re-recording done by the London Symphony Orchestra, so it sounds like the one you mentioned. SAE's price is $19.95. I put it in my wish list for the time being. Thanks!