Sounds of Darkness

The Day the Earth Stood Still – Soundtrack (1951)
Soundtrack

Bernard Herrmann was an American composer who gained most of his fame scoring motion pictures. His most famous movie scores were for Alfred Hitchcock (such as Psycho and Vertigo and Ray Harryhausen (such as Jason and the Argonauts and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad). I’m a fan of many of these movies and these movie soundtracks, but my favorite is “The Day the Earth Stood Still”.

No, it’s not a horror movie, so calling it “Halloween” music is a stretch. But consider that the relationship between horror and sci-fi was strong in the 50’s ... the “science gone wrong” movies of that era are fine examples. And consider that TDtESS is “psychological sci-fi”, much like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. The film’s message – that mankind is doomed if it does not change its ways – is frightening, as are many of the Gort scenes in the film. Regardless of how Halloweenish you might find it, I almost always listen to this music during my favorite time of year.

Herrmann’s liberal use of two Theremins (a treble and bass) is probably the most noticeable feature of this soundtrack. They are used as principal instruments, carrying the melody in several tracks. Herrmann uses other unusual instrumentation such as electric strings, electric and Hammond organs, and prepared piano (piano with objects placed on the strings to change the sound). These instruments convey the sense of mystery and fear that the movie requires.

Nearly every track on the soundtrack makes for good October music. If you leave out the opening 20th Century Fox fanfare and two military chorales from the middle of the film (when Bobby takes Klaatu on a tour of Washington DC), you’ve got a little more than a ½ hour of unique and slightly spooky sci-fi music.

And if you haven’t seen the film, hurry up and see it before the remake comes out this December. You saw (or judging from box office takes, you merely heard) what they did to “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” in 2007 … ugh. And this one has Keanu Reeves. Need I say more?

I think this is still available to purchase, so no sharity.