| Seven Cities of Gold | The Blue Angel

ugo Friedhofer could do anything. possible to present almost the entire score Ponti, made a few films in Italy (including From noirs, to romance, to fantasy, to complete – all that’s missing is about seven King Vidor’s film of War and Peace) and, in Hdrama, to lighter fare, he simply was minutes of cues that are thematically cov - the late 1950s, she was put under contract one of the greatest film composers in his - ered in other cues. to Fox. Her first two films there were The tory. His work for Twentieth Century Fox was Young Lions and The Hunters , with The especially impressive and from the mid- lso from 1955, Seven Cities of Gold Blue Angel following those. The following 1950s to the end of that decade he would was yet another colorful Fox Cine - year she made Murder, Inc. , but her biggest deliver one incredible score after another in Amascope film, this one a historical ad - notoriety came not from a film but when she just about every genre. In 1955 alone he venture film starring , married singer Sammy Davis, Jr. She re - wrote an astonishing five scores, including and . Based tired briefly, but when she and Davis di - The Rains of Ranchipur and Seven Cities on the novel, The Nine Days of Father Serra vorced in 1968 she began doing television, of Gold (the others were White Feather, Vi - by Isabelle Gibson Ziegler, the story is appearing in guest roles on shows like The olent Saturday , and Soldier of Fortune) . about the Franciscan priest, Father Juniper Danny Thomas Show and Mission: Impos - Serra and the founding of the first missions sible . She continued to work sporadi cally up The Rains of Ranchipur began life as a in California. The film’s tagline basically said until 1988 when she retired again. novel called by Louis it all: “This is the story of the making… and Bromfield. Published in 1937, Fox snapped the forging… of California… when men The film has a few musical numbers, and up the rights and their film version, starring chose gold or God… the sword of the includes the great song, “Falling in Love and , was rel- Cross.” Roy D. Webb directed the film, which Again” by Frederick Holl-ander with English eased in 1937. Because of its exotic setting, had a screenplay by Richard L. Breen, and lyrics by Sammy Lerner (from the original The Rains Came was a perfect candidate beautiful photography by Lucien Ballard. film of The Blue Angel) . Friedhofer’s actual for the Cinemascope and color treatment, Once again, provided a score is brief (eighteen minutes) and we’ve and so in 1955 Fox remade the film, this score that perfectly captured the drama, the included all of it. Naturally, he interpolates time as The Rains of Ranchipur. Fox as - characters, and the flavor of the film. Span - “Falling in Love Again,” but there’s also clas - sembled a great cast, including Lana ish rhythms, grand themes, and fantastic or - sic Friedhofer scoring and it’s just his usual Turner, , Fred MacMurray, chestral colors are the order of the day. It’s great work. This is the film score’s world and Michael Rennie. The director was Jean great film scoring done by a master. Seven premiere release. Negulesco, who’d directed many films for Cities of Gold was previously released on Fox, including Titanic, How to Marry a Mil - Varese Sarabande and has been out of So, three scores by Hugo Friedhofer. No lionaire, Three Coins in the Fountain, Daddy print for some time. For this release, Mike track-by-track analysis – just bask in the Long Legs, , to name a Matessino has completely remixed the glow of one of film music’s greatest com - few. The screenplay was by Merle Miller, score and found two short unreleased cues posers at the peak of his considerable pow - whose only major screenplay credits are – the resulting sound is spectacular in that ers. Ranchipur and Kings Go Forth . incredible Fox stereo. — Bruce Kimmel In India on business, Lord Esketh and his our years later, Fox remade Josef von wife Edwina are invited to Ranchipur by the Sternberg’s classic film, The Blue Technical Note: As Twentieth Century Fox Marharani. Their marriage is near its end, FAngel . The director, Edward Dmytryk continues mining its extensive vaults, clas - and Esketh announces that when he re - stated in his autobiography, “It was a film sic music elements have materialized un - turns to England they will divorce. The none of us had to be ashamed of, but the expectedly and in unlikely places. The thoughtless Edwina thinks otherwise, and rule still holds – never remake a classic, discovery of monaural reels seemingly then she begins to see her former lover, even a minor one.” That certainly proved made for the composer himself have made Tom Newsome, now an alcoholic. She also prophetic in terms of the film’s critical recep - it possible to present about 90% of Hugo tries to seduce a Hindu doctor, who falls in tion, which was poor, but the fact is the film Friedhofer’s score for The Rains of love with her. From there on, the drama runs is shockingly both underrated and un - Ranchipur for the first time. Supplementing high, including seething passions, earth - known. It has never been released on video this archival presentation are the previously quake, flood, heroics, and self-sacrifice, all and one can only hope that situation is rec - released surviving stereo elements taken beautifully photographed by . tified, because the film really stands on its from 6-track 35mm mag. Disc 2’s Seven The spectacular earthquake and flood spe - own as a worthy redo. Obviously it’s not the Cities of Gold (with two additional cues) and cial effects were nominated for an Academy Dietrich/von Sternberg film – this time The the previously unreleased score from The Award. And, of course, there is the score – Blue Angel got the Cinemascope and color Blue Angel complete this noteworthy collec - the stunningly beautiful score by Friedhofer. treatment, and Dmytryk’s direction is terrific. tion of three of the composer's major proj - But it’s the cast that makes it work so well, ects for the studio, all newly mixed and Friedhofer’s score to Ranchipur had only with Curt Jurgens turning in a fantastic per - mastered. about thirteen minutes of its glorious music formance as the aging professor who be - previously released, in stereo, due to the comes enamored and obsessed with a — Mike Matessino deterioration of the original mag tracks – cabaret singer. And May Britt is surprisingly that was really all that could be salvaged. In effective and it’s a shame she didn’t really the meantime, other sources showed up, do more. Britt had a very short screen ca - and while those were mono, it was finally reer; she was discovered by producer Carlo