Hangover Square | 5 Fingers Sometimes a Movie Comes Along in Success
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Hangover Square | 5 Fingers Sometimes a movie comes along in success. In this case, the match was Street, 13 Rue Madeline, Kiss of Death). which all the elements align perfectly – sublime – Bernard Herrmann. By 1945, cast, writer, director, photography, art Herrmann had already composed two 5 Fingers was a critical and box-office direction, costumes, and music – and the masterpieces of film music right out of success and received a love-letter review result is often a unique film that works on the gate, both for Orson Welles – Citizen from Bosley Crowther in the New York every level, and the 1945 film Hangover Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons. Times, who began it with, “Those who Square is a perfect example. Adapted In the former, Herrmann had to come may fear that the old days of silken spy from the novel by Patrick Hamilton, up with an operatic aria. For Hangover films are as dead as the gone days of di- Barré Lyndon’s screenplay made many Square, the task was to compose George amond tiaras and princely diplomacy can changes from the novel, most importantly Henry Bone’s piano concerto. The re- now settle back in the comfort and the turning its central character into a clas- sulting “Concerto Macabre” is a tour de tingling satisfaction to be had from Twen- sical pianist and composer and setting force and the final ten minutes of the film tieth Century Fox Five Fingers.” He con- the film early in the 20th century. There is a visual and aural feast, where image tinued his rave with, “… is as dandy an could not have been a better choice of and music combine to create Bone’s espionage thriller as ever went through director than John Brahm, who fled Ger- complete descent into the depths of his the polished hands of a Graham Greene many after the rise of Hitler and settled in madness and hell. Herrmann’s “Concerto or an Alfred Hitchcock.” 5 Fingers re- Hollywood several years later, beginning Macabre” had to accomplish many things, ceived two Academy Award nominations a long career in film and television. While including beginning and ending with just – one for Mankiewicz for Best Director Brahm never really attained “A” list sta- piano (you’ll know why when you see the and one for Wilson for Best Screenplay. tus, he was a superb visual stylist with an film’s finale), but it also had to portray the incredible sense of atmosphere and pac- mind of its on-screen composer. But the Bernard Herrmann was once again the ing. The cinematographer was Joseph concerto is but one piece of Herrmann’s perfect choice for the film. His score con- LaShelle, one of Fox’s best cameramen, musical tapestry in Hangover Square, veys every bit of suspense and emotion, who, over the years, photographed such and the rest of the score is as evocative from the dramatic main title, to the jittery classics as Laura, Fallen Angel, Captain and brilliant as the concerto. music for “Cicero,” to the brief-but-beau- from Castile, Where the Sidewalk Ends, tiful cue “Romance,” to the exciting music River of No Return, No Down Payment Stephen Sondheim has said that Her- for “Escape.” Much of the score almost and many, many others. rmann’s score for Hangover Square seems like a preview of what Herrmann was his musical inspiration for Sweeney would go on to compose for his legend- The cast was equally perfect, beginning Todd. He’d seen the film as a teen and ary series of films with director Alfred with Laird Cregar as composer/pianist the music had such an effect on him that Hitchcock. It’s a world-class score by a George Henry Bone. Cregar was a com- years later he said of still being able to world-class composer. pletely unique actor – there was no one play the concerto’s opening eight bars, like him before and there really hasn’t “They were glimpsed briefly on Laird Cre- Both 5 Fingers and Hangover Square been anyone like him since. He had a agar’s piano during the course of the film, were released in the Bernard Herrmann very short film career, which began in and I dutifully memorized them by sitting at Fox box set on Varese Sarabande. For 1940 but sadly ended when he had a through the picture twice.” that release, Hangover Square was a heart attack two months before the re- much-truncated presentation. But thanks lease of Hangover Square – he was Variety’s review of the film said, “Produc- to advances in technology and a couple thirty-one years old. Cregar is brilliant tion is Grade A, and so is the direction of new sources we present it here with in the film and it’s impossible to think of by John Brahm, with particular bows to over sixteen additional minutes of music, any actor who would have brought what the music score by Bernard Herrmann.” and what music it is. While the source he did to the role. The other members of Surprisingly (or not), the film received not material for 5 Fingers was in excellent the cast included beautiful and talented one Academy Award nomination. condition, the sources used for Hangover Linda Darnell and the always-wonderful Square were not in as prime condition. George Sanders. 5 Fingers was a 1952 spy picture directed Everything possible has been done to by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and written by clean them up, but the music is so im- Filming was turbulent, with Brahm Michael Wilson (based on the book Oper- portant we wanted to include every note and Cregar frequently clashing (they’d ation Cicero by L.C. Moyzisch). The film we could. For this CD, Mike Matessino worked together in The Lodger) – part of and book was based on the true story of has gone back to the 5 Fingers elements that was due to Cregar’s erratic behavior Elyesa Bazna, a spy during World War and done a fresh new transfer and the due to taking amphetamines to lose 100 II. In the film, James Mason plays the entire CD is newly mastered. pounds for the film (that rapid weight loss character based on Bazna, Ulysses Di- resulted in the symptoms that caused ello (code name Cicero). The movie is — Bruce Kimmel his eventual heart attack). But, as usu- suspenseful throughout, with wonderful ally happens, the backstage drama didn’t dialogue and performances – in addition hinder the film – it was a big success, de- to Mason, the film also features Danielle spite its extremely short running time of Darrieux, Michael Rennnie, John Wen- 77-minutes. graf, and Herbert Berghof. Mankiewicz’s direction keeps the tension high and the Of course, in a film in which a musical storytelling clear, and it’s beautifully pho- composition also plays a leading role, the tographed by Norbert Brodine (Topper, choice of composer is key to the film’s Of Mice and Men, The House on 92nd .