The Seventh Sin (Limited Edition CD Soundtrack)
Sound:
B- Music: B-
Composer
Miklos Rozsa tries his hands at an outright Melodrama with The Seventh Sin, Ronald Neame’s 1957 remake of the 1934 Great Garbo
drama The Painted Veil. Leaving reviews of both films for when Warner
issues them on DVD, the latter version was black & white like its
predecessor, but had the benefit of newer film stocks and used the CinemaScope
process. To his credit, Rozsa did not pander
to the audience just because they had a wider frame to look at. If anything, it is on the stuff and
claustrophobic side.
Being
that the story involves an outbreak in Hong Kong, Rozsa eventually gives us the
kind of music that generally signifies “The Orient” in a way that is not
considered politically correct today, but he does not dwell on it, saving the
score from aging more than it needs to.
Otherwise, this is decent work form Rozsa, but not among his best.
The PCM
2.0 Mono comes from the second-generation mono backup master MGM made when it
destroyed the original stereophonic materials, so the sound is not as dynamic
as it could or should sound. With that
said, this is not the most stable playback, sounding slightly distorted on fine
details throughout. The booklet that
comes with it is as informative as the FSM label always provides, so go to www.filmscoremonthly.com and check
into this and other great music CDs while you can. This CD is limited to 3,000 pressings.
- Nicholas Sheffo
