Herrmann's Jane Eyre reviewed

Music from the Movies reviews Bernard Herrmann's score for Jane Eyre 1944 that as you know has been recently re-released on DVD for Region 1:

Fox also crafted a special DVD edition for the 1944 version of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte’s gothic fairy tale about loathsome men suppressing the spirit of women from an early age to ensure they were incapable of ever achieving independence in a sexist, brutal world. Or maybe it’s all about a plain-Jane governess who falls for a hulking single father and discovers a mad woman locked away in a castle tower.
ensures each discussion
Scored by Bernard Herrmann, Fox’ DVD includes two commentary tracks, with producer Nick Redman, Herrmann biographer Steven C. Smith, and film historian Julie Kirgo appearing on the second track. As the unofficial moderator, Redmandoesn’t end up on a silent pause, and the main topics include Herrmann, the composer’s association with Eyre’s star/unofficial co-producer Orson Welles, and key differences between the book and the final screenplay.
Unlike the first commentary track with author James McBride (a veteran historian who’s contributed several excellent biographical and historical commentary tracks to some of Fox’ John Ford DVDs), the views are more broad, loose, and lighthearted, although they lack the more intriguing details in the McBride track. Part of that’s due to the latter’s own familiarity with Welles (having written several books on the filmmaker), and Welles’ massive, domineering persona.
A filmmaker with a hugely colourful past, the vicissitudes of Welles’ career – from radio wunderkind to cinematic wonderboy and later industry pariah – are obviously more gripping, so it’s natural McBride’s track offers more juicy stories, though the three members on the second track also touch upon the ongoing controversy as to whether Welles directed part of the film, bullied director Robert Stevenson into relinquishing some important creative decisions, and influenced the film’s visual style.
As an added bonus, Fox has included Herrmann’s score on an isolated mono track with intro/outro studio chatter (some by a pretty imperative Herrmann), and fans can watch the film with all the beautiful cues synced to their scenes. It’s worth listening to the score after the Redman/Smith/Kirgo track because the trio repeatedly discuss Herrmann’s lyrical material, and the score’s unusual history from originating as material derived from Welles’ radio version of Rebecca, and later integration into Herrmann’s massive Wuthering Heights opera.
For Herrmann fans, this is a mandatory DVD to acquire, while fans of the film and Bronte’s novel should be delighted that the music is given such prominent attention in discussions, and as an isolated music track.
(The original soundtrack recording has appeared on a long-deleted Fox Film Score CD, coupled with David Raksin’s Laura; a gray market CD from Europe’s Soundtrack Factory label; and the Soundtrack Library bootleg label, with an hour of cues. Marco Polo released a proper digital re-recording in 1994.)
This marks the first time Herrmann’s score has appeared in complete form with studio chatter on DVD. (Mark Richard Hasan)

Categories: Jane Eyre,Movies-DVD-TV, Music