Judgment At Nuremberg: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack

 (4 customer reviews)

My brother, who has a genetic affection for all good things German, shall probably abscond with "Judgment at Nuremberg" - a truly fascinating listen. The use of traditional German songs is effective and symbiotic with the underscore, although used a bit too often. The underscore itself makes nice use of period sensibilities and works flawlessly. The narration is chilling, and I cannot think of hearing the score without its presence. It belongs alongside the score as a powerful recollection of film and international history as well as a wonder for the ears.

Film music exists to support the overall impact of the film, and only if the composer is very fortunate does the music make a major statement independently of the film. Ernest Gold (1921-1999) spent much of the 1940s and 1950s as the competent composer for such dismissable films as MAN CRAZY and THE SCREAMING SKULL; in the late 1950s, however, he proved himself a competent composer on such major projects as THE DEFIANT ONES and ON THE BEACH. Then in 1960 he received the project of a lifetime: EXODUS. The film itself received mixed reviews, but Gold's music was stunning, and he received an Academy Award for his work. He would go on to compose music for such notable films as A CHILD IS WAITING, IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, and SHIP OF FOOLS--all of them well respected, but none of the creating the same public stir.

The 1961 JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG is perhaps indicative of Gold's work: it is expert, often elegant, but it does not survive well when abstracted from the film...Read more

If you like German military marches and folk music, this will be an excellent collection for you.