BOY ON A DOLPHIN

HUGO FRIEDHOFER

Rating:

Original Review by Clark Douglas: For many years, composer Hugo Friedhofer was one of the most criminally overlooked Golden Age composers. However, it seems that this trend is finally starting to change. Record labels such as Intrada and Film Score Monthly have released a steady trickle of Friedhofer scores over the past few years. As listeners have slowly discovered titles like “Woman Obsessed”, “In Love and War”, “The Barbarian and the Geisha”, “The Bravados”, “Seven Cities of Gold”, “Between Heaven and Hell”, “The Revolt of Mamie Stover” and others, they have come to recognize Friedhofer's genius.

In September of 2008, Intrada announced a limited-to-1500 release of Friedhofer's score for “Boy on a Dolphin”, and the CD sold out within a week. It's hard to imagine that happening a few years ago, but I'm glad that the composer has reached such a considerable level of popularity among film music fans (though I do pity future collectors who may want a copy of this score). The release certainly deserved to sell out as quickly as it did, as it is one of the real gems of Friedhofer's career and one of Intrada's best releases of the year.

“Boy on a Dolphin” is an lush and exotic outing that is sure to be a hypnotic listening experience for those who were fortunate enough to land a copy. Friedhofer lets Eastern-influenced ideas set the tone for the score, opening with a piece of music that sounds quite a bit like the sort of thing Jerry Goldsmith would provide for “Justine” a decade or so later. The opening music conjures up images of Greece and Egypt, with maybe a dash of Miklos Rozsa's biblical harmonies thrown in for good measure. From there, Friedhofer segues into his somewhat more traditional main theme, a song called “Boy on a Dolphin”. The lyrics are rather silly, but the melody is so lovely and heartfelt that one can't help but adore it. The theme is a bit more of a traditional Hollywood romantic piece, but with little dollops of Eastern flavor sprinkled around the edges.

Friedhofer introduces the score's knockout element in his second cue, “Phaedra Finds the Boy”. The gorgeous soprano voice of Marni Nixon swoops in theatrically, surrounded by a bed of lush and atmospheric “underwater music”... aching strings, gentle harp strummings, shimmering chimes... it's tremendous stuff. Even better is “Nocturnal Sea”, a six-minute meditation on this material that must surely be considered among the greatest cues of Friedhofer's career.

Though the two aforementioned cues are the strongest moments, the entire album is loaded down with good music. The middle eastern atmosphere and variations on the main theme tend to dominate here. There's a nice Rota-esque take on the main theme in the source cue “The Cafe”, and a delightful Greek dance that can be heard in “Street Music”. Those who love romantic film music will find be in heaven when they hear “Love Scene”, which milks every last drop of beauty out of that main theme. Things conclude nicely in the “End Title”, which features some attractive choral material and a final performance of the song.

If you missed out on the album, I really do feel sorry for you. If you can find a copy at a reasonable price... or even an unreasonable price... this is a score well worth picking up. This is a really gorgeous listening experience; one that truly does transport the listener to another place. It's a must for any fan of golden age film music, and would serve as a very fine introduction to Friedhofer for film music fans curious to know what all the fuss is about. Highly recommended.

Track Listing: Running Time: 53 minutes 45 seconds

Intrada Special Edition Vol.78 (1957/2008)

Music composed by Hugo Friedhofer. Conducted by Lionel Newman. Performed by The 20th Century Fox Orchestra and Chorus. Orchestrations by Hugo Friedhofer and Edward B. Powell. Album produced by Douglass Fake and Nick Redman.

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