I've just reviewed an 'unmentionable' Lp from the dark past which purports to have the soundtrack score from Tiomkin's 'Town Without Pity'. I don't have a copy of the film nearby to confirm - but is this really Tiomkin's score?!? It's so - minimal. Mainly a small jazz orchestra doing really pared down stuff which sounds so absolutely uncharacteristic of him. If this really is his score then it's good fuel for the fire of the maestro of tuneful tumult (which I love - like Tchaikovsky Meets Charles Ives) being even more capable, diverse and capable of serious restraint than previously thought!
I've mentioned this in another thread many moons ago--TOWN WITHOUT PITY is the one Tiomkin score that is a total wipeout for me. (Of course, there are many here who I know are probably saying that all his scores are total wipeouts.) I love Tiomkin, even at his most obtrusive, but this score just never connects with the film. Admittedly, the film itself is a grim and unappealing tale that couldn't have inspired much from the composer. Perhaps there is a much more typical Tiomkin effort that was dumped in favor of replays of the theme.
I have a certain nostalgia for the song but when I finally caught up with this "Cinema Sounds" unmentionable, I could only wish that whoever put it out had filled both sides with NIGHT PASSAGE instead of the paltry bit they did include on the "B-side" of the LP.
I love how the song creates a timeless shared moment between the characters and audience right at the start of the film. The army guys play it on the jukebox in their usual bar/brothel, and all lean back in a kind of revery. It's what would normally be an intimate, romantic moment between lovers, but the content is in many ways the opposite. Good movie and acting, and a grim story well worth telling.
When John Barry whips out a very similar theme for 'The Humn Jungle' a little later, it's applauded (rightly). It's just not what some expect from Dimi, but it was contemporary, and probably highly influential.
Back to Bob's question, was it definitely Tiomkin? Wouldnt be the first time a soundtrack was attributed to someone as part of their contract rather than the reality.
I've not seen the picture. Kirk Douglas back in military court regalia - the subject matter looks particularly uncompromising for it's time. Too bad I won't be seeing it in a hurry.
If I'd been presented that music without identification, I'd be completely nonplussed. Come to think of it, I still am.
Am I remembering this correctly when I say that Bruce Kimmel said some years ago that he was interested in releasing this score but that it was "already spoken for by another label who were working on it" or words to that affect? Apologies if I am wrong about this. Anyway, it was certainly more than a few years ago. It would be a definite purchase for me if it ever emerges on CD.
