Released by Special Arrangement with Turner Classic Movies Music

The mid-1950s were Miklós Rózsa's "historical" years, during which he provided superb scores for M-G-M's costume dramas and adventures including All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953), Knights of the Round Table (1953, FSMCD Vol. 6, No. 7), Tribute to a Bad Man (1956, FSMCD Vol. 5, No. 19), Diane (1956) and Lust for Life (1956, FSMCD Vol. 5, No.1). The studio's 1955 Moonfleet was in many ways a routine swashbuckler starring Stewart Granger, but also a unique film directed by the legendary German expressionist, Fritz Lang.

Moonfleet—set in 1757 Dorsetshire—follows an orphaned boy (Jon Whitely), who is placed in the custody of a cultured rogue (Granger) only to find his would-be caretaker in league with smugglers. Man and boy form an unlikely bond in pursuit of a legendary diamond from the boy's family, and eventually the scoundrel is rehabilitated in his concern for the youth, though not until after a treacherous journey dotted by character actors such as George Sanders, Joan Greenwood, John Hoyt, Jack Elam and Alan Napier.

The real star, however, was behind the camera: Lang turned the generic tale into an impressive series of visual strokes, from gothic backdrops to ghoulish imagery. The director had departed the picture by the time his "old friend" Miklós Rózsa arrived to do the music (Rózsa reported to producer John Houseman), but Rózsa responded with a melodic score driven by a soaring seascape evoking the British Isles, one of his loveliest themes. As was typical for Rózsa, he also provided a wealth of secondary themes—for the film's menacing smugglers, the mysterious bonds between man and boy, the frequent moments of shock and fright, and more—and setpieces for dynamic action as well as haunting reflection.

FSM's premiere CD of Moonfleet features the complete score in stereo from the original 35mm master elements. The program features a chronological assembly of the complete underscore (46:48) followed by alternate score cues (including four alternate endings) and source cues (30:22). Liner notes are by Jeff Bond and Lukas Kendall.