But Don Banks' jazzy side was never the most prevalent aspect in his handful of great movie scores. He really did like to let loose with his more experimental ideas. Running through the majority of his scores is hyperkinetic, swirling string work, wild and frenzied, punctuated by cymbal clashes and rolling tympani. You'll hear that in his exciting main titles for THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN and RASPUTIN.

I'd be really interested to hear how Don Banks sounds in a complete score release. THE MUMMY'S SHROUD (one of his less frenetic main titles, but still quite epic) should be out soon on GDI.

I would be interested to know the size of the orchestra used by Hammer, obviously the choir is of no Ben-Hur proportions but is very effectively used.

As for the picture, it is graced with an exceptional and moving performance from Michael Ripper as Longbarrow.

So much music, so little time!!

Gae

Regarding the size of the orchestras on those Hammer films, before the first QUATERMASS they tended to be scored for only eighteen instrumentalists. With the success of CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, the music budgets got bigger, but only in the sense that they allowed, on average, thirty-five players. Carlo Martelli, in his liner notes for GDI's CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB, recalls that the budget allowed him the luxury of some fifty players, with a large brass section to beef up the sound even more (Randall Larson says that it was seventy-two players, with "a large string section"). And John Cacavas, on THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA, had seventy-five instrumentalists.

I don't know what the size of the orchestra was on Don Banks' THE MUMMY'S SHROUD, but it probably sounded bigger than it actually was. Apparently, music directors Philip Martell (and John Hollingsworth before him), really knew how to combine instruments in order to make the most noise.

Gae