Gae

This was the BLUE VELVET or TWIN PEAKS of the 40s, a film that suggested just how twisted things could be beneath the surface of rural life. It's full of Freudian symbolism from The Red House of the title (think vagina--I love all that talk in the film of "breaking open" the Red House to clear the cobwebs out--and note that when you finally discover it, the house is half submerged in water, not only coming back to the sexual angle but pointing towards the emergence of unconscious and repressed urges as well, which Robinson who reflects them will soon return to) to the woods surrounding the house, etc. There is the slight implication that Robinson and Anderson who are brother and sister are living together as man and wife. It's obvious that Robinson wants to sleep with his ward too which would be another form of incest. Add to this murder, adultery, madness, and suicide and you'll see that this is really a film noir despite all that bucolic countryside. I think it's a meaty film with a lot to consider and I think it's very well done.

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As for the score, Rozsa did a wonderful suite of it for Capitol Records and that suite is available today on an Angel CD-The Film Music of Miklos Rozsa. Gerhardt conducted the suite for his Spellbound-Classic FS of Rozsa disc and it's equally wonderful.

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I also like the original tracks for the Killers. Really good stuff. The old LP of it has terrible sound, but the music, man, its good. Some of the re-recordings of the Killers theme are quite good though. The one on the old Polydor LP is outstanding and so is the new Koch CD.

From Red House by Jimi Hendrix: "There's a red house over yonder. That's where my baby stays."

Call me irresponsible, but I'm convinced that Jimi's tune was psychedelically inspired by The Mystical Presence Of Edward G. Robinson.

First off, my girlfriend would laugh at your idea that I have blue balls since I spend a lot of time wearing her out (or just wearing her).

Secondly, it's very common practice to look at films in terms of their symbolism, and any psychological analysis means looking at films in terms of Freudian and Jungian symbolism.

I believe that a story has to work on its own merits first before you should tack on layers of message or symbols and "meaning". It's usually the case in Hollywood films that the narrative comes first and that the style, form, and symbolism is just frosting.

However, in terms of THE RED HOUSE, I hate to even use the term subtext since the "hidden" layer seems so on the surface and so obviously (at least to me) intertwined (have fun with that word) with the narrative of this particular film that to look at it as devoid of sexual reference seems silly.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar but in this case the red house is a vagina.

You may see the subtext of my analysis as a bunch of psycho-babble from a guy who doesn't get enough action and is seeing vagina in everything he looks at, but I was giving what I consider to be a serious take on this particular film.

So, in other words, go crawl back under your Rock.

Gae

Lou, those are the only two with opus numbers even in the score itself.

I don't know if you're a "jaded modern viewer," but you seem to be looking at things from a very skewed perspective rather than trying to be as objective as possible. First, the film isn't "ostensibly" a psychological thriller -- it IS a psychological thriller. That's what it tries to be and that's exactly what it is. No ostensible about it.

Second, the film wasn't supposed to keep the audience guessing, as people back in the forties were generally much more intelligent and well-read than contemporary audiences. I've read the novel as well, and it's not supposed to be a mystery from the standpoint of guessing how crazy the Robinson character might or might not be. We know early on he's VERY crazy by almost everything he says and does.

As for the acting, it is uniformly excellent throughout, with a positively STUNNING cast that includes Lon McCallister, Allene Roberts, Judith Anderson, Rory Calhoun, and Julie London, all of whom can act the pants and skirts off most of today's "stars." Roberts and McCallister in particular create one of the most realistic "young romances" seen in films of the forties and beyond.

The writing, photography, art direction, and score are also top-notch, and it's a shame that the film went PD, as I would have loved to have seen a pristine print. I think it would have added another half-star to what is already at least a three-star picture. The scene where Roberts vaguely recognizes the red house from a distance and the film stock lightens as Rozsa lets us know musically that she is having a sort of flashback is a brilliant combination of audio and visual. The film is full of such touches that show this was not meant to be just a "programmer" and did not turn out to be one.

I know that a company was working on a restoration quite a few years ago, but they might have given up on it due to the number of PD releases of the picture.

Rozsa's score is one of his very best, and the film soundtrack is far superior to any of the re-recordings. One of these days, if there is any justice in the world, somebody GOOD will re-record this entire score, as there is much music apart from the brief concert suite that deserves to be heard.

I urge any fan of great movies of the past to seek this one out. If you're not one of those people who think that modern films and modern audiences are somehow superior to past works of art and the people who enjoyed them, you will discover a real treasure of a film to savor over and over again, and NOT just because of the music.

I think everyone in the cast is superb but that Robinson & London shine the strongest. London is just a surprisingly adult and sexual force in this film. Roberts too has the perfect look to fit her character, pretty but not too pretty, innocent, rural, but also intuitive of what is going on.

If any one could ever produce a good re-record of this score right down to the use of theremin, it would be you 3M.

If I had the money and could do a "two-fer," I think I'd couple the complete score for THE MOLE PEOPLE with the complete THE RED HOUSE. The trick would be figuring out the tie-in to offer those two disparate scores on the same CD. Maybe we'd call it "Music With Sumerian and/or Rural Settings" or else "Music From Films That Didn't Star James Cagney." Sorry, but those are the only two possibilities I can think of at this time!

Or maybe I could tie together Robinson's "fate" in The Red House with the subterranean abode of the Mole People (hope I didn't spoil it for anyone...)?

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Thanks, Gae. I will give those a listen. They sound interesting. BTW, the 1933 piece he wrote, I have an old Varese LP of that and love to listen to it. Parts of that were used in the old George Reeves Superman TV series in the 50s. And what is neat is that it fits the scenes they put it in too. Usually where he is bending steel, etc. Its the accelerato part near the end. Best, J.

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Which 1933 piece is that John?

I have all the short scores and a number of sketches from THE MOLE PEOPLE hidden in a burrow in my home, so there's no problem with that one. I believe the short scores for THE RED HOUSE are in an archive, but I would imagine the problem with getting them is that unless the music was registered (not likely) and renewed (likely only if the first part is true), the music is in Public Domain by virtue of the film being PD.

This is a very technical issue, as there can be reasons for exceptions, so please don't anyone assume that a given piece of music is PD just because a film it was used in is PD, but the problem becomes when an educational archive demands that you get permission from the rightful owner so you can record the music and there IS no rightful owner -- meaning there's no owner with any rights whatsoever. Most of the people who work in music archives are incredibly ignorant about the legalities connected with the music they have in their collections. This is true from the smallest institution to the biggest. In fact, the bigger they are, often the more ignorant they are, because in addition to just being plain "wrong," they are steeped in so much red tape they couldn't fix things if they wanted to! So maybe I'd have to fly to that archive and spend a few days talking to those in power about what they can and can't do regarding copyright laws and we'd get the thing out. I don't know what condition the scores would be in, but when Rozsa was alive we saw lots of his various books, and I have a feeling it would be do-able.

So, when is everyone going to begin sending in their money so we can get this thing done?

I've got nothing against the cheezy vibrato of the theremin. But I do get annoyed when it sounds like a mosquito or a bee. Like at the beginning of a Rozsa track called The Subconscious from Spellbound.

High Flight

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I'm sorry, but face there is NO "High Flight" in THE MOLE PEOPLE. Those critters were burrowers -- they couldn't fly even if they wanted to because their blood pressure couldn't stand the height.
In the future, please stay "on target." As you can plainly see from this thread's topic: "The Red House Miklos Rozsa," we are supposed to be talking about THE MOLE PEOPLE and nothing else!

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Well I dont know about anyone else here, but I'm trapped in this "Red House" under ambush from these strange burrowing creatures. My only plan of action Brigadier is to destroy these creatures from hell by getting my squadron to a "High Flight" situation and blasting them back to where they came from using our anti-mole missiles.
There's just no other option I'm afraid!!

Gae

I also really like the Blind Flight sequence in Men of the Fighting Lady. The Polydor LP arrangement is outstanding and performed very well, but is quite different from version in the film. I like them both. The Lp version is very exciting and has great brass writing in it.