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Kritzerland has announced its latest release, and it’s another classic score from the pen of the legendary Bernard Herrmann (Psycho, Vertigo). Twentieth Century Fox’s lavish 1952 film The Snows of Kilimanjaro starred Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward and Ava Gardner under the direction of Henry King and cinematography of the renowned Leon Shamroy.  Kilimanjaro, nominated for two Academy Awards, was one of the year’s most successful movies, and yielded more memorable music from the veteran composer Herrmann.  Kritzerland promises that “Herrmann captures all moods of the story, from nostalgia to sadness to joy to romance.”  The score is pure Herrmann, with the composer-orchestrator conducting his own cues.  Though Kilimanjaro has been released on CD before as part of Varese Sarabande’s Bernard Herrmann at 20th Century Fox box set, this release marks its first stand-alone issue.  A limited edition of 1,000 copies, Kritzerland’s reissue features the complete score and one bonus track, an alternate version of the beautiful “The Memory Waltz.”  CDs will ship by the third week of February, but the label typically averages a ship date of 3-5 weeks early for those customers who pre-order.

Along with Maurice Jarre’s score to the 1992 film The Setting Sun, Intrada has raided the Walt Disney Studios vaults once more for the premiere soundtrack of 1979’s Unidentified Flying Oddball.  The score to the comedy was provided by Ron Goodwin (1925-2003), the English composer of such films as Battle of Britain and Disney’s Candleshoe (already released on CD in recent weeks by Intrada).  Oddball starred Dennis Dugan, Jim Dale, Ron Moody and Kenneth More in a tale that finds a NASA scientist (Dugan) launched into a time warp that lands him in the Camelot of King Arthur (More), Merlin (Moody) and Mordred (Dale).  For the movie loosely based on Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Goodwin provided a rousing, rhythmic adventure score.  The CD, which includes some cues that didn’t make the final edit of the picture, is presented in stereo from the original ¼-inch two-track session mixes engineered by Eric Tomlinson at Anvil Studios in 1979.  John Takis provides the new liner notes for this release!

You can pre-order The Snows of Kilimanjaro now, while Unidentified Flying Oddball is available now at Intrada and soon to arrive at Amazon.com!

Bernard Herrmann, The Snows of Kilimanjaro: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Kritzerland KR 20030-4, 2016 – previously released as part of Varese Sarabande VCL 1211 1128, 2011)

1. Overture
2. The Buzzards
3. The Lake
4. The Jungle
5. The Tent
6. Nocturne
7. The Memory Waltz
8. Sunrise
9. Adagietto
10. The Silence
11. The Fall
12. Sorrow
13. The Awakening
14. Siesta
15. First Barcarolle
16. Second Barcarolle
17. Interlude #1
18. Interlude #2
19. The Letter
20. Departure
21. Madrid
22. The Farewell
23. The River
24. The Hyena
25. Helen
26. Witch Doctor
27. The Death Watch
28. Panic
29. Finale
30. Bonus Track
31. The Memory Waltz (alternate)

Ron Goodwin, Unidentified Flying Oddball: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Intrada Special Collection ISC 143, 2016) (Intrada / Amazon U.S.)

1. Space Conference
2. Main Title
3. Take-Off is Delayed (**)
4. Journey Into Space
5. The Spaceman Meets Alisande
6. Tom Captured by Sir Mordred
7. Consternation at Camelot (*)
8. Tom Protests (*)
9. The Burning
10. Tom Finds Excalibur
11. The Sword Fight
12. Tom Chats to Sandy
13. The Joust
14. The Laser Gun
15. Tom and Sandy Foil Mordred
16. The Jet Takes Off
17. The Battle Rages
18. Victory for King Arthur
19. Tom Says Farewell to Sandy
20. We Have Lift Off/End Title

(*) includes music not featured in film
(**) cue not featured in film