| | Cleopatra Soundtrack CD (2 Customer Reviews)
Original score composed by Alex North.
Producer: Nick Redman.
Reissue producer: Lukas Kendall.
Includes liner notes by Robert Townson & Jeff Bond.
Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch (DigiPrep, Hollywood, California).
Liner Note Author: Robert Townson.
Recording information: 1963.
Photographer: Richard Green.
The deluxe CD package on Varese Sarabande (all two and a half hours) is always the first recommendation for this classic soundtrack, but budget-minded film-music buffs will still find plenty of pleasures on this, the original LP release. Readily found in top-quality used bins, Alex North's imposing but always intriguing backdrop to the 1963 Liz Taylor vehicle mixes its measured bombast with plenty of methodical mystery (dark, tomb-issue gems like "A Gift for Caesar" and "Taste of Death"), snake-charmer kitsch ("Caesar's Assassination"), and sweeping romanticism ("Dying Is Less the Love"). North executes each of these moods with the taste and restraint of the best soundtrack composers, dropping in enough left turns to keep even the more progressive listeners enthralled. That trip to Egypt on wax is just waiting on your needle to drop. ~ Stephen Cook
Alex North's epic score to the costly 1963 Elizabeth Taylor epic film receives the royal treatment in this rewarding release, the first time the original soundtrack has been made available on CD. North's score is laden with passages of sheer orchestral brilliance, from the initial overture all the way to the exit music. The sound quality is warm and crisp, remarkable for a score from this period. Some of the dissonances and more modern compositional techniques displayed here may serve to distance the more casual listener, but repeated exposure will remedy any hesitation. This two-CD set grows richer with every listen. With generous liner notes from Robert Townson and Jeff Bond, this release is truly a classic, with much to offer the serious film music lover. ~ Neil Shurley
Composed By:Alex North 2 Cds
Cleopatra Soundtrack Music Cleopatra Soundtrack Music Review Average Rating: (4.5 out of 5 stars)   A Masterpiece Score - Restored and Remastered!
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the film's director, was so delighted with Alex North's brilliant score for the mammoth $44 million, 4+ hour production that he made the unusual gesture (for him) of contributing extensive liner notes for the 1963 Original Soundtrack Album. These notes provide a valuable elucidation of many points in Mankiewicz's conception of "Cleopatra" that are unrealized in the version of the film that was released. Ironically, it was Mankiewicz's son Christopher who recommended North after his enthusiasm for his great score for "Spartacus" (1960). One of the film's nine Academy Award nominations went to North for the score (that year, the Academy nominations for Best Music Score included the epic films "55 Days at Peking", "How the West Was Won" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" - all losing to John Addison's lightweight score from "Tom Jones").
Nevertheless, North is at the top of his form with this exciting, haunting and romantic masterpiece score that can proudly stand beside his very best work, including his stunning achievements with "A Streetcar Named Desire", "The Bad Seed", "Spartacus", "The Misfits", "The Agony and the Ecstasy", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "The Shoes of the Fisherman", "Bite the Bullet" and "Dragonslayer".
Submitted by filmfactsman (Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful.
 Alex North at his best
Alex North pushed the boundaries of epic movie music by connecting modern audiences with the "feel" of the ancient world. Beyond music, North creativly utilizes an orchestra in some of the most intelligent "layering" of instruments motifs and themes that form complex combinations of emotions. A love theme underscored with battle, a triumphant march underscored with tragedy, hope underscored with evil - are examples of the achievements of Alex North. Cleopatra is full of complex ancient colors and ultimate hollywood spectacle. It will take many listens to wrap my ears around this incredible and evocative pallet of sound.
Submitted by augwolf (Walnut Creek, CA) 
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