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The soundtrack cover that never was and the Mancini compilation that includes the Main Title
I've recently written about the mother-daughter movie genre (read it HERE) in anticipation of hosting
my third annual edition of
Mother's Day with Mommie Dearest screening event.  That means that I have
the distinct pleasure of watching this 1981 camp masterpiece with a group of like minded camp film
enthusiasts, always a bonus.  But the movie - like many camp movies, in addition to being
unintentionally hilarious, is not just over the top because of Faye Dunaway's performance but also
because of the over the top, glorious costume designs of Irene Sharaff and the luxurious,
emotionally rich and somewhat ominous theme music that Henry Mancini wrote for the film.  This
theme - which announces itself at the inventive opening of the movie (in which we see Faye/Joan
getting up at 4am and preparing herself for the cameras) - is used in subtle variations throughout
the film by Mancini.  It's a string heavy theme, suitable for the melodrama that unfolds in front of
our eyes with just enough brass to give it flavor.

Mancini included the Main Title on the now out of print but highly recommended compilation
"Mancini
Surround" that also includes his really cool theme music for the otherwise forgettable horror flick
Nightwing.  And the rest of Mommie Dearest score?  Still officially unavailable but canny soundtrack
enthusiasts will be able to search the web and find a copy of the complete score (and perhaps the
artwork shown above) as I did.  It's a very subtle score, almost all of a piece at nearly 30 minutes
and well worth hunting down.

Until the official release arrives, either of these options are worth tracking down.
More Reviews,
Essays,
Interviews, and
DVD
Recommendations
in the Archives
More soundtrack recommendations in the 2004-2009 ARCHIVES