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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. |