Search - Pino Donaggio :: Carrie [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

The Greatest Musical Score Ever!

G. Gustafson | 05/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I know this is just an opinion, but I firmly believe that "Carrie" has the greatest musical score of all time. Yes, all time. I know there are lots of other movies with supposedly great music, but I don't think any movie has had as effective a score as "Carrie." "Carrie" is my number one favorite movie, a brilliant commentary on high school and society and religion and revenge, with brilliant direction from Brian De Palma and Acadamy Award worthy acting from all involved. It's really similiar to an opera in many ways, because in between the moment where they announce the King and Queen of the prom and the moment where Carrie hugs her mother, there is no dialogue, really, just music and inaudible noise as everyone panics (unless you count Carrie's mother's voice saying "They're All Gonna Laugh At You!"), and the music perfectly describes the emotion of Carrie. It is so effective. There are countless scenes in the movie where the music takes it to a whole new level, adding more emotion and feeling. The slow motion walk up to the stage is the most effective piece in the whole film, as the music alternates between peaceful and happy to evil and frightening and back again, then building slowly as Sue sees what's going on. Pino Donnagio is a genius, and the music is unfogettable. This album also includes some wonderful songs from the film, including "I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me," from Katie, Amy Irving's sister. It's an incredibly romantic song. This album is fantastic, and I urge you to pick it up and become engrossed in the operatic beauty of Pino Donnagio's musical score for the greatest movie of all time, "Carrie.""

Sentimental, haunting score in the vein of Herrmann, and dis

L. S. Slaughter | Chapel Hill, NC | 08/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've always loved Pino Donaggio's music since I heard the score for his maiden "Dont' Look Now" (1973), which remains my favorite tour of melancholic mind-states (and an incredible film about guilt, memory, projection and quauntuum physics... and strange blind psychics!).



Pino's score for "Carrie" followed in '76 and is as responsible for the success of that odd, wild film as any other element.



Donaggio captured with great lyricism the repressed feelings of romantic longing - and pure rage - that Carrie White kept hidden from her nutcase, born-again Mother, played so brilliantly by Piper Laurie. His Italianate-Venetian sensibility was wedded wonderfully to DePalma's operatic excesses, in full swing in the Seventies' craziest, well-scripted, well-acted USA horror film (before teenagers would come to ruin the genre in the 80s and 90s and on with sadistic snuff stuff like the Saw and the Chainsaw franchises).



To answer the quibbles below, Ryko and Varese include a repeat of Track One because, contrary to a prior reviewer, the exact same repetition recurs in the film. "Sue's Dream" is NOT the same as Track 1. Track 1 "Theme for Carrie" is repeated exactly in the End Credits when the screen goes black. So, there. The producers were just trying to replicate the experience of the movie and its original soundtrack. DePalma did exactly the same thing with Donaggio's Main Theme for DRESSED TO KILL in the film (another fine score of Herrmannic excesses).



This score has aged well, and it's nice to hear melody in a film score, as the current trend is ambience, and atonal slush and effects.



Katie Irving's "I Never Dreamed..." with music by Donaggio, is one of the loveliest Country ballads in memory. Perhaps a bit breathy, but sweet, and gorgeously orchestrated.



My only gripe: the new varese picture cover is awful. The Original United Artists LP cover was fine. This is lurid and cheapens the film and the score.



"It has nothin' to do with Satan's power, Momma! Somtimes if I concentrate hard enough I can MOVE things!!!" Go, girl!



"

Brilliant Soundtrack

G. Gustafson | Dallas, Tx | 05/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've looked off and on since the late 70s for the soundtrack to this movie. I never actually knew one existed -- I just could never believe that one DIDN'T! Although the movie "Carrie" is an excellent production, it NEVER would have had the impact without the BRILLIANT musical score of this soundtrack. It's ironic that after many years of looking for this this soundtrack on vinyl, I stumbled across it by accident on cd. If you're a fan of the movie "Carrie", you will LOVE this cd!"