Pharaoh's Curse [Original Score] (1957)

Description:

Pharaoh's Curse [Original Score] (1957) Composed by Les Baxter (1922-1996) Tracklisting: 1. [00:00] Main Title 2. [01:36] On the Way 3. [03:03] Strange Events 4. [06:12] The Prophecy 5. [07:47] Across the Desert 6. [10:40] Inside the Ruins 7. [13:32] Discovery & Destruction 8. [17:03] End Titles 9. [17:36] Tony Martinez & his Mambo Combo 10. [20:16] Trailer Score 11. [21:13] Suite Directed by Lee Sholem (1913-2000) from a story and screenplay by Richard H. Landau (1914-1993), this low budget American horror film benefits from a decent cast that includes Israeli actress Ziva Rodann (who appeared in a number of Hollywood films and made numerous guest appearances on popular television shows throughout the 1950's and 1960's), Uruguayan actor Alvaro Guillot (1931-2010), English actor Ben Wright (1915-1989), prolific television actress Diane Brewster (1931-1991), character actor George N. Neise (1917-1996), film and television actor Mark Dana (1920-2015), and esteemed English film, stage, and television actor Terence De Marney (1908-1971), who was also a theatre director and writer. Beginning with the 1949 film 'Tarzan's Magic Fountain, Lee Sholem (nicknamed 'Roll 'em Sholem) apparently amassed over a thousand film and television productions during his forty-year career without ever going over schedule or budget, a feat unparalleled in Hollywood history. Shot in just six days with California's Death Valley standing in for Egypt, 'Pharaoh's Curse is a great example of Sholem's meticulous attention to detail and is an engaging outing for fans of vintage horror cinema. Though it has a predictability, the film refreshingly attempts to deviate from the typical mummy narrative by introducing a monster with vampiric touches, unraveling a series of supernatural events. It also contains some commendable cinematography and set designs that effectively convey an atmosphere of isolation and claustrophobia, whilst the cast all appear to take their roles seriously, lending the film an authenticity that's notably absent from many other low-budget films from the era. Though certainly not his greatest work, the film is further complemented by Les Baxter's short but effective score which includes a nifty jazz track from Tony Martinez (1920-2002), a Puerto Rican actor, singer and multi-instrumentalist who made his mark with several jazzy mambo records during the 1950's and 1960's. Martinez and his band also performed on the 1956 musical 'Rock around the Clock, and from 1957 to 1963 he portrayed ranch foreman Pepino Garcia on the popular sitcom 'The Real McCoys. A leading figure in the history of exotica (his groundbreaking 1951 'Ritual of the Savage is still cited as one of the most influential exotica albums of all time) Baxter was no stranger to horror films, having composed music for 'Voodoo Island (1957), Roger Corman's 'Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, the AIP version of Bava's 'Black Sabbath (1963), and 'The Dunwich Horror (1970). He also composed the score for the 1970 horror film 'Cry of the Banshee after AIP rejected the original score, composed by Wilfred Josephs (1927-1997). This video is for promotional use only. I do not own the rights to the music. All rights belong to the artist / band.