Soundtrack
- Miklós Rózsa’s Oscar-winning score is one of Hitchcock’s very best
- But his original recordings have never been issued outside of the film
- Massive publicity boost came with specially-recorded radio transcription disc
- The composer then adapted and re-recorded a 25-minute suite for public release
Note: this is part of an ongoing series of 150-odd Hitchcock articles; any dead links are to those not yet published. Subscribe to the email list to be notified when new ones appear.
Spellbound: Writing on a Classic; Making of a Masterpiece; Collectors Guide, Pt 2: Home video, 3: Soundtrack, 4: Re-recordings, 5: Concerto
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US one sheet poster; three sheet, 24 sheet
Contents
Soundtrack
Jewish-Hungarian émigré Miklós Rózsa’s stirring, experimental opus is probably the best known of all Hitch scores not written by Bernard Herrmann who – incidentally, and thankfully – had already passed on the project. In fact, I’d pronounce it the second most recognisable after Psycho. It garnered Rózsa his second of three Oscars and saw him in competition with himself as he was also nominated that same year for A Song to Remember and The Lost Weekend, the latter also much plundered for suites. The popularity of Spellbound’s score has been boosted exponentially by its many incarnations and recordings as single and double piano concertos, concert suites, highlights, themes and even pop songs!
- TTP LP The Lost Weekend (197-) Paramount Studio Orchestra cond. Rózsa (33:00)
- RCA LP/CD/SACD/MP3 Spellbound: The Classic Film Scores of MR (1974) National Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Charles Gerhardt (9:45), also in…
- Sony 12-CD/MP3 Charles Gerhardt Conducts Classic Film Scores (2020) – superb; review
- Intrada CD The Lost Weekend (2015) Paramount Studio Orchestra cond. Irvin Talbot (67:02) review
- Koch CD Miklós Rózsa (1997) New Zealand Symphony Orchestra cond. James Sedares (23:36)
Bootlegs: Él/Cherry Red CD/rear, Red Bitch Music MP3
But one person who apparently was not a fan was Hitch, as he felt Rózsa’s score overshadowed his film, both onscreen and off it. In fact, the composer and director only ever met once, at the outset; likewise with Rózsa and Selznick on this particular project, though the producer sent his infamous amphetamine-fuelled flurry of memos and instructions throughout. Selznick apparently wasn’t a fan of the score either, though he was a huge fan of the massive profits both it and the film generated. All of which would explain why the Too Fast cue from Franz Waxman’s Oscar-nominated score for Suspicion and its nail-biting climax was reused, uncredited, for Spellbound’s similarly tense ending.

Miklós Rózsa being presented with his Oscar for Spellbound by Ginger Rogers at the 1946 Academy Awards; another
Miklós Rózsa: 1972 Lecture in London/Part 2 | 1976 interview | 1984 Desert Island Discs | 1987 interview
None – not a single one – of Spellbound’s original score recordings have ever been issued separately and they almost certainly, along with those for the other four Hitch-Selznick films, no longer exist. But in this case it appears the mixed-down isolated music and effects track doesn’t survive either, as there’s one on each of the other three films’ restored US BDs and DVDs but it’s absent here. Such blended tracks were specially produced by studios to facilitate dubbing in foreign markets. The bottom line is that the only way to hear the original score is to watch the film itself.
- The Selznick Studio, Spellbound and the Marketing of Film Music – Kyle Barnett
- Hitchcock’s Music (2006) – Jack Sullivan | interview, podcast, video | review/#2/#3/#4
There are some great summations of Rózsa’s score with one of them to be found in Hitchcock’s Music (2006), easily the best overview to date of the Master’s entire talkie career. But its author does make a few unfortunate and easily avoidable errors. For example, in the chapter for Spellbound he mentions “Salvador Dalí’s doors opening to infinity…” Wrong: they were actually Selznick’s idea; Dalí only worked on the famed dream sequence.
- Nathan Platte: Making Music in Selznick’s Hollywood (2018) book site, review/#2
- Music for Spellbound: A Contested Collaboration/alt
- Musical Collaboration in the Films of David O. Selznick, 1932–1957
- Conducting the Composer: Selznick and the Hollywood Film Score in Music, Sound and Filmmakers (2012)
- Miklós Rózsa: A Sketch of His Life and Work (1975) – Christopher Palmer
- Miklós Rózsa: Double Life (1982/1984/1989) – ed. Palmer
- Miklós Rózsa: Una vida, dos pasiones (2015) – Antonio Piñera García
- The Film Music of Miklós Rózsa, Parts 1-2/Part 3/supplement
- Fathers of Film Music: Miklós Rózsa – Craig Lysy/alt
Surprisingly, despite his incredibly successful career, so far the only documentary dedicated to the composer is Miklós Rózsa: Maestro of the Movies (2007, 30:11). It was made to commemorate the centenary of his birth and appears exclusively on these special editions of El Cid (1961), the third of Rózsa’s trilogy of historical epics following Ben-Hur (1959) and King of Kings (1961).
- US: Genius 2-DVD/ltd ed and 3-DVD (2008)
- UK: Anchor Bay 2-DVD (2009) and 2-BD (2011)
- Germany: Koch 2-DVD and BD (2009, reissued 2012)
- Australia: Genius 2-DVD (2008)
1993 re-release trailer | Trailers from Hell
1945 recordings
Unknown to his über-producer boss, the Selznick studio’s director of radio advertising and promotion, Ted Wick, asked Rózsa to record a discrete patchwork of the primary themes during the film soundtrack scoring sessions that could be excerpted for airplay. The 13-minute “Spellbound Transcription” was sent out to radio stations, precipitated by a similar transcription disc for Selznick’s Since You Went Away which had proved extremely popular and was invaluable in advertising the film. These single-sided, 16″, 33⅓rpm records are now extremely rare; here’s one on eBay (archived). Parts of the “Spellbound Transcription” were also edited into ad hoc overture and exit passages for the film’s première but rightly dropped from theatrical prints. Unfortunately, their existence caused some confusion years later and in America they’ve been mistakenly added to some home video releases. Here’s the “Spellbound Transcription”:
Creating the Movie Music Album – Ted Wick
Shortly thereafter, due to the overwhelmingly positive public response to his score, Rózsa recorded a longer eight-part, 25-minute concert suite intended for live performances. The final, specially re-written piece, known as the “Finale” or “Spellbound Concerto“, is the first version of one of his most famous works, which was published as bestselling sheet music and has since entered the popular repertoire. For its late 1945 recording, Rózsa conducted the Victor Symphony Orchestra with Rack Godwin and Edie Griffith on twin pianos, while theremin exponent Samuel Hoffman reprised his film soundtrack performance.
Not just a sci-fi gimmick: The serious side of the theremin – Allan Campbell
It was released in a boxed set of four 10″, 78rpm shellac discs by the American Recording Artists (ARA) record label, and came with Hitch and Selznick’s official seal of approval. Selznick was hoping to replicate the recent sales and airplay success of Rózsa’s Oscar-nominated adapted score for his studio’s hit 1942 film. The Jungle Book Suite for narrator and orchestra featuring Sabu, the film’s mononymous star, was the first film soundtrack to be sold commercially. It was an inspired combination: Kipling’s evocative poetry beautifully underscored by Rózsa conducting the Victor Symphony Orchestra. The six-part, 28-minute work came in a three-disc box set, was enormously profitable and variations of it have been recorded several more times since. It has various kosher reissues, detailed below, but is also much bootlegged, with the most common being a Sound/Stage LP (rear) and Él/Cherry Red CD/MP3 (rear).

1945 Ara Records 78rpm box set
A1: Prelude
This is the music which introduces Spellbound to the screen, and which underscores the opening sequences of the picture. It begins with a dramatic statement of the main love-theme by the full orchestra, followed by a secondary theme played by the French horn. Eudice Shapiro’s solo violin serves as a haunting conclusion to the piece.
A2: The Subconscious
This is the music for the famous Salvador Deli Dream Sequence; a weird assortment of seemingly meaningless and fantastic images conjured by the subconscious mind of the amnesia victim “J. B.” The basic theme is introduced by high flutes in unison set against a recurring “tempo” motif by the celeste. Variations of this theme are taken up by the other sections and the movement closes with a repetition of the “tempo” motif against a theremin solo.
A3: Dementia
This paranoiac theme expresses the feelings of an amnesia victim (played by Gregory Peck) for whom the color “white” plays an important role in this Freudian complex. The sight of various white objects causes his subconscious mind to compel acts for which he is not responsible. The theme, played by the woodwinds, is set against a constantly recurring background by the harp, a string pizzicato and the eerie sound of a theremin; the fascinating electronic instrument played by hand motions toward. and away from a metal rod. This was the first time the instrument had been used in a motion picture score supported by a full orchestra.
A4: Terror on the Ski Run
The opening depicts, in broad strokes by the violin sections, the terror and fear in the hearts of both lovers as the ascent to the mountain top is made. There follows the wild surging of the “Ski Run” theme, depicting the two skiers descent down the mountainside. The violins and woodwinds depict the start of the descent, while the “white” motif appears menacingly in the brass, growing to an exciting climax.

1945 Ara Records box set inner flap
B1: Scherzo
This delightful scherzo interrupts the lyrical mood and is used during the first meeting of Dr. Peterson and “J. B.” and later during the picnic sequence. This cheerful melody is tossed lightly back and forth between the flute and string sections, followed by a transition to the secondary scherzo motif. The flutes introduce this second theme and it is elaborated upon by the string sections, finally giving way to a repetition of the first scherzo theme.
B2: Love Theme (Part 1)
B3: Love Theme (Part 2)
The love theme considered by many to be one of the first ever written for a motion picture. It depicts the great strength and depth of love between Dr. Peterson (played by Ingrid Bergman) and her patient “J. B.” (played by Gregory Peck). The movement opens with a statement of the theme by the violas, which is developed to a surging peak and continues, first as a violin solo and then by the string sections. There follows a secondary love theme of a more reflective and tender quality, depicting Dr. Peterson’s transition from the cold analytical impersonality of a doctor, to the warm, tender and feminine qualities of a woman in love. This theme is played by the string section with an answering counterpoint by the woodwinds. The Love Theme concludes in a pensive and nostalgic mood played by solo violin with a background of muted strings.
B4: Finale / Spellbound Concerto
The album concludes with a brilliant recapitulation of the dominant love motif played by two pianos and the full orchestra in concerto form. Over the years this has joined the repertoire of the “popular” classics, and is identified with the picture as few other themes are. – ARA and REM albums
Psychologists tell us that the basic mental emotions in the new-born child are primarily caused by sound. Fear, for example, first manifests itself as the result of sound which is unfamiliar or startling. The growing importance of Music in Motion Pictures, therefore, cannot be overestimated, for through the medium of sound, the intelligent composer has a device by means of which he can actually create within the hearer some of the emotion visible on the screen. I believe that those who see Spellbound will agree that Miklós Rózsa has composed a score which utilizes the medium of auditory appeal to an extraordinarily high degree of effectiveness. – Hitchcock, ARA album
US LP (rear)
In early 1946, the first of what were to be almost countless recorded versions of Spellbound appeared, by Ray Bloch and His Orchestra, and Al Goodman and His Orchestra (MP3). The latter in particular saw great success; however, financial lightning striking twice for Rózsa’s own recording of the Spellbound Concerto was not to be. ARA records proved to be a short-lived cowboy outfit run by Boris and Richard Morros, a father and son pair of fraudsters and money launderers. Before long they were being investigated by the IRS; sued by various litigants including Vanguard, Selznick’s production company; and filing for bankruptcy. Eventually, Boris had to help dig himself out of the hole by turning informant for the FBI. But prior to all that, ARA failed to press or distribute anything like the quantity of Spellbound sets they’d been contracted for, and withheld the master discs from Vanguard. What’s more, according to legal documents at least 10,000 sets, perhaps over half of those that were sold, were returned due to poor audio quality resulting from cheap manufacturing.
Without Selznick or Rózsa’s knowledge, the Spellbound Suite masters were then snapped up in ARA’s bankruptcy sale by another shyster, Maurice Rapaport. He wasted no time in releasing them on a 33⅓rpm 10″ LP circa 1950 via his own nascent label REM Records where, he claimed, they pretty much died a death. Whatever they actually sold, Rapaport didn’t pay a dime to Vanguard and was unsurprisingly jailed for bootlegging MGM soundtracks. Other than a 10″ LP from Canadian label Solitaire in the early 1950s, also possibly a bootleg, the Spellbound Suite wasn’t properly resurrected until decades later via the following:
- AEI LP FW and MR Conduct Selections from Their Scores for TPC and Spellbound (1979) w/The Paradine Case
- Label X CD Professor Theremin’s Amazing Ether Wave Marvel (2008) – missing Concerto cue
- RDM Edition CD The Paradine Case and Spellbound (2013)
- Milan 2-CD–alt/MP3 Hitchcock and His Music (2013) – missing Dementia cue
Bootlegs: Germany (FonoTeam CD, w/boot BD), Holland (Factory of Sounds 3-CD and 2-CD/rear), Spain (Calle Mayor CD/rear).

Everyone gets birthday cake on a Hitchcock set: Hitch, Rita Hayworth Ingrid Bergman (b. 29.8.1915) and Rhonda Fleming during the shooting of Spellbound, which took place from July–September 1944.
Lastly, all the aforementioned recordings, namely the Spellbound excerpts/transcription disc, the Spellbound Suite and The Jungle Book Suite, have also been issued on a quartet of compilations. But the first of them was simply copied for the second two and like every other reissue jumbles up the original 1945 box set’s running order. However, the ne plus ultra is the latest MP3-only official release from classical reissue specialists Naxos with the correct track sequence, fully restored and in higher quality than anything preceding it. Rózsa’s original recordings will never sound as dynamic as the many more modern renditions but this, the only truly legitimate reissue to date, is by far the best way to hear them.
- Flapper CD The Film Music of MR (1996) review, reissued as…
- History 2-CD/MP3 Movie Box Vol. 3 (1999) w/Shirley Temple: Little Miss Wonderful
- Membran CD/MP3 The Film Music of MR (2004)
- Naxos MP3 Miklós Rózsa Conducts Miklós Rózsa/alt (2013; 13:18/24:43/27:55)
Here’s Hoffman’s 1929 theremin used for the film:
Spellbound: Writing on a Classic; Making of a Masterpiece; Collectors Guide, Pt 2: Home video, 3: Soundtrack, 4: Re-recordings, 5: Concerto
Related articles
This is part of a unique, in-depth series of 150-odd Hitchcock articles.