Press Release from Dragon's Domain:
Dragon’s Domain Records presents the original soundtrack to THE NIGHT DIGGER, featuring music composed by Bernard Herrmann (CITIZEN KANE, PSYCHO, TAXI DRIVER) for the 1971 psychological thriller directed by Alastair Reid (BABY LOVE, NOSTROMO), written by Roald Dahl and Jay Cowley, starring Patricia Neal, Pamela Brown, Nicholas Clay, Jean Anderson, Graham Crowden, Yootha Joyce and Peter Sallis.
Released in 1971, THE NIGHT DIGGER follows spinster Maura Prince (Neal) as her dreary existence taking care of her elderly mother, Edith (Brown) is interrupted by the arrival of young handyman Billy Jarvis (Clay), who awakens something unexpected in her. But there is far more to Billy than meets the eye as Maura is about to discover...
Bernard Herrmann is one of the greatest composers of motion picture music in the twentieth century. He is considered the man behind some of the most original and distinctive film scores. He was a master at evoking psychological and dramatic tension in his music to suit the dramatic needs of a film. He won his only Oscar in 1947 for writing the score for THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER. Herrmann made a powerful mark in radio and in 1934 he began a 25-year career as a conductor and composer in radio, working for the CBS. In 1938, he scored the notorious infamous presentation of Orson Welles’ Halloween production of H. G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast. He is best remembered for his collaborations with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated film directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese and Brian DePalma. Described as a perfectionist, he believed that most directors didn't have a clue about music so he would blithely ignore their instructions. His filmography includes CITIZEN KANE, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, PSYCHO, VERTIGO, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, CAPE FEAR, FAHRENHEIT 451, OBSESSION, TAXI DRIVER and many hours of episodic television including THE TWILIGHT ZONE and HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, among others.
Originally released on compact disc in 1994, Dragon’s Domain Records is excited to bring THE NIGHT DIGGER back to the marketplace, featuring music composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann, performed by Sessions Of London, newly remastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. THE NIGHT DIGGER features a specially reconstructed presentation assembled from the available elements of the music. The booklet includes the original liner notes written by John Steven Lasher for the album.
