Turns out repurposing Bernard Herrmann's score from the original Cape Fear (1962) for this 1991 remake was a splendid idea.
"The only reason the Herrmann thing worked is, in a curious way - don't ask me why - the score that Bennie wrote is much more appropriate for this film," the late Elmer Bernstein said in an interview quoted in Jeff Bond's liner notes for this release from Quartet Records. "I think he was the best creator on that [earlier] project, and he saw something in the film that wasn't there - but it's there now."
Herrmann favored writing his scores in segments that he could shuffle and piece together as needed. This allowed Bernstein to breakdown Herrmann's compositions and restructure them for the new film. Bernstein only needed to add some six minutes of original material.
Some of that 'original material' is taken from Herrmann's rejected score for Torn Curtain (1966) and is used to underscore a fight scene. "Herrmann's pounding timpani and rising brass cords are used here for almost the same circumstances," Bond explains in his liner notes. "A person being strangled."
The rejected Torn Curtain score is also used to underplay when a houseboat smashes against some rocks and breaks apart.
For over thirty years I had the original soundtrack album that was released back in 1991, or so. No complaints about it, but I am really happy to have made this particular upgrade. It's nice to have the complete score for this one.
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