October 29, 2019
Japan’s Cinema-KAN label offers expanded soundtrack from Toho’s MADAME WHITE SNAKE
The premiere release of the complete original soundtrack from classic Toho’s first “Tokusatsu” romance film, MADAME WHITE SNAKE (1956), will be released on December 18 in Japan. The album features the score by composer Ikuma Dan (SAMURAI TRILOGY, SAGA OF THE VAGABONDS, THE LAST WAR). The film is based on the Chinese folklore’s “Legend of the White Snake” which has been adapted many times into operas, theatre, film, and television.
The film is a lavish Japanese-Chinese co-production about a man who falls in love with a snake goddess in human form.
The soundtrack was previously released in 1995 under the SLC label’s “Toho Science Fiction Cult Movie” line. “The score is very distinct for its excessive use of the musical saw and the vocal songs inter spliced in the music, which were done by the lead actress and singer Shirley Yamaguchi,” wrote Anthony Romero of the SLC release, at the TohoKingdom website
Cinema-KAN’s 2CD soundtrack features the music used in the film, plus unused tracks and some sound effects. As an added bonus, the album includes samples from the composer’s other rare soundtrack works.
The soundtrack is currently is available for pre-order from ArkSquare
Cinema-KAN has been noted in recent years for releasing significant Japanese fantasy and other genre film soundtracks in thorough and expanded editions. See the Cinema-KAN website here
