Buy it... if you seek two orchestral scores (ranging from average to enjoyable) from very early in John Debney's career.

Avoid it... if you expect either score to feature the complexity of construct and density of performance heard in later Debney works.

Debney

The Eyes of the Panther/Not Since Casanova: (John Debney) The two films represented on this album are unrelated except in the facts that most fans have not heard of them and that they are both relatively early efforts in composer John Debney's career. This album can be deceiving in its treatment of what it erroneously calls "Eye of the Panther." Based on one part of the collection of supernatural stories by Ambrose Bierce, The Eyes of the Panther (its actual name) was one episode in Showtime's "Nightmare Classics" series that debuted in 1989. The series failed after just a handful of episodes, and The Eyes of the Panther was certainly not its highlight, providing an unengaging examination of the love story between an Old West man and a woman who turns into a panther at night. As a horror genre tale, The Eyes of the Panther was technically Debney's first outright horror assignment. A few years earlier, Not Since Casanova was Debney's second feature film score. The first film by independent director Brett Thompson, Not Since Casanova received little attention outside of the independent circuit, and, like The Eyes of the Panther, receives the vast majority of if publicity due to the involvement of the now-famous Debney. The story of Not Since Casanova is one of a man attempting to choose between seven girlfriends, each serving as a metaphor for larger societal issues in the 1980's. It's a lighthearted romantic flick with little demand on the brain. From the perspective of a Debney collector looking back at these two scores in retrospect, neither one will be particularly spectacular. Their constructs and renderings are somewhat simplistic and narrow.

The scores do offer, though, a glimpse of a composer testing the waters, and there are technical aspects of the music that will foreshadow more mature Debney works over the following ten years. The storyline for The Eyes of the Panther allowed for more variety in genre, with cues written for the intensity of everything from animalistic lust to horrifying transformations. Hints of the horror techniques heard in The Relic are sprinkled throughout. Performed by a large chamber orchestra, The Eyes of the Panther never unleashes the mass of its orchestral force on the listener, especially compared to Debney's later scores. He does employ two elements that distinguish the score, however, including the use of exotic flutes to accentuate the raw, primordial nature of the wilderness, and the incorporation of two "musical sound effects" to represent the panther. The growling of the animal is used three or four times to a great end, as is the sound of scratching and/or sharpening of claws built with percussive elements. The score also offers romantic, frolicking themes that Debney would expand upon further in his more frivolous efforts late in the 1990s. Much different in style and scope, Not Since Casanova has more intimate themes, and yet a more expansive scope in its recording mix. Debney conjures several ideas for the film, presumably for each of the seven various girlfriends, and a few of them are quite lovely. They feature a genuine depth that exceeds most, if not all, of his later romance work, with a genuine sway of beauty that sounded at the time like a cross between similar John Barry and James Horner ideas. Gentle piano themes weaving in and out of the orchestral accompaniment would be a trademark of future Debney romance fluff.

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One of the themes for Not Since Casanova stands above the rest, featured only twice on album; heard at about 3:30 into the "Overture" and during "Irish Wedding," the theme is performed in the latter cue by solo woodwind and violin (or viola) over the ensemble with great charm. The only downside of Not Since Casanova is one of the other themes, bursting twice into the consistency of the remaining music with a carnival atmosphere. Together, the two scores may make an unlikely pair. Despite being considerably different in scope, theme, and genre, they provide an intriguing glimpse into John Debney's earlier compositions. Between them, there's certainly going to be something here to satisfy you, though Not Since Casanova is easily the better listening experience. The album presentation, though generous in its existence, is problematic. Running 47 minutes, it may not justify its price as a promotional product. It's also unfortunately lacking in its accuracy and presentation; producer Ford A. Thaxton should be whipped for his work on this product. Given that it's very rare for a product to misspell or otherwise misstate the title of its score(s), and given that Thaxton products often have lengthy back-stories, it wouldn't be surprising if the changing of The Eyes of the Panther to "Eye of the Panther" was done for some money or legal related issue. Otherwise, there's no excuse for that error. The insert notes by David Hirsch, written in 1996 just before the album's release, contain factual mistakes. Finally, the tracks are mislabeled on the packaging; tracks 6 through 8 on The Eyes of the Panther are either misplaced or completely missing (see Filmtracks' track listing for corrections). Otherwise, Debney collectors will be pleased by the substance of the music on the product.   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

The Eyes of the Panther: ***
Not Since Casanova: ****
Overall: ***

Bias Check:

For John Debney reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.23 (in 49 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.01 (in 42,775 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.