Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Movie Music

Elmer Bernstein A Cinematic Promised Land

With Passover only days away, simply remembering Elmer Bernstein leads me back through a wilderness of mediocrity that today passes for film music, to a Promised Land of cinematic milk and honey.

Over the course of an enviable career that spanned some 50 years, Bernstein composed music for dozens of movies, many of them still much-beloved, including “The Ten Commandments” (1956), “The Magnificent Seven” (1960), “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962), and “The Great Escape” (1963).

In addition, he was one of the first film composers to incorporate jazz elements into his work for dramatic purposes, in movies like “The Man with the Golden Arm” (1955), “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), and “Walk on the Wild Side” (1962).

Coming out of the Swinging Sixties, when the industry clearly favored a more “popular” sound over purely orchestral scores (until John Williams changed everything), Bernstein kept right on working. Thanks to a generation of younger filmmakers who had grown up on his classics, he never lacked for opportunities. Suddenly he found himself much in demand as a comedy composer, providing the underscores for “Animal House” (1978), “The Blues Brothers” (1980), “Airplane!” (1980), “Stripes” (1981), and “Ghostbusters” (1984).

For Martin Scorsese, he composed music for “The Age of Innocence” (1993), “Bringing Out the Dead” (1999), and “The Gangs of New York” (2002), though his score for the latter was ultimately rejected. He also adapted Bernard Herrmann’s music for Scorsese’s remake of “Cape Fear” (1991).

Oh yeah, along the way, he also composed the iconic National Geographic theme – clearly by the same man who wrote “The Magnificent Seven.”

In all, Bernstein was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, but claimed the Oscar only once, fairly early on, for his work on “Thoroughly Modern Millie” (1967), of all things. His final nomination was for his very last score, for “Far from Heaven” (2002). Elmer Bernstein died on August 18, 2004 at the age of 82.

Here’s a suite from one of his best-loved scores.

Happy birthday, Elmer Bernstein.

April 4, 2020
Conan’s Score How Music Elevates Silly Films

How a good film score can improve a very silly movie: Basil Poledouris conducts “Battle of the Mounds” from “Conan the Barbarian,” with the film, in Spain, on July 22, 2006. Poledouris, who always got a charge out of conducting this music, would succumb to cancer less than four months later.

For anyone who actually tuned in a little before “Picture Perfect” yesterday hoping to hear an amazing organ transcription of Poledouris’ “Conan,” as advertised, I apologize. The disc actually disappeared into the bottom of my radio bag, and I thought I had forgotten it at home. Fortunately, that too can be found on YouTube.

“Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That’s what’s important! Valor pleases you, Crom… so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!”

September 7, 2019
Michel Legrand A Musical Remembrance

Get out your handkerchiefs.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’ll take a nostalgic journey down Memory Lane with Michel Legrand.

Legrand died on January 26 at the age of 86. The recipient of three Academy Awards (he was nominated for 13) and five Grammys, Legrand wrote music that tugs at the heart even as it lifts the soul.

We’ll honor this multifaceted musician with indelible selections from a handful of his over 200 film and television scores, including “Summer of ’42,” “The Picasso Summer,” “The Go-Between,” “Yentl,” “The Thomas Crown Affair,” and “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”

Le Grand, indeed! Join me in remembering Michel Legrand, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Friday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

February 1, 2019
Toy Movie Music Citizen Kane to Toy Story

With the grand cacophony of Christmas still fresh in everyone’s ears, I thought it only appropriate this week on “Picture Perfect” to focus on music from movies about toys.

Without giving anything away, in the unlikely event you don’t already know the story’s big pay-off, “Citizen Kane” (1941) is a film flanked by toys. There’s even a snow globe in the film’s opening montage. A certain memory of Kane’s childhood provides a poignant glimpse of the larger-than-life newspaper magnate’s lost innocence. “Kane” is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made. Orson Welles triumphed in his debut as writer-director-star, even if, ultimately, his creation proved to be a bottle rocket that blew up in his face. The film also marked the Hollywood debut of composer Bernard Herrmann.

I’m not sure that “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” (1985) could be described as the “Citizen Kane” of the ‘80s, exactly, but this endearingly goofy sojourn into the surreal does revolve around the recovery of a lost toy, as Pee-Wee, the eternal boy, determines to make his way to “the basement of the Alamo” in an attempt to reclaim his stolen bike. The feature was director Tim Burton’s first. It was also his first collaboration with Danny Elfman, who is obviously a big fan of Nino Rota.

The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames are better known for their contributions to architecture, industrial design, and manufacturing, but they also made short films. “Toccata for Toy Trains” (1957) was inspired by the Eames’ passion for vintage toys. The score was provided by their go-to composer, Elmer Bernstein.

Finally, in acknowledgement of the greatest toy series of our day, we’ll conclude with music from “Toy Story” (1995), the first full-length computer animated feature. The quality of the film propelled it beyond mere novelty status into the realm of instant classic, and the beloved “Toy Story” franchise has raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. Early on, it was decided by the filmmakers that they did not want “Toy Story” to be a musical, but that songs could be used to underline its emotional content. Randy Newman has provided the music for all the “Toy Story” films so far. He was recognized with an Academy Award for his work on “Toy Story 3,” for the song, “We Belong Together.”

Keep popping those aspirin. It’s “Toys Everywhere” this week, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Friday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

December 28, 2018
Jules Verne Movie Music for Dark Days

With a time change imminent (tomorrow night, we fall back) and Election Day right around the corner, we’ll shun the darkness with music from movies inspired by Jules Verne’s novels of science, progress, and adventure.

We’ll hear evocative selections from four films inspired by Verne’s novels, including “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954) by Paul J. Smith, “In Search of the Castaways” (1962) by William Alwyn, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959) by Bernard Herrmann, and “Around the World in 80 Days” (1956) by Victor Young.

Verne takes us to some very strange places, yet manages to overcome all obstacles. Still, it’s always a good idea to bring a harpoon, just in case.

Grab your gear and climb aboard. It’s music inspired by Jules Verne this week, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Friday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 2, 2018

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