The big chill is thawing in the film world, where for the first time in decades, directors are focusing on original music rather than compilations of often overexposed pop songs. Todd Haynes has now remade this feature, or one could say he uses it as a jumping off point to express the real concerns of […]
Elmer Bernstein is 80 years old and has won one Academy Award for his 13 nominations. A student of the immortal Aaron Copland, Bernstein’s music is marked by tremendous melodies and lush orchestrations. But his sound is never saccharine and his best soundtracks – like Far From Heaven, The Magnificent Seven, and To Kill a Mockingbird – are symphonies […]
It’s hard to avoid the music of Elmer Bernstein. Since his first film score for Saturday’s Hero in 1951, Bernstein has had an astonishingly prolific career, composing for films as diverse as The Magnificent Seven in 1960, Ghostbusters in 1984, and Far From Heaven in 2002. His music also pops in the fanfare that has signaled the beginning of National Geographic Television programs […]
LONG BEACH—As composer Elmer Bernstein wrote the score for the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird,’ he struggled with its many issues until he got to the heart of it. “Once I got the (idea) that all of these things were seen through the eyes of children, it got a little easier,’ Bernstein told a crowd […]
Walnut, California, February 21, 2002—The City of Walnut issued a special mayoral proclamation to Elmer Bernstein for his continuing work with young musicians. He received the citation at the winter music program held annually every February at Walnut High School. […]
I’ll never forget the day my aging brain finally made the obvious deduction that Elmer Bernstein had written the National Geographic theme — about 20 years after I should have figured it out. […]
Elmer Bernstein’s career and family life were portrayed Thursday, February 6th, 2003 at 7:00 PM on BBC1, emanating from London Studios. The Maestro was surprised by host Michael Aspel and his BBC crew at the conclusion of Mr. Bernstein’s 80th birthday celebration concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall in October, 2002. […]
Walnut, California, January 28, 2003—Film composer Elmer Bernstein returned to Walnut High School for their annual “The Magic of Movies & Music” concert at the Walnut Performing Arts Center on Thursday, February 13th, at 7:00 PM. […]
The Florida West Coast Symphony and the Sarasota Film Festival celebrated the first-time collaboration of CineSymphony!” a multimedia performance event featuring renowned film composer Elmer Bernstein. The one-time event was held January 25, 2003, at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, and was a fundraiser for both organizations. […]
Jamie Gangel, national correspondent for NBC Network’s “Today” show, hosts a profile of Elmer Bernstein, which broadcast Friday, January 17th. The segment chronicled his career of 50+ years as a composer and highlights the maestro’s “Far From Heaven” score in advance of the Golden Globe Awards show that also airs on NBC Sunday, January 19th. […]
NEW YORK — Composer Elmer Bernstein was presented the Career Achievement award by Eli Wallach when the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures held its annual gala January 14th, 2003 at Manhattan’s Tavern on the Green. […]
There was a time, between 1955 and 1959, when an Elmer Bernstein score was the last word. On screen, wicked women sashayed in tight skirts, zoot-suited men thumped each other’s inverted pyramid torsos, powder-blue Fords with fanciful tailfins eased down the block – and Bernstein put them all to unapologetically American music. He first really […]
Elmer Bernstein never watched Douglas Sirk’s movies in the 1950s. To him, such “women’s weepies” were of little interest. Besides, he was too busy writing the scores to edgier, more provocative films such as “The Sweet Smell of Success” and “The Man With the Golden Arm.” A half-century later, Hollywood movies have not only lost […]