R.I.P Elmer Bernstein
Eric Olsen — Thursday, August 19, 2004
Legendary film music composer Elmer Bernstein has died at the age of 82:
Bernstein, whose prolific career spanned seven decades and earned him 14 Academy Award nominations, an Oscar win and an Emmy Award, died in his sleep at his Ojai home Wednesday, said his publicist, Cathy Mouton. He was 82.
Although he won an Oscar only once for the 1967 film "Thoroughly Modern Millie" considered one of his weaker works Bernstein was revered for experimenting with various techniques that bolstered the films. "It's one thing to write music that reinforces a film, underscores it the traditional sense of stressing, underlining or gives it added dramatic muscle," director Martin Scorsese once said. "It's entirely another to write music that graces a film. That's what Elmer Bernstein does, and that, for me, is his greatest gift." Among his more notable efforts were the scores for "Some Came Running," "Birdman of Alcatraz," "The Great Escape," "Hawaii," "The Great Santini," "Cast a Giant Shadow," "My Left Foot," "A River Runs Through It," "Devil in a Blue Dress" and "The Age of Innocence." He also composed several works for symphony orchestras. In addition, he scored such movie classics as "The Ten Commandments," "The Magnificent Seven," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Great Escape" and "True Grit." Other credits included "National Lampoon's Animal House," "Airplane!," "Stripes," "Meatballs," "Ghostbusters," "Trading Places" and "The Rainmaker." "Film music, properly done, should give the film a kind of emotional rail on which to ride," Bernstein told The Associated Press in a 2001 interview. "Without even realizing that you're listening to music that's doing something to your emotions, you will have an emotional experience." "To Kill a Mockingbird" presented Bernstein quite a challenge. For six weeks he could find no way to approach the story, which concerned racism and the Depression in a small Southern town. "Then I realized that the film was about these issues but seen through the eyes of children," he once recalled. "The simple score was played by a small ensemble, at times employing single piano notes, much like a child picking out a tune." For "The Man with the Golden Arm," in which Frank Sinatra played a heroin-addicted jazz musician, he discarded the studio orchestra for a jazz ensemble. For the landmark western "The Magnificent Seven," Bernstein composed a galloping march that remained famous for years afterward in TV ads for Marlboro cigarettes. A piano prodigy who studied composing under Aaron Copland in New York, Bernstein moved to Hollywood in 1950 to work on his first movie score, for the football film "Saturday's Hero." After a few more routine assignments he made his mark with the moody music for the Joan Crawford thriller "Sudden Fear." Although both hailed from New York, he was no relation to the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. "That's a common question," Mouton said. "They were friends and fellow New Yorkers, but they were not related in any way." A supporter of left-wing causes, Bernstein's career was nearly destroyed by the Hollywood Red Hunt of the 1950s when he was summoned before a congressional subcommittee and told to identify communists in the film industry. He refused, saying he'd never attended a Communist party meeting. "I wasn't important enough to be blacklisted, so I was put on a gray list," he once said. [AP] Here are some quotes from his very fine webiste:
Los Angeles Jazz Society Honor (excerpts), October 28, 2001 | Arthur Hamilton
"Even if you wanted to, you couldn't escape from Elmer Bernstein. His music has stirred you, excited you, inspired you, amused you, and kept close company with you for the past fifty years. Kept close with you, your family, and your family's familyno matter where you live in the world."
"How is he thought of by the other members of the music community? With deep respect and a lot of envy. Somehow, he has managed to stay on the cutting edge throughout his career. His innovative concept for 'The Man With The Golden Arm' was a ground breaking, all-jazz scoreand a Hollywood first. Previously, jazz was treated as a specialty item. He proved it could sustain mood for an entire film." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keynote Address at Elmer Bernstein's ASCAP Honor (excerpts), April 24, 2001 | James Newton Howard
"Really very little need be said about Elmer's work other than this: He is one of the greatest film composers ever. What Elmer Bernstein has done is create a massive body of work, which includes many definitive examples of film compositional styles. It's been like a how-to book for up-and-comers like me." "Certainly, 'effortless' is one of the words which comes to mind when I consider Elmer's work. With his scores, one never has the feeling that the music is working too hard. Somehow, he has always been able to achieve gigantic effect with the most gentle and graceful gestures. Never has that been put to better use than in his incomparable score to, 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Martin Scorsese, 2001
"An interviewer once asked me to discuss my collaboration with Elmer Bernstein, and precisely why I chose to work with him. My first thought was: How could I not work with Elmer, when I had the chance? Simply put, he's the best there isthe very best." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Age of Innocence," 1993 | Martin Scorsese with Jay Cocks
"It's one thing to write music that reinforces a film, underscores itthe traditional sense of stressing, underliningor gives it added dramatic muscle. It's entirely another to write music that graces a film. That's what Elmer Bernstein does, and that, for me, is his greatest gift. I don't mean just talent, either; the music he writes is a gift to all of us. In 'The Age of Innocence' Elmer's score had to adapt to the style and pace of the language, as well as meet all the additional and more usual dramatic requirement of composing for the screen. We had no lengthy discussions about this, but when we laid in the score the first time it flowed over the narration like a clear-running brook." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Men In War," 1957 | James Powers, Hollywood Reporter "The music of 'Men in War' is the language of the sounds, the thoughts, the sights of men in battle. The stillness of the forest is ever-present, the rustle of a leaf is ear splitting, the pathos and suspense of imminent death pervades the very air, all brought to life through the magic of Mr. Bernstein's skillful music. Album notes. "Elmer Bernstein contributes another notable score, not dissonant, now lyric, filling in the gaps where conversation would be impossible or unlikely." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The Babe," 1991 | Arthur Hiller, Director
"I'm so glad Elmer Bernstein didn't become a concert pianist! We who worked with him on 'The Babe' are glad he chose composing for films instead. I love the music on this album, but I love it even more as it brings so many emotions to the film and enhances so many emotions that are there." His outstandingfilmography is here:
Saturday's Hero, 1951
Boots Malone, 1952 Sudden Fear, 1952 Battles of Chief Pontiac, 1953 Cat Women of the Moon, 1953 Dieppe Raid, 1953 Never Wave at a WAC, 1953 Robot Monster, 1953 Make Haste to Live, 1954 Miss Robin Crusoe, 1954 Silent Raiders, 1954 Bar Sinister, The, 1955 Eternal Sea, The, 1955
Man with the Golden Arm, The, 1955
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Original Score
Storm Fear, 1955
View from Pompey's Head, The, 1955 Ten Commandments, The, 1956 Drango, 1957 Fear Strikes Out, 1957 Men in War, 1957 Sweet Smell of Success, The, 1957 Tin Star, The, 1957 Anna Lucasta, 1958 Buccaneer, The, 1958 Desire Under the Elms, 1958 God's Little Acre, 1958 Kings Go Forth, 1958 Saddle the Wind, 1958 Some Came Running, 1958 Miracle, The, 1959
From the Terrace, 1960
Magnificent Seven, The, 1960
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Original Score Western Heritage Award
Rat Race, The, 1960
Story on Page One, The, 1960 By Love Possessed, 1961 Comancheros, The, 1961
Summer and Smoke, 1961
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Original Score
Young Doctors, The, 1961
Birdman of Alcatraz, 1962 Girl Named Tamiko, A, 1962
To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Original Score Golden Globe AwardŽ Winner
Walk on the Wild Side, 1962
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Song
"Walk on the Wild Side"
Caretakers, The, 1963
Great Escape, The, 1963 Hud, 1963 Kings of the Sun, 1963 Rampage, 1963 Baby the Rain Must Fall, 1964 Carpetbaggers, The, 1964 Love with the Proper Stranger, 1964 World of Henry Orient, The, 1964
Hallelujah Trail, The, 1965
Western Heritage Award
Reward, The, 1965
Seven Women, 1965 Sons of Katie Elder, The, 1965 Cast a Giant Shadow, 1966
Hawaii, 1966
Academy AwardŽNomination, Best Original Score Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Song
"My Wishing Doll" Golden Globe AwardŽ Winner
Return of the Seven, 1966
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Original Score
Silencers, The, 1966
Thoroughly Modern Millie, 1967
Academy AwardŽ Winner, Best Original Score
Bridge at Remagen, The, 1968
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!, 1968 Scalphunters, The, 1968 Guns of the Magnificent Seven, 1969 Gypsy Moths, The, 1969 Midas Run, The, 1969
True Grit, 1969
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Song
"True Grit"
Where's Jack?, 1969
Cannon for Cordoba, 1970 Liberation of L. B. Jones, The, 1970 Walk in the Spring Rain, A, 1970 Big Jake, 1971 Doctors' Wives, 1971 See No Evil, 1971 Amazing Mr. Blunden, The, 1972 Magnificent Seven Ride!, The, 1972 Cahill: United States Marshal, 1973 Deadly Honeymoon, 1974
Gold, 1974
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Song
"Wherever Love Takes Me"
McQ, 1974
Trial of Billy Jack, The, 1974 Mr. Quilp, 1975 Report to the Commissioner, A, 1975 From Noon Till Three, 1976 Incredible Sarah, The, 1976 Shootist, The, 1976 Slap Shot, 1977 Animal House, 1978 Billy Jack Goes to Washington, 1978 Blood Brothers, 1979 Meatballs, 1979 Zulu Dawn, 1979
Trust Me, 1980 Airplane!, 1980 Blues Brothers, The, 1980 Great Santini, The, 1980 Saturn III,1980 American Werewolf in London, An, 1981 Chosen, The, 1981 Going Ape!, 1981 Heavy Metal, 1981 Honky Tonk Freeway, 1981 Stripes, 1981 Five Days One Summer, 1982 Genocide, 1982 Class, 1983 Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, 1983
Trading Places, 1983
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Original Score
Ghostbusters, 1984
Marie Ward - Zwischen Galgen und Glorie, 1984 Prince Jack, 1984 Black Cauldron, The, 1985 Spies Like Us, 1985 Legal Eagles, 1986 Three Amigos!, 1986 Amazing Grace and Chuck, 1987 Leonard Part 6,1987 Da!, 1988 Funny Farm, 1988 Good Mother, The, 1988 Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, A, 1988 My Left Foot, 1989 Slipstream, 1989
Field, The, 1990 Grifters, The, 1990 Cape Fear, 1991 Oscar, 1991 Rage in Harlem, A, 1991 Rambling Rose, 1991 Babe, The, 1992 Mad Dog and Glory, 1992
Age of Innocence, The, 1993
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Original Score
Cemetery Club, The, 1993
Good Son, The, 1993 Lost in Yonkers, 1993 Devil in a Blue Dress, 1995 Frankie Starlight, 1995 Roommates, 1995 Search and Destroy, 1995 Bulletproof, 1996 Buddy, 1997 Hoodlum, 1997 Rainmaker, The, 1997 Twilight, 1998 Bringing Out the Dead, 1999 Deep End of the Ocean, The, 1999 Wild Wild West, 1999
Keeping the Faith, 2000
Far From Heaven, 2002
Academy AwardŽ Nomination, Best Original Score Golden GlobeŽ Nomination, Best Original Score
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