 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Mar 19, 2024 - 10:27 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
joan hue
(Member)
|
Here you go, Eugene.
I enjoyed this biography by Elmer’s son. I’m sure he was bias, but that is okay.
In the introduction, Peter notes that Elmer’s career spanned over 50 years. (Golden Age to Silver Age to current age.) He lists some of EB's greatest scores for excellent movies. Bernstein and Goldsmith are my favorite composers, but I think Elmer was given more superb movies to score than Goldsmith.
Of course, he goes into his parents’ lives and first scores. He also spends a lot of time talking about EB’s political affiliations that lead to his being blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Was he a communist, a socialist or a bit of both? Then came DeMille and Preminger for The Ten Commandments and The Man With The Golden Arm which led to his employment for decades of scores. After Ten Commandments, he didn’t want to be typecast as a Wagnerian composer writing themes for all characters.
Here a bits and pieces I found interesting. He started to score a lot for TV. Riverboat led to The Magnificent Seven. He scored lots of documentaries winning an Emmy for The Making of a President.
UA Records would not release the score for Mag 7 for 5 years. It was 37 years before EB’s original tapes were released.
The book goes through EB’s financial ups and downs. When he has money he buys a big house, ranch, boat, and horses. Then he doesn’t have much money and must downsize. Then back up, down, and up.
He won a Golden Globe for TKM but not an Oscar.
British football teams used the march from The Great Escape to show their fighting spirit. All his westerns are covered in the book. Really enjoyed how EB mentored Bear McCreary. He had some rough times in the 70s, but his career took off again in 1978 with Animal House. His Broadway plays were analyzed in places. Then he tried again to not be typecast as a western or comedy composer.
In the 80s, rejected scores became commonplace for EB. The book also notes that Jarre and Goldsmith had rejected scores. For me, I was interested in his score for A River Runs Through It. I’ve only heard snippets. The book says the whole score was recorded in Dublin. I want it released! In the 90s he received many Lifetime Achievement awards. A lot is devoted to his relationship with Martin Scorsese. For many years, they had a great relationship, but EB was devasted by his rejection of Gangs of New York. Later MS wrote him a letter of apology.
His last score was Far From Heaven, and he won awards for it, but sadly not the Oscar.
I was amazed at how many awards he won during his 50 years of composing. Also, I was pleased with how much depth Peter Bernstein goes into when detailing major (and some minor) scores by his father.
(In this report, I have just skimmed the surface of this biography.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I just ordered my copy, should arrive tomorrow. I read that book that his first wife wrote, which certainly left a lot of room for something more complete.
I think Bernstein was unique in his ability to adapt from era to era and from genre to genre. Others did this, too, but Bernstein was not only typecast several times, he was considered THE composer in genres like westerns, southern dramas (with Alex North), jazzy decadence, and comedies. Plus, he was able to wrench himself out of one typecasting genre only to find that his creativity in another would saddle him there for a while.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I finished the book a few days ago.
A wonderful read, blending information on Bernstein's music with his personal life, which for me, is the way to do a biography. I have a huge collection of Bernstein's music though not complete, plus I'm an avid reader and have been around long enough to appreciate forgotten gems like Where's Jack and The Great Santini when they came out. (I think my LP of Where's Jack still has .67 sticker on it.)
Plus, I found the book complete, giving excellent coverage to each decade, to each genre, and covered the frustrations and successes of the composer.
There were plenty of things I didn't know: I knew Elmer and John Barry were friendly, but did not know that Barry let Bernstein stay at his Thames-side apartment while he was working in England--and Elmer's description of Barry's music library was interesting: Mahler and Penderecki scores!
One of the things I always liked about Elmer Bernstein, aside from his music and his enormous contribution to film music through his recordings of other composers, was his openness to composers who didn't fall into the Hollywood gang mode: Jarre, Barry, and so on. I remember Elmer defending Quincy Jones in an interview, stating (I'm paraphrasing) that his non-conventional style was effective.
More thoughts later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On a previous thread, years ago, I was praising The Magnificent Seven score and while doing so remarked that it was so good that it pumped life into an otherwise slow-moving film (I don't remember exact words). I took some gentle heat for this from fans of the film . . . and so I was pleasantly surprised to read an Elmer quote in the bio where he said that the film was slow moving so he had to make the music faster.
Also, about the bio, I thought there would have been more regarding Bernstein's dealings with other composers, because he was very social and in interviews generally had some incisive remarks about his peers. Plus, Bernstein's mastery of jazzy subjects and southern drama ran parallel to Alex North's mastery of same. The author did a good job of discussing his father's scores but putting them in context of the times and what others were doing would have added to the book.
|
|
|
|
|
|
On a previous thread, years ago, I was praising The Magnificent Seven score and while doing so remarked that it was so good that it pumped life into an otherwise slow-moving film (I don't remember exact words). I took some gentle heat for this from fans of the film . . . and so I was pleasantly surprised to read an Elmer quote in the bio where he said that the film was slow moving so he had to make the music faster.
Also, about the bio, I thought there would have been more regarding Bernstein's dealings with other composers, because he was very social and in interviews generally had some incisive remarks about his peers. Plus, Bernstein's mastery of jazzy subjects and southern drama ran parallel to Alex North's mastery of same. The author did a good job of discussing his father's scores but putting them in context of the times and what others were doing would have added to the book.
A wonderful book of interviews and articles is "Elmer Bernstein's Film Music Notebook" 1974-1978.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Then I asked him if it was possible to release his father's rejected score A River Runs Through It.
Sadly, he has not responded."
***
At least you asked a great and important question, Joan. I'd love to ask him about my mad dream of seeing Volume Two of the Eames scores...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks, Joan,
He just had a birthday yesterday, and maybe when the cake and the ice cream wear off he'll be feeling refreshed and up to tackling his email and Facebook messages...
Cheers,
Preston
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amidst all the BOOK (or, books...) talk on here lately, taking the opportunity now to remind FSMers of this publication, which is deserving of great praise. A well-written, detailed and intimate account of the career of one of film music's most brilliant and passionate contributors. Some great stories, some great pics and - in my opinion - all for a most agreeable and affordable price.
Tomorrow night (26th October) the author of the book will be conducting his father's music for a GHOSTBUSTERS-music-to-film screening at the Royal Albert Hall in London, preceded by a chat with the conductor Peter Bernstein.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A new issue of the old Varese box set of rejected scores, newly remastered, would be nice. Then a Volume 2 with more rejected scores.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
