movies/tv

Exploring the 5 Best Classic Film Scores of Elmer Bernstein

Musicnotes

Oct 2, 2023 • 5 min read

Elmer Bernstein has left the cinema world with important scores that will forever be cherished. His quick wit and sense of humor come through in many of his works, contributing to the light-hearted "Bernstein style." Born and raised in New York City, he performed as a child actor and dancer. An accomplished pianist, his love of music soon took precedence over performing and he began studying composition with Israel Citkowitz.

Upon being drafted into the Army Air Force during WWII, he composed songs for the Armed Forces Radio. When the war was over, he made his way to Hollywood and began working as a rehearsal pianist for dance numbers on movie sound stages. While working for Paramount, he was introduced to Cecil B. DeMille and was soon composing Egyptian dance numbers for the blockbuster The Ten Commandments.

Bernstein's Best Five Film Scores

There are over 150 Elmer Bernstein movies and over 80 television shows scored by him. He was a prolific composer capable of writing in any style or genre. His best film scores are legendary and are recognized around the world. Here are his top five soundtracks that have had the greatest impact on filmmaking and film scores.

1. The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)

Composed concurrently with the score to The Ten Commandments, this jazz-infused score put Bernstein on everyone's radar. From the title theme's pulsating trombones, you understand instantly what type of movie you are about to watch.

The Man With the Golden Arm was one of the first to use jazz music as the soundtrack and not as diegetic music in the movie itself. The style of jazz was innovative and groundbreaking. Instead of composing a score of soft jazz sounds, more in the style of Henry Mancini, Bernstein opted for a driving, dissonant, rough jazz score that featured pounding rhythms and tight brass riffs. The result is a soundtrack that's perfect to accompany an ex-con's descent into addiction.

2. The Magnificent Seven (1960)

There are two film scores that are so iconic and original that they will forever be associated with Westerns and cowboys. One is Ennio Morricone's score for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The other is Bernstein's score for the epic John Sturgis film, The Magnificent Seven. A reviewer of the film upon its release in 1960 claimed, "Elmer Bernstein's music is truly memorable; the theme will stick."

The title theme has been used for commercials, TV shows, and even other movies ever since it was first released. Most famously, it was the theme for the Marlboro Man commercials in the late 60s and early 70s. In addition to the infectious opening, this score is notable for its use of leitmotifs. Every character has their own musical motif, and how that motif is developed throughout the score reflects the character's development in the plot.

3. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Bernstein struggled at first with To Kill a Mockingbird. The innocence of the story's narrator, a child named Scout, juxtaposed with the complexity of the themes of the plot, proved a challenge for the composer. He was coming off a spate of high-energy, large-scale films and now needed to resize for a more intimate story.

He found his way into the necessary sound by imagining the score through the eyes of Scout. This demanded a freshness and simplicity Bernstein achieved by turning to the music of Aaron Copland for inspiration. The orchestrations are childlike, too, featuring instruments such as piano, harp, flute, and soft strings. This entire score showcases Bernstein's versatility and great skill.

4. Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

Elmer Bernstein was nominated for 14 Oscars, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song. Thoroughly Modern Millie was his only Oscar win. It was well-deserved as the score captures the happy-go-lucky vibe that was New York City in the 1920s. Bernstein not only composed new material, he utilized actual songs from the 1920s, incorporating them into the texture of the soundtrack.

This movie has it all, from dance numbers to ballads to a Jewish wedding song. Bernstein's ability to weave it all into a seamless whole that supports the script and storytelling is a true tour de force.

5. Ghostbusters (1984)

Proving that he really can do all the things, Bernstein took on this famously quirky and irreverent film starring Bill Murray. While there are several pop songs that are interpolated into the soundtrack, it's Bernstein's evocative original music that sets the tone.

Since the early 70s, there have been two main parallel tracks of film scoring. There is the epic blockbuster score which demands a full orchestra and lots of dramatic themes. Then there is the sci-fi/horror movie track which is where composers could show off their avant-garde techniques. Compare the scores to Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Shining for examples.

In Ghostbusters, Bernstein gets to combine both these tracks into one brilliant score. There are plenty of big, dramatic, full orchestral moments, yet there are also eerie electronic sounds and wildly dissonant motifs that underscore the paranormal aspects of the film. Once again, Bernstein shows that he is not limited by style or genre and can pull disparate elements together for a score that is cohesive and unified.

Elmer Bernstein's Legacy

For sheer volume, depth, and breadth, it's hard to match Bernstein's catalog of film scores. He truly did it all in a career that spanned five decades. He showed through his work that he was capable of huge, epic soundtracks, jazz scores, Western themes, pop/rock styles, and contemporary avant-garde experimentations. Each genre was so well executed that it was impossible to pigeonhole the composer.

In addition to his film scores, Bernstein composed two Broadway musicals, music for TV, and towards the end of his life, a classical guitar concerto for guitarist Christopher Parkening. His final film score, for the movie Far From Heaven, was composed in 2002 and earned him one more Oscar nomination for Best Original Soundtrack. Two years later, he died of cancer at his home in Ojai, California.

Right to the end of his life, Elmer Bernstein exemplified the life of an artist-composer, sharing his prodigious gifts with the world.

Sources

https://moviemusicuk.us/2016/03/14/thoroughly-modern-millie-elmer-bernstein/
https://musebycl.io/music-film/magnificent-seven-and-long-shadow-its-film-score
https://elmerbernstein.com/articles/the-man-with-the-jazzy-sound/
https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/elmer-bernstein-10-essential-soundtracks
https://elmerbernstein.com/bio/