The presence of music in the cinema-going experience has been integral from the beginning, before film even had sound. Accompanists would provide music to silent films in whatever way was available, but in the 1920s studios finally had the technology to make that experience consistent across all screenings around the country. It was at this point that music composers for film became extremely important to the production process. For the second year in a row, we take a close look at thirteen films with music composed by thirteen different musicians, from the 1930s into the new century. Each of these composers had different working processes and different styles that supported their films in specific ways.
Each of these screenings will be accompanied by expert insight from Mark Watters, director of the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media, or Charity Lofthouse, music professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Providing both an introduction for the film and a post-screening presentation or discussion, Watters and Lofthouse will offer detailed appreciation of the scoring process and how it works on the audience.
This series is supported by the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
Dates and Titles:
July 12: Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick, US/UK 1987, 116 min., 35mm)
July 24: King Kong (Merian C. Cooper, Ernest Schoedsack, US 1933, 100 min., 35mm)
July 26: Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, US/UK 1999, 159 min., 35mm)
August 14: Red River (Howard Hawks, US 1948, 133 min., 35mm)
August 21: Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa, Japan 1961, 110 min., DCP, Japanese with English subtitles)
August 28: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, US 1981, 115 min., DCP)
September 4: Chocolat (Lasse Hallström, UK/US 2000, 121 min., 35mm)
September 11: Elevator to the Gallows (Ascenseur pour l’échafaud, Louis Malle, France 1958, 91 min., DCP, French with English subtitles)
September 13: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher, US 2008, 166 min., DCP)
September 20: Rockstar (Imtiaz Ali, India 2011, 159 min., 35mm, Hindi with English subtitles)
September 25: Chariots of Fire (Hugh Hudson, UK 1981, 125 min., DCP)
October 2: The Beguiled (Don Siegel, US 1971, 105 min., 35mm)
October 9: Eve’s Bayou (Kasi Lemmons, US 1997, 115 min., DCP)
Events in this Series
Eve’s Bayou
The Art of Music in the Movies Actor turned director Kasi Lemmons made her feature debut with this film, touted by Roger Ebert as the best of the year.
Member Movie: Chariots of Fire
The Art of Music in the Movies Based on the true story of two British athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Cambridge-educated Englishman Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) overcomes anti-Semitism and class prejudice in order to compete against the "Flying Scotsman", Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a devout Scottish missionary, in the 100 meter race.
Rockstar (35mm)
The Art of Music in the Movies With music by Academy Award–winning composer and songwriter A. R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), Rockstar is considered to be the best film of director Imtiaz Ali.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Art of Music in the Movies Director David Fincher’s adaptation of this F. Scott Fitzgerald short story is a big, bold swing befitting the director of Seven and Zodiac.