ARTE.TV: Documentary ‘Pioneers of Film Music – Europa’s sound for Hollywood’

OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION (AUTOMATICALLY TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN)

Hollywood’s film music has its roots in Europe. Three composers who had fled the war and National Socialism to the USA created the sound that still characterizes film music today: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner and Franz Waxman.

Their influence is visible in the work of contemporary composers such as Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and Harold Faltermeyer.

John Williams’ “Star Wars” theme in all its glory, Jerry Goldsmith’s iconic “Starship Enterprise” melodies and Hans Zimmer’s impressive “James Bond” soundtracks – we owe it all to three pioneers of film music: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner and Franz Waxman. All three came from German-speaking Europe, were of Jewish origin and were forced to flee from war and National Socialism.

In the early 20th century, these classically trained composers transformed the methods they had acquired in Vienna and Berlin into a new American art form: film music. Korngold, Steiner and Waxman balanced the relationship between image and sound and developed techniques and dramaturgical tricks to achieve the greatest possible effect on the viewer.

Today, their successors such as Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi (“Game of Thrones”) and Harold Faltermeyer (“Top Gun”) use the same tools. With their creative ideas, they set fantastic stories to music and give them an impressive dimension. Without this music, many stories would not be able to unfold their full power. Their melodies are part of the collective memory of mankind and reflect the combined traditions of European and American music history. The documentary accompanies composers in their work and explores Hollywood’s European roots.