Great Film Composers: The Music of the Movies

Season 12019

The story of film music from its earliest days, right up to date with such masters of the medium as John Williams and Hans Zimmer.

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12 Episodes

E01 The Birth of the Film Score

The first edition looks at the decades before the first “talking picture”, 1927’s The Jazz Singer, with Al Jolson in dubious blackface. Movies were silent — or were they? If you were watching a Chaplin comedy in a “fleapit”, perhaps. In a fancier picture house you might enjoy a live pianist ad-libbing to what he saw on screen, and, by 1915, DW Griffith’s blockbuster The Birth of a Nation was distributed with a full score to be played by a live orchestra.

November 20, 2019

E02 The 1930s & the Father of Film Music

A look at soundtracks of the 1930s, an era that saw many artists head to Hollywood and bring life to films such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz and Jezebel.

November 27, 2019

E03 The 1940s: The Golden Age

A look at the 1940s, an era that saw many composers head to Hollywood to escape the Second World War, with Miklos Rozsa working on films with Billy Wilder and Alfred Hitchcock.

December 2, 2019

E04 The 1950s: A New Dawn

A look at film soundtracks of the 1950s, when the the rise of jazz music influenced the sound of movies inlcuding A Street Car Named Desire, Giant and Dial M for Murder.

December 9, 2019

E05 The 1960s: Part One

Part one of two. A look at the soundtracks of the 1960s, including Henry Mancini's work on Breakfast at Tiffany's and Maurice Jarre's score for Lawrence of Arabia.

December 16, 2019

E06 The 1960s: Part Two

Part two of two. More of the soundtracks of the 1960s, featuring a look at the works of composers such as Quincy Jones and John Barry.

January 8, 2020

E07 The 1970s: Part One

Part one of two. A look at soundtracks of the 1970s, when independent film-makers were causing a stir and paving the way for composers like Marvin Hamlisch and Nino Rota.

January 13, 2020

E08 The 1970s: Part Two

Part two of two. The work of Jerry Goldsmith, David Shire and John Williams in the 1970s, when they composed music for films including Alien, All the President's Men and Jaws.

January 20, 2020

E09 The 1980s: Part One

Part one of two. Soundtracks of the 1980s, including John Williams' score for ET, Brad Fiedel's music for The Terminator and Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind's work on The Shining.

January 27, 2020

E10 The 1980s: Part Two

Part two of two. A look at the 1980s soundtracks by Alan Silvestri, Hans Zimmer, Michael Kamen and Maurice Jarre, including scores for The Abyss, Rain Man, Die Hard and Mad Max.

February 3, 2020

E11 The 1990s

A look at soundtracks of the 1990s, like Carter Burwell's work with the Coen brothers, James Horner's work on Braveheart and Titanic, and Hans Zimmer's music for Thelma & Louise.

February 10, 2020

E12 The 2000s

A look at the soundtracks of the 2000s and the composers that wrote the scores for blockbusters including Avatar, The Dark Knight and Gladiator.

February 17, 2020

Great Film Composers: The Music of the Movies

E01 The Birth of the Film Score

E02 The 1930s & the Father of Film Music

E03 The 1940s: The Golden Age

E04 The 1950s: A New Dawn

E05 The 1960s: Part One

E06 The 1960s: Part Two

E07 The 1970s: Part One

E08 The 1970s: Part Two

E09 The 1980s: Part One

E10 The 1980s: Part Two

E11 The 1990s

E12 The 2000s

Killing Eve

The Diplomat

Once Upon a Time

Fool Me Once

Downton Abbey

El Chapulín Colorado

Humans

Generation War

Family Secrets

Light as a Feather

The I-Land

Journeyman

Santa Clarita Diet

DAVE

Farscape

Scream: The TV Series

Valeria

'Allo 'Allo!

Top Gear

It's a Sin

E01 The Birth of the Film Score

E02 The 1930s & the Father of Film Music

E03 The 1940s: The Golden Age

E04 The 1950s: A New Dawn

E05 The 1960s: Part One

E06 The 1960s: Part Two

E07 The 1970s: Part One

E08 The 1970s: Part Two

E09 The 1980s: Part One

E10 The 1980s: Part Two

E11 The 1990s

E12 The 2000s