Awesome Music / Elmer Bernstein

• Elmer Bernstein's The Ten Commandments Suite was epic of biblical proportions.
• The theme from The Magnificent Seven that possibly redefined, reimagined and gave new life to the whole genre of cowboy Western films. (Probably everyone will be more familiar with this theme nowadays as that music from the old Marlboro commercial.) When it comes to invoking images of cowboys and sunsets in the Old West, no one did it better than Elmer Bernstein.

• When John Wayne did his first modern Cowboy Cop movie, McQ, in 1974, Bernstein came up with the funkiest score which perfectly fit the era and genre.
• His war movie scores has offered the movie composer some interesting challenges: He often used understatement rather than bombast to reflect the drama of war. But when it was needed, he could also write some of the most stirring and powerful martial music this side of John Philip Sousa.

• National Geographic, famous for its nature documentary films, commissioned Elmer Bernstein to compose its now well known theme in 1966, and it is instantly recognizable half a century later.
• The Age of Innocence, another fine gem from an underrated movie.
• His musical score for Thoroughly Modern Millie garnered him his one and only Oscar.
• To Kill A Mockingbird remains one of the most haunting themes by Elmer Bernstein. (The score that directors of dramatic films wanted their composers to emulate.)

• The Good Son had a nostalgic feeling to it.

• Far From Heaven, the Maestro's final film score.

• Elmer Bernstein was also one of the pioneers of creating and popularizing jazz music in films with The Man With The Golden Arm.

• He did some effectively heroic music for the animated film Heavy Metal.

• The Black Cauldron was to Elmer Bernstein what Mulan was to Jerry Goldsmith (more so in fact, since unlike Goldsmith he didn't have to contend with pop songs).

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