What do Die Hard, Dead Poets Society and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective all have in common? They all feature music from Beethoven's popular Symphony No. 9! It's questions like that you may get answered on KPR's Film Music Friday at 7:06 p.m.
Film Music Friday celebrates the use of classical music in movies, as well as classic symphonic scores created especially for motion pictures. Whether is J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue from Monty Python and the Meaning of Life or Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture from Caddyshack or Bellini's "Casta Diva" from The Bridges of Madison County, classical music and opera has provided the background for movies since the age of silent film. With the advent of sound, pioneering composers like Max Steiner and Erich Korngold created memorable scores for films like King Kong and The Adventures of Robin Hood.
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Often called "the father of film music", composer Max Steiner helped to create the tradition of writing music for films. On this week's Film Music Friday we'll hear samples of Steiner's work in films like The Informer (for which he won his first Oscar), Gone with the Wind, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Adventures of Don Juan and more. -
This week's Film Music Friday is absolutely monstrous! We'll take a deep dive into the music of monster movies, including The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Thing and lots more. -
This week on Film Music Friday we take our cue from July 4th, with music from patriotic films. Among the movies you'll hear are Air Force One, Captain America, Glory, Apollo 13 and more. -
Movies about the sea are the focus of this week's Film Music Friday. We'll hear music from films like The Poseidon Adventure, Jaws, Captains Courageous, The Perfect Storm and lots more. -
The movie swashbuckler has been around since the silent era and has spawned some of the greatest film scores. On this edition of Film Music Friday we'll hear examples from Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Mark of Zorro, Swashbuckler and more! -
Bernard Herrmann was a fiercely independent and opinionated composer who worked in all genres of films during his long career. This week on Film Music Friday we'll hear Herrmann's work on movies like Citizen Kane, Psycho, North By Northwest, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and more. -
This week on Film Music Friday it's all about teamwork - small groups striving against fearsome odds to achieve mighty goals. We'll hear music from The Goonies, Hoosiers, Sahara, Avengers: Endgame, Jaws and more. -
During his 30+ years as a film composer, James Horner collaborated with many of Hollywood's top filmmakers, including Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, Walter Hill, George Lucas and many more. This week on Film Music Friday we'll hear some of Horner's most memorable scores, including music from Titanic, Field of Dreams, Glory, The Rocketeer and Searching for Bobby Fischer, among others. -
This week on Film Music Friday, we're hearing that spooky-sounding electronic instrument the Theremin, and its use in movies. We'll hear music from Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Rocketship X-M, Ghostbusters, First Man and more. -
The first movie spoof was produced in 1905 and since then Hollywood has often poked fun at itself. On this week's Film Music Friday, we're hearing the music of movie spoofs, including themes from Blazing Saddles, The Big Bus, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and more.
