Bernstein on Film: On the Waterfront; event about Bernstein composing the film score.
6:00 pm
Thursday, December 21, 2017
New York Public Library
Bruno Walter Auditorium
New York, New York, United States
Elia Kazan, director
Leonard Bernstein’s only original film score brings a mournful and percussive sound to this classic tale of corruption on the New York docks. The film won eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Marlon Brando, but while Bernstein’s score was nominated it ultimately lost to Dimitri Tiomkin’s more radio-friendly music for The High and the Mighty. Reportedly frustrated by the fragmentation and dialed-down volume of his music — a given in any film score — Bernstein chose to forego any future composing opportunities in the medium.
