Epic Sound
Music in Postwar Hollywood Biblical Films
Published on 27. November 2014
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-253-01443-6 (ISBN)
Description
Lavish musical soundtracks contributed a special grandeur to the new widescreen, stereophonic sound movie experience of postwar biblical epics such as Samson and Delilah, Ben-Hur, and Quo Vadis. In Epic Sound, Stephen C. Meyer shows how music was utilized for various effects, sometimes serving as a vehicle for narrative plot and at times complicating biblical and cinematic interpretation. In this way, the soundscapes of these films reflected the ideological and aesthetic tensions within the genre, and more generally, within postwar American society. By examining key biblical films, Meyer adeptly engages musicology with film studies to explore cinematic interpretations of the Bible during the 1940s through the 1960s.
Reviews / Votes
"...an ambitious and fascinating book." - James Buhler, The University of Texas at AustinMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Bloomington, IN
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
11 b&w illus., 57 music exx.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
581 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-253-01443-6 (9780253014436)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2014
Indiana University Press
€18.18
Available for download
Content
Acknowledgements Note to Readers Introduction 1. A Biblical Story, for the Post-World-War II Generation?: Victor Young's Music for DeMille's Samson and Delilah 2. Turning Away from "Concocted Spectacle": Alfred Newman's Score for David and Bathsheba 3. Spectacle and Authenticity in Miklos Rozsa's Quo Vadis Score 4. Novel and Film, Music and Miracle: Alfred Newman's Score to The Robe 5. Spirit and Empire: Elmer Bernstein's Score to The Ten Commandments 6. The Law of Genre and the Music for Ben-Hur 7. King of Kings and the Problem of Repetition 8. Suoni nuovi, suoni antichi: The Soundscapes of Barabbas 9. Universality, Transcendence, and Collapse: Music and The Greatest Story Ever Told Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index