• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

While the name Henry Mancini may not be as famous as some of the people he’s worked with, anyone who has seen “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” or hummed the slinky saxophone line to “The Pink Panther” theme has heard Mancini, loud and clear.

One of the most celebrated film and television composers of his time, Mancini infused the traditional orchestral score with a variety of styles, including jazz and Latin beats, transforming film music and popularizing the soundtrack album. His compositions, prolific and diverse, landed him four Oscars, 20 Grammy awards and seven gold records.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Mancini’s death, the UCLA Film and Television Archive will highlight Mancini’s works through its series, “The Coolest Cat: The Film Music of Henry Mancini,” from April 30 through May 8. The Archive hopes the series will reflect Mancini’s musical versatility, said Assistant Archivist Todd Wiener.

“We want to show a myriad of music styles that Mancini was able to convey by juxtaposing his smaller films with the bigger, more mainstream films,” Wiener said. “In ‘Experiment in Terror,’ (Mancini has) this very twisted, jazzy score that puts you a little on edge, as opposed to ‘Darling Lili’ and ‘Victor/Victoria,’ which are French-themed, or ‘Hatari,’ which takes place in Africa.”

The different styles don’t only illustrate Mancini’s talent. According to Wiener, film music accomplishes a variety of goals, from setting a scene to creating a mood to enhancing the audience’s understanding of the theme.

“When the Archive has silent screenings of movies, it sometimes feels painful,” Wiener said. “Music is responsible for sweeping us, for grabbing hold of whatever emotion the movie is conveying and enhancing it.”

Much of Mancini’s success was rooted in his new sound. In contrast to the traditional symphonic harmonies at the time, Mancini mixed in jazz as well as a cultural flair to his pieces.

“His appeal was in his way of mainstreaming jazz,” said Mitchell Morris, an assistant professor of musicology. “He created music that was neither classical nor popular, but rather in between.”

Mancini’s scores were also some of the first to cater to a more youthful, jazz-influenced audience and tap into the era’s growing hipster vibe.

“(His music) was perfect for sipping martinis and watching the sunset,” Wiener said.

Perhaps those who have heard Mancini find it hard to believe that film music is sometimes considered a neglected art, especially when music can easily make or break a movie. Mancini’s music may have made audiences more aware of music in film, even if it wasn’t conscious.

“He was able to tap into what a pop culture wanted to hear,” Wiener said. “That’s why his soundtracks were so successful. These were songs that people would walk out of the theater humming.”

Comments

Post a comment