Film Score Friday: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition
Starring Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, Frank Overton
Buy on Amazon

This week on Film Score Friday we listen to the score from To Kill a Mockingbird. This 1962 Elmer Bernstein score was tasked with the difficult task of providing accompaniment for a heavy story. Bernstein succeeds and hits the overall right tones for this treasure. 

As with a number of Bernstein films, you will hear the influence of Copland throughout. It does border on the lines of what would be appropriate for a western. When you consider the period this comes from it makes much more sense. Bernstein chose to be subtle with this score in sharp contrast to some of his other works. There is not a tremendous amount of brass in this film, but where it is present it's fantastic. 

 

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To Kill on Mockingbird on Amazon

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