Hollywood film music has its roots in Europe. Three composers who fled war and National Socialism to the USA created the sound that still shapes film music today: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner and Franz Waxman. In the early 20th century, these classically trained composers transformed the methods acquired in Vienna and Berlin into a new American art form: film music. They balanced the relationship between image and sound and developed techniques and dramaturgical tricks to achieve the greatest possible effect on the viewer. Their influence is visible in the work of contemporary US composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. Today, Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and Harold Faltermeyer continue this tradition. Their melodies are part of humanity's collective memory and reflect the combined traditions of European and American musical history. The documentary accompanies composers in their work and explores the European roots of Hollywood.
Hans Zimmer
as Self - Interviewee
Ramin Djawadi
as Self - Interviewee
Harold Faltermeyer
as Self - Interviewee
Cliff Eidelman
as Self - Interviewee
Bruce Botnick
as Self - Interviewee
Sam Schwartz
as Self - Interviewee
John W. Waxman
as Self - Interviewee
Steven C. Smith
as Self - Interviewee
Brendan G. Carroll
as Self - Interviewee
Lis Malina
as Self - Interviewee
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
as Self (archive footage)
Franz Waxman
as Self (archive footage)
