'Heaven' composer went back in time for score

One of the great perks of this job is occasionally having an opportunity to spend a few minutes with a film legend . . . even if it's only on the phone. Such was the case recently, when I was offered an interview with Elmer Bernstein.

The 80-year-old composer has written memorable themes for nearly 150 movies over six decades. His most recent score was for "Far From Heaven," which earned him his 14th Oscar nomination.

Bernstein didn't win at the Academy Awards a couple of weeks ago (he lost to Elliot Goldenthal for "Frida").

In fact, of Bernstein's 14 film-score nominations -- which include "The Magnificent Seven" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- his one win was for music that most people probably don't even know he wrote: "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Not the songs, mind you; those were written by James Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn. Bernstein won for the music you hear between the songs!

When asked about this, Bernstein laughed heartily.

"Well, it was a payback. By the time I won for 'Thoroughly Modern Millie,' I had lost with 'Hawaii,' 'Walk on the Wild Side,' 'The Magnificent Seven,' 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' 'The Man With the Golden Arm.' I think that was why."

Bernstein's music for "Far From Heaven" is something of a throwback to another era, which could also be said of the entire film. Writer-director Todd Haynes deliberately mimicked the old soap- opera movies that dominated the 1950s, with their glossy colors and angst-ridden plotting.

In particular, Haynes went for the look of films by director Douglas Sirk, who made such classic soaps as "Magnificent Obsession," "All That Heaven Allows" and "Written on the Wind." Except that, while those films kept certain controversial elements below the surface, merely hinting at them, Haynes brings them to the forefront, albeit with the aloof, distant style of the '50s films.

During a telephone interview from Los Angeles, just a few days before the Oscars, Bernstein said he enjoyed going backward in time for "Far From Heaven." "It was such a pleasure to get a chance to write that kind of music again. It was something in me waiting to happen. But it was a great pleasure to do it.

"And it wasn't all that different. I'll tell you what was different -- the nature of the film, which is stylistically kind of on the edge. If I'd gone over the top with the music, it could have hurt that film badly."

So, the film opens with light, delicate piano music, which brings to mind "To Kill a Mockingbird." And that may have been intentional, since Haynes had used the "Mockingbird" score on the film before Bernstein was hired. Yet, it does have that swelling bigness that mirrors those old '50s scores as much as the film itself.

Bernstein said that though he was pleased with the completed film, neither he nor Haynes was sure anyone else would care as much about "Far From Heaven," until critics embraced it at the Venice and Toronto film festivals.

In the end, the film was nominated for four Oscars, including best actress (Julianne Moore), original screenplay (Haynes) and cinematography (by Edward Lachman). But it came away empty-handed.

Asked to assess his career, which also includes non-film music for television programs and other events, as well as myriad recordings (including a number in Salt Lake City with the Utah Symphony), Bernstein said he has mainly tried to maintain a variety in his choice of material. "Basically, and all through my career, I've tried not to get typed. I always like to do different things, and not do the same thing over and over again."

He concedes that he will probably be best-remembered for "The Magnificent Seven" ("probably my most recognizable work") but he also has a fondness for "The Man With the Golden Arm" (the first film to have an all-jazz score, and "an important moment in my career"), "To Kill a Mockingbird," and, more recently, "The Grifters," "The Age of Innocence" and "Far From Heaven."

And no, he has no plans to retire.

In fact, Bernstein already has his next film lined up, though he's taking a vacation first. "I'm taking the summer off. My wife and I will take a boat and drive up to Alaska -- and then I'll do another film in the fall." That film is a crime thriller titled "Me Again," starring Bruce Willis and Diane Lane.

E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com

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