Charles Bernstein (composer)
Charles Harold Bernstein (born February 28, 1943)[1] is an American composer of film and television scores.[2][3][4] He is a Daytime Emmy Award winner, and a two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee.[5] Since 1995, he has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Music Branch,[6] and is a member Board of Directors for both the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers[7] and the Society of Composers & Lyricists.[8]
Charles Bernstein | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Charles Harold Bernstein |
| Also known as | Charles Alden |
| Born | February 28, 1943 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | Film score, television score |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 1969–present |
Early life and education
Bernstein was born in Minneapolis[9] to mother Mildred Wolf (1910–2011) and father Charles Bernstein, Sr. (????-1952).[2][4][10][11] His mother was a pianist.[2] As for his father, he "was involved in writing and producing music in his early career," according to Bernstein.[2] Bernstein also has a sister Carol Auslander and a stepfather Julius Wolf.[10][11] Bernstein studied music at the Juilliard School.[4]
Career
Bernstein did his first score for the 1969 Oscar-winning documentary, Czechoslovakia 1968. According to Bernstein, "I met the director, Denis Sanders, through friends at UCLA. It was a brilliant film, and I convinced Denis that I knew what sort of music would tell the story of the Russian invasion of its smaller neighbor. The film was unusual because it had no spoken words, only music and occasional sound effects to tell the story."[2]
His first Hollywood score was for the United Artists film, White Lightning (1973), starring Burt Reynolds. The film marked the first of many collaborations between Bernstein and director Joseph Sargent.[4] Bernstein also scored the sequel to the film, Gator (1976).[3] Other films Bernstein scored during the 1970s include Hex (1973), That Man Bolt (1973), Mr. Majestyk (1974), Trackdown (1976), A Small Town in Texas (1976), Viva Knievel! (1977), Outlaw Blues (1977) and Love at First Bite (1979).[12][4][13] He even wrote the dance music in the latter film.[4]
During the 1980s, Bernstein scored the music for the horror films The Entity (1982), Cujo (1983), April Fool's Day (1986) and Deadly Friend (1986).[2][12][14] Bernstein also scored non-horror films such as Foolin' Around (1980).[13]
He continued to score music for documentaries such as Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994) and After Innocence (2005), with the former winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary.[12][4] He also scored music for made-for-television movies such as Sadat (1983), Miss Evers' Boys (1997), The Long Island Incident (1998) and Out of the Ashes (2003).[4][15][16]
Bernstein reunited with Cujo director Lewis Teague to score his films, Cante Jondo (2007) and Charlotta-TS (2010).[17]
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Under the recommendation of his agent, Bernstein met with Wes Craven and was hired to score his film, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). On working with Craven: "Wes was easy to work with, he gave me a lot of freedom, but we could discuss ideas and approaches. In many ways he was an ideal director to communicate with because he listened well and was open to all ideas." Bernstein used an electric score since the film was low budget.[2]
Bernstein did not return to score the music for the other films in the franchise, though Renny Harlin briefly talked to him about scoring the fourth film.[2]
Use of his music
Quentin Tarantino has included Bernstein's music from White Lightning and The Entity in the soundtracks of his films Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Inglourious Basterds (2009).[3][12][4][18][19]
Personal life
Bernstein is married to Georgianne Cowan.[10][11][20] They have one daughter, Serina. They reside in Los Angeles.[20]
In addition to film composing, Bernstein is also the author of two books.[12][4][5] One of them is titled Film Music and Everything Else.[3] The other is Movie Music: An Insider’s View.[4] He has also taught courses in the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.[12][21]
Bernstein has been a long-serving member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1995.[4][5][22] He is also in the Board of Directors for both the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the Society of Composers & Lyricists.[5] He co-founded the latter organization.[23]
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Special Treat | Episode: "Five Finger Discount" |
| 1978 | Who's Watching the Kids? | 21 eousides |
| 1980 | Scruples | Miniseries |
| 1983 | Sadat | |
| 1987 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Episode: "Little Miss Perfect"
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Compositions |
| 1990 | Drug Wars: The Camarena Story | Miniseries |
| 1991 | Love, Lies and Murder | |
| 2000 | American Experience | Episode: "Return with Honor" |
| 2002–06 | Alejo & Valentina | 52 episodes |
| 2009 | Nova | Episode: "Darwin's Darkest Hour" |
Television films
References
- "Charles Bernstein". soundtrack.net. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- "Exclusive interview!: CHARLES BERNSTEIN [english version]". October 14, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- Brown, Casey (July 3, 2012). "Interview with Charles Bernstein". Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- Malhotra, Anita (January 19, 2012). "INTERVIEW WITH CHARLES BERNSTEIN". Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- Borum, Jeremy (2015). Guerrilla Film Scoring: Practical Advice from Hollywood Composers. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442237308.
- "Board of Governors". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. September 1, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- "Foundation About Us". ascapfoundation.org. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- "Charles Bernstein". The Society of Composers and Lyricists. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- Charles Bernstein biography at The New York Times
- Barnes, Mike (June 7, 2011). "Silent Film Accompanist Mildred Wolf Dies at 101". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- "Mildred Wolf dies at 101". Variety. June 9, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- "Interview: Charles Bernstein on his score for "A Nightmare on Elm Street"". May 21, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- Faulkner, Robert R. (1983). Music on Demand. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 9781412829236.
- "DEADLY FRIEND (1986)". April 28, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- "Review: 'Miss Evers' Boys'". Variety. February 20, 1997. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- Wright, Rayburn; Karlin, Fred (2013). On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring. Routledge. ISBN 9781135948030.
- Charles Bernstein Interview on YouTube
- Quentin Tarantino Discusses Charles Bernstein's Music on YouTube
- "RZA Writes Music For Another Medium, Tarantino's 'Kill Bill'". Billboard. November 8, 2003. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- Marks-Tarlow, Terry (2013). Psyche's Veil: Psychotherapy, Fractals and Complexity. Routledge. ISBN 9781317723646.
- "Interview with Film Composer, Charles Bernstein". May 30, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- McNamara, Mary (March 24, 2002). "Don't Forget to Look Gorgeous". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- Gallo, Phil (March 2, 2014). "Oscar Music Nominees Honored, and Drenched, at Society of Composers and Lyricists Event". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
External links
- Official website
- Charles Bernstein on IMDb
- Charles Bernstein on his work with Lewis Teague on YouTube
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