The legendary Miklós Rózsa’s impact on the world of film music will be celebrated over an entire weekend at the Academy, starting with an opening night of film clips, conversation, and a screening of Rózsa’s 1952 Oscar-nominated film, Ivanhoe.  On the following nights, examples of his Academy Award®-nominated work in a variety of genres will be explored: fantasy and adventure (The Thief of Bagdad, 1940), film noir (The Killers, 1946) and large-scale epic (El Cid, 1961).

Rózsa was born on April 18, 1907, in Budapest and became a violinist at age five.  His studies took him to Leipzig, and later he worked in Paris and London. While still in his twenties he wrote a ballet and began composing chamber and symphonic works.  He first wrote for film in England in the late 1930s, composing for fellow Hungarian Alexander Korda before coming to Hollywood in the early 1940s.  Although Rózsa wrote the majority of his film scores between the late ’30s and early ’60s, he later accepted the occasional movie project; his final score was for the comedy Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid in 1982.

Rózsa received 17 Academy Award nominations between 1940 and 1961 – 16 for Music Scores, and one for Song.  He won Oscars® for his scores of Spellbound (1945), A Double Life (1947) and Ben-Hur (1959).

Ivanhoe (1952)

Ivanhoe (1952)
Based on the Sir Walter Scott novel, this classic tale of knighthood during England’s Middle Ages is set against the power struggle between King Richard I and his treacherous brother Prince John.

Cast Robert Taylor (Ivanhoe), Elizabeth Taylor (Rebecca), Joan Fontaine (Rowena), George Sanders (De Bois-Guilbert), Emlyn Williams (Wamba), Robert Douglas (Sir Hugh De Bracy), Finlay Currie (Cedric), Felix Aylmer (Isaac), Francis De Wolff (Front de Boeuf).

Directed by Richard Thorpe.  Produced by Pandro S. Berman. Screenplay Noel Langley, Marguerite Roberts (based on the novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott).  Producer Pandro S. Berman.  Cinematography F. A. Young.  Film Editing Frank Clarke.  Art Direction Alfred Junge.  Costume Design Roger Furse.  Music Miklós Rózsa.  Photographic Effects Tom Howard.  Makeup Charles Parker.  Hairdressing Joan Johnstone.  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 1952.  35mm.  Technicolor.  106 mins.  Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive and Warner Bros.

Academy Award nominee:  Best Motion Picture (Berman), Color Cinematography (F.A. Young), Music – Score of a dramatic or comedy picture (Rózsa).

Saturday, August 18, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Prince Ahmad, the rightful king of Bagdad, fights to regain his throne from the evil Jaffar with the help of Abu, the best thief in Bagdad.

Cast Conrad Veidt (Jaffar), Sabu (Abu), June Duprez (Princess), John Justin (Ahmad), Rex Ingram (Djinn), Miles Malleson (Sultan), Morton Selten (Old King), Mary Morris (Halima), Bruce Winston (Merchant), Hay Petrie (Astrologer), Adelaide Hall (Singer), Roy Emerton (Jailer), Allan Jeayes (Storyteller).

Directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan. Produced by Alexander Korda. Screenplay Miles Malleson, Lajos Biro. Cinematography Georges Périnal. Film Editing William Hornbeck, Charles Crichton. Production Design Vincent Korda. Costume Design Oliver Messel, John Armstrong, Marcel Vertes. Music Miklós Rózsa. Sound Director A.W. Watkins. Special Effects Lawrence Butler. Alexander Korda Films.  United Artists. 1940.  35mm.  Technicolor. 106 mins.  Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive and MGM/UA.

Academy Award nominee: Music – Original Score (Rózsa).

Academy Award winner: Color Art Direction (Vincent Korda), Color Cinematography (Périnal), Special Effects (Butler, Jack Whitney).

The Killers (1946)

The Killers (1946)
Two hitmen do a job in a small town; the investigation into their crime uncovers a complex web of deceit linked to a mysterious beauty.  Based on a story by Ernest Hemingway.

Cast Burt Lancaster (Swede), Ava Gardner (Kitty Collins), Edmond O'Brien (James Riordan), Albert Dekker ("Big Jim" Colfax), Sam Levene (Sam Lubinsky), Vince Barnett (Charleston), Virginia Christine (Lilly), Jack Lambert (Dum Dum), Charles D. Brown (Packy), Donald McBride (Kenyon), Charles McGraw (Al), William Conrad (Max), John Miljan (Jake), Phil Brown (Nick Adams), Queenie Smith (Queenie).

Directed by Robert Siodmak. Produced by Mark Hellinger. Screenplay Anthony Veiller. Cinematography Woody Bredell. Film Editing Arthur Hilton. Art Direction Jack Otterson, Martin Obzina. Set Decoration Russell A. Gausman, E.R. Robinson. Music Miklós Rózsa. Sound Director Bernard B. Brown. Special Photography D.S. Horsley. Makeup Jack P. Pierce. Hairstylist Carmen Dirigo.  Mark Hellinger Productions.  Universal Pictures. 1946. 35mm. 103 mins.  Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive and Universal.

Academy Award nominee: Directing (Siodmak), Film Editing (Hilton), Music – Score of a dramatic or comedy picture (Rózsa), Writing – Screenplay (Veiller).

Sunday, August 19, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater

El Cid (1961)

El Cid (1961)
The story of the legendary Spanish hero, Rodrigo Díaz, who drove the Moors from Spain.

Cast Charlton Heston (El Cid), Sophia Loren (Chimene), Raf Vallone (Count Ordoñez), Geneviève Page (Princess Urraca), John Fraser (Prince Alfonso), Gary Raymond (Prince Sancho), Hurd Hatfield (Arias), Massimo Serato (Fanez), Herbert Lom (Ben Yussuf).

Directed by Anthony Mann. Produced by Samuel Bronston. Screenplay Philip Yordan, Fredric M. Frank, Ben Barzman.  Cinematography Robert Krasker. Film Editing Robert Lawrence.  Art Direction Veniero Colasanti, John Moore. Costume Design Veniero Colasanti, John Moore.  Music Miklós Rózsa. Song “Love Theme From El Cid (The Falcon and the Dove)" Music by Miklós Rózsa, Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.  Sound Recording Jack Solomon.  Special Effects Alex Weldon, Jack Erickson.  Makeup Mario Van Riel.  Hairstyles Grazia De Rossi.  Samuel Bronston Productions; Dear Film.  Allied Artists. 1961.  35mm.  184 mins.  Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive and Miramax.                               

Academy Award nominee:  Color Art Direction (Colasanti, Moore), Music – Score of a dramatic or comedy picture (Rózsa), Music – Song "Love Theme From El Cid – The Falcon and the Dove" (Rózsa, Webster).

Tickets for each evening are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members. Tickets for this event will be available beginning August 1 at the Academy during regular business hours, by mail (HTML or PDF format), online, or on the night of the screening, if still available. Please note, we do not take phone reservations. If ordering by mail, please remember to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope along with a check made out to THE ACADEMY FOUNDATION. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills. Doors open one hour before each screening. All seating is unreserved. For additional information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600.