Legends of Film Music: Alex North

Composer Alex North brought a fresh perspective to film scoring. His mastery of capturing the psychological underpinnings of any narrative, coupled with his unique brand of modernism, made him one the most revered figures in film music history. On March 7, join us as we examine North’s ingenious use of themes, motifs, and even the intentional absence of music, during three sequences of John Huston’s THE MISFITS, a gritty, contemporary Western set in and around Reno, Nevada, and starring Clark Gable (in his final role), Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY inspired Alex North to create some of his most brilliant, exciting musical compositions. The director’s preference of pre-existing music over an original score led to the rejection of North’s work, but some of the composer’s ideas lived on in other projects. We will look at the 2001 conductor score and will examine some of North’s music in sync with picture, as originally intended. Composers William V. Malpede and Edwin Wendler will co-host this event and help us get deep into the work of Alex North.