Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Hollywood's Musical Genius

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957), described as Hollywood’s “musical genius,” is the focus of the latest installment in “Movie Music Composers.” The piece recounts how, during Hollywood’s Golden Era, classical composers often brought concert-hall and opera training to film scores. Korngold is highlighted for his work on Warner Bros. adventure films in the 1930s and 1940s, including the Errol Flynn starrer “Captain Blood” (1935). After an arrangement credit for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935), Warner Bros. asked him to score “Captain Blood,” where he accepted despite being overwhelmed by the schedule and wrote most of the music. The article also connects his career move to World War II: Nazi expansion in 1938 made Austria unsafe, and returning to America to score “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938) “saved his life.” Korngold won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and also earned nominations for later Flynn films.