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The Cinema Lounge

The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, takes place at 8:00pm online via ZOOM. You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend.

On Monday, April 15, 2024 at 8:00pm please join the Cinema Lounge, the DC Film Society's monthly film discussion group.

TOPIC: Max Steiner: Hollywood's First Maestro with Steven C. Smith.

Before Hans Zimmer, before John Williams, before Ennio Morricone, and even before Bernard Herrmann, there was Max Steiner. A musical prodigy in his native Vienna, Steiner had a brief career in Broadway, before moving to Hollywood in 1929. At that point, so soon after sound became part of the movies, Hollywood was unsure of what role music would play on film.

Steiner, along with fellow luminaries such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold, created the musical techniques and language film composers still use today. During his career with RKO Radio Pictures, independent producer David O. Selznick, and Warner Brothers, Steiner scored over 300 films. These include classics such as King Kong, Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, White Heat and The Searchers. We are honored to be joined by Steven C. Smith, author of Music by Max Steiner: The Epic Life of Hollywood's Most Influential Composer. He will give a 45-minute presentation on Steiner, followed by a discussion.

Steven C. Smith is an Emmy-nominated documentary producer, author, and speaker who specializes in Hollywood history and profiles of contemporary filmmakers. Before the Max Steiner biography he wrote A Heart at Fire’s Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann. That book was the main research source for the Academy Award-nominated documentary Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann.

A four-time Emmy nominee and sixteen-time Telly Award winner, Steven has produced and written over 200 documentaries. They include The Sound of a City: Julie Andrews Returns to Salzburg; The Lure of the Desert: Martin Scorsese on Lawrence of Arabia; A Place for Us: West Side Story’s Legacy; and Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood.

Please RSVP to atspector@hotmail.com and you'll get the Zoom link 1-2 days before the discussion.

The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 8:00pm online via Zoom. The Cinema Lounge is moderated by Adam Spector, author of the DC Film Society's Adam's Rib column.