2015 (Production)

2015-03-24 (Production)

English (Original)

Interviewee: Carl Davis
Interviewer: Jon Burlingame

Professional production

United States

Composer Carl Davis is interviewed by Jon Burlingame at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood, CA in 2015. Davis begins the interview discussing his childhood, his work in British television, and his scores for silent era cinema. Over the course of the interview, Davis details his film and television work, from THE BOFORS GUN (1968) to ANNE FRANK REMEMBERED (1995).

Composer Carl Davis is interviewed by Jon Burlingame at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood, CA on March 24, 2015. The son of Jewish immigrants, Davis speaks on his early life in Brooklyn and early appreciation for musical theater, which he credits to his mother. He remembers taking piano lessons as a child and later writing his own compositions at age 14. Davis recounts his one-year enrollment at the New England Conservatory of Music, followed by a U.S. tour with choral director Robert Shaw, where he made his debut as an accompanist. He discusses his time as an assistant conductor with the New York City Opera and composing for the off-Broadway revue DIVERSIONS (1958). With a desire to reconnect with his family’s European roots, Davis speaks about his move to London in 1960 and his interest in composing for film and television. He recalls his early score on the BBC’s THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS (1962-1963) and composing for his first feature film, THE BOFORS GUN (1968). Davis chronicles his work on the Thames Television documentary series THE WORLD AT WAR (1973) and the American feature MAN FRIDAY (1975), a project he considered challenging due to the complexities of film music synchronization. He recollects composing music for Thames’ HOLLYWOOD (1980), a landmark 13-part silent cinema documentary series that launched Davis' career as a specialist in the field. He goes on to discuss the circumstances that led to his first silent feature score, the restored NAPOLEON (1927) in 1980, followed by his work on GREED (1924; 1986), INTOLERANCE (1916; 1986), and BEN-HUR (1925; 1987). In addition to silent films, Davis also recalls composing music for Karel Reisz’s THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN (1981) and John Irvin’s CHAMPIONS (1983). He speaks about his emotional attachment to the documentary ANNE FRANK REMEMBERED (1995), explaining how the Holocaust theme dictated his musical approach and character motifs. The interview ends with Davis reflecting on his greatest learning experiences and thoughts on his place in the London musical establishment.

Carl Davis (born 1936) is a composer and conductor known for his original scores for silent film re-releases. Born in New York City, Davis attended the New England Conservatory before serving as an assistant conductor for the New York City Orchestra. He moved to London in 1960 and began composing for television programs including the BBC’s THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS (1962-1963) and THE WORLD AT WAR (1973) for Thames Television. Following his score for HOLLYWOOD (1980), a13-part documentary series on early film history, Davis began work on the newly restored NAPOLEON (1927) in 1980. His subsequent silent film credits include INTOLERANCE (1916; 1986), BEN-HUR (1925; 1987), and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925; 1996) as well as original film scores for CHAMPIONS (1983), KING DAVID (1985), and THE RAINBOW (1989). Davis is the recipient of five BAFTA Awards, including a 2003 Television Craft Special Award. In 2005, he was awarded an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II.

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