Bibliogr. p. [257]-264. Index

La 4e de couv. porte : "Lavish musical soundtracks contributed a special grandeur to the new widescreen, stereophonic sound movie experience of postwar biblical epics such as Samson and Delilah, Ben-Hur, and Quo Vadis. In Epic Sound, Stephen C. Meyer shows how music was utilized for various effects, sometimes serving as a vehicle for narrative plot and at times complicating biblical and cinematic interpretation. In this way, the soundscapes of these films reflected the ideological and aesthetic tensions within the genre, and more generally, within postwar American society. By examining key biblical films, Meyer adeptly engages musicology with film studies to explore cinematic interpretations of the Bible during the 1940s through the 1960s."

P. 1 Introduction P. 19 A biblical story for the post-World War II generation? Victor Young's music for DeMille's Samson and Delilah P. 46 Turning away from "concocted spectacle": Alfred Newman's score for David and Bathsheba P. 74 Spectacle and authenticity in Miklós Rózsa's Quo vadis score P. 96 Novel and film, music and miracle: Alfred Newman's score to The robe P. 114 Spirit and empire: Elmer Bernstein's score to The Ten Commandments P. 142 The law of genre and the music for Ben-Hur P. 165 King of kings and the problem of repetition P. 190 Suoni nuovi, suoni antichi: the soundscapes of Barabbas P. 210 Universality, transcendence, and collapse: music and The greatest story ever told P. 231 Epilogue