Saturday Cinema

Deemed culturally, historically and aesthetically significant by the Library of Congerss in 1991, 'King Kong' is also known for its musical score, composed by Max Steiner.

From a crop-duster attack in a midwestern cornfield to the tip of George Washington's nose, Alfred Hitchcock packed a ton of suspense into this 1959 classic caper. On this week's Flicks in Five, Lynne Warfel takes a look at Hitch's "North by Northwest."

It's the time of the year when we think about scary movies, so you might want to turn on an extra light or two, although Lynne Warfel's pick this week may make you laugh: it's the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy, 'Young Frankenstein', featuring music by John Morris.

Next Level is an attempt to bring new video game and classical music worlds to people who don't even know they exist. This week, Respighi goes dragon hunting and Dead Space 2 meets its Polish composer-soul mate.

Swordfights, rope-swinging and adventurous heroes characterize the 'swashbuckler' genre. Naturally, the scores under these films reflect the onscreen feats of derring-do.

Overdubbing is when an actor portraying a part in a musical doesn't do his or her own singing. That doesn't mean the actor can't sing; often there are other factors at work. Lynne Warfel has some stories about overdubbing on this week's Flicks in Five.

The year 1939 was a bountiful one for Hollywood, and even though 'The Wizard of Oz' was not an initial success at the box office, it has since become a classic. Its music plays no small role in the film's enduring popularity.

This week's Flicks in Five features the film Back to the Future. Alan Silvestri composed the epic soundtrack to this film, and his music is just one of the many elements that makes this film a beloved and enduring classic.

This week's spotlight film is the first Harry Potter movie, which features a score by John Williams. As we're marking back-to-school month, what better school to imagine attending than Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

John Williams provided the music for sci-fi's equivalent of The Ring Cycle, "Star Wars." Six films and billions of dollars later, Williams' music stands as some of the best movie music of all time.