10 Extraordinary Partnerships Between Composers and Directors

[h2]3. Henry Mancini and Blake Edwards[/h2]

If these men only ever collaborated on The Pink Panther film series, that would be more than enough to land them a spot on this list. Mancini’s incredible jazz scores to Edward’s classic comedies are among the most infectiously fun, stylish, and imaginative compositions ever written for film, and it is simply breathtaking to watch through the original run of Peter Sellers films and hear how Mancini effortlessly adapts to the gradually shifting tone.

These are some of my personal favorite scores of all time, but they are far from the only collaborations between Mancini and Edwards. Mancini was Edward’s primary composer throughout his career, and scored such classics as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Days of Wine and Roses (both of which he won Academy Awards for), and Darling Lili. Edwards was one of the most aesthetically talented filmmakers in American cinematic history, and Mancini’s contributions were always a major, essential part of that equation. Though this is not one of the best-known director/composer collaborations today, it certainly deserves to be, as their work exemplifies what strong chemistry between filmmaker and musician can achieve.

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