Alex North (1910-1991) was one of America's most renowned film composers. His musical scores enhanced more than 60 major motion pictures--A Streetcar Named Desi

Winner of the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism A New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book of the Year Time magazine Top Ten Nonfiction Book

An exploration of the powerful effect of music in films produced from the 1930s through the 1980s.

From the neighborhood pianist of silent movie days to the synthesized effects and music video sequences of the 1980s: the great and not-so-great moments in film

In this biography the author interweaves the dramatic incidents of Steiner's personal life with an accessible exploration of his composing methods and experienc