Movie Music Man: A Portrait of Lalo Schifrin (TV)

"A lot of people don't know how to categorize me, which is OK because I like to keep them crazy," admits Lalo Schifrin at the beginning of this documentary. Whether playing piano for Dizzy Gillespie's jazz band, writing scores for over 100 feature films, or conducting a symphony orchestra, Schifrin excelled at anything he tried. This informative and entertaining hourlong documentary touches on all aspects of the great composer's life. Clips from a concert he conducted at the Cannes Film Festival in the early '90s feature Schifrin conducting performances of his best-known works, including the themes from Mission: Impossible, Bullitt, The Fox, and Cool Hand Luke (you see clips of the films, too), plus playing jazz piano with Gillespie. Most interesting, however, is an enlightening, rare interview with Schifrin himself, which should serve as required viewing for anyone interested in the art of film music. --Dave McCoy As a pianist, composer and conductor, Lalo Schifrin is equally at home leading an orchestra, performing at a jazz festival, or scoring a film. This program features clips from among the treasury of Schifrin's award-winning movie and TV soundtracks such as "Mission Impossible," "Cool Hand Luke" and "Bullitt," as well as concert highlights featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, Grady Tate and soprano Julia Migenes. In an exclusive interview, Lalo talks in depth about his remarkable career and discusses the influences on his compositions for the screen.