Stanley Myers

Listen to the melancholic “Cavatina” that adds soul-searching depth to Michael Cimino’s 1978 epic Vietnam war drama, The Deer Hunter, and you might think its composer Stanley Myers had himself experienced life as a war veteran in Pennsylvania. The reality, however, is quite different: Myers, born in 1930, grew up in the English suburbs of Birmingham, and later lived and worked in West London. His reflective “Cavatina” was originally written for the London-based romantic crime drama The Walking Stick, but gained a new lease of life in the hands of classical guitarist John Williams. Myers, who wrote music for more than 100 films for cinema and television, is highly attuned to Englishness. Hear how his poignant piano theme taps into the tender emotions of the restless, rebellious teen played by Emily Lloyd in the coming-of-age seaside film Wish You Were Here. More upbeat is the ’80s synth pop conceived in collaboration with Hans Zimmer for Stephen Frears’ South London drama, My Beautiful Laundrette (1985). With Myers as mentor, it’s no surprise Zimmer went on to become one of Hollywood’s biggest names in film music. Myers died in London in 1993.