Hanns Eisler's film music has been a subject of increasing interest in recent years, in the context of significant new source materials and DVD editions as well as innovative scholarly approaches to music and film. Whereas Eisler's reputation as a film composer was previously defined by the book "Composing for the Films", written in collaboration with Theodor W. Adorno, it is now his 40-odd film scores themselves which are the object of detailed investigation. The present collection of essays covers a wide range of films, from "Niemandsland" (1931) to "Esther" (1962). The twelve authors from Germany, Great Britain, Mexico, Spain, and the USA employ wide-ranging approaches to film music analysis in their treatment of the subject, while also considering the question of the extent to which Eisler actually fulfilled his own theoretical demands. It is not surprising that the authors of the third "Eisler Studien" have come up with refreshingly diverse and highly rewarding results.
