Although writers on film music frequently allude to specific parts of scores, comprehensive examinations of entire scores are rare.  In addition, most analyses of scores composed for the screen are discussed outside their cinematic context.  To best understand the role music plays in the production of a motion picture, however, it benefits the viewer to consider all of the elements that comprise the film experience.  In The Synergy of Film and Music: Sight and Sound in Five Hollywood Films, Peter Rothbart considers the aural and visual aspects of five representative films: "West Side Story," "Psycho," "Empire of the Sun," "Altered States," and "American Beauty."  For each film, the author demonstrates how a variety of elements work together to create a singular experience.  180 p.