Throughout the Cold War, the films produced on both sides of the Iron Curtain were shaped by the ideologies of their respective countries. Music played a key role defining the messages sent by these films. The essays in Music, Ideology, and Commerce in European Popular Cinema: 1940s to 1980s offer the first extended look at the relationship between music and ideology in commercial and popular European cinema of the Cold War era.

With contributions from an international array of scholars, this volume examines cinematic productions from East and West Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, and the former Yugoslavia. The contributors explore the interactions between music, ideology, and commercial and popular cinema that shaped mass culture during the Cold War. The book provides valuable insights for researchers and graduate students in music, film studies, and cultural studies departments who are studying European cinema or film music.