---
name: "Bernhard Kaun"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/bernhard-kaun"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "5 April 1899"
died: "3 January 1980"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-19T22:49:34.509439+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bernhard Kaun

Composer. Born 5 April 1899 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Died 3 January 1980.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 5 April 1899, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- **Died:** 3 January 1980
- **Active:** 1932–1936
- **Also known as:** Bernard Kaun
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 80 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Crime 2, Romance 2, Comedy 1, War 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $3m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Kaun, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q825410, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006151/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/29810

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*A Farewell to Arms*](https://film.one/film/a-farewell-to-arms.md) (80)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Bernhard Kaun (also credited as Bernard Kaun) was an American composer and orchestrator. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he trained in Germany before moving to the United States and beginning work in film music in the early 1930s.

He contributed music to numerous Hollywood productions of the 1930s, including *A Farewell to Arms* (1932) and *I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang* (1932). Kaun is noted for composing the main theme for *Frankenstein* (1931) and for his orchestrations on scores by Max Steiner, including *King Kong* (1933). He worked extensively as a composer, orchestrator and conductor for studios such as Universal, Warner Bros. and Paramount, contributing to more than 200 films.

Later in his career Kaun composed concert music and worked in television. He died in Baden-Baden, West Germany, in 1980.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, esm.rochester.edu, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Modern Times* (1936), Fi1m 88, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/modern-times.md)
- *The Informer* (1935), Fi1m 73, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/the-informer.md)
- *A Farewell to Arms* (1932), Fi1m 80, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/a-farewell-to-arms.md)
- *I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang* (1932), Fi1m 85, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/i-am-a-fugitive-from-a-chain-gang.md)

## Complete filmography (129)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Five Cities of June* (1963), Music
- *The Fly* (1958), Conductor
- *The Bravados* (1958), Conductor
- *All Roads Lead Home* (1957), Original Music Composer
- *Special Delivery* (1955), Music
- *Devotion* (1946), Orchestrator
- *Tomorrow Is Forever* (1946), Orchestrator
- *Background to Danger* (1943), Additional Music
- *The Big Shot* (1942), Additional Music
- *Shadows on the Stairs* (1941), Original Music Composer
- *The Case of the Black Parrot* (1941), Original Music Composer
- *Money and the Woman* (1940), Original Music Composer, Orchestrator
- *The Return of Doctor X* (1939), Original Music Composer
- *Smashing the Money Ring* (1939), Original Music Composer
- *Code of the Secret Service* (1939), Original Music Composer
- *On Trial* (1939), Original Music Composer
- *When Were You Born* (1938), Original Music Composer
- *The Invisible Menace* (1938), Original Music Composer
- *Missing Witnesses* (1937), Original Music Composer
- *The Go-Getter* (1937), Music
- *Mountain Justice* (1937), Music
- *Internes Can't Take Money* (1937), Original Music Composer
- *Marked Woman* (1937), Original Music Composer
- *The Soldier and the Lady* (1937), Orchestrator
- *Black Legion* (1937), Original Music Composer
- *Public Enemy's Wife* (1936), Music
- *Satan Met a Lady* (1936), Original Music Composer
- *Two Against the World* (1936), Original Music Composer
- *Bullets or Ballots* (1936), Original Music Composer
- *The Walking Dead* (1936), Music
- *The Petrified Forest* (1936), Original Music Composer
- *Modern Times* (1936), Orchestrator — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/modern-times.md)
- *Man Hunt* (1936), Original Music Composer
- *Dangerous* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Frisco Kid* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Peter Ibbetson* (1935), Orchestrator
- *Dr. Socrates* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *The Last Outpost* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Special Agent* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *The Irish in Us* (1935), Additional Music
- *Don't Bet on Blondes* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Stranded* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *In Caliente* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Black Fury* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *The Informer* (1935), Orchestrator — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/the-informer.md)
- *'G' Men* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *The Case of the Curious Bride* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Traveling Saleslady* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Gold Diggers of 1935* (1935), Music
- *The Woman in Red* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Bordertown* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *The Little Minister* (1934), Orchestrator
- *The Secret Bride* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Murder in the Clouds* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *The St. Louis Kid* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *British Agent* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Desirable* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *The Dragon Murder Case* (1934), Music
- *Housewife* (1934), Music
- *The Man with Two Faces* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *He Was Her Man* (1934), Music
- *Murder on the Blackboard* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Fog Over Frisco* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *A Very Honorable Guy* (1934), Music
- *Death Takes a Holiday* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Success at Any Price* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Jimmy the Gent* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Gambling Lady* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Spitfire* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Heat Lightning* (1934), Original Music Composer, Orchestrator
- *I've Got Your Number* (1934), Music
- *Bolero* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *As the Earth Turns* (1934), Music
- *Dark Hazard* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Hi, Nellie!* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Man of Two Worlds* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *The Big Shakedown* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *The House on 56th Street* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Lady Killer* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *The World Changes* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *College Coach* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *The Kennel Murder Case* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Ever in My Heart* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Wild Boys of the Road* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *I Loved a Woman* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Captured!* (1933), Music
- *Voltaire* (1933), Music
- *Mary Stevens, M.D.* (1933), Music
- *The Narrow Corner* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Heroes for Sale* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Private Detective 62* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *The Silk Express* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *The Story of Temple Drake* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Central Airport* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Sweepings* (1933), Orchestrator
- *The Mind Reader* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Our Betters* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Girl Missing* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Mystery of the Wax Museum* (1933), Original Music Composer
- *Ladies They Talk About* (1933), Additional Music
- *Luxury Liner* (1933), Music
- *The Match King* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *20,000 Years in Sing Sing* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Lawyer Man* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Haunted Gold* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *A Farewell to Arms* (1932), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/a-farewell-to-arms.md)
- *If I Had a Million* (1932), Additional Music
- *Scarlet Dawn* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang* (1932), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/i-am-a-fugitive-from-a-chain-gang.md)
- *Night After Night* (1932), Additional Music
- *The Crash* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *A Bill of Divorcement* (1932), Orchestrator
- *The Big Stampede* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Tiger Shark* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Big City Blues* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *A Successful Calamity* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Doctor X* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Jewel Robbery* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *What Price Hollywood?* (1932), Orchestrator
- *The Strange Love of Molly Louvain* (1932), Music
- *Miss Pinkerton* (1932), Music
- *Man Wanted* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *The Mouthpiece* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *High Pressure* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *The Woman from Monte Carlo* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Heaven on Earth* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *Frankenstein* (1931), Original Music Composer
- *Rich Man's Folly* (1931), Music
- *Platinum Blonde* (1931), Original Music Composer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/bernhard-kaun