In no particular order I will be going through some of the best pieces of music in film and it’s composers. Films we see in this age would be nothing without their incredible scores and soundtracks. A piece of music in a film can heighten action even more, or intensify sadness to another level. These musical scores and soundtracks we hear always make us feel more towards a film and they always enhance the greater meaning of a film.
Theme From Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the film score to the 1993 Steven Spielberg film of the same name, composed and conducted by John Williams. Alexander Courage and John Neufeld served as orchestrators. MCA Records released a soundtrack album for the film on May 25, 1993. This exhilarating soundtracks makes us, the audience, feel every emotion that is happening on screen. That is the magic of John Williams, through his scores he is able to capture the main feeling of a film and transfer that through the screen. The Theme From Jurassic Park truly captures the feeling of discovery, seeing and finding what was thought to be impossible. It carries the feeling of disbelief. This is why it s truly a magical piece of music.
Cornfield Chase
From the 2014 Christopher Nolan film, Interstellar, Hans Zimmer created a masterpiece of adrenaline, excitement and beauty as this piece of music enables the audience to feel free just like the characters on screen. This electrifying yet calming piece of music communicates the main feelings of the film as due to the beautiful sites and scenes we feel almost at ease, however due to some circumstances we feel anxious and on edge. This film is about duality and I think this piece of music captures that perfectly.
Flying
This slightly more unknown piece is from the 2003 P.J Hogan film, Peter Pan. This piece of music sounds exactly like it’s title, flying. Whilst listening to it even without the wonderful cinematography you can feel yourself floating through the air and entering a magical world. For someone born around the early 2000’s this piece of music sends floods of nostalgia and magic. The magical harm and chimes within this music creates the image of a make-believe dream that has the impossible. It infuses magic within the mind and on the screen, it is truly a pleasure to listen to and to watch.
Love Theme From The Godfather
This instrumental piece was composed by Nino Rota, and a previous version of this theme was used in the 1958 film Fortunella. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 film The Godfather is seen by many to be a turning point in cinematic history, along with it’s sinister theme which creates a sense of tension and seriousness. The string instruments being used in this theme gives the sound of true and authentic Sicilian music, therefore mirroring the Corleone family. This theme of the Godfather mirrors it’s main themes of love, power, loyalty and betrayal and lets in a ominous feel, a reflection of the violence that appears in the film.
Lukes Theme
Another John Williams masterpiece Star Wars 1977, Lukes Theme truly captures the ambience and the beauty of the setting we are looking at. As well as Star Wars being a science- fiction and action pact trilogy, we can truly appreciate the beauty that goes along with these films. This beauty is most importantly emphasised by the entrancing and magical sounds of John Williams and how specifically with this theme, he calms the spectator and directs our eyes to the beautiful sunset.
Married Life
Married Life by Michael Giacchino, is an instrumental score cue from the 2009 Disney Pixar film, Up. It is one of the film’s memorable scores heard throughout it and is one of the most successful scores used in animation and film industry to date. This truly heart- wrenching film captivates viewers by its beautiful soundtrack and joyous animations. This score of Married Life takes us on a journey of how Ellie and Carl first meet all the way to their old age and the devastating times of Ellies passing. This hopeful soundtrack captures the meaning of love and growth in this film.