Following on from last nights post, ‘The Silent Hero: A Tribute to Film Music’, I decided that today I would begin my first Top 5 list with a tribute to my favourite motion picture scores of all time. Before I being I would like to clarify a couple of issues of contention that may arise from my selection.
Firstly, these are my personal selection and I do not intend to argue that they are the best of all time (but of course they are to me). These are the scores that inspired and moved me. They remind of a time in my life when I was growing up watching and be inspired by films for the first time. When it comes to favourites everyone has their own personal opinion or sentimental reasoning and I would like you to consider that when you hear my five.
Finally, the majority of these films come from the 21st Century or the 1990s. Seeing as I was only born in 1991 you may need to cut my some slack on this front. Hopefully one day I will hear a lot more incredible and creative musical scores from previous decades but for now I will stick with what I have heard and loved.
So without boring with more mindless rabble I give you my top 5 Motion Picture Musical Scores of all time. Listen, discuss and let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear other people’s favourites so don’t be afraid to comment or critique. Just remember any opinion is a worthy opinion (if it is relevant).
5. The Dark Knight (2008): Hans Zimmer and James Newtown Howard (Composers)
The creative collaboration of Hans Zimmer and James Newtown Howard is phenomenal in the 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight. Capturing the sterile and metallic settings of Gotham City and Hong Kong with the dark and epic undertones of the Joker’s emerging anarchy, the two composers create sheer musical brilliance. Their music covers the story’s arch so successfully, denouncing every emotional decision, explosion, confrontation and epic chase while never overshadowing the film’s intriguing story and memorable performances. It is a good example of how effective music can be in successfully complementing the various elements that comprises an outstanding film. On a personal level, to this day I still remember the goose-bumps I got from the above music (‘Aggressive Expansion’) when it was first utilised in promotional trailers for the film, and upon seeing the movie the same thrill I got from hearing the entire piece in context. If you haven’t heard the music I am talking about then you must hit play, because as a cinema enthusiast you are most definitely missing out.
4. Avatar (2009): James Horner (composer)
To be honest I didn’t really like Avatar as a complete movie. It was visually engaging and revolutionary but the story and acting were very average and uninspiring. However, James Horner’s musical score saved this film from entering my below average list and if a score can do that for film than it definitely deserves recognition. Incorporating both the futuristic musical tones, that have become synonymous with the science fiction genre, with the operatic melodies of the natural world, which reflected the colourful world of Pandora, Horner’s music shines highest above all elements in this movie (well for me at least). Especially the above section entitled ‘War’, his score could be seen as a separate artwork weaving its own story and characters without the necessity of complementary visual elements. This is a score that I love to listen to when studying or inspiring myself because it is in itself inspirational. Horner has created a timeless opera that illustrates the beauty of nature, the violence of technology and the devastating consequences that the two have when their worlds collide. Forget the oversized Smurfs when listening, just close your eyes and enjoy the music’s natural beauty.
3. Babel (2006): Gustavo Santaolalla (Composer)
Gustavo Santaolalla is one of few film composers who have gone onto win two consecutive Academy Awards for their achievements within the category of Best Original Score. In 2005, Santaolalla captured the essence of forbidden romance within the American south in the Academy Award winning ‘Brokeback Mountain’. However, it was his 2006 work that blew critics and audiences away (especially me) with his original, cross-cultural score for the critically acclaimed Babel. His work in Babel is nothing short of spectacular, as he effectively conveyed the culturally specific musical differences that exist between the films four focal countries (Mexico, America, Morocco and Japan) while still retaining a universal emotional connection with the human characters at the heart of this international drama. What I loved about this composition, and the clip above, is its ability to flawlessly incorporate numerous international instruments into the one score with natural ease, as if to say that this is exactly how international music should be played. Santaolalla’s score symbolically reiterates the message at the heart of the film that the power of music, like language, is universal if you stop and listen closely enough.
2. Titanic (1997): James Horner (Composer)
Call me nostalgic but I actually love everything about Titanic (1997), especially its well crafted musical score composed by James Horner (who has now made this list twice for his collaborative work with director James Cameron). When I hear the upbeat melody from the above clip ‘Southampton’ I automatically remember that excited feeling I got when I first watched Cameron’s masterpiece and glimpsed that porcelain princesses of a ship for the very first time. And that’s exactly why I think I love this score so much. Horner’s epic compositions effectively captured the emotion at the heart of the story so well that you (as an audience member) even felt like you were there alongside Rose and Jack as they entered the body of this damned ship. And it just didn’t end there. I remember the adrenaline that was racing through everyone as the ship started sinking, I remember the emotional anguish I felt when Jack died and he drifted (quite cliché like) down to the point of the sea and I remember feeling a sense of peace when Rose died and was finally reunited with Jack on their own ghostly love-boat. To this day, whenever I hear Horner’s score, I remember exactly how I felt just as if I was there back on April 10th 1912. Its grand, its tragic, its beautiful and its epic. It was everything the Titanic was and more. It was perfect.
1. The Hours (2002): Philip Glass (Composer)
The Film Dissection 