About a month ago, I did a post about the importance of movie soundtracks. All in all, I feel that a decent soundtrack can make a good movie great or a bad movie acceptable. In honor of the Halloween, I've decided to put together a top-ten list of my favorite movie soundtracks and themes from the 1970's to the present. And before anybody asks, Titanic and Requiem for a Dream did not make the list, as did several others many people would argue for.
Number Ten: Back to the Future: Main Theme (Alan Silvestri)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTGyeGgMpk8
A piece from one of my favorite movies of all. (Most of these are; part of what makes many of these movies my favorites are a combination of acting, character dynamics, story and soundtrack.) This piece is so brazen and brassy, so daring and dapper, it's impossible to think of a better score for the zany adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown, regardless of how inaccurate their predictions turned out to be. Although perhaps not so widely recognizable or as celebrated as some of the others on this list, my top ten wouldn't be complete without it.
Number Nine: Batman Begins: Molossus (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZst_2xJHAI
Although not specifically the movie's theme, Molossus (named after a species of bat, as are all the tracks in this score) incorporates elements of much of the movie's score and heavily influences the soundtrack in all of of Nolan's trilogy. The track corroborates with this trilogy's inherent darkness, as compared to previously made Batman movies. The storyline is far more complicated, the villains far more complex, and even the heroes scarred on the inside from various events. They're certainly great films on their own, but compared with Arnold Schwarzenneger in a Mr. Freeze suit, they're practically Shakespeare.
Number Eight: Pirates of the Caribbean: Drink Up, Me Hearties (Hans Zimmer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkYko5OCnA4
This soundtrack, one of two on this list, does not come from a movie (or a series) I enjoy. Why don't I like Pirates of the Caribbean? It's not the shooting, which is excellent; it's not so much the characters themselves, which receive a great deal of development and grow over the course of the series; and it certainly isn't the brilliant score, written by Hans Zimmer. It's the plot. Oh, trust me, it's the plot. In its basics, the plot is fine. Respectable guy teams up with a ruffian to save his girl. A bit overused, but not bad. But certain devices of the plot are flawed, certain elements of the story don't make sense. Take the ending of the second film: everybody on the ship, which is being attacked by the Kraken, dies - with the exception of six key main characters. You don't really notice it the first time, since Jack Sparrow was among the casualties, but the second time, and all the times after that, it's blatantly obvious. But the score, from the genius of Hans Zimmer, is flawless; an icon in its own time.
Number Seven: Gladiator: Barbarian Horde (Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ5lQev52gk
If you don't feel like listening to nine minutes of music (albeit stunning music) while you wait for the movie's main theme, it starts around the nine-and-a-quarter minute mark (and is conveniently located in the first comment). Gladiator, an acclaimed box-office success story, deserves its notoriety. The characters are beautifully portrayed, their complicated relationships masterfully conveyed to the audience. Although the story may not be historically accurate, you begin to forget that once you get into the film. The plot has only a few insignificant holes that are more often than not overlooked entirely, and I only noticed them after watching the movie at least ten times. If you haven't seen the film, I wholeheartedly recommend it; I challenge you to to find any flaws in the film. And believe you me, you won't notice them if you don't look for them.
Number Six: Indiana Jones: Main Theme (John Williams)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bTpp8PQSog
Few soundtracks are more recognizable than this icon. Perhaps I speak only for myself, but when I think "Indiana Jones," this soundtrack is the first thing that comes to my mind. Composed by the master/father of the modern soundtrack, Indy's theme corresponds perfectly with the brash, outspoken character so convincingly portrayed by Harrison Ford, helping even the average viewer differentiate between Indy the badass adventurer (pardon my French) and Professor Henry Jones. And don't even think about mentioning that abomination with the aliens and Shia LaBoeuf; we're forgetting that that ever happened.
This is taking longer than I had anticipated; to keep from boring all of you, I'll continue my list next week. The final five - the best of the best from these past forty years, in my own humble opinion (although it may be a bit too late for me to call myself "humble"). I would tell you not to get to excited for it...but you should get excited for it.
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