Best theme song EVER!!!

[James Steven Beverly]

I was watching "The Magnificent Seven" today (and yesterday too actually, I LOVE that movie) and kept thinking "What great theme music!!!" I've always loved it every sence I was a little kid. No other peice of music ever captured the feel of the West like that one did for me, but then I started thinking of ALL the OTHER great theme music I've heard through the years, 2001, Star Wars, Shaft, Jaws, The Exorsist, The Sting and far too many others to name. Music is such an intricate part of creating an emotional responce from an audience it becomes one of the most inportant parts of the filmmaker's craft. I wanted to hear what everyone's favorite use of theme music is and why or what they think was the best theme music ever OR what music really impressed you in the way it was used to enhance what was happening on screen. In contrast, If anyone ever felt a musical moment completely destroyed to quality of the emotion in a scene or film, I'd love to hear about that too. Lay it on me, boys and girls. Tell me what ya REALLY think. B)

Edited January 31, 2007 by James Steven Beverly

[Daniel Carruthers]

I liked the theme from kill bill vol 1. you only hear it once in the movie and once on the dvd menu.

Halloween of course is classic, also Escape from newyork.

[Leo Anthony Vale]

Prokofiev's scores for 'Ivan the Terrible' and 'Aleksandr Nevskii' are among the very best.

The Tatar steppe theme from 'Ivan...' is one of the finest melodies ever.

Prokofiev uses that theme in his opera 'War and Peace' written at the same time, where it's used as the Moscow/Mother Russia theme.

Valerii Gergiev claims if it weren't for Prokofiev's music both of those films would be forgotten.

I don't agree, but the music is a major element, practically making operas out of them.

First time I saw 'Ivan...', the me shivers up my spine. It was a religious experience.

 

Bernard Hermann's score for 'Mysterious Island' pretty much makes that movie.

I like Harryhausen, but this is one of his weaker movies. The animated creatures are mostly decorative, rather than major plot points. Hermann's score is what realy holds the movie together and provides most of the sense of mystery.

[Tobias Marshall]

The score for Das Boot whilst being a synthesized (The Best one in my opinion,Ennio Morrocone's The Thing a close second), is riveting and drives the film equally to what we are seeing on screen, be it the Boat ripping through the waves or in the engine room. There is also an acustic guitar version for the end scenes which is also emotional.

 

Also the score for Three Colour Blue, that is interwoven with the film, is possibly the most beautiful music I've ever heard. It gave me the first notion of melancholy as a child!.

[David Mullen ASC]

I like:

Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jaws, Psycho, Vertigo, James Bond Theme, Mission Impossible Theme, Good, the Bad, the Ugly, For a Few Dollars More, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Planet of the Apes, Patton, Wind and the Lion, Lawrence of Arabia, Immigrant Theme from Godfather Part II, Star Wars, Superman... too many to name (I'm a soundtrack collector...)

 

I was just filling up my new Ipod Nano a few weeks ago and was struck by how much I miss the sounds of Jerry Goldsmith. He could create these amazing modernist tonal arrangements with strong percussion running through them.

[Dan Goulder]

Movies where there?s great synergy between sight and sound:

Risky Business, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Batman Begins, Wild Things, Ocean?s Twelve, The Little Rascals(tv serials), American Beauty, Clockwork Orange, Coffee and Cigarettes, Wild at Heart?

[James Steven Beverly]

The score for Das Boot whilst being a synthesized (The Best one in my opinion,Ennio Morrocone's The Thing a close second), is riveting and drives the film equally to what we are seeing on screen, be it the Boat ripping through the waves or in the engine room. There is also an acustic guitar version for the end scenes which is also emotional.

 

I LOVED the theme from the Thing. I got the cd called the Home Video Album from RCA/Victor that is a bunch of movie music meant to be used with home videos. I don't even remember where I got it. I use it to temporarily score sequences for timing and feel, ect but one of my favorite cuts is the theme from the Thing. Sometimes if I haven't heard it in a while, I'll pull it out just to listen to it again. It's SO cool.

 

I like:

Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jaws, Psycho, Vertigo, James Bond Theme, Mission Impossible Theme, Good, the Bad, the Ugly, For a Few Dollars More, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Planet of the Apes, Patton, Wind and the Lion, Lawrence of Arabia, Immigrant Theme from Godfather Part II, Star Wars, Superman... too many to name (I'm a soundtrack collector...)

 

I'm with you, Dave. There's a lot of increadible music out there and so much of it floods back the memories of the films it comes from. Just looking at your list I can hear the music in my head and see flashes of the films with it, almost like a mini trailier. Very cool!

Edited February 22, 2007 by James Steven Beverly

[Tugce Sen]

I like the theme from In the Mood For Love, fits like a glove.

[Nicholas Jenkins]

God, there are so many to list... <_<

 

I'm really quite taken with David Newman's work on Serenity. The theme especially is exactly what the film needed (not to mention Jack Green's AWESOME cinematography).

 

I'm also a big fan of some of John Williams' work, especially his early work with Spielberg. It's a little too much now I think, but it was magic at the time.

[John Holland]

I agree about Spielberg/ Williams early work , although ,War of the Worlds score was pretty good , not to "bombastic".

[Nick Mulder]

UFO & Sledge Hammer!

 

both great

 

Yeh I'll also give thumbs to Star Trek and Star Wars

 

Eyes Wide Shut had the most grating sound track i can currently recall >>vomit icon<<

[Ricardo Diaz]

Superman. Williams score to the first film fit the character like spandex and tight underwear. Everything from the rousing fanfare to the beauty of the fields in Smallville. It's a shame Ottman couldn't do the same with the recent film. But in terms of visuals to sound it was almost perfect. Thats my opinion of course.

[Mitch Beaudry]

One of the better new scores I've heard was for Night Watch.

 

However, if we could have frozen Bernard Herrmann or some how keep him alive on tubes with a baton in his hand a lot of today's scores would be more impactful.

[Dan Goldberg]

I must say, I am always in awe of Howard Shore. What he did with the music in Lord of the Rings was absolutely breathtaking. The way different themes were used for different aprts of Middle-Earth, and how even the One Ring itself had it's dark, ambient theme music, it is definitely in the top of my favourite themes.

 

I mean to capture a WHOLE WORLD in a musical theme...that is slightly tricky. But Shore did it brilliantly!

 

Movies where there’s great synergy between sight and sound:

Risky Business, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Batman Begins, Wild Things, Ocean’s Twelve, The Little Rascals(tv serials), American Beauty, Clockwork Orange, Coffee and Cigarettes, Wild at Heart…

 

I have to agree with Clockwork Orange and Ocean's Twelve for sure. Excellent themes as well. B)

Edited April 3, 2007 by Dan Goldberg

[Tenolian Bell]

I like the theme song of "Greatest American Hero", :)

[Nick Mulder]

The Littlest Hobo

 

Muppet Babies :wub:

 

Airwolf

 

Grange Hill (hell yeh!)

 

Perfect Strangers

 

WKRP in Cincinnati

 

 

 

all on my iPod

[Patrick Cooper]

And don't forget 'Punky Brewster'!