Favorite Movie Scores: Main Theme from "Cast Away"

As my readers know, I love making "favorites" lists. I just really like sharing something that I'm passionate about with other people. I also like making "favorites" lists because it means I'm constantly writing positive posts, rather than negative ones.

So today's post is another installment in my "Favorite Movie Scores" list. I love movie scores. Music is an integral part of a film. Without music, a film feels incomplete. A piece of music can completely change the way a scene plays. The best movie scores are ones that don't force you to feel emotion. The movie's score should enhance the already existing emotion. 

The Main Theme from the film Cast Away (2000) starring Tom Hanks is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful pieces of score ever written for a film. It was written by Alan Silvestri, who has worked on many of director Robert Zemeckis' movies. Zemeckis is known for directing movies such as the Back to the Future trilogy, Forrest Gump (1994), and The Polar Express (2004).

Take a listen:

 

Interestingly, Cast Away does not have very much score in it all. This one theme is all there is. The majority of the film is Tom Hanks (Chuck Noland) on a island with no one for company but a volleyball he names Wilson. The lack of score is an interesting choice. A lot of directors would be tempted to fill the long silences with score, but Zemeckis' choice to play out scenes with just Chuck's mutterings and actions creates a very raw feeling. In the movie, Chuck resorts to a very primal way of living in order to survive, so the lack of music adds to the overall tone of the movie. 

In fact, there is so little score in the film that there is no official original soundtrack available for purchase. The closest you can get is one track on compilation CDs.

This piece of music plays in two scenes in the movie. The first is the scene where Chuck loses Wilson in the ocean. For almost five years on the island with no other human beings to interact with, Chuck's only source of company is Wilson, a Wilson-brand volleyball that washes ashore after the plane crash. When Chuck sets sail on the raft he has made, he loses Wilson in the waves and can't find him.

This is the most emotional scene in the whole movie. The concept of a person treating a volleyball like a friend is ridiculous, but the audience loves Wilson because the audience loves Chuck and wants him to succeed. Tom Hanks' performance in this scene is beautiful. The desperation in his voice is heart-breaking. Not surprisingly he was nominated for an Oscar for this role. (He lost to Russell Crowe for Gladiator.)

This next part is a serious SPOILER ALERT. If you don't want to know how the movie ends, don't read this part.

The second time this piece of music plays is in the very last scene of the movie. Chuck has slowly rejoined normal society and he has just delivered the FedEx final package that he saved from the plane crash five years earlier. As he leaves the last house he comes to a crossroads and has to ask for directions. You don't have to dig very deep to understand the symbolism of the location of this scene. (Hint: He has reached a crossroads in his life and has to decide how to continue living.)

This last piece of music plays as Chuck decides which path to choose and then carries over into the credits of the film.

END SPOILER

I particularly love the string instruments in this piece of music. The long, slow notes are very serene and beautiful. I actually recently met someone who plays this song to their newborn baby to help her fall asleep.

The quality of the piece makes me picture a beautiful, calm ocean. In the film, the ocean is simultaneously Chuck's friend and enemy. It provides him with food to stay alive, but it is also the great expanse that separates him from the rest of the world for so long.

This song plays in two pivotal scenes in Cast Away. I like that these are the two scenes that were chosen to have music because it ties them together. The theme of the first scene is "Surrender to inevitable. Sometimes events in your life are beyond your control." And the theme of the second scene is "Only you can control that path of your life, so make a decision."

Fun Film Fact 10/23/11

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
"Sixteen Going On Seventeen" was one of the last scenes shot because during the first attempt to film it Charmian Carr (Liesl) slipped on one of the benches and fell through a pane of glass in the gazebo. She wasn't hurt badly, but the scene was pushed towards the end of the production schedule so she had time to heal.

Fun Film Fact 10/16/11

Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is completely self-taught. He has said that everything he knows about music he learned through experimentation and collaboration. According to IMDb, Zimmer has composed music for 141 different projects. He has composed some of my favorite movie scores: The Lion King, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Gladiator, and The Prince of Egypt. 

Fun Film Fact 08/08/11

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (2001)
Composer John Williams composed the iconic "Hedwig's Theme" before seeing a single frame of the movie. Warner Brothers was putting together a promotion that needed music, so they asked Williams to quickly write something. Isn't that crazy given that "Hedwig's Theme" is now one of the most recognizable pieces of movie score? I'd say it's right up there with Chariots of Fire and Star Wars. 

Take a listen:

Fun Film Fact 08/05/11

MOULIN ROUGE (2001)
The song "Come What May" is the only original song in the film, so it was the only song that could have been nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. It was disqualified, however, because it had been written for director Baz Luhrmann's previous film William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (the one with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes). It was not used in Romeo and Juliet, but since it had been written for a film other than Moulin Rouge the song couldn't be nominated for the Oscar.

Oscar or not, "Come What May" will always be my favorite song from the movie. It's SO beautiful!! (And come on, who doesn't love Ewan McGregor in this scene? He always does dark, serious movies so I love how happy he is in this movie. Well, happyish...)

Fun Film Fact 08/01/11

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
The song that Pippin (Billy Boyd) sings to Lord Denethor that plays as the Gondorian army rides to reclaim the city of Osgiliath was written by Billy Boyd two days before the scene was shot. The writers gave him the lyrics they wanted and Boyd wrote the music.

Billy Boyd is an amazing musician. He's the lead singer for a band called Beecake. They're pretty awesome. This is their song "Rip It Up."

Fun Film Fact 07/31/11

TITANIC (1997)
When composer James Horner was hired director James Cameron said that he absolutely did not want anything other than straight score for the film. James Horner secretly wrote "My Heart Will Go On" and secretly recorded it with Celine Dion. When he played it for Cameron he prefaced it by saying, "I know you'll probably hate it, but..." Cameron loved the song and put it in the film. (If you've ever seen an interview with James Cameron or read an article about him you'll know that this is probably one of the only times he's admitted he was wrong.)

Fun Film Fact 07/29/11

TITANIC (1997)
The piece of music that plays during the portrait scene was never meant to be in the film. Composer James Horner recorded himself playing the main theme of the film on the piano and sent it to director James Cameron titled "Sketch." Horner meant that the song was a sketch of a piece of music that he was going to flesh out later with an orchestra. Cameron interpreted the title "Sketch" to mean that it was meant for the scene where Jack sketches Rose. Cameron loved how simple and beautiful it was and decided to use it in the final film. Personally, I'm very happy it's in the movie. It's my favorite song from the soundtrack.

Isn't it amazing?

That Sounds Familiar... "My Name is Lincoln"

Recently my posts have been quite lengthy and they have taken a while to write, so I thought that today I would talk about something that's small, but quite interesting. (Well, I find it interesting...)

Whenever you hear a piece of music in a movie trailer it is almost always not the music that will be in the movie. That is to say, trailer music is usually not the final film's soundtrack. Sometimes the music will be written especially for the trailer, but most times it is borrowed from another film's soundtrack.

There is one piece of music in particular that plays in many, many trailers. You've most likely heard it at one point or another without realizing it. The piece of music is called "My Name Is Lincoln" and it's from the film The Island (2005) directed by Michael Bay. The Island is not a very memorable film, but it's enduring legacy is this song. It was composed by Steve Jablonsky who does all of Bay's films. "My Name Is Lincoln" is, in my opinion, the most epic piece of score of modern times. This song is quite high on my list of favorite movie scores. It's on my workout playlist and when I listen to it I feel like I should go climb Mount Everest or something. Take a listen:

Doesn't the moment at 2:59 make your heart soar?

So, because this piece of music is SO epic, it's been used in a ton of trailers for epic movies. I like how the music feels a little different depending on what it's being played over. It's been used in dozens of trailers, but for now here are a few examples:

The most notable trailer it was used in is the extended trailer for Avatar (2010):

Then there's the trailer for Flyboys (2006). There's usually more than one piece of music in a trailer. It kicks in around 1:30.

I like how it's used in the trailer for Conviction (2010). It's a movie with an epic story, but it's not an action movie. Again, it kicks in towards the end at 1:41.

And finally, it's in the Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) trailer. It starts at 1:17.

Now that you know this piece of music you will recognize it in lots of trailers.

Fun Film Fact 07/23/11

BIG (1988)
The rap/handshake that Josh (Tom Hanks) and Billy do multiple times in the film was suggested by Tom Hanks. He felt that the boys needed some sort of secret handshake and Hanks' son had just learned it at camp. The director loved it and put it in the film.

Tom Hanks still has it memorized. Check out this interview from 2009 where he does it perfectly, hand motions and all.

Favorite Pieces from the Deathly Hallows: Part II Soundtrack

I'm waiting until I've seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II for a third time before I post my review, but for now here are my thoughts on the AMAZING soundtrack composed by Alexandre Desplat.

The Deathly Hallows: Part II soundtrack has 25 tracks, so I'm not going to talk about them all, just my favorites.

Beware of Spoilers Throughout

"Lily's Theme"

This piece of music is a perfect example of why I love a human voice and strings in a film's score. This plays during the very beginning of the film as we see shots of Snape at Hogwarts and oppressed students. One of the main things I've missed from the Potter films is Lily Potter. She is the reason Harry survived Voldemort's killing curse and she is a huge presence throughout the books. Despite her absence in the prior movies, she is very present in this film and that is mostly through the music. This beautiful female voice is heard all through the film. It plays during scenes about Harry and scenes about Snape. As much as those two hate each other, their mutual love for Lily ties them together.

"The Tunnel"

This piece plays as Harry, Ron, Bellatrix/Hermione, Griphook, and Bogrod travel into the depths of Gringotts on the twisty-turny track. I have to say, this scene made me a little dizzy the first time I saw and that wasn't even in 3D. The way it's shot suggests that the filmmakers were anticipating this to be one of the big 3D moments in the film, but the exciting and intense music prevents it from seeming gimmicky.

"Dragon Flight"

I love this song because it's the first piece of soaring (no pun intended), sweeping, and, dare I say, magical score. The first time I saw the film the moment at about 0:43 made me really excited to go home and listen to the soundtrack over and over again. This scene is the first sign of the action and excitement that is yet to come.

"Courtyard Apocalypse"

My favorite scene in the film is The Prince's Tale, but this is my favorite piece of music. It plays as Harry, Ron and Hermione fight their way through the castle and courtyard to get to Voldemort and Snape. At this point I had been crying for awhile, but this scene made me sob. Hogwarts is so much more than a school to so many of the characters and it was devastating to see it reduced to rubble and flames. This music is so epic and sad and the visuals are so scary and intense. The trio runs past so much destruction: Lavender Brown being killed by Fenrir Greyback, acromantulas, a giant wielding one of the rings from the Quidditch pitch, to name a few. I love this scene because it's a reminder that there are so many people fighting with Harry for the fate of the wizarding world. We all know how brave the trio and the members of the Order are, but there are hundreds more who are just as brave and willing to die for the cause. This song gives me chills.

"Snape's Demise"

I L-O-V-E how this piece of music begins with Hedwig's Theme. Harry and Snape's relationship is one of the most complicated relationships in the series. Snape's final act, giving Harry his memories, brings the two together. We also hear "Lily's Theme" again which is very fitting, of course.

"The Resurrection Stone"

When I listened to the soundtrack before I saw the film this is the piece of score that stood out to me. This is certainly one of the saddest parts of the film and one of the saddest pieces of music. Harry resurrects his parents, Sirius and Lupin and they walk with him as he walks to his death. So often in films the piece of score that plays right before a death has what I like to call "angel voices" meaning the score is accompanied by a high-pitched choral arrangement. The angel voices kick in right on cue at 1:15. Immediately after the angel voices we hear "Lily's Theme" again. See what I mean about her presence being throughout the film?

"Procession"

I would have to say this is the darkest piece of music, which is fitting because this is the darkest part of the film. The Death Eaters, led by Voldemort, victoriously proceed into the courtyard as Hagrid carries Harry's body. This song begins with a very ominous and sad version of "Lily's Theme." I like that "Lily's Theme" plays here because, though it's not mentioned in the film, Harry's sacrifice has protected everyone from harm, just as Lily's sacrifice protected Harry 16 years ago.

Now, the last song on the soundtrack is called "A New Beginning" but it is NOT the last song in the movie. The last song in the movie is called "Leaving Hogwarts."

"Leaving Hogwarts" plays at the end of the first film, Sorcerer's Stone, as Harry, Ron and Hermione board the Hogwarts Express. As the music reaches its peak at 1:49 the final image of the film appears: a beautiful shot of the train leaving Hogsmeade Station with Hagrid waving on the platform and Hogwarts in the background. Before Alexandre Desplat was confirmed as the composer for Deathly Hallows: Part II there were rumors that John Williams was going to return for the final film. As we hoped and prayed that Williams would return, my sisters and I talked about how amazing it would be if "Leaving Hogwarts" played during the epilogue. We never expected that to actually come true. Needless to say, when it started playing at the midnight premiere we lost our minds. In the book, there are many things that bring the story full-circle and the choice to play "Leaving Hogwarts" was a B-E-A-utiful way to bring the series to a close.

Favorite Movie Scores: "Charlie Wilson"

As I've said before, I LOVE movie scores. Currently, my iPod playlist titled Movie Scores has 512 songs, but it is constantly growing.

Music is an integral part of a film. Without music, a film feels incomplete. A piece of music can completely change the way a scene plays. The best movie scores are ones that don't force you to feel emotion. The movie's score should enhance the already existing emotion.

Because I love movie music so much, I've decided to regularly highlight a favorite piece of music. This probably won't be daily thing like my Fun Film Facts, but I'm going to do it as often as possible.

First up, the main theme from Charlie Wilson's War (2007) called "Charlie Wilson." If you haven't seen Charlie Wilson's War, here's a brief description. It's based on the true story of Charlie Wilson, a partying, womanizing, Texas congressman, who was the main driving force behind the covert war that helped the rebels in Afghanistan beat the Soviets in the 80s. The film's tagline reads "When the world wasn't looking, he changed it forever." Tom Hanks plays Wilson and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Julia Roberts costar. It's directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Catch 22) and the script is written by Aaron Sorkin.

I really love this piece of music because it encompasses all the aspects of Charlie Wilson's character. It starts out sounding Middle Eastern and then shifts into that twangy electric guitar riff that sounds very Texan. At 1:15 it moves into a soft melody played by a solo instrument. That melody is then picked up by a number of violins. This change from a solitary instrument to many instruments symbolizes how Charlie's covert war started as just himself and an idea and then grew into this enormous historical moment. I find the violins incredibly beautiful. As this series of posts continues you'll find that I tend to enjoy pieces of score that heavily feature strings as opposed to other instruments.

If you haven't seen Charlie Wilson's War check out the trailer.

The movie is very relevant these days because of the War on Terror. There's a quote from Charlie Wilson in the movie that goes: "These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we fucked up the endgame." It means that we helped Afghanistan drive out the Soviets and then we stopped caring about them and look what happened...

Favorite Oscar-Winning Original Songs

The category of Best Original Song was first introduced at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934. Each year the song writers and composers who are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences (AMPAS) nominate 3-5 songs that were written especially for a film and then the Academy as a whole votes for the best one.

The genre with the most songs on my iPod is Soundtrack. I love movie scores and original movie songs. The right song can make a world of difference to particular scene. In the late 80's to late 90's Disney ruled this category, winning it seven times in 11 years. People often refer to this period as the Second Golden Age of Disney.

However, within the last 10 years or so a new trend has sprung up: Instead of the song fitting into a scene in the movie, the song is more of a companion piece to the film and often plays during the end credits. Usually the song will be lyrics set the movie's score or the other way around, with the movie's score being based on the song.

Here are a few of my favorite Oscar-winning original songs:

"Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
By Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer 

"Moon River" is one of the most famous songs ever written for a film. It's a song about having a dream, wanting something greater that what you have now. When we first meet Holly Golightly, she seems like a bit of a floozy with good intentions, but then she sings this song. Holly is sitting on her fire escape in very simple clothes (very unlike the high-fashion she wears the rest of the movie) playing the guitar and singing. I love that this is actually Audrey Hepburn's voice. (She was dubbed in My Fair Lady.) She sings the song with such longing and the audience gets to see a new side to Holly.

"When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt (1998)
By Stephen Schwartz

Stephen Schwartz has written some of the most famous musicals of the last 40 years: Wicked, Pocahontas, Godspell, Children of Eden, Enchanted and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, to name a few, but this song is his crowning glory, in my opinion. After years of religious education I didn't think there was yet another way to tell the story of Moses, but when I first saw The Prince of Egypt when I was about 11, I was blown away. This movie is so incredibly well done. It appeals to all age-groups and almost everyone I've talked to finds it incredibly moving. "When You Believe" is sung by Miriam, Moses' sister, and Moses' wife, Tzipporah. The Hebrews' prayers to God have gone unanswered and they are beginning to lose faith. This song lifts their spirits (and the audience's) during their exodus from Egypt. The lyrics, which include some Hebrew, are beautiful. The story of Moses is epic to begin with and this song makes it more so. I get chills when I watch this scene.

"Fame" from Fame (1980)
by Michael Gare and Dean Pitchford

"Fame" is another song about having big dreams, but unlike "Moon River" it is upbeat and more confident-sounding. The singer wants, above all, fame and is willing to do whatever is takes to get there. My mom has the original Fame record album and I first heard this song play on my dad's record player in the kitchen of my house. It got me tapping my toes immediately and the next day I went out and rented the movie. The song plays during an awesome scene where all the kids from the performing arts school dance in the streets and on top of cars in New York City. Recently, there was a remake of Fame and, as with most remakes, it was not nearly as good as the first. The original is the only way to go.

"You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan (1999)

By Phil Collins

The music in Tarzan is different from other animated Disney movies. The songs comment on the scenes instead of the characters actually singing them. A bunch of Disney movies have one or two songs like this ("Circle of Life," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight") but in Tarzan every song is like this EXCEPT for "You'll Be In My Heart." Kala sings a simple version of it to baby Tarzan near the beginning of the movie. Since this is the only song sung by a character, it makes it stand out. The song has the universal messages of acceptance and unconditional love. The full version, sung by Phil Collins, is so uplifting and heart-felt.

"Into The West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

By Howard Shore and Annie Lennox

 

*SPOILER ALERT*

The thing I love about this song is that a lot of the lyrics are straight from Tolkien's original text:

And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.

Those are the final lines of Frodo's journey in the book. There are different interpretations of what happens to Frodo in the West. I believe the Undying Lands are a metaphor for Heaven, thus Frodo is dying. "Into The West" is about death, but it is not sad, it's hopeful. It's about the beauty of death and how dying means a new beginning. Though the song plays during the end credits, the melody is heard throughout the movie. Interestingly, it plays during scenes about death. For example, there is a huge sweeping version of the melody during one of the most memorable moments from the film, Sam and Frodo on the slopes of Mount Doom. Frodo is ready to give in to the power of the Ring and perish, and Sam saves him. "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!" Check it out. 

*END SPOILER ALERT*
 

"Streets of Philadelphia" from Philadelphia (1993)

By Bruce Springsteen

This song plays during the opening credits of Philadelphia. It is set to images of real people from many walks of life in Philadelphia. The song is a rock ballad about love, loss and change. You listen to it and picture a destitute person with hard life and has very little hope left. I love that this is a Bruce Springsteen song because it shows the incredible range he has.

"My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (1997)

By James Horner and Celine Dion

Many people regard this song as a pop cheese-fest, but I think it's a beautiful song. Jack and Rose's story is one of the most epic love stories of modern times and it deserves a powerful, dramatic song. This is a classic case of lyrics being set to the movie's score, which also won the Academy Award. I'm not a fan of Dion's other music, but there is no denying she an incredible voice. This song is so hard to sing (watch almost any season of American Idol for evidence) and she sings it with real emotion and heart.

"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" from Butch Cassidy the Sundance Kid (1969)

By Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

A lot of people don't know that this classic song was originally written for a movie. This scene from Butch Cassidy is one of my all-time favorite Paul Newman scenes. Katharine Ross sits on the handlebars of his bike as they ride through the countryside. The thing I love most about it is that the main characters of the movie are gangsters and criminals, but they are also just people who enjoy the simple things in life like goofing around on a bike. The song is so care-free and fun.