Your favourite moments in musical cinematic history

chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
edited July 2013 in General Movies & TV Posts: 17,691
In no particular order, here are mine:

Khan's initial attack in Wrath of Khan (James Horner)
The PTS of The Living Daylights (John Barry)
The big chase scene in Shamus (Jerry Goldsmith)
The opening credits to Conan the Destroyer (Basil Poledouris)
The long opening credits to Superman: the Movie (John Williams)
Logan & Rogue's theme from X-Men (Michael Kamen)

What are yours?

Comments

  • Posts: 2,400
    The first time I ever saw Star Wars (fittingly, my first one was A New Hope) and that theme blared on my television screen, I must've been about four or five years old but that really just blew me away. It's lost its' effect on me after hearing it so many times, but that truly is an experience the first time seeing it. (John Williams)
    Gunbarrel sequence for Dr. No, even though it wasn't my first Bond film. (John Barry)
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme (John Barry)
    The Lion in Winter opening shot (John Barry)
    GoldenEye PTS (Eric Serra)
    Pretty much all of The Living Daylights (John Barry)
    It's sort of cheating, as it's a TV series, but I always get goosebumps any time I watch an episode of The Sopranos and "Woke Up This Morning" starts up. (Alabama 3)
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited July 2013 Posts: 12,459
    (By the way, I first thought this thread was about musicals - ha!)
    Anyway, I can't do this in order or name composers easily... but here goes:

    Some favorite musical moments, themes, etc.:

    Films
    The theme to Lawrence of Arabia (desert shots)
    Rocky's song ("Gonna Fly Now" was that the title? Running up the steps in Philly)
    A Hard Day's Night (well, all of it - let's go with "Can't Buy Me Love" as the band bursts out of the studio doors and goes on the run, being chased thru London by girls - and how I longed to be one of those girls - and the final scene when the theme song breaks out as the helicopter pulls away). Classic.
    "Goldfinger" - exactly when it kicks in the second the door slams shut to finish the PTS, just about throws me back in my seat every time. I do love that, the way it just punches you right in the face from the first blaring notes.
    "Werewolves of London" by the one and only Warren Zevon, during one of the games of pool shown in The Color of Money, as Tom Cruise arrogantly slammed balls into the pockets while admiring himself.
    "In Your Eyes" with John Cusack playing the song outside the girl's window (played by Ione Skye but I cannot remember the character's name) in Say Anything.
    Monty Norman's guitar James Bond theme; can't remember first time I heard; I still love every bit of it.
    "Nobody Does It Better" - reprised during the scene with Bond and Anya on the boat (before she puts him into a drugged sleep); I like the lilting playfulness of it in that scene.
    Thomas Newman's bit ... I cannot recall the name of the piece in Skyfall as Bond sails slowly into the casino harbor, standing in the boat, and the theme song is woven into it, it just soars. I could listen to that part over and over. Gloriously shot and perfect music in that.

    TV:
    Well, I cannot remember the show, but some show when I was a child had the theme song, "Secret Agent Man" and how I really loved it. How appropriate as I discovered Bond later as a teen.

    That's about it! I have probably left out moments for sure; I enjoy films so much. But that's a good start for my list.










  • Posts: 5,767
    TV has a bit to offer, in terms of title themes:
    The A Team.
    The X-Files.
    Magnum.
    Star Trek TOS.
    Colt Seavers.
    Sherlock (somehow derivative, but nonetheless brilliant).


    And of course:
    Ride of the Valkyries blaring from the helicopters.
    Highlander, "I know his name" segueing into "Princes of the Universe".
    Heat, Moby´s track played over the ending.
    Miami Vice, when Trudy awakens from coma.
    X-Men 1st Class, Cerebro, X-training.
    Jaws theme.
    SW fanfare.
    SW a lot of the rest of the music.
    The 007 theme.
    OHMSS and DAF, many tracks.
    The Godfather theme.
    Indy Jones theme.
    Superman theme.
    Conan the Barbarian 80% of the soundtrack.
    Robocop theme.
    John Woo classical pieces played over slo mo violence, several films.
    A Clockwork Orange classical pieces played over slo mo violence.
    Jurassic Park theme.
    The First Knight, Arthur´s farewell.
    The great Escape all of the soundtrack.
    Blade Runner a lot of the soundtrack.
    Somebody stop me.


    There are a lot of brilliant pieces of film music which don´t qualify because the films are terrible or boring ;-).
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,561
    The waltz of the space crafts (The Blue Danube) in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,945
    Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2 s/t
    The Terminator s/t
    Fletch s/t
    Every piece of music connected to the Miami Vice series
    Total Recall (1990) main intro theme and 'Mutant Dancing' Last Resort club music
    True Blood theme 'Bad Things'
    'The Look of Love' during CR'67
  • edited July 2013 Posts: 3,494
    @4Ever- that's Komodo Dragon, also my favorite Newman piece from SF :)

    1. My non-Bonds would start with what I'll always call Philly's unofficial theme song, Bill Conti's brilliant "Gonna Fly Now". There is just something about that song that somehow captures the tremendous fighting spirit of the city, the underdog who will one day be champ through sheer blue collar hard work and muscle. It's a shame Conti hardly hit the mark for FYEO short of the obviously very popular title song, but it still beats the piss out of anything Serra wrote for GoldenEye.

    2. The 2001 Space Odyssey theme from the classical master Richard Strauss, composed in 1896- I could care less about the movie, I find outer space films in general to be a bore. For me it's the theme song of the real world champ and greatest wrestler ever, the Nature Boy Ric Flair-Wooooooooooo!

    3. The Godfather theme from Nino Rota. Instantly memorable.

    4. Miklos Rosza's biblical classic "Ben-Hur", as well as his "El Cid" soundtrack.

    5. Hawaii Five-O theme song- I always loved it for some reason, show was not all that great except for Jack Lord being in it.

    6. Lalo Schifrin's main title from Matt Helm's second film, "Murderer's Row". Something so cool and spy-like about it for me.

    For Bond, lots and lots of great music from the likes of Barry, Martin, Arnold, Hamlisch, and Kamen, of course Norman's JB theme, and too much to cover here.


  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    edited July 2013 Posts: 7,314
    boldfinger wrote:
    A Clockwork Orange classical pieces played over slo mo violence.
    Yes. 2001 gets all the attention, which I can understand, but I absolutely love the entire soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange. It was vital to help set the mood and tone of that film. Good call @boldfinger.

    As for other non Bond nominees I could list many moments in the Original Star Wars trilogy. The truck chase scene in Raiders is fantastic too. John Williams was the man.
    I really enjoy the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction as well.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    boldfinger wrote:
    Blade Runner a lot of the soundtrack.
    Oh, YES! I'd say ALL of it!
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    Thanks, @SirHenryLeeChaChing! I'm going to buy the Skyfall soundtrack, maybe next month (pretty expensive here). Also, I can't believe I left out the theme song to Hawaii Five-O. Still enjoy it and my heart always beat quicker when it came on tv when I was growing up. I did enjoy the show a lot for many years.

    And of course, can't believe I couldn't think of it - thanks for reminding me, @Boldfinger, of Ride of the Valkyries! Man, that movie had some memorable moments and lines but yes, especially that piece of music.

    And today I am adding the song Sinner Man, that played in The Thomas Crown Affair (Pierce's version) during the museum scene, when all of the identical looking men showed up carrying identical suitcases, and Crown still managed to steal the painting while everyone watched. It fit the scene perfectly and was so much fun. I like that movie so much. I wish they had managed to make a good sequel years ago, especially if Rene Russo could have been in it again. Pierce and Rene were really great together.


  • Posts: 7,653
    I am always and still in awe with

    1- Mancini's Pink Panther theme


    2- The James Bond theme in DN as created by John Barry


    3- Goldfinger sung by Shirly Bassey


    4- Star Wars theme at the start of the original movies


    5- The lovetheme from the Crow




    6- Some of the music done by Lisa Gerard in Gladiator.


    7- Children of Dune


    8- Bram Stokers' Dracula Wojchech kilar



  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited July 2013 Posts: 17,691
    SaintMark wrote:
    5- The lovetheme from the Crow
    Underrated movie with an overall killer soundtrack!!! Like Highlander.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    I love The Pink Panther theme! I knew there were plenty of others I couldn't think of. So many films in my life ... plenty of good musical moments.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    Hackers has songs you can't not move to...
  • edited July 2013 Posts: 1,817
    1. The Imperial March. Nothing matches the first time we can listen that in the Empire Strikes Back, showing at the same time the Executor Super Star Destroyer at the same time. Well that's my favorite soundtrack of all time.
    2. Apollonia's theme in The Godfather. My favorite sequence of the trilogy and my favorite theme also.
    3. Title sequence of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Barry's masterpiece.
    4. Marcia religiosa from The Godfather Part II.
    5. Notturno o mattutino in La Dolce Vita.
    6. End theme of Gladiator.
    7. La Mer by Julio Iglesias at the end of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (movie version).
    8. Main fanfare of From The Earth to the Moon.
    9. Patton's main fanfare.
    10. Finale "suite" of Return of the King (it's not a proper suite but the ending has much coherence from the Battle at the Gates to the end).
    11. In The Sopranos there are also great musical moments, just mentionting the songs all say "Tiny Tears" (Isabella), "I (Who Have Nothing)" (The Telltale Mozzadell), "Running Wild" (The Blue Comet), "Con te partirò" (Commendatori), "It was a very good year" (Guy walks into psychiatrist's office)
  • Posts: 479
    1. The ending to Alien, with Howard Hanson's Symphony 2 The Romantic in the background. The soundtrack as a whole as well is great.
    2. Anything in Jaws. Duh
    3. Most of Star Wars' music. Imperial March, Force Theme, Cantina Band, I think you get the point. I love the music with Yoda's size matters not and then he lifts the X-Wing out of the swamp.
    4. El Dorado by George Alexander.
    5. True Grit, Glen Campbell's song and Elmer Bernstein's score. Excellent.

    That's my top 5, of course there would be many others up for consideration, but only the best can make my list.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,331
    chrisisall wrote:
    Hackers has songs you can't not move to...

    Here here! love that movie! ;)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    Murdock wrote:
    Here here! love that movie! ;)
    Me too. B-)

    How about the small bit of music just before Bond meets Bambi & Thumper? Short but oh so sweet.
    And if we include TV, yeah, Man From Uncle rules, as does the Prisoner theme.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    edited July 2013 Posts: 16,331
    My favorite musical moments in no order!

    Superman II openinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFy79C3F72Y
    I AM THE LAW! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itmNiTwHOsM
    Super Mario Bros: Car Chasehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7GUvttfe0k
    Roads? Where were going we don't need "roads" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Mm53WL4Us
    Battle Beyond the Stars Opening http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnbm7A4cQbE
    Spaceballs: The Opening Crawl! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKuVcwgOFRA
    Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Test Runhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkPGPN7ZBcc
    Honey, I Blew up the Kid theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TIPVT64kVs
    Mission Impossible 1996 introhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeKW0stTThk
    Dr. No introhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e70pYoRPAcs
    TND: Backseat driverhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JjhVJK9c9I
    Robocop: Rock Shophttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5c0zrMyXtA
    Beyond Thunderdome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNfDZB_bwQ4
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited July 2013 Posts: 4,447
    As child i liked the part of De Tovenaarsleerling (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) from Fantasia 1940 with Mickie Mouse. This also whas my first VHS in 1990. Other parts are to dark mabey for that time.

    That i liked animation with a dark side are also 2 other animated movies Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994) Singing in movies only accepted in those. Inspecialy fan of the begin songs.

    Bond theme. Dr No[url=" til for example variation in TMND or Twine.

    Mission Impossible theme from 1996. Music from Mi2 by Hans Zimmer, example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMEZBQF-pBU. Opening from X-men 2. A lot of the Harry Potter 3 music and some of the other Harry Potter music John Williams composed.

    Tv tunes: Knight Rider, The A-team, Macgyver
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    Ennio Morricone's Untouchables soundtrack was epic IMO.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,561
    I think we're not supposed to simply mention scores, but to specify moments in films.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    DarthDimi wrote:
    I think we're not supposed to simply mention scores, but to specify moments in films.
    That was the original idea, yes.
    The Untouchables when Ness corners Nitti on the roof.
  • Posts: 5,767
    DarthDimi wrote:
    I think we're not supposed to simply mention scores, but to specify moments in films.
    Some films have moments, some are the moments ;-).
  • Posts: 1,817
    chrisisall wrote:
    DarthDimi wrote:
    I think we're not supposed to simply mention scores, but to specify moments in films.
    That was the original idea, yes.
    The Untouchables when Ness corners Nitti on the roof.

    My favorite is the Al Capone theme.
  • Posts: 7,653
    chrisisall wrote:
    DarthDimi wrote:
    I think we're not supposed to simply mention scores, but to specify moments in films.
    That was the original idea, yes.
    The Untouchables when Ness corners Nitti on the roof.

    His "once upon a time in America" was far superiour when we are talking gangstermovies.

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