So lately I've had some of the music from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in my head. As in, it's pretty much all I hear as of a couple weeks ago on that internal radio station we all have. Say what you want about the movie itself, (I enjoyed it, but I've heard it called the weakest of the trilogy), Hans Zimmer's score is ten kinds of awesome.
The major thematic anthem would have to be "Hoist the Colours", which is used in several spots in the film, including the grim opening scene. I don't want to go into spoiler territory here, so I won't supply any more detail. There are also a couple of cues in the score that just have a musical quality that resonates with me. You ever have that one tune that for a reason you can't explain is just perfect?
Music is a difficult thing to talk about, because I really have no idea why a song or melody sounds good to one person, but fails to inspire anything in another. I suppose you can write it off as taste, but that's not a real explanation.
An early example of this for me was Tangerine Dream's score for Legend, I can remember getting some of those melodies getting stuck in my head for weeks at a time.
This goes for games as well, I can name off several soundtracks to games that have given me that same feeling. I have an entire folder of game music on my computer, and some of it still gets played years after the game has fallen off my playlist.
It's hard to explain the feeling I get when I hear certain music, it just sounds so right. I think soundtracks, for me, evoke the feelings that go along with the story, they complement the visuals, performances, and emotions of a scene or event.
I'll sign off for now with an example that gave me chills, I have more thoughts on this subject, but this is running long and it's late:
In Return of the King, King Theoden and the Rohirrim arrive to attack the forces of Mordor surrounding Minas Tirith, and as they charge across Pelennor field, the main theme of Rohan plays triumphantly.
Gets me every time.
Happy Birthday, Antonio Bay
1 day ago
Now you're in my territory. I have always liked film music. I think Marco Beltrami is one of the best composers right now. He's done so many great things: Mimic, Resident Evil (with Marilyn Manson), Blade II, Terminator 3, I, Robot, Hellboy, Underworld: Evolution and 3:10 To Yuma. He's done so many other movies but these are a few that I admire.
ReplyDeleteThe main Hellboy theme is still incredible to me. Music is all about emotion. Certain chords, a series of notes or a melody can conjure up all kinds of things. That's what it does for me anyway.
Have you ever actually seen Hellboy? That's the one thing I find unusual about your music listening, is you don't have to necessarily see the film to enjoy the soundtrack.
ReplyDeleteI do have the DVD. It's not a bad movie really. I even have the sequel.
ReplyDeleteI try to see every movie now before I buy the soundtrack. Sometimes I just buy a score based on the composer. It's easier these days since I can find scenes from movies online and decide if I like it or not.
I can listen to the music without having seen the film and get some of the emotions. But then seeing the film usually solidifies what I knew already. Plus the images add another dimension to the music.
It's kind of like hearing a live concert from outside the stadium. You only get a idea of what its like. Then you go in to watch it and the images change all the music.