When people talk about the movie “greats,” they typically discuss the actors or directors, but there’s one fundamental element of cinema that is constantly overlooked. While it’s hard to look past Angelina Jolie’s acting skills or Christopher Nolan’s directing, there must be a greater appreciation for the immense impact that movie scores have on viewer perception of the characters and the plot.
Many of the most critically acclaimed franchises and movies, such as “Star Wars,” “Schindler’s List,” and “Interstellar,” have scores that play an essential role in both storytelling and emotional direction. For example, in “Star Wars,” the imposing presence of Darth Vader or the Empire’s stormtroopers is always signified by John Williams’ “The Imperial March,” which helps convey the Empire’s overwhelming power through the score’s militaristic rhythm and powerful brass instruments. As a result, Williams’ essentially provides the audience with a mnemonic device that allows them to recognize the evil presence of the Empire, even in scenes where they aren’t necessarily on screen.
Similarly, the score of “Schindler’s List” expertly matches the mood of the plot — which is set during the Holocaust — through Itzhak Perlman’s sorrowful and deeply emotional violin solo. The theme evokes strong sentiment from the audience to serve as a form of an emotional guide, conveying the grave tone of the movie’s plot to the viewers. The result is a highly memorable theme that encourages the audience to empathize with the movie’s characters, while simultaneously immortalizing the memory of the movie’s victims, similar to the use of music as a mnemonic device in “Star Wars.”
Likewise, Hans Zimmer’s “Interstellar” masterfully incorporates the themes of the movie in its score through the use of a monotonous, ticking sound that is present throughout the movie’s entire soundtrack. It perfectly reflects the movie’s focus on how time moves differently on a planet with a different gravitational field, constantly reminding the audience of the precious and dwindling time that the main characters have left.
Hans Zimmer and John Williams are perhaps the two best-known movie composers in the world, having written scores for some of the world’s most beloved franchises like “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Jurassic Park,” and “Harry Potter.” Despite that, their names are rarely recognized, even by the most diehard fans of these franchises.
It’s regrettable that iconic scores from the aforementioned movies and many others have not been fully appreciated by viewers, despite playing such an important role in enhancing the plot’s narrative and emotional interpretation. The composers behind these scores and their contributions to cinema are legendary, and they undoubtedly deserve more public recognition for their work.
