Film scores are a very tricky element of a film. The purpose of a score in a film, whether diegetic or non-diegetic, is to underline the visual images and action on screen and to provide the viewer with emotional cues and an auditory connection to the images. Surprisingly, it is in silent films where this effect is even more necessary. When you can provide dialogue, that serves as a link to the action. In silent films, there is none of this and the carefully composed score is absolutely necessary for a successful film.
What makes it tricky is that there can be a well composed score that is all wrong in a film. That makes it a bad score, even if it is well composed (for an example of this, watch 2001: A Space Odyssey with the rejected score and you'll see that it is completely wrong for the film but well composed for a score). So, Because I'm a fan of cinema in general my favorite scores are the ones that excel in the context of the scene and film that they are used in. Since images are the basis of film and not scores, in my opinion, a score can elevate the quality of a film but they can't make a bad film great. The images and techniques must be solid in order for a film to work, regardless of the score that is written for it. (Mission to mars is a good example of this rule.)
That being said, One of the best composers in the history of cinema is Ennio Morricone. Every single film score that he touches turns to gold. They work flawlessly in the context of the film and lifts the film quality to the maximum they can be under the conditions of the visual element of the film. Regardless of if they sound good out of the film, they work very well as auditory queues. From his work with Malick to his work in Cinema Paradiso, Morricone has created many iconic scores and makes the films truly enjoyable in the auditory realm. But by far, his crowning achievement is his work with Sergio Leone in his Spaghetti westerns and Once upon a time in America. For example:
He composed The Good the Bad and The Ugly theme above. The theme is synonymous with westerns now for a good reason. It works perfectly and sets up Leitmotifs (reminiscent of M) for each of the characters and that underlines the emotional attatchments that we form according to each character. It is perfectly composed and is probably one of the best composed film scores in the history. Another Scene from that movie:
This scene captures the culmination of the narrative, the score, the images, and the character development. And the music captures that moment perfectly. The scoring in this scene comes close to perfection. It's a wonderful example of how Morricone can capture the moment on celluloid in music and provide wonderful emotional queues. Of course, this doesn't do it as much justice as if one were to watch the whole film.
Another wonderful composer is Bernard Herrmann. He is just as good if not more talented than Morricone was. He composed for many great directors and elevated their work to some of the best that they've done. His scores can be haunting, or dreamlike, or fanciful. His range is amazing. His work is stunning and some of the most famous scenes in cinema carry his mark on it. For example:
In vertigo, his score underlines death as the mirror of love in a very dreamlike way. I won't give away much of the plot but the music plays towards the characters sad dream like state. In a way, the emotional impact of the film is owed much to the score as it is to the narrative tricks that Hitchcock plays. Another example:
The infamous shower scene. By comparing the two versions, one can see the tremendous impact that the score has on the audience. The first is far more impressive in nature. This comparison is perfect to see the effects of a score on a piece of film. Herrman is incredibly talented. One short example of his expertise in a not so good movie is the following leitmotif that he uses for a stalker in the movie Twisted Nerve (of course ripped off of M):
Another great in the world of soundtracks is Stanley Kubrick. He doesn't compose the scores to his music but he uses other pieces to perfection in his movies. The most impressive moments in his movies are the ones that make good use of found pieces to augment the diegesis of the film. Many of these serve as sharp contrasts and contradictions and a few of them make the film going experience just transcendent. For Example:
The use of singin' in the rain in this scene underlines the complete brutality of Alex. It serves as a sharp contrast and enhances the viewers sympathies and emotional resoponses to the scene. It's a great use of a found piece to enhance the film. He does it again often with uses of Beethoven throughout A Clockwork Orange. (By the way both Singin' in the Rain and A clockwork orange have great original compositions as well).
The uses of found classical pieces in the film 2001: A space Odyssey makes the film completely transcendent and one of the most beautiful movies in cinema. A quote from an expert:
Quote:
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North's [rejected] score, which is available on a recording, is a good job of film composition, but would have been wrong for 2001 because, like all scores, it attempts to underline the action – to give us emotional cues. The classical music chosen by Kubrick exists outside the action. It uplifts. It wants to be sublime; it brings a seriousness and transcendence to the visuals.
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Another great use of the score is what Maurice Jarre did in Lawrence of Arabia:
Which by the way, if you haven't seen on a big screen, It's absolutely stunning. Much better and different than on a smaller screen.
And then one cannot forget the great scores of John Williams. Exemplified by the Jaws theme and movie:
That's just English Language Cinema too. Some of my favorites occur outside of Hollywood.
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Which film's music score is your favorite?
