I have recently thought really hard about the film music I simply love (- long journeys alone in the car -), and I humbly admit that the best film music in my opinion comes from fantasy/adventure films and (romantic) comedies. My love towards film music started from John Williams' many "flying cues" and probably it is the reason that a similar energetic style with lots of strings gets my own imagination soaring (- and it's fun to drive the car while listening to this kind of music; I have often thought, that if a serious accident happened, atleast I would die happily, listening to marvelous movie music).

Check my list and get into the subject - DO YOU KNOW MORE OF THESE KIND OF CUES/THEMES which employ a soft, beguiling "Magic Sound" ? (Because I'm continuously in search for more of them !!!)

In some cases I have indicated if a magical cue is buried within a larger body of music - these sequences are indicated with approximate "start" timings.

Over the Moon - E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (John Williams)

Flying - E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (John Williams) (Also "E.T's Halloween" - album version)

End Credits - FAMILY PLOT (John Williams)

Late for Work (on the original album the first part of "Gizmo")
- GREMLINS (Jerry Goldsmith)

The Neighborhood (ONLY the Bicycle excerpt) - POLTERGEIST (Jerry Goldsmith)

The Flight of the Gump - RETURN TO OZ (David Shire)

The Flying Sequence - SUPERMAN, THE MOVIE (John Williams)

End Title (theme for Flight to Neverland) - HOOK (John Williams)

Main Title & End Title - AMAZING STORIES (John Williams)

End Credits (Special Edition; the first 48 seconds) - E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (again..!)

Main Title - THE TOWERING INFERNO (John Williams)

The Landing - (THE) MISSION from AMAZING STORIES (guess who..? )
(Also as the Theme for NBC News; and the concert version of it.)

Flying Ballet - SUPERGIRL (Jerry Goldsmith)

All the flying cues of THE SECRET OF N.I.M.H (Jerry Goldsmith)

Flying and In the Air - THE BOY WHO COULD FLY (Bruce Broughton)

Cody's Flight & Message Montage - THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER (Bruce Broughton)

"Happy Flight" Theme - THE NEVERENDING STORY (Klaus Doldinger)

For Love or Money - FOR LOVE OR MONEY (THE CONCIERGE) Bruce Broughton

Main Title - IRON WILL (Joel McNeely)

Thru the Planet - LOST IN SPACE (1998) Bruce Broughton

Camel Race (till 1:44) - THE MUMMY (Jerry Goldsmith)

Mathilda (magic starting 2:21) - LIONHEART (Jerry Goldsmith)

Main Title (magic starting 1:47) - DENNIS THE MENACE (Jerry Goldsmith)

The Next Attraction (magic starting 3:43) - MATINEE (Jerry Goldsmith)

A Lot Better - LEVIATHAN (Jerry Goldsmith)

Main Title - FATHER OF THE BRIDE (Alan Silvestri)

Summer Montage - FATHER OF THE BRIDE, PART 2 (Alan Silvestri)

Chief Executive Kid - RICHIE RICH (Alan Silvestri)

Main Theme (magic starting 2:46) - JUDGE DREDD (Alan Silvestri)

Mitchy the Kid (magic starting 2:05) - CITY SLICKERS (Marc Shaiman)

Found: One Smile & Jackpot! - CITY SLICKERS II: THE LEGEND OF CURLY'S GOLD (Marc Shaiman)

String Cheese - MOUSE HUNT (Alan Silvestri)

Bathroom Folly & Pulled Over - LIAR LIAR (John Debney)

Look at That Mother! - HONEY, I BLEW UP THE KID (Bruce Broughton)

(In the) Moonlight (Instrumental) - SABRINA (1995) John Williams

Finale - DEFENDING YOUR LIFE (Michael Gore)

Children's Montage - KINDERGARTEN COP (Randy Edelman)

A Homeward Bound Overture - HOMEWARD BOUND II: LOST IN SAN FRANCISCO (Bruce Broughton)

The Secret Weapon - FLIPPER (1996) Joel McNeely

Bear Mountain - GOLD DIGGERS: THE SECRET OF BEAR MOUNTAIN (Joel McNeely)

Mrs. Doubtfire - MRS. DOUBTFIRE (Howard Shore)

My Dad's a Liar - LIAR LIAR (John Debney & James Newton Howard)

...and a very good Finale to "wrap it all up":
That's All, Folks (magic starting 1:12) HONEY, I BLEW UP THE KID (Bruce Broughton)

Also HOCUS POCUS (John Debney) and dozens of others include marvelous magical cues - SOUNDTRACK PRODUCERS, PLEASE RELEASE THEM IMMEDIATELY !!!

That's really (almost) all, folks! What d'ya think ???

[Message edited by Ken S on 10-16-2001]

[Message edited by Ken S on 10-29-2001]

The Blue Max. Although a war movie, his flight music is uplifting and
magical. The Trees theme from Medicine Man is also similar.

When I think of the scores that equate themselves with movie magic, I think of the moments that to this day and even as a child gave me goose flesh:

The Enterprise - One of the nicest coverages of a ship in recent memory, by image and visual, it still gives me to know a great sense of beauty in an adventure otherworldly.
(Goldsmith, ST: TMP)

Back To The Future - Adventure score with a great sense of focus in the film, the music swells perfectly, especially in the Clocktower cues. (Silvestri)

Love Theme from Superman - it doesn't seem so much a love theme for Lois and Superman in the movie from 1978, I think what Williams actually gave us with that theme was music for love of flying. (Williams)

Return of The Jedi (the cue of the same name) - Williams amalgamated all the fun adventure music and closes it with a sort of "ride off into the sunset"-like finish.
Truly adrenalizing. (Williams)

Tron (End Titles) - The blend or Synthesizer, Orchestra, and Organ by Wendy Carlos is beaatiful, poignant and significant of creating this computer micronics as culture tale. I still get chills from the opening build up of notes.

The Hunt For Red October (cue - Kaboom!!!), when it all comes together at the end with an unexpected attack of a felow Russian cruiser and the music begins to get quicker in tempo, and then resulting the explosion, the music captures the suspsense and the imminent danger inherent. I get chills right up to the climax and abrupt finish.

Total Recall (End of A Dream), similar to "Kaboom!!!" from The Hunt for Red October for me, with the tempo and music swelling to peaks and disquieting lulls along a frenetic pace that seems to slow down at the end as if to catch its breath like the characters who struggle for air as a blue sky on Mars appears.

actually "The Trees" from MEDICINE MAN is also among my Goldsmith favorites - I left many things out from my list, purposely; although they are beautiful, they don't employ the "magic sound" which was my topic.

Just one thing, Marian - unfortunately I can't agree with you on DRAGONHEART; in my opinion it wasn't very "original" nor magical, just too damn much synthesizers and an endless array of cymbal clashes - seemed too massive for letting one's imagination fly freely... Almost all the items on my list, in my opinion, sound really "fresh" and are very "original" for their composers.

...once again, my own opinion only

quote:

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Originally posted by Graham Watt:
"The Artist Who Did Not Want To Paint"

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Oh yes. Sounds quite similar to E.T. to me.

Skylarking - FERNGULLY, THE LAST RAINFOREST (Alan Silvestri)

Main Title - GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (Jerry Goldsmith)

The Neighborhood & The Discovery - CATS & DOGS (John Debney)

Main Title - BABY'S DAY OUT (Bruce Broughton)

...Warmest thanks to Peter Kelly, Hard Target, Brendan Anderson, & Marian Schedenig.

KEN

I thought returning this to the main page for a while when it seems to be needed with my other topic...

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Forrest Gump - I'm Forrest, Forrest Gump.
The Truman Show - Reunion

Np: Mr. Holland's Opus (Michael Kamen) ****/*****

"Epilogue" from Miklos Rozsa's Sodom and Gomorrah has really been digging into me. It's a beautiful theme carried by strings with a harp doing its thing in the background.

You might want to check out Jerry Goldsmith's QB VII (Intrada) -- The "Main Title," before and after the loud trumpet blattings, has some really good stuff. At about :54 into the cue, the music transitions into a different theme and there is a french horn note that bridges the music together so nicely. Call me weird, but that one note makes the track for me. The rest of the disc is amazingly good, too. I guess Intrada must be having a problem offloading these, since they were on sale for $5 earlier this year. You can hear the Main Title over at Deconstructing Goldsmith.

I'm a bit surprised Goldsmith's Twilight Zone: Movie hasn't been mentioned yet. The presentation of the "Kick the Can" theme in the "Overture" is really "magical." I like the OST performance and recording the best, since I think some of the 'sweeteners' (great french horn notes again) get lost in the recent Telarc "Film Music" recording.

A track from Jerry's Ransom (aka The Terrorists ) named "Sky Chaser" is pretty neat, too. The main theme is performed in a trumpet duo with a piano doing a fast motion in the background. Strings take over and carry the theme on its way. The score is pretty good, and it's too bad that it is only available on LP or a poor LP->CD conversion.

Debney's Cutthroat Island has some great stuff, too. Some of it isn't real soft, but a great score anyhow.

... and finally, I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoys "A Lot Better" from Leviathan.

"Among the Clouds" from ALWAYS (Williams)

"Back To America" from ANGELA'S ASHES
(Williams)

"Atlantis" from ATLANTIS (Howard)

"End Credits" from FAR AND AWAY (Williams)

"Excerpts from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND" from CE3K (Williams) {Boston Pops Orch. does it the best}

"Carriage Chase" from CUTTHROAT ISLAND (Debney)

"Into the Fog" from DAVE (Howard)

"The Egg Travels" from DINOSAUR (Howard)

"Escape/Chase/Saying Goodbye" from E.T.
(Williams)

"Cadillac of the Skies" from EMPIRE OF THE
SUN (Williams) {not the film version, the concert version}

"First Knight: Main Theme" from FIRST KNIGHT (Goldsmith)

"Washington Reunion" from FORREST GUMP (Silvestri) [...all 40 seconds of it...]

"Harry's Wondrous World" from HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (Williams)

"Leaving Hogwarts" from HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (Williams)

"Hedwig's Theme" from HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (Williams)

"Finale" from HEIDI (Williams) {1968}

"We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Finale"
from HOME ALONE (Williams)

"The Never-Feast" from HOOK (Williams)

"You Are The Pan" from HOOK (Williams)

"Love Theme" from JANE EYRE (Williams) (TV, 1971)

"Overture" from JURASSIC PARK (Williams)

"The Ludlows" from LEGENDS OF THE FALL
(Horner)

"Summon the Heroes" from Centennial Olympic Games, Atlanta,1996 (Williams)

"Suite" from MULAN (Goldsmith)

"True Love's First Kiss" from SHREK (Gregson-
Williams & Powell)

"The Boat Race" from STUART LITTLE (Silvestri)

"Main Theme" from RUDY (Goldsmith)

"President Shepherd" from THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (Shaiman) [the middle and very end]

"The Cowboys Overture" from THE COWBOYS (Williams)

"Montana" from THE HORSE WHISPERER (Newman)

"The King of Pride Rock" from THE LION KING (Zimmer)

"The Land" from THE LION KING (Zimmer)

"End Credits" from THE MUMMY RETURNS (Silvestri)

"Suite" from THE PARENT TRAP (Silvestri)

"The Burning Bush" from THE PRINCE OF EGYPT (Zimmer)

"The Red Sea" from THE PRINCE OF EGYPT (Zimmer)

"Theme from 'The West Wing'" W.G. Snuffy Walden

"Suite" from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (E. Bernstien)

"Everything About You" from WHAT WOMEN WANT (Silvestri)

....that's all I could come up with for right now. Do any of those help? And they're even in alphabetical order (by film title).

Curious- what does "NP" stand for (Marian)?

quote:

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Originally posted by CBmogul:
Curious- what does "NP" stand for (Marian)?

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I'm not Marian, but I hope I can answer your question.

"NP" stands for "Now Playing." People do it in different ways... some people just put NP and what they are listening to, others like to include the composer's name and/or even a star rating (based on a five-star system).

As in:

NP - Harry Potter (*****)

Hey Jonathan Little,
I actually got finally to hear Goldsmith's original recordings for TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE and I have to say I am impressed with the music now more than ever before, especially the theme from "It's a Good Life"...very enchanting.

And James,
well - I think I had it coming and I deserved it