Iconic film scores are not new; we have seen the likes of Star Wars and James Bond dominate with their music. However, it is becoming increasingly common for films to use scores to enhance the cinematic experience.
Does a film score make the movie? The simplest way to answer this would be to watch a film without any sound. Imagine you are watching Patrick and Art head-to-head on the court, with Tashi watching their every move, but there is no sound. The scene is immediately altered. It goes from being a gripping moment full of passion to just a game of tennis with some backstory.
We need the music to enhance the film’s energy and create these tense moments between characters. This can be applied across genres, a key example being Interstellar. It is one of Hans Zimmer’s most popular soundtracks and my go-to study music.
A personal favourite of mine is Call Me by Your Name, a film featuring a beautiful score that I have on repeat. Overall, it does not rely on music to create its tender moments, however, it does contain specific scenes that are hugely altered by music. The prime example is undoubtedly Timothée Chalamet dancing to ‘Love My Way.’ If you watch that scene again, without any sound, you will see that the effect is lost. The music makes his dancing look carefree and energetic. Of course, Chalamet’s dancing does not rely on music to be entertaining, but in the context of this film, we need it.
Another favourite of mine is the 2023 phenomenon, Barbie. Gerwig’s masterpiece undeniably has a fun and unique soundtrack. From Billie Eilish’s ‘What Was I Made For?’ to Ryan Gosling’s ‘I’m Just Ken’, it showcases a range of music that elevates the film and helps to stress the importance of gender equality. How else would Ken have a hissy fit when he wants to change the matriarchal society in Barbieland to a patriarchal one? He needed that dramatic montage.
A more recent example is Saturday Night, a quirky new release based on the 90 minutes leading up to the first ever SNL broadcast. The score conveys the chaos and panic that is at the core of this movie. The fast-paced dynamic is present in every scene and song.
Finally, the romcom genre has shown us that these films generally do not need a unique score in order to be highly entertaining. However, most romcoms do contain at least one song that becomes such a significant part of the film that people will associate that song with it. Key examples are ‘You’re So Vain’ in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and ‘Kiss Me’ in She’s All That.
To end, here are some of my honourable mentions that feature the best scores: Catch Me If You Can, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Ratatouille and, of course, The Holiday.
3rd year English and Journalism student
Also the music Editor for Strathclyde Telegraph!
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