Movie Music

Here are five of my favorite musical pieces from movies. YouTube links are included for each song.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFa1-kciCb4
I knew this tune before ever seeing the movie, and there's certainly a reason it's so iconic. This song captures the adventurous spirit of gunslingers looking for treasure under the bleak sun.

The Last Samurai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jKn76PKp6k
This great theme is simple yet stirring, occasionally rising from the muddy pool of chords this movie wallows through. Advance the video to 2:00 to get to the good part. Great samurai movie.

Star Wars: the Phantom Menace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ZY8Fz9GGU
When I first saw Phantom Menace, I didn't know it was supposed to be a terrible movie and thus thoroughly enjoyed it. The song I've chosen is "Duel of the Fates," which plays during the climactic lightsaber fight, one of my favorite scenes in any sci-fi movie.

Chariots of Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5O_SvlHKcA
There is, of course, the obvious running theme, which is great, but I've always enjoyed the contrast between electronic music and hymns in Chariots of Fire. It's either a comparison between Abrahams' and Liddel's worldviews, or I've been taking too many humanities classes. The hymn in the link is "Jerusalem," an unofficial national anthem of England, I'm told.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_JfHLs2Nc4
There's no way The Lord of the Rings wouldn't make it on this list. I've chosen the Gondor theme, a brass-based piece that captures the fading nobility of a proud people.