Many movies are difficult to move without music, because it is the latter sometimes not only complements what is happening on the screen, but also enhances all of our sensations a dozen times over. So music in movies can frighten, delight, and simply immerse even more into what is happening on the screen. Today we have chosen for you ten legendary soundtracks, without which it is impossible to imagine the history of cinema and which you can just listen to at your leisure.
“L’Harem” (Nino Rota)
“Federico Fellini’s 8 and a Half is one of the greatest films in the history of cinema, and its music is rightly considered a reference. There is sensuality mixed with playfulness, there are compositions that make you want to dance, and there are ones that make you sad. All in all Nino Rota recorded 12 tracks, all of them are beautiful, but if you have to choose one, we’ll go for “L’Harem”.
“Je n’aime que toi” (Alex Bopin)
The soundtrack to All Songs Are Only About Love by Christophe Honoré was written by Alex Bopin, for which he later won a well-deserved César Award. As in any musical, the actors themselves sing in the film, which gives the compositions a special touch, such as this playful song about a love triangle performed by Ludivine Sagnier, Clotilde Esmée and Louis Garrelle.
“Dou Genevieve Guy” (Michel Legrand)
Michel Legrand wrote all the music for the cult musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a story of love and tragic separation due to war. “Dou Genevieve Guy” is a song that literally tears at the soul, beginning with the words “I Can Never Live Without You” and ending with a plea to stay.
“You Can Never Tell” (Chuck Berry)
The legendary dance scene with Uma Thurman and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction is one of the best episodes in movie history. Quentin Tarantino’s films have always been famous for their soundtracks, and you can hear a dozen other iconic tracks in this film, but this is still what both “Pulp Fiction” and all of Tarantino’s cinematography is associated with.
“Star Wars” (John Williams)
John Williams is considered the greatest American film composer. He has composed the soundtracks to such hits as Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and many others. It was Williams who also came up with the opening theme to “Star Wars,” perhaps the most famous opening movie composition of all time.
“Superfly” (Curtis Mayfield)
Best Oscar-nominated soundtrack by the influential Pitchfork magazine. “Superfly” is a movie about a drug dealer who decides to pull a big scam and quit his criminal work. Soul singer Curtis Mayfield wrote the music for it (nine tracks in all). Subsequently, the album was repeatedly listed as one of the greatest records of all time.
“Purple Rain” (Prince)
Today Purple Rain is considered one of the greatest pop ballads in music history, but few remember that it was originally written as the soundtrack of the biographical Prince movie of the same name. In 1985, the song won an Oscar for Best Motion Picture Song Recording. That same year, the soundtrack won two Grammy awards.
“Deep Blue Day” (Brian Eno)
The soundtrack to Danny Boyle’s film “On the Needle” was repeatedly called the perfect embodiment of “a brief flash of blind optimism of the young generation” and at the same time the music that most accurately conveys the feelings of drug addiction. Danny Boyle’s film featured songs by such musicians as Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Blur and New Order, but the most memorable track was still recorded by legendary electronic musician Brian Eno.
“Flight of the Valkyries” (Wagner)
It is said that Adolf Hitler was once very fond of this composition by the German composer Wagner, and it is also played in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, as a squad of American helicopters goes off to destroy an entire Vietnamese village. It sounds both frightening and triumphant.
“Psycho” (Bernard Herrmann)
One of the most frightening soundtracks in movie history. Its author is a legendary composer who has worked with dozens of iconic directors, from Hitchcock to Truffaut. His mood is a sense of total danger lurking around every corner.