Magic in the Music
Have you ever walked out of a movie and felt like you were flying? I remember walking of out the 2002 version of Spider-Man but it felt like my feet were barely touching the ground. Grandiose visions of me jumping from buildings and shooting webs out of my hands reeled in my mind. As I walked through the dark hallway exiting the theater with Pete Anthony’s pumping “End Credits” blaring behind me, I knew that I was going to be a superhero when I got older.
Countless times I’ve walked out of theaters, wishing I could just stay in the dark a bit longer, letting the final moment of music wash over me while my brain attempted to process everything I had just seen. Growing up I never really thought about why I liked staying through as much as the end credits as possible, but a few years ago it began to dawn on me, and I realized the appeal.
I was obsessed with movie scores.
Music is what ties movies together for me. It’s an almost invisible string arching and curving behind characters and plot points. Good scores are so well written and blended into the movie that half the time I never noticed they were there. But once I realized that movie scores are some of the best sounds on the planet, I began researching. I would listen for moments in the movie, picking out chords that I thought went well, or didn’t with a particular moment. My poor friends that went with me to movies now had to be interrupted by me leaning over and whispering “soundtrack, soundtrack” while excitedly hitting their upper arm.
Once I started to become more aware of the soundtracks that softly played under my favorite movies, I found that I could recognize composers by the instruments that they used, their certain styles, and so on. I was able to listen and recognize that Thomas Newman had done both Finding Nemo and Saving Mr. Banks. And as time went on, I began to find favorites.
I found one artist in particular whom I adore: James Newton Howard. Howard has scored hundreds of movies, which range from things like Gnomeo & Juliet to The Village. He’s been nominated for nine Academy Awards, but sadly he hasn’t won any. Some of you probably haven’t heard of his name, but you’ve heard of his songs, whether you registered them or not. (The Dark Knight, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Hunger Games).
But to me, there is something about his composing that makes his music special. (WARNING: It’s about to get cheesy). It’s the magic in his songs. If any of you reading this know me, you know that I am in love with the story of Peter Pan. James Newton Howard just happened to score the 2003 version of Peter Pan (the best one that’s out there). That soundtrack not only holds a great amount of nostalgia for me but it is also plain and simple, a beautiful score. Howard has a way of capturing childlike fascination and imagination into a pallet of strings, bells, and pounding drums.
The Hunger Games movies, The Lady in the Water, The Water Horse, The Village, Treasure Planet, and Water for Elephants are some of my favorite soundtracks of his (PS they’re all on Spotify so go have a listen). Howard is able to take raw emotion and place it in music while also leaving room for the movie itself. Movies are incredible formats for stories, adventures, truth, and art. The music behind the screen is another piece of beauty in itself.
Now go out to the movies and listen. But go to the matinee because regular movie prices are expensive.
