# Great music scenes in movies



## KenOC

There are quite a few movies, not musicals themselves, that have memorable scenes featuring well-known music. I can think of several, but will mention Soylent Green, a movie about a grim, overcrowded, and totally ruined future world.

Edward G. Robinson has decided to have himself euthanized in one of the huge government-run centers. He is tucked into bed in a small room, the tube is inserted, the lights go down, and the first movement of Beethoven's Pastoral plays while the big screen in front of him shows green meadows with bounding gazelles, etc. He expires happily, not knowing that he's about to be turned into potato chips...

How about your faves?


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## BlazeGlory

Two movies with classics come to mind almost immediately. "10" with Bolero and "2001: A Space Odyssey" with Blue Danube Waltz and Also Sprach Zarathustra.


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## Arsakes

'Master and Commander' with Vaughan Williams "Fantasia on a Theme"


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## TudorMihai

The first thing that comes to my mind is the opening of "The New World" with Wagner's Das Rheingold prelude. That film also features some excerpts of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23.


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## DeepR

Blade Runner - End Titles - Vangelis

Yes, it plays at the ending credits, so that's not really a scene, but to me it's the greatest piece that any movie has ever ended with. It's like.. the movie HAD to end with that piece. The movie and the music are one.


The Pianist - Chopin Ballade No. 1


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## rrudolph

Any time the theremin is used in "The Lost Weekend". Actually, any time the theremin is used in a Rosza score (Spellbound, The Red House, etc.) but I think it's especially effective when used to symbolize the hold booze has on Ray Milland's character in that movie.


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## daveh

TudorMihai said:


> The first thing that comes to my mind is the opening of "The New World" with Wagner's Das Rheingold prelude. That film also features some excerpts of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23.


Could not agree more - I actually mentioned this in the "Current Listening" thread a day or two ago. The New World is probably my all-time favorite movie and I think that both of the pieces you mention fit so perfectly with the film - the opening scene, of the ships landing at Jamestown set to Wagner is incredible, as is the final scene set to the same music.

If we can also mention non-classical, I love the use of the "Layla" piano exit by Scorsese in Goodfellas.


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## Crudblud

One of my favourites is from _Wild at Heart_ by David Lynch. Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) are driving down a desert highway, and as she tries to find a music station amid a sea of increasingly disturbing news reports she eventually pulls over, jumps out and shouts "SAILOR RIPLEY, YOU GET ME SOME MUSIC ON THAT RADIO THIS INSTANT!" So Sailor starts flipping through until this thrash metal song comes on, at which point he turns up the volume, screams at the top of his lungs and handplants out of the car. They dance at the side of the road for a while before embracing, when this happens the camera pans up and off in to the desert and the sound fades out and is replace by the start of Richard Strauss' _Im Abendrot_, which is used throughout the film.


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## TudorMihai

Also, we cannot forget Mahler's music used in the film Death in Venice by Luchino Visconti. Maybe that was the film that brought Mahler back to the public attention after many years of neglect. That and Bernstein's devotion.


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## arpeggio

*Spartacus and Psycho*

Some of my favorites:

Alex North, gladiator fight from _Spartacus_.

(NOTE: I saw an interview with Spielberg and Williams where they stated that this was one of their favorite cues.)






Bernard Hermann, shower scene from _Psycho_.


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## Crudblud

TudorMihai said:


> Also, we cannot forget Mahler's music used in the film Death in Venice by Luchino Visconti. Maybe that was the film that brought Mahler back to the public attention after many years of neglect. That and Bernstein's devotion.


_Death in Venice_ certainly helped to make the Adagietto his most popular piece.


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## Mahlerian

Crudblud said:


> _Death in Venice_ certainly helped to make the Adagietto his most popular piece.


Not to mention helped conductors in their race to find the slowest tempo possible for the thing....it really shouldn't be over 10 minutes maximum.


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## JCarmel

'Brief Encounter' directed by David Lean....which seems to have melded with the music of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 in the popular imagination to such an extent, that each is synonymous with the other. Celia Johnson.... leaning out of the train window...looking longingly at Trevor Howard...and that wonderful big theme wells-up...along with a lump in the throat?


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## PetrB

KenOC said:


> There are quite a few movies, not musicals themselves, that have memorable scenes featuring well-known music. I can think of several, but will mention Soylent Green, a movie about a grim, overcrowded, and totally ruined future world.
> 
> Edward G. Robinson has decided to have himself euthanized in one of the huge government-run centers. He is tucked into bed in a small room, the tube is inserted, the lights go down, and the first movement of Beethoven's Pastoral plays while the big screen in front of him shows green meadows with bounding gazelles, etc. He expires happily, not knowing that he's about to be turned into potato chips...
> 
> How about your faves?


It is _so often_ Beethoven, isn't it?


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## tdc

Huh. For some reason I always had it in my mind that it was Tchaikovsky's 6th that was used in Soylent Green. Haven't seen that movie in a lonnnnng time.


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## Schubussy

This.





edit: Didn't read the thread properly, dunno if this counts because it was composed for the film, but Ennio Morricone deserves a spot in the thread anyway I think.


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## KenOC

tdc said:


> Huh. For some reason I always had it in my mind that it was Tchaikovsky's 6th that was used in Soylent Green. Haven't seen that movie in a lonnnnng time.


Tchaikovsky first, then Beethoven...


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## Norse

Vivaldi in _Shine_






For those who haven't seen the movie, this scene will probably seem a bit.. strange.


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## bassClef

Wagner!


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## Mahlerian

tdc said:


> Huh. For some reason I always had it in my mind that it was Tchaikovsky's 6th that was used in Soylent Green. Haven't seen that movie in a lonnnnng time.


It was both.

Edit: Didn't see KenOC's post above.


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## Avey

While not a classic, the recent independent film "Melancholia" opens with a set of images from the film (a sort of foreshadowing-the-conflict-PowerPoint mosaic) accompanied by Prelude to Tristan and Isolde by Wagner. It's rather engaging.


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## david johnson

Copying Beethoven. In this scene I greatly enjoy the interplay of hands and faces as a deafened Beethoven is helped in conducting the 9th symphony premier.


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## cwarchc

A classic bit of Wagner


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## kv466

This, and most recently the Don Giovanni scene in Sherlock Holmes 2 comes to mind!


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## matsoljare

The entire movie.


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## CypressWillow

The entire soundtrack is music. If you've not seen/heard this, you're in for a treat!






The song when they're flying is gorgeous, n'est ce pas?


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## PetrB

My bad. Deled entry, it was all about somebody NOT liking the classical music being heard.


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## Kthoven

An obvious choice, I know, but still a treasure of a scene:


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## Cirpi

And of course this famous and unforgettable scene from 'Philadelphia': Tom Hanks explaining to Denzel Washington the air La mamma morta from the opera Andrea Chenier by Umberto Giordano, sung by Callas.


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## Cirpi




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## joen_cph

A local classic from bygone, somewhat provincial days here, "Olsen Banden ser Rødt", from a series dealing with a Robin-Hood-like petty crime gang and their usually ill-fated, but carefully planned and creative ideas for obtaining real wealth. In this case, the scene takes place in the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, while the orchestra plays the "Elverhøj"-Ouverture by Kuhlau, which includes one of the two national anthems.

The movie series earned popularity in Norway and the GDR too, and Norway made their own versions of some of the films. On this you-tube clip, the Norwegian edition is also included, in a split-screen effect.


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## CypressWillow

This is the theme that played over the end credits of the film *War Games.* Haunting melody, beautifully orchestrated:


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## PetrB

CypressWillow said:


> The entire soundtrack is music. If you've not seen/heard this, you're in for a treat!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The song when they're flying is gorgeous, n'est ce pas?


Thank you! Though it is finally getting warm / hot here, I have great nieces, and for some reason while thinking of them was looking for this a few days ago, but without success. 
Sweet hand-drawn frame for frame animation (remember those, anyone?) and very appropriate score. 'Great for the entire family.' Lol. but it is


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## Ralfy

There are several examples given here:

http://www.naxos.com/musicinmovies.asp?letter=A

Mentioned earlier:


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## Ralfy

Also,


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