Movie Soundtracks

A good soundtrack is one which suits the genre of the movie and enhances the action taking place on the screen. A horror film may have discordant music, or perhaps organ music. An action film may have a rock music score. A thriller may have fast pumping techno music soundtrack. In Hanna the pumping techno soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers adds tension to the action sequences. Most films have between 40 and 120 minutes of music. However, some films have very little or no music; others may feature a score that plays almost continuously throughout.

The role of the soundtrack is to add another dimension to the action taking place on the screen. It also acts to signify the mood of a particular scene. An example of this would be in Spielberg’s film Jaws, the scene of a woman swimming in the sea is accompanied by a menacing soundtrack. You just know that something awful is about to happen.

Often the best known part of a movie soundtrack is its theme tune. The James Bond films often use singers, popular at the time of release. Not all films use especially composed music, some use chart music of a particular year to set the period that the film is set, The Boat That Rocked, and Made in Dagenham are two recent British films that were set in the 1960s and used music popular at the time as their soundtracks. Giorgio Moroder’s instrumental soundtrack to Scarface fits with the period when the film is set.

Films often have different themes for important characters. An example of this technique is John Williams' score for the Star Wars saga, and the numerous themes associated with characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia. The Lord of the Rings trilogy uses a similar technique, with recurring themes for many main characters and places.


Best Selling Movie Soundtracks (albums sold)

1. The Bodyguard (16 million)
2. Purple Rain (13 million)
3. Saturday Night Fever (11 million)
4. Dirty Dancing (11 million)
5. The Lion King (10 million)
6. Grease (8 million)
7. Footloose (8 million)
8. Titanic (8 million)
9. Top Gun (7 million)
10. Waiting to Exhale (7 million)