Do you think you would feel the dramatic chills you did from the famous film Psycho if it wasn’t for Bernard Herrmann’s unsettling score in the film?
When hearing Monty Norman’s recognizable piece in James Bond, can you see James Bond coming to save the day? When hearing Henry Mancini’s jazzy melody for the Pink Panther, do you remember the character?
Or does listening to the Darth Vader theme remind you of when Darth Vader is coming in Star Wars?
Music is the suspense, the passion and helps with the carrying out of the story. Through lyrics or just sound, music brings emotions and memories to the audience and makes them feel something for characters, places or even objects.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone wouldn’t have been told so beautifully without the film score composed by John Williams. In a career spanning over six decades, Williams has composed some of the most popular and recognizable scores in cinematic history, including the first three Harry Potter films, the Star Wars series, the first two Jaws films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, the first two Home Alone films, Hook, the first two Jurassic Park films, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan and more.
These movie favourites might not have been popular if it weren’t for the stirring and memorable music. Would Christmas morning in Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone feel cherry without recognizable holiday music? Or would the Toilet Troll truly be a frightening and memorable character without the suspenseful music? These scenes along with many others in the film are given a theme, feeling and memory through the music.
Enjoy this soundtrack from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and let the music stir your memory. Then, join us December 4 at 7:30pm for HPO Movie Night at the Zoetic and discover great orchestral music through this well-loved, magical film.