Welcome to Classical.com's Guide to Classics at the Movies Back to Classical Academy
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Music has been connected with drama since its earliest days. When cinema began in the early 20th century, it seemed natural for drama’s newest form to be accompanied by music, not least because early film was silent. The music was performed live at each cinema, usually by a pianist or organist who would choose their own music to accompany the action. When the ‘talkies’ (films in which the actors voices and sound effects were first heard) arrived in the 1920s, background music was retained as part of the soundtrack. |
Musical scores are often written specifically for each film, but some also use a library of pre-written classics. This tradition stretches back to the era of silent films. A notable example of this technique can be found in 2001:A Space Odyssey; a film that contains very little dialogue and relies on its stunning cinematography and accompanying music. At first, an original score was commissioned from composer Alex North. However the film’s director, Stanley Kubrick, decided to drop North’s score in favour of the classical tracks he’d been listening to while editing the film!
Have a look at the small selection of films listed below and see if you can remember hearing the music. Listen to the Classics at the Movies
playlist to hear a selection of classical music used in the movies.
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1) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The seminal science fiction film. A little way off the mark in prediction terms (we’re supposed to be living on the moon by now!) but captures the mood of the time. Lots of music including: |
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2) Brief Encounter (1945)
David Lean’s classic weepie. If you long for the golden age of steam (trains that is), this one’s for you! Musically, relies heavily on: |
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3) Platoon (1986)
Oliver Stone’s semi-autobiographical vision of the Vietnam war. Barber’s Adagio is mixed with period pop music and an original score by Georges Delerue to form a great soundtrack to this claustrophobic film. |
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4) Excalibur (1982)
Based on the legend of Arthur, Merlin and the Sword of the title, John Borman’s visually stunning film uses classics alongside an original score. Most recognisable extracts: Wagner: Siegfried Idyll |
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5) The Shining (1980)
Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s modern horror classic. Has all the cinematic brilliance you expect from Kubrick, and an interesting modernistic soundtrack that includes: |
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6) The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Uplifting prison drama starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Has an original score, but uses the following at a critical point in the plot: |
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7) Amadeus (1984)
Adapted from Peter Schaffer’s play, this somewhat irreverent and inaccurate potrait of Mozart and Salieri contains some fantastic musical extracts. The climax of the film uses: |
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8) Death in Venice (1971)
Thomas Mann’s novel is given the cinematic treatment. Dirk Bogarde is the composer who falls in love with a young boy, catches plague and dies to the strains of: |
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9) Ladykillers (1955)
Classic Ealing comedy starring Alec Guiness as the leader of a criminal gang planning a bank robbery. To allay the suspicions of their landlady, they pose as a String Quintet and play: |
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10) Die Hard (1988)
Bruce Willis in a dirty vest saving a Los Angeles building from Alan Rickman. The soundtrack quotes heavily from: |
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11) As Good As It Gets (1997)
Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt in Oscar-winning form in James L. Brooks's likeable romantic comedy. |
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12) Out of Africa (1985)
Beautifully filmed landscapes form the backdrop for Sydney Pollack's oscar-winning love story starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. Featuring a beautiful John Barry score, the soundtrack also includes: |
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13) Apocalypse Now (1979)
Francis Ford Coppola's harrowing masterpiece is made all the more effective by its thoughtful use of music. Accompanying the helicopter attack we hear: |
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14) Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Arguably the finest Ealing comedy, Kind Hearts and Coronets features an astonishing performance by Alec Guiness who plays eight very different characters, including Lady Agatha d'Ascoyne! Mozart: Il mio tesoro |
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15) The Great Dictator (1940)
Charlie Chaplin's first talkie is a gem. A parody of Hitler's Third Reich with Chaplin playing the dual roles of dicatator Adenoid Hynkel and Jewish barber, Chaplin later revealed the film would never have been made had he known the horrors of Nazi Germany. The barber shaving his customer is wonderfully accompanied by: |
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16) Trading Places (1983)
John Landis's comedy features great performances from Dan Ackroyd, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Lee Curtis, but it's veteran actors Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy who steal the show in this entertaining Prince and the Pauper re-working. The film opens with: |
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17) Fantasia (1940)
A Walt Disney cartoon spectacular set to a concert of classical music. The music was conducted by Leoplod Stokowski, who received a special oscar, and included: |
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18) Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
Bruce Willis in a dirty vest again, saving an airport from terrorists. |
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19) Jean de Florette (1986)
Marcel Pagnol's novel The Water of the Hills is given a beautiful cinematic treatment in Claude Berri's evocative film, with Gérard Depardieu starring as the title character. Soundtrack features Verdi's overture to The Force of Destiny (also used in the Stella Artois ads!). |
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20) Hilary and Jackie (1998)
Controversial portrait of cellist Jacqueline du Pré that contains much of the music she helped popularise. |
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