The Departed | Ramblings of a cinephile

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June 22, 2015 · 1:19 am

Sound & Motion Pictures: great villainous entrances

Great villains are even better and far more memorable with an iconic theme. This is a list of my favorite entrances of Big Bad with amazing personalised soundtrack.

1. Jaws – theme by John Williams (1975)

Two notes by John Williams and you get a panic-inducing appearance of a “sea monster”. We need a bigger boat!

2. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Imperial March by John Williams (1983)

Again John Williams works his magic and make the arrival of evil personified in the Star Wars saga foreboding and menacing. Such anger, young Skywalker.

3. Once Upon a Time In the West – Man with The Harmonica, Ennio Morricone (1968)

Dusters flapping in the wind, the bad guys show themselves like the four horsemen (after killing a whole family) and then do one more heinous act. All this happens to the unforgettable sound of Morricone’s music.

4.The Third Man – Harry Lime theme by Anton Karas (1949)

A nice contrast between the darkeness of the scene and a happy and light music, it makes for a truly iconic introduction!

5. The Departed – Gimme Shelter, The Rolling Stone (1969)

Scorsese really likes Gimme Shelter, I think he uses it in another couple of films as well. Anyway Nicholson’s monologue and walk to the notes of the Stones is awesome.

Bonus for a laugh:

Face/Off – Hallelujah from the Messiah, George F. Handel (1742)

John Woo gives us Handel, white doves and a manic Nick Cage in an over-the-top scene. He’s dressed like a priest and gropes a choir girl…evil!

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Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures

Tagged as Anton Karas, Ennio Morricone, Face/Off, George F. Handel, Jaws, John Williams, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars, The Departed, The Rolling Stones, The Third Man

March 23, 2015 · 12:41 am

Sound & Motion Pictures: opening credits

I asked myself: self, what’s the best way to start a new series about great music and films? Well, to begin at the beginning… with amazing combinations of songs and opening credits. This is not meant to be a top ten, just ten of my favorite opening credits (the ones I manage to find on youtube, alas From Dusk Till Dawn title scene with the great sound of Dark Night is not there!). Some films use songs that were already famous, others made the song known to a bigger audience and, in a few cases, the combination is iconic, so much that it has been quoted, spoofed and imitated in later films, TV-shows and commercials.

1. Reservoir Dogs – Little Green Bag, George Baker Selection (1970)

After an opening scene that introduces the main characters and Tarantino’s trademark penchant for verbal incontinence and silly topics, we get this: