The Kite Runner

The music in this film is almost as beautiful as the story itself. Starting the movie with music that fit into the culture let you become a part of the character's lives. From the joyous music during the flying of the kites to the more serious music that can be heard as Amir and his father escape the Russians and flee, the music stayed true to the culture. The music gave the appearance of sounding more like what we would hear in classic Hollywood films. The music seemed to symbolize the journey that Amir had made, and the two cultures that he now represents.

Lord of the Rings, Return of the King

The music in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was very similar to that of Williams music in Star Wars. The music in the film truly powered the fantasy of Middle Earth. The epic music heard in during the fight scenes to the eerie music that emphasised the rings power are just a few examples of the traits that are similar to classical Hollywood films. Another trait that is similar to classical Hollywood films are the wall to wall music. Leitmotifs, such as that of the ring itself, can be heard throughout the whole trilogy.

Big Fish

From the loud, in your face, circus inspired music to the quiet, calmer, mood inspired music when Edward Bloom died, the wall to wall music inspires the beautiful story about a man's life and love between a dieing father and his son. Danny Elfman composed the music for the Tim Burton film, Big Fish. The mixture of diagetic and non diagetic music fits in with the plot so well you feel as though the music is almost part of the plot.
Just like Danny Elfman's music inspired this amazing film, Danny Elfman was inspired by some of the great composers. Bernard Herrmann was one of the composers that Danny Elfman admires. His music for the film Psycho, was crucial for the film, according to Elfman. Elfman said, "I can't imagine almost any of the scenes in the movie working as well without the music — not just talking about the famous shower scene." I do not feel Big Fish would have been the same film if the music was either gone or different. One of the most important scenes in the film and examples of how the music in Big Fish truly effected the mood of the film was the last conversation between Will and Ed, right before Edward dies. Will is telling his father how he dies. During the parts of the scene where the audience of the film is seeing Will's story come to life, the music is happy and joyful. When the audience sees Will telling his father the story in the hospital the music is a little more quiet, less exciting, and a little more sad. I feel that this example of Danny Elfman's work was inspired by Bernard Herrmann.

The Color Purple

The music in the film The Color Purple was just as inspiring as the story itself. Listening to the music, one can almost hear the emotions of the characters. The music almost pushes the plot along, always giving us a little taste of what is going to happen next.
The music in the Color Purple was very inspired by the songs of the time. Jazz was a major influence, as we saw when Shug Avery was singing or when playing from a record in a room. Popular holiday music was also played during the film at the correct times in the film.
The use of ethnic tribal music was used and tied into Celie read her sisters letters. This music, which was originally from Africa where Nettie was, had the same beat or tempo as the sounds around Celie. The music in this film could be heard from beginning to end and both diagetic and non diagetic.

Ghandi

One of the most inspiration people throughout history to use the methods of nonviolence was Ghandi. He was so inspiring that he changed politics through his beliefs and convictions. Another aspect of this film that was inspired was the music. Having some traits that were common with the classic Hollywood sound, this film was mostly filled with music inspired by India, Hinduism, and the time period in which Ghandi lived.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

The music that John William's created for E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial captures both the innocence of childhood and new expierences, as well as the moods that both ET and Elliott experience throught the film. It has many of the same aspects of the classical hollywood underscoring that we have seen before. The playful underscoring can be heard through almost the whole film.
We also see the use of leitmotifs. The hunter's leitmotif has a more aggressive sound than that of ET or Elliott. The music also seems to move or move along with the plot. The music in this film also has a unique mystical or magical senses to it. It has a little bit of suspense built in with some mystery.

The Sting

Music during the opening credits are clues to the leitmotifs and main themes of the music throughout the entire film. This is why I was a little confused when hearing the music in the opening credits for the first time. When I thought of the title "The Sting," I thought of the words bite, Peirce, hurt, thrust, or wound. Before viewing the film I thought that the music would be like that of "Psycho," piercing, unpleasant, and almost hurtful to your ears. This explained my confusion when hearing upbeat music from the early 1900's.
The music was upbeat, playful, and cheerful, similar to that of the music in silent films. Though the music did not seem to go with the title of the film it went fit in with the plot of the film. Con artists living the life they wanted while setting up a big.
The music was also used very sporadically throughout the film. It would stop as unexpectedly as it started. Overall I thought that when viewing the film as a whole, the music seemed to fit very well with the plot.