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WalterBright | on: The title cards in Blade Runner are amazing
I rarely read about the contribution a good music score has to a movie's popularity. A great score makes the movie. For example,

The Blue Max, Ben Hur, the first Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Dr Zhivago, Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and, of course, Blade Runner!

beloch | parent | next
The original teaser for Star Wars was made before they had John Williams' score:

https://youtu.be/XHk5kCIiGoM?si=VxAJcCATzwn6gZPw

Watching it may help you appreciate just how important the Williams' score was to Star Wars' success. It's one of the all-time greats!

I'd also add that some movies are worth watching purely because of their score. e.g. "Conan the Barbarian" is a pretty shlocky flick. However, the director and composer took a collaborative approach to the score that was closer to opera than film. Unlike most movies, work on the score began before filming and there was continual collaboration during filming. The result remains one of the best scores in the history of film, and a film that makes the music its backbone.

throw0101d | root | parent | next
> si=VxAJcCATzwn6gZPw

PSA: the si, as well as the pp, parameter is a form of tracking. If possible, consider trimming them after a copy-paste.

WalterBright | root | parent
I went with my dorm to see SW on the second day of release. I had no idea what to expect.

Then, with the opening stab of music, I knew it was going to be great.

ArekDymalski | parent | next
I guess the good examples where music could be an important driver to the movies popularity (or revival of popularity) might be: "Requiem for a dream" and "Das Boot". Also for me personally - "The Mission" as incredible score by Ennio Morricone has brought me tia film I'd rather ignore. Other (also personal) example is " The Spawn" with it's mind-blowing OST.
m463 | parent | next
How could you skip The Good, The Bad and The Ugly? :)
10729287 | parent | next
I always remember a quote I read when I was way younger about Halloween or The Exorcist : "the film's score is a character in its own right".
WalterBright | parent | next
P.S. I deliberately did not include musicals or movies like 2001 that did not compose an original score.
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ndsipa_pomu | parent
I'll add Donnie Darko and The Blues Brothers (that may be cheating, though).
account42 | root | parent | next
Donnie Darko is interesting because the director's cut has significant changes to the music compared to the theatrical release, including the one played in the opening sequence.
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{"deleted":true,"id":49199827,"parent":49194182,"time":1786037897,"type":"comment"}
ndsipa_pomu | root | parent
I didn't know that and Donnie Darko is one of my favourite films.

From Wikipedia: "The Killing Moon" by Echo & the Bunnymen was replaced with "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS, which Kelly had not had the rights to use in the film's theatrical release.

Also: Kelly had originally wanted to use the songs "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS and "West End Girls" by the Pet Shop Boys during the opening scene of Donnie cycling home and Sparkle Motion's dance at the talent show respectively, but financial constraints meant that he instead had to use "The Killing Moon" by Echo & the Bunnymen and "Notorious" by Duran Duran. For the director's cut, Kelly was able to gain the rights to use "Never Tear Us Apart" for the opening scene, and moved "The Killing Moon" to later in the film; "Notorious" was not moved from the talent show scene.

the_af | root | parent
Donnie Darko is (to me) one of those movies ruined by the director's cut. Not only due to the music changes, but also because the "message" of the movie is made more explicit and on the nose. And reading Kelly's interviews and opinions is even worse. One of those movies where keeping the original, and the mystery, is absolutely mandatory.
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mikeaskew4 | root | parent
The Blues Brothers IS the soundtrack. Nobody remembers Twiggy was in it.
ndsipa_pomu | root | parent
I remember her due to her accent (I'm english too). Next you'll be telling me that nobody remembers Frank Oz in it. Or Mr. T.