Search the Community

I just found my long lost Titanic OST. What should I do with it?

I recently listened to this score, after being absent from it for more than 15 years. I listened to it very much when it was fresh, and it was one of my favorite soundtracks. Now I think parts of it sound horribly dated, to the point of being cringe-worthy - I'm of course referring to some of the electronic elements. What do you think?

I was thinking about the famous "I'm flying" scene from Titanic and, in particular, the precise moment where the music reaches its emotional climax. On paper, you might expect the score to swell at the moment Jack and Rose kiss, but it actually reaches its emotional peak a few seconds later when Rose reaches up her hand to hold Jack's head closer. The moment becomes a lot more sensual and somehow more romantic as a result. I realise this is just intelligent, intuitive film scoring, but the timing of these things always fascinates me. (2:09) Another example off the top of my head is the final scene in Home Alone when Kevin and Old Man Marley share their moment through the window. One could score it so the music swells when Marley raises his hand in greeting, but Williams holds it for that little moment longer until Kevin returns the gesture, when both characters have completed their arcs with regards to each other. This video below actually has the alternate “O Holy Night” version of the cue too, and you can see the emotional journey is exactly the same in both pieces of music. (00:47) I’m curious to know if you can think of any other examples like this. Moments where the music could reach an emotional peak at one moment, but actually climaxes at another for a stronger emotional impact.

Alas, it's another pointless poll that will most likely be completely inactive in the next week or so... Do you agree with the age-old JWFAN proverb "Titanic is better than everything"?