Most memorable moment from a film scored by John Williams?

[wanner251 17]

We talk about our favorite scores and films, but is there one particular point in one particular film that always stands out in your mind?

For me, it was the unforgettable feeling I got when I saw the first brachiosaurus in Jurassic Park. It was a wonderful musical moment paired with the last time a film made me truly in awe and amazed.

[indy4 155]

Are we talking about scenes where film and music worked together in a remarkable way? If so:

- Palpatine's "safe and secure society" speech in RotS

- E.T. finale

- CE3K finale

- Ray and Ogilvy wrestle over the gun in WotW

- Map Room from Raiders

[Quintus 5,399]

Apparently it's the overhead Star Destroyer, but I personally prefer the ascending scoregasm that is Elliott and E.T. silloutting across the moon.

[wanner251 17]

I don't necessarily mean a great marriage between music and visual, I just mean a particular part of a film that stands out to you. If it happens to be accompanied by fantastically fitting music, great. If not, great.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Are we talking about scenes where film and music worked together in a remarkable way? If so:

- Palpatine's "safe and secure society" speech in RotS

- E.T. finale

- CE3K finale

- Ray and Ogilvy wrestle over the gun in WotW

- Map Room from Raiders

fixed it for you. Seriously neither of those are worthy.

7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Lost in Space opening credits season 3.

Seeing the Opening Credits of Superman

The Barrel chase in Jaws.

The opening of Star Wars, the crawl and star destroyer, this is one of the most memorable sequences ever.

[Brónach 1,301]

I love the opening of E.T. As a film, as a combination of footage and music, and as simple music.

[indy4 155]

It works well with the film and as part of the entire listening experience, but I could never imagine listening to that single track on its own.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I don't necessarily mean a great marriage between music and visual, I just mean a particular part of a film that stands out to you. If it happens to be accompanied by fantastically fitting music, great. If not, great.

the parts I listed are memorable.

but if you're just talking great sequences in John's films???

there are so many great for different reasons. I will have to consider.

[Jonesy 55]

This could be a good example.

[Brónach 1,301]

It works well with the film and as part of the entire listening experience, but I could never imagine listening to that single track on its own.

Why not? It's great. The delightfully creepy main title sounds. Then that lovely theme on the flute, and then on that horn. Then it darkens, it gives way to these ominous, evocative chords (lovely detail on a subdued brass there), it grows... preparing something... something appearing.., glissandos... MORE GLISSANDOS... something has definitely appeared, keeps growing...gone, so much emotion in a single extended note. New ideas. Happier. But bam! JW strikes again with the ominious chords waking up awe in us! It becomes smaller and gorgeous, but something's happening. A new quirky theme appears. And then it explodes. Crap, I hadn't imagined that theme could sound like that! Somehow, it has become an action piece, but it sounds so JW that it warms my heart anyway, and then that triumphal moment when it seems it has climaxed but not really (note how JW purposely delays it). And then we go back to that yearning melody from the beginning.

I like listening to this moment when I'm trying to write something and I'm short of inspiration.

[filmmusic 1,823]

"I am your father!"

i was shocked!

[Jonesy 55]

I love the opening of E.T. As a film, as a combination of footage and music, and as simple music.

Indeed. The whole sequence is wonderful.

[indy4 155]

It works well with the film and as part of the entire listening experience, but I could never imagine listening to that single track on its own.

Why not? It's great. The delightfully creepy main title sounds. Then that lovely theme on the flute, and then on that horn. Then it darkens, it gives way to these ominous, evocative chords (lovely detail on a subdued brass there), it grows... preparing something... something appearing.., glissandos... MORE GLISSANDOS... something has definitely appeared, keeps growing...gone, so much emotion in a single extended note. New ideas. Happier. But bam! JW strikes again with the ominious chords waking up awe in us! It becomes smaller and gorgeous, but something's happening. A new quirky theme appears. And then it explodes. Crap, I hadn't imagined that theme could sound like that! Somehow, it has become an action piece, but it sounds so JW that it warms my heart anyway, and then that triumphal moment when it seems it has climaxed but not really (note how JW purposely delays it). And then we go back to that yearning melody from the beginning.

I like listening to this moment when I'm trying to write something and I'm short of inspiration.

Ohhh gotcha, I thought you were just talking about the Main Titles.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Again, just too many moments to list. Williams has scored some of the greatest movies of all time with so many memorable and iconic moments it's just ridiculous.

Basically every second of E.T., Star Wars, Jaws, Raiders etc. is memorable and perfect.

[wanner251 17]

I definitely agree with the Map Room and the opening of E.T. where he gets left behind.

The appearance of the Mothership in CE3K, anyone?

[King Mark 3,625]

I've written this a 100 times before but:

-Jaws : it's a 20 footer...no, 25

-E.T. : Come...Stay

-Han Lowered into carbonite

-Yoda lifts the X-wing

-Final Duel RotJ

-Indy swings into the mine cart (ToD)

-Indy in the Map Room (Raiders)

-Harry summons patronus against the chest dementor (PoA)

-Winning the House cup HPSS

-Jor El's departure speech in Superman

-Indy on the Sub (Raiders)

-Peter starts to fly in Hook

-Superman catching the helicopter

[wanner251 17]

Those are great! Every single one!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

after consideration

The opening crawl and star destroyer in Star Wars,

In all the John Williams score movies jaw never unhinged quite like it did in that sequence. It's so amazing and I can't think of any single scene in all the Williams films that sticks out any better. Every single person in that theatre was in absolute awe and pleasure at that moment. Pure wonderment.

[Brónach 1,301]

I'm not the biggest fan of the melody, but the orchestration and everything around it plus the raw power of the whole thing... gah. I can't get over the awesomeness of the first ten seconds.

[wanner251 17]

after consideration

The opening crawl and star destroyer in Star Wars,

In all the John Williams score movies jaw never unhinged quite like it did in that sequence. It's so amazing and I can't think of any single scene in all the Williams films that sticks out any better. Every single person in that theatre was in absolute awe and pleasure at that moment. Pure wonderment.

That is a fantastic image! I wish I could have experienced that. Alas, the closest I could get was being in my mother's womb when she saw it with my dad. Yes that actually happened. Williams effect... Haha!!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

I guess that I have 2 special memories.

1, is when TTI cuts from a flamming Susan Flannery falling out of her bedroon window, to a shot looking down while she falls 65 floors to her demise.

2, is the first full shot of The Mothership. You could feel the breath sucked out of the cinema as everyone gasped in amazment. Astonishing!

"Fantastic! Keep those reloads coming. Faaan-tastic."

[A24 4,326]

The whole essence of Star Wars was captured right here.

Alex

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

"Vow..ahahaa.....P-51...the Cadillac of the skies...!!!"

[Melange 446]

I reckon that nearly all of my favourites moments if I had the time to go through this, would be from Close Encounters.

Really there are so many damn good examples of cinematography and accompanying music in that movie, it is a true gem.

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

Without a doubt strongly influenced by when I first saw it (it probably subconsciously prepared me for consciously discovering Williams one year later), but: "Welcome to Jurassic Park".

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

Journey to the island

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

- "I wouldn't let you sleep in my room if you were GROWING ON MY ASS!"

- "Why is the top down, I'm fucking freezing."

- Salacious Crumb laughing at Han Solo being bantha fodder

- "Fart factory" insult from Hook

- Jar Jar stepping in shit

- Mel Gibson kills 38 Redcoats single-handedly with a tomahawk

- Orgy with Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon and Tommy Lee Jones.

[publicist 4,643]

I love the opening of E.T. As a film, as a combination of footage and music, and as simple music.

That is a cue i love to return to (in it's combined form together with the chase). It is not as obviously catchy as the finale but it sets the atmosphere incredibly.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Every second of E.T. is perfect and memorable, film and score,

[Jilal 569]

The opening of Star Wars, the crawl and star destroyer, this is one of the most memorable sequences ever.

This.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

after consideration

The opening crawl and star destroyer in Star Wars,

There are no Star Destroyers in Star Wars! Several imperial cruisers, but no Star Destroyers.

[Jay 37,285]

Wrong!!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

I always thought that they were the same thing.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

They're not referred to as Star Destroyers in the original movie. According to this shit, the big Corellian ships Han mentions were ships unique to the original movie.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Wrong!!

Never!

[chuck 154]

The race in the airport in the Home Alone movies to the score that sounds like the William Tell Overture.

[ShowUStheHOOK 8]

The race in the airport in the Home Alone movies to the score that sounds like the William Tell Overture.

hmm. I always thought it was a clever pastiche of Trepak from the Nutcracker

[indy4 155]

Yeah, I think that's t

The race in the airport in the Home Alone movies to the score that sounds like the William Tell Overture.

hmm. I always thought it was a clever pastiche of Trepak from the Nutcracker

Yeah, I think that's more likely. Especially since the main melody from the Main Titles shares some similarities with Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

[Wojo 2,453]

They're not referred to as Star Destroyers in the original movie. According to this shit, the big Corellian ships Han mentions were ships unique to the original movie.

Fair enough. Han does say "I've outrun Imperial starships. Not the local bulk cruisers mind you, I'm talking about the big Corellian ships now" but these Corellian ships are not shown in Star Wars. We never see the ships that Han mentions, but it's doubtful that the ships we do see are instead the "local bulk cruisers." The Imperial-I clas Star Destroyers seen in Star Wars and the Imperial-II Star Destroyers seen in TESB and ROTJ are made by Kuat Drive Yards, which is not located at Corellia; Corellian Engineering Corporation built fast ships, like the Millennium Falcon and her sister transport ships, but not the Star Destroyers that we see in the movies. The other classes of ships that the Empire uses are added in the expanded universe.

The wedge-shaped Star Destroyers seen in Star Wars are not named until The Empire Strikes Back when Derek 'Hobbie' Klivian asks "Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?" when the Rebels try to flee Hoth. Later Threepio begins to declare the odds of successfully surviving an attack on Imperial Star Destroyer before being told to shut up. Curiously, when fleeing Bespin, Leia points to Vader's Super Star Destroyer in The Empire Strikes Back but says only "star destroyer." This ship is never named as Executor in either it or its sequel, and even Vader only calls it his "star destroyer" in the added scene in the Special Edition.

And then, of course, Lando Calrissian and Admiral Ackbar explicitly say "star destroyers" when they talk about engaging them at point blank to evade the Death Star II's fire in Return of the Jedi. Since this term is used in the plural, it's clear that they mean the "normal" sized vessels instead of Vader's enormous flagship. Ackbar properly names this when he gives the order "Concentrate all fire on that Super Star Destroyer!"

So the ship's term in Star Wars is retconned in based on the sequels. Same as Tatooine. It seems that half of Star Wars takes place on that planet, but it is not spoken until The Empire Strikes Back and seen in ROTJ's title crawl. Not counting the prequels and novelizations, of course.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Never occured to me that we never seen a Star Destroyer completely blown up in the movies.

(I dont count the lame looking sounding Super Star Destroyer)

[Cantus Venti 13]

One scene I love and remember well is where E.T. resurrects the flower and lets out his chant along with the score. It's so uplifting. I always love voice affects along with music, like in Far From The Home I Love where the strings bend and the woman says "God long knows when we shall see each other again." John Williams does this without voices, he bends the harmony or counter-melody in a certain way to create heavenly dissonance with the melody. This is not the most memorable, just something I like.

[Quintus 5,399]

Shore did a similar thing with the Rohirrim horns during his Charge of the Rohirrim cue in RotK.

It's a technique which packs an awesome emotional punch, often resulting in goosebumps all round. Really film scoring in its purist form.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

One scene I love and remember well is where E.T. resurrects the flower and lets out his chant along with the score. It's so uplifting.

Those few seconds are pure Williams and Spielberg magic.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Shore did a similar thing with the Rohirrim horns during his Charge of the Rohirrim cue in RotK.

It's a technique which packs an awesome emotional punch, often resulting in goosebumps all round. Really film scoring in its purist form.

Who taught you about (film) music techniques?

[Quintus 5,399]

Steven Spielberg and John Williams.

[wanner251 17]

That is quite an interesting technique to use. One of my favorite instances of that technique is not in a John Williams score, but a Trevor Jones one. The Dark Crystal has that happen at the end when the Mystics and Skeksis combine together and then chant to bring Kira back to life. It plays out in the actual score recording too. It comes in rather dissonantly, and then the score bends itself to work with it as it all comes to a frenzy. Fantastic stuff!