Notes From The Intern: Meghan’s Favorite Film Scores
For those of you who don’t know me: Hi! My name is Meghan Belden, and I am interning for Charthouse this summer. I’m not quite as well-studied as Jon and the other guys here, so I hope you’ll forgive this blog, and the blogs for the rest of the summer, being a bit less… academic than usual (I’m just a girl *cue coquette bow and violin music*). I figured that the best thing I could do for my first blog was to write about some of my favorite things, so you can get to know me better. Today’s topic: film scores.
Now, I will admit, for being a film major there are a LOT of films that I should have seen in my 20 years on earth that my eyes have not yet beheld (I’m working on it, I promise!) So if your favorite score is left off the list, I am so sorry. There are many scores out there that are probably technically better than these. However, this list is composed of my personal favorites (so don’t @ me!).
With that disclaimer out of the way, here are my personal top 10 favorite film scores:
10. Home Alone
It would be criminal not to include a John Williams score on this list. He is often considered to be the greatest film score composer of all time, for good reason. His scores for films like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Star Wars, and Schindler’s List are considered to be some of the best soundtracks of all time. However, one of my favorites, and the one that is most sentimental to me, is the score for Home Alone. You know it, you love it. I re-watch it with the fam every year. And every year, I cry (if you don’t tear up as Williams expertly and delicately scores the ending with Old Man Marley, you must be a monster).
Film Still: Home Alone
Credit: 20th Century Studios
Film Still: Rudy
Credit: TriStar Pictures
9. Rudy
For this one, you have to know two things about me. First of all, I am currently a student at the University of Notre Dame. Second of all, I despise the movie Rudy. I think the main character is a horrible person, and I think the message of the film is stupid. However, for me, this film has 2 saving graces. One of them is Jon Favreau (my king, my icon). The other is the score. Jerry Goldsmith did an absolutely incredible job of scoring this film. I am listening to “Main Title” right now, and there are literally goosebumps on my arms.
(Fun fact: Jerry Goldsmith also wrote the theme for the Disney ride Soarin’, and you can absolutely tell they are written by the same composer.)
8. Wreck-It Ralph
Disney knows what they are doing when it comes to scoring a film. And Henry Jackman’s score for Wreck-It Ralph is absolutely no exception. Incorporating electronic and synth sounds, the score immerses the viewer in Ralph’s world of the arcade. Each game throughout the film has a distinct sound. And as the film goes on, the music tugs on your heartstrings at just the right time. Listen to “Arcade Finale” and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Film Still: Wreck-It Ralph
Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Film Still: Enola Holmes 2
Credit: Netflix, PCMA Productions, Legendary Entertainment
7. Enola Holmes
I’ll be the first to say I love this movie for the vibes. Is the plot very sensical? No. Is it very original? No. But the movie is gorgeous, Henry Cavill and Helena Bonham Carter are in it, and it has an amazing score by Daniel Pemberton, so I like it. Pemberton’s “Enola Holmes (Wild Child)” perfectly captures the tone of the movie and the essence of its innocent, optimistic, and headstrong young protagonist. “Mother” sentimentally expresses the emotional resolution of the film. And for one of my favorite romance themes, listen to “Dancing Lessons” from Enola Holmes 2.
6. Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
2017 was a big year for me and my love of film. I saw Murder on the Orient Express in theaters 3 times. I bought the complete soundtrack from this film (this was before I had Apple Music, so I spent a solid $15-20 on it). I was obsessed with Kenneth Branagh, and therefore obsessed with Patrick Doyle. Doyle created my absolute favorite theme of all time, heard in “The Armstrong Case.” The climax of the film is scored by “Justice,” which is nine minutes and thirty seconds of pure bliss that makes my soul ascend to the higher planes.
Film Still: Murder on the Orient Express
Credit: 20th Century Studios
Film Still: Ratatouille
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
5. Ratatouille
Michael Giacchino is my favorite composer. Up, Coco, Inside Out, and The Batman all frequent my headphones while I study. But, for sentimental reasons, Ratatouille is my favorite of his scores. I didn’t grow up watching Ratatouille, but in my senior year of high school, my sister and I waited in line for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in Disney World. We stood in that line for over 2 hours. Maybe it was the fact we had squeezed into the queue just before the park closed, or the fact that we were by ourselves, but it was one of the greatest nights of my life. The queue for this ride played Giacchino’s theme music from the film. The queue was gorgeous, featuring a room that felt like we were on a rooftop in Paris, looking across the night sky.
The ride ended up being underwhelming, especially since we had to stand in a line for two and a half hours. To boot, when we got out, there was a torrential downpour outside. Lizzie and I waded through literally mid-calf deep water to get back to our hotel. Seriously, the amount of water on the ground, booming thunder, and streaks of lightning shooting through the sky were so bad it was funny. When we got back to our hotel room, we looked like we had just jumped in the pool in our clothes. But now, when I hear “Anyone Can Cook,” I think of my sister. That night is one of my favorite memories I’ve made with her.
4. The Third Man
Anton Karas’s score for The Third Man is one of the most pivotal aspects of the film. The upbeat and jolly “Harry Lime” theme, heard at the beginning of “Main Title - Holly Martin Arrives in Vienna,” is sometimes juxtaposed with the generally dark story of the film noir. Karas, who is from Vienna, where the film takes place, used the zither for the majority of the score. This choice of musical instrument gave the soundtrack a distinctly Eastern-European feel. Had the score been more traditional, the resulting change in tonality of the film would have made it feel like a completely different movie. In different contexts within the film, the same exact musical theme could feel anywhere from wistful to foreboding. A very impressive feat from Karas.
Film Still: The Third Man
Credit: London Films, British Lion Film Corporation
Film Still: Pride and Prejudice
Credit: Universal Pictures, Working Title Films, StudioCanal, Scion Films
3. Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Nothing is quite as healing as watching Pride and Prejudice. When I come back from a semester at school, sit down with a cup of tea and a blanket, and watch this film, I can physically and mentally feel my stress melt away. Scored by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, the soundtrack for this movie is as peaceful and elegant as the images that appear on the screen. If you are ever on a scenic stroll, or enjoying a nice cup of tea, give “Dawn” or “Mrs. Darcy” a listen.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean
The Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise has arguably some of the most recognizable musical themes in film history. Those themes, however, have a bit of a complicated history. After not seeing eye-to-eye with Alan Silvestri, who was originally slated to score the film, Pirates director Gore Verbinski asked Hans Zimmer to do the job. But because Zimmer was obligated to work exclusively on The Last Samurai at the time, he was not able to officially be the composer for the film. However, he helped his associate Klaus Badelt, the official composer of the first Pirates movie, to write some of the iconic themes. Zimmer was then credited as the composer on the second, third, and forth installments of the series. He is also credited with writing one of the most epic and emotionally diverse songs I have heard in any soundtrack: “One Day” from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. If it isn’t already in your playlist, go and give it a listen.
Film Still: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Credit: The Walt Disney Company
Film Still: Luca
Credit: Pixar Animation Studios
1. Luca
In the summer of 2021, I was unbelievably stressed out. I was about to start my senior year of high school, I had no idea where I wanted to go to college, and I wasn’t sure what I even wanted to major in. I had to go on college tours all around the country, write dozens of essays for applications, go to work, help run the summer cross country program, lead and attend various marching band practices, start and finish my entire senior project, and, in my mind, basically come up with a plan for the rest of my life. There were two things that got me through that summer. One of them was Marvel’s Loki series on Disney+. The other was Luca.
To be honest, I didn’t fall in love with Luca the first time I watched it. But one night when filling out scholarship applications, I decided to listen to the soundtrack. Scored by Dan Romer, the music from this film is everything I wanted and needed. Upbeat, but still pensive. At times suspenseful, at others playful. It told the story of a kid who was learning about and appreciating the world around him, while also eventually deciding that it was time to move on to the next adventure so he can keep learning and growing. Romer’s sentimental themes, sometimes simple and clean (“Telescope”), and other times sweeping and epic (“Go Find Out for Me”) paint a gorgeous backdrop for this sweet, simple coming of age story. I love this soundtrack so much that Dan Romer was my #2 artist on Apple Music Replay for both 2022 and 2023. And the only songs of his I listen to are the Luca soundtrack. I would recommend you listen to the whole album, but if you’re pressed for time, give “Vespa é Libertà”, “Silenzio Bruno”, and “That’s the Dream” a listen.
So, there you have it. Hopefully you’ve learned a little bit about me (good or bad lol). I hope I inspired you to give some of these scores a listen. Feel free to comment below on scores I’ve left out!
Peace and love,
Meghan Belden
