Jazz and The Pink Panther, by Henry Mancini

In 1963, MGM released The Pink Panther, the first in what would prove to be a long series of films featuring the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. For the title sequence, the studio created an animated cartoon revolving around a "pink panther" (a play on the Pink Panther Diamond seen in the prologue) who is sneaking around and getting into trouble by messing with the credits.

For the theme itself, Mancini (a noted jazz composer in his own right) created a jazz theme to accompany the insane comedy that the film is noted for.

The theme is primarily performed with a group of trumpet, saxophone and trombone and is a favorite of mine because of how quirky the music is (I challenge anyone to listen to this theme and NOT smile, it is impossible). The main theme is something of a "sneaking" that moves by steps and small leaps up the scale until it reaches the top and then "slides" back down again. I believe it's meant to be reminiscent of the Panther (or the thief in the film) sneaking around and trying not to get caught.

 In fact, the theme (and the Pink Panther) became so popular that a cartoon series was created specifically for the character (as well as a comic book series published by Gold Key).

Listen now to the full theme and enjoy the jazzy glory of it all, thanks to Henry Mancini.

"Overture" from Ben-Hur by Miklos Rozsa

One thing that must be understood about "classic" Hollywood films (usually anything made before 1960) is that in those days, the large epic films were constructed very much like an opera or a play would be. By this I mean, they would have separate screens labelled "overture" (as Ben-Hur does above), "Intermission" and also "Exit Music" (music that would play while the audience left the theatre). This overture was composed by the Hungarian Miklos Rozsa for the 1959 epic Ben-Hur. He won the Academy Award for Best Score and many cite it as being one of the greatest film scores of all time. The image is an extreme close-up of the figures of Adam and God on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Above is the first eight measures from the beginning of the overture (from the original score)

"Overture" from The Magnificent Seven by Elmer Bernstein

Many consider this 1960 film to be the greatest Western ever made. Adapted from The Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa, The Magnificent Seven tells the story of 7 gunfighters who join forces to protect a poor Mexican village from a gang of bandits. Elmer Bernstein's overture to the film has been praised for defining not only this film, but the Western genre as a whole. I posted this theme in particular because a remake of this film is due out next year (with a posthumous score by the late James Horner) and it will be interesting to see how the music has changed from 1960 to 2016. Until the remake comes out, enjoy a classic piece of film music!

From left to right: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and James Coburn.

"The Imperial March" by John Williams

The famous Imperial March a.k.a Darth Vader's theme. This music never fails to send a chill down my spine. What's interesting is the contrast between the main "Imperial March" that everyone knows and the softer "B" melody, that's played in the middle. The woodwinds create an unbelievable sense of tension that sets the listener up for the return of the primary "A" melody which quickly modulates into a different key.

The theme is first heard in The Empire Strikes Back when we cut away from the Rebel base to get our first look at the Imperial fleet, but it is also notably used to herald Vader's arrival in the ruins of Hoth base, and as the remaining heroes rush for the Millennium Falcon, the camera repeatedly comes back to Vader striding through the ice caverns.

Later on in the film, during the climactic lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader on Cloud City, the theme comes back rather menacingly as Vader begins to use the Force to hurl objects at Luke to distract him.

Though there are other instances after this one, I would like to highlight one final time we hear the Imperial March and that is, ironically enough, at the end of Vader's death scene at the end of Return of the Jedi. Just after Vader/Anakin dies, listen very carefully to the music in the background. Right there on the harp, is the last iteration of the melody, so soft you can barely hear it, and nothing like the strident march first heard in The Empire Strikes Back. Fitting for a villain who was successfully brought back to the side of good.

"Main Theme" from Star Trek First Contact by Jerry Goldsmith

This haunting theme is the main title from Star Trek: First Contact. This 1996 film is a continuation of a story begun in "The Best of Both Worlds Parts One and Two", the third season finale and season four opener to Star Trek: The Next Generation. In those episodes, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was kidnapped by the Borg and forcibly turned into a cyborg himself. Now, six years later, the Borg have returned and Picard must confront his greatest enemy once and for all. I always found this theme to be incredibly beautiful. In fact, composer Jerry Goldsmith originally wrote this theme for the earlier film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. In that earlier film, this theme represented "friendship," namely the friendship that existed between Kirk, Spock and McCoy, who would literally do anything to help each other. To hear the theme in that movie, watch the opening scene when Kirk is climbing El Capitan, and you can hear a brief echo of the theme, which returns later in the campfire scene.

I hope you enjoy it.

Above is a simplified arrangement of the opening measures of the First Contact theme

"Ba'Ku Village" by Jerry Goldsmith

A beautiful piece from the opening of Star Trek: Insurrection by the late Jerry Goldsmith. Composed only two years after First Contact, Goldsmtih did a complete 180 degree turn in the feel of this score, opting for music that was more lyrical and Romantic in style (though still possessing plenty of action cues in the appropriate moments). This piece plays during the opening credits of the film (notably the last Star Trek film to do this) while the camera pans around the idyllic village of the Ba'Ku people. As the primary melody ends, the music turns sinister, as it is revealed that the village is being secretly observed by Starfleet and their allies, the So'Nah (who have a secret connection to the Ba'Ku).

 Feel free to share thoughts in the comments as well. If you like the music, check out the video below to see the opening credits of the movie (they built the set near Mammoth Lakes in California).

"Ride of the Firemares" by James Horner

Krull is one of the first films to feature a score by James Horner and is personally one of my favorite pieces of film music period. The movie was a combination of science-fiction and high fantasy and attempted to cash in on the popularity of sci-fi after the debut of Star Wars in 1977. The plot centers on Prince Colwyn gathering allies to rescue his betrothed, Princess Lyssa, from the clutches of the extraterrestrial Beast, who wants to marry her himself. "Ride of the Firemares" is set in the latter part of the film when the heroes are riding to the rescue of the princess on "firemares"; horses that can travel incredibly fast and leave trails of fire in their wake. They have to arrive quickly because the fortress Lyssa is being held in changes location every 24 hours, and firemares are the only way to reach the fortress's location in time.

The heroes on firemares

In truth the "firemares" were large draft horses with fake fur attached to their legs, but the scene is enjoyable nonetheless. I especially enjoy the little detail where the horses move so fast that they can actually run on the air (essentially they can fly). If you like quirky science-fiction/fantasy from the early 1980s, this is definitely the movie for you. Is the plot perfect? No. It's blatantly obvious in some points that the film is borrowing from Star Wars, but if you take the film as it is, it's very enjoyable.

Colwyn and Lyssa

"Enterprise Clears Moorings" from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

This is one of my favorite pieces from James Horner's score for the second Star Trek motion picture. In this scene, Admiral Kirk has boarded the Enterprise as it is about to leave for what is supposed to be "a minor training cruise" with some cadets from Starfleet Academy. Right before they depart however, Captain Spock decides that Cadet Saavik should be the one to pilot the Enterprise out of space dock (even though she has never done so before).

McCoy: "Would you like a tranquilizer?"

The best part (in my opinion) begins at approximately 1:36 on the first recording as that is the moment when the ship begins to move out of space dock. The way Horner builds and swells the music, it reminds me always of an actual sailing ship moving out into the open water.


Enjoy!

To hear the music in context, check out the clip below (music begins at 0:43)