Did you know that April 3rd is National Film Score Day? That’s still a while away, but there’s never a bad time for a dive into the fascinating world of film music. Can you imagine Star Wars without ‘Binary Sunset’, or Jaws without that musical panic attack of a main theme? I’ve been a bit of a nerd about movie music for as long as I can remember. Maybe that comes from growing up around the time that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (scored by Howard Shore) was coming out, and having my mind blown by Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (scored by Javier Navarrete) a little later. In my opinion, the right score is often what takes a good movie and makes it truly great. Today, I’ll be writing about a selection of movies, all available through the Monarch Library System, that I feel exemplify the art of the film score. Let’s get started!

Anna Karenina

To adapt Tolstoy’s classic about a woman pursuing forbidden love in a society where reputation is paramount, director Joe Wright took a high-concept approach. To convey the artificiality of the story’s world of 19th-century Russian aristocrats, this adaptation sets the bulk of the action on a literal stage. Dario Marianelli’s score is the perfect companion for this ambitious adaptation, sweepingly theatrical where it needs to be, and then all at once achingly real. One thing I love about this score is the variety of musical arrangements involved, including brass ensembles, romantic strings, a haunting vocal solo, and more. If you’re a fan of period pieces, and especially of any of Joe Wright’s previous work – which includes the beloved 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice – you should definitely check out this gorgeous and underrated film.

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