One of the most important aspects to any film is the soundtrack. Few things have more power to completely change the feel of a scene than carefully selected and composed music. A well composed soundtrack can make a movie soar to new heights and a pedestrian one can hold back a film’s impact. The best scores not only enhance the films they are in but stand as quality music on their own. My personal all time favorite soundtrack comes from Mel Gibson’s 1995 epic “Braveheart.”
“Braveheart” is a sweeping epic with a wide range of emotional beats that needed the right musical emphasis. There was a tender love story, a quest for revenge, a nobler struggle for freedom and vicious brutal combat. The soundtrack, with exquisite use of traditional Scottish instruments including the bagpipes, managed to hit all those notes in a way that was fluid and unified. I have a very distinct memory of when a wounded William Wallace is carried off the battlefield and the camera lingers on Robert the Bruce. The music swelled and I thought “I have GOT to get this soundtrack.”
The fact that the soundtrack to “Braveheart” came from James Horner is somewhat interesting. Horner has had a fair amount of acclaim and earned two Oscars for “Titanic.” However his tendency to self plagiarize has become legendary. He’s been using the same the same four note brass horn “sting” for over twenty years in everything from “Willow” to “Avatar” and countless others in between. “Braveheart” however stands alone as a perfect meshing of classical instruments and modern sensibilities, though Horner would use many similar sounds later in “Titanic.” However, unlike “Titanic” there is a subtlety to the work in “Braveheart” that is uncommon for the composer.
The music of “Braveheart” stirs emotions perfectly be they longing or rage. Minor variations of the main theme can give the same sequence of notes a sense of melancholy or of triumph. The use of the Scottish instruments also gave the music and the film itself a much needed authenticity. The film remains a personal favorite, but in truth I’ve probably listened to the soundtrack at least five times as often as I’ve watched the film. Most iconic scores have one or two great tracks and the rest is forgettable (sorry John Williams, but it’s true.) “Braveheart” however is always a joy from start to finish.
