Superman: The Movie (1970)
director: Richard Donner
Superman is the ultimate superhero, and composer John Williams perfectly captures that spirit with a bold, heroic march as the main theme. He used a similar approach for Star Wars (1977) and Indiana Jones (1981). “This is not a period many people associate with marches, but I seem to find it fun to write marches. A good march does get the blood up, and it might take a clever musicologist or sociologist or a combination of the two to explain why this is true.”
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Batman (1989)
director: Tim Burton
The soundtrack is iconic and widely influential, perfectly capturing the dark, gothic sphere of Gotham City. Unlike Superman’s theme, which highlights heroic feats, the Batman theme delves into the complexity of the character himself. Director Tim Burton specifically asked composer Danny Elfman to move away from the TV series style. "Tim said the film would be dark. He wanted a score with theatrical depth. The emotions are richer and more complex than in any comic-based film before. My music had to reflect that."
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Braveheart (1995)
director: Mel Gibson
In the score for Braveheart, composer James Horner chose traditional Scottish sounds and instruments. But he made onenotable blunder: what sounds like classic Scottish bagpipes are actually Uilleann pipes—an Irish version that doesn’t require blowing. To the Scots, this was pure blasphemy!
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Daens (1993)
director: Stijn Coninx
At the end of the 19th century, Father Adolf Daens takes up the fight against the brutal working conditions in the textile factories of Aalst, a Flemish town. The film’s soundtrack, composed by Dirk Brossé—a frequent guest conductor with the Brussels Philharmonic—was a pivotal moment in his career, which he describes as his "first mature work." The film’s success was well-earned, even earning an Oscar nomination. “We all went to Los Angeles when the film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. That’s a big deal for a young thirty-something who’s always dreamed of Hollywood.”
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The Incredibles (2004)
director: Brad Bird
Pixar’s The Incredibles is actually an anti-superhero film, as the heroes are forced to keep their powers hidden. Composer Michael Giacchino looked to the legends of the 50s and 60s—John Barry, Henry Mancini, and Jerry Goldsmith—to inspire the soundtrack. “Brad Bird wanted that orchestral jazz energy from the old Bond and Pink Panther movies, the big band vibe. My job was to make sure it didn’t feel like a parody.”
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Brave (2012)
director: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews
Who says heroes have to be men? In Brave, Pixar breaks away from the norm. Princess Merida isn’t looking for a prince, and she refuses to follow tradition—she just wants to be a great archer. Unlike Braveheart, the music in Brave is actually composed by a Scotsman, Patrick Doyle. He chose such rare local instruments, like the bodhrán, so unique that a planned concert tour was canceled—there simply weren't enough musicians skilled in these traditional instruments!
