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Top moments where a film/games that blew you away the first time you watched it (because of how the score was used)

I was eight years old when I saw Star Wars. The first time I saw that opening I knew my life had changed.
At the beginning of The Shining the music playing while watching an arial view of the car heading through the mountains just put you in a mindset that you were about to go on a long strange trip.
Entered this thread to post almost exactly what you both posted
I guess great minds do think alike :)
 
This piece from Zbigniew Preisner's score for Kieslowki's The Double Life of Veronique. I first saw the film around 1993 on VHS and, while I didn't quite get it at the time, it was (Irene Jacob's luminous double performance aside) the music which compelled me to revisit it shortly afterwards and the film has remained in my top five ever since.
I feel that Preisner doesn't get the recognition he deserves sometimes, and that may be because of his own reluctance to do Hollywood, but his music, especially his Kieslowski scores, make me feel a certain indescribable way few others manage.
Just read that this piece will also be used in a special episode of Euphoria, so maybe he'll win some new fans!

I've loved Zbigniew Preisner's score for The Secret Garden for years but had never heard his other work until now. Gonna have to check out more from him!
 
The bag scene from American Beauty by Thomas Newman. I love how he hits so many points in the scene without Mickey Mousing it. The music swirls around the dialog like the bag swirls around the leaves. First favorite moment is the swell at 1:25 after he says, "this incredibly benevolent force...". The music changes for the reaction shot of Thora Birch at 1:32. Then Newman pulls way back at 1:58 to make way for the line "Sometimes there's so much beauty...". Amazing how the quiet dynamic draws us closer to the dialog. Then he brings it full circle back to the first piano melody on the cut back to Thora Birch, bookending the cue and telling us that the point of the scene is her feelings.

 
The Flying over Africa scene in Out of Africa.....


That's a great scene and score! I wonder if that scene inspired the similar flying scene that appears early in The English Patient, which came out 11 years later?

Gabriel Yared introduces some themes that will come back later in the film in a more significant way. I think the chord that lands at 0:32 when Kristen Scott Thomas looks up is significant. I love how he scored the barrel roll from 0:46 to 0:55. I love this whole score and the diegetic music too. The film is a majestic roller coaster of emotion. YMMV

 
That's a great scene and score! I wonder if that scene inspired the similar flying scene that appears early in The English Patient, which came out 11 years later?

Gabriel Yared introduces some themes that will come back later in the film in a more significant way. I think the chord that lands at 0:32 when Kristen Scott Thomas looks up is significant. I love how he scored the barrel roll from 0:46 to 0:55. I love this whole score and the diegetic music too. The film is a majestic roller coaster of emotion. YMMV


Thank you for pointing out the barrel roll! I love how subtle, yet effective it is!
So many great references everyone is providing!
 
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In Truman Show, at the end when everybody is searching Truman. Ed Harris decides to rise the sun sooner, and it rises instantly. Great moment of cinema, one of the greatest, and the music by Philip Glass used here is perfect for this scene, while it was originaly written for an other film (Powaqatsi). So much emotion the first time I saw this moment !


The exact same music is used sooner on the film, when Truman begins to understand that its world is strange, and it already has a great impact. Maybe the impact of the music the second time (search scene) is even better due to the fact we can expect the notes, the music ?


I'm not particularly fan of the music of Glass or this kind of loops, but I think it fits perfectly here.
 
Film
The Pianist : when Adrian Brody playing chopin

Whiplash : Ending scene

Full Metal Jacket : Infamous Scene

Spirited Away : Train Scene

Princess Mononoke : Opening Film

Grave of the Fireflies : Train Scene

Games

Harvest Moon Back to Nature - Opening Scene
Back then I used to watch my brother play this game and i love to listen the soundtrack because its so good and very nostalgic especially opening scene where the girl singing on the cliff and i still remember the song until now.

Legend of Mana - Hometown Domina
My favorite soundtrack from Yoko Shimamura, i remember when i'm playing this game and going to the first town and the soundtrack is just amazing and beautiful. i'm glad she's still composing music until now.

Suikoden 2 - Her Sigh
My favorite scene in Radat Town when the MC trying to recruit Shu. the music, the atmosphere, everything is so amazing. best JRPG game i've played

Ori and the Blind Forest - Trailer
when i first watching the trailer, it's like i'm watching a hollywood movie, it gave me goosebumps, so beautiful and the music is amazing.
 
So many good ones. Last week I re-watched Forrest Gump. Needless to say that Alan Silvestri's theme and intro do the movie is simply brilliant. You are instantly hooked, curious and trusting the movie to take you on a journey. I had forgotten how good the whole movie is and how easy it is to watch despite being about 2h30.

Alan's really good at grabbing your attention from the get-go. Like watching the intro to COSMOS while listening to his theme.
 
In Truman Show, at the end when everybody is searching Truman. Ed Harris decides to rise the sun sooner, and it rises instantly. Great moment of cinema, one of the greatest, and the music by Philip Glass used here is perfect for this scene, while it was originaly written for an other film (Powaqatsi). So much emotion the first time I saw this moment !

The exact same music is used sooner on the film, when Truman begins to understand that its world is strange, and it already has a great impact. Maybe the impact of the music the second time (search scene) is even better due to the fact we can expect the notes, the music ?

I'm not particularly fan of the music of Glass or this kind of loops, but I think it fits perfectly here.
I love how the ostinato with the lopsided meter gives the feeling of something "regular" while also making you feel like something is off.
 
When it comes to games, I also loved Abzu and Journey.

The music accompanies the game with all experiences and moments really well and adjusts dynamically for many elements. Also, the soundscape and instrumentation is pretty unique and interesting.

Here's a short gameplay excerpt from Abzu.


Of course, this section is rather linear, but I'd say it feels like this throughout the game. Austin Wintory always puts a lot of effort into dynamic music with various layers and short musical passages, that are puzzled together depending on what you do and see in the game.

His channel on youtube also has lots of great insights and information around his process. I'd recommend his latest video about the interactive music in his new game "The Pathless".

 
When it comes to games, I also loved Abzu and Journey.

The music accompanies the game with all experiences and moments really well and adjusts dynamically for many elements. Also, the soundscape and instrumentation is pretty unique and interesting.
Thanks for this! I recently had a video chat with a cousin of mine and on that call he recommended me to play Abzu. It will be my next purchase!
 
@Scamper , played the game. You are right, the music is really lovely.

However, I had a nuisance with the character where a lot of times I couldn't turn left for some reason. That took me out of what would have been an otherwise a very immersive experience.
 
@Scamper , played the game. You are right, the music is really lovely.

However, I had a nuisance with the character where a lot of times I couldn't turn left for some reason. That took me out of what would have been an otherwise a very immersive experience.
That's an odd issue and I can imagine it's really annoying. Still, you could experience the music and maybe someday in the future, you can again experience the game without those troubles.
 
There are a lot of great musical moments in THE GODFATHER (1972). In this scene, Nino Rota starts the cue at 2:00, right before Brando's character, Don Corleone turns his head. It starts on his thought, not on the head turn that follows the thought.

Then the waltz feel comes in after the line, "I never wanted this for you." (2:29). A new melody starts at 2:44 before he says, "I don't apologize, That's my life." The setup for the modulation starts when Pacino finally talks again at 3:04 and then at 3:10 Rota starts the main melody again in a new key as Brando's character wraps up the conversation. The main melody resolves for the last time at 3:30 to highlight Don Corleone's lines, "He's a traitor. Don't forget that." The response melody follows through as he stands up and Pacino's character sits back to think about what he's heard.

The timing is impeccable in this whole scene and I love that the music bridges into the next scene.

 
Too many times in the past to recount but at the moment, having a two-year-old son, I have been watching The Good Dinosaur a lot. The score to that by Mychael and Jeff Danna is really exquisite. Indeed it seems there's more real music being written these days for animations than for adult films. Maybe because children are an audience it's harder to bullshit?
 
Watership Down for me... between Angela Morley’s spooky (yet restrained) score, Bright Eyes and the freaky Black Rabbit of Inlé bobbing about the place, it was easily the first film to leave a lasting impression on me. The bass flute and cor anglais combo instantly makes me think of English countryside now.

I get similar chills from Princess Mononoke... Joe Hisaishi is top of my spotify playlist. But it wasn’t the “first”. 🐇

Angela Morley's soundtrack to Watership Down (1978 version) was something I was exposed to as a young kid. I credit her writing on that film for being one of the main reasons I chose the path of music as a career and lifestyle. There are so many absolute bangers on that soundtrack, and the way she uses strong melodic themes is incredibly inspiring.

And, she's so good at getting in, delivering the feels, and getting out super quickly! Two of my favorites...

Venturing Forth:


Climbing The Down:


I'm in my late 30's and I still use techniques I learned from listening to her to this day. Particularly my love of good woodwind writing, especially flutes which I think get under-represented in modern music.

Ok, rant over, carry on! :)
 
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