Nearly 10,000 movies are made worldwide each year. With that staggering number of choices, for a movie to engage its audience it has to have a riveting opening scene. On the next episode of The Score, Edmund Stone has collected some of the best opening scenes ever. From the non-stop action in the original Indiana Jones opening to the iconic Dawn of Man scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the unforgettable introduction to Saving Private Ryan, it’s attention-grabbing cinema at its best.
Playlist
20th Century Fox Fanfare
Alfred Newman – Hollywood’s Greatest Hits – Cincinnati Pops Orchestra – Erich Kunzel cond – Telarc 80168
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Main Title) used in 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
Richard Strauss – Vienna Philharmonic – Herbert Von Karajan – TCM/Rhino Movie Music R2 72562 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Vienna Philharmonic
Mia and Sebastian’s Theme and Another Day of Sunshine from La La Land, 2016
Justin Hurwitz – original soundtrack – La La Land Cast – Tim Davies – Interscope Records B0025620-02 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Prelude and The Roof Top from Vertigo 1958
Bernard Herman – original soundtrack – Muir Mathieson – Varese Sarabande 302 066 460 2 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Sinfonia of London
Love Theme and Main Title/Godfather Waltz from The Godfather, 1972
Nino Rota – Filharmonica Della Scala – Riccardo Muti – Sony 82876-63359 – The Essential Hollywood – Filharmonica Della Scala
Man With a Harmonica from Once Upon a Time in the West, 1968
Ennio Morricone – original soundtrack – Ennio Morricone – RCA 9974 – Ennio Morricone – The Legendary Italian Westerns: The Film Composers Series, Volume II – Original Soundtrack
Main Title from Star Wars: A New Hope, 1977
John Williams – London Symphony Orchestra – John Williams – Sony S2K 51333 – John Williams Greatest Hits 1969-1999 – London Symphony Orchestra
The Raiders March from Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981
John Williams – London Symphony Orchestra – John Williams – DCC Compact Classics DZS-090 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
She’s Mine from Skyfall, 2012
Thomas Newman – original soundtrack – Thomas Newman – Sony 88765 41040 2 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Original Soundtrack
The Green Leaves of Summer used in Inglorious Bastards, 2009
Dimitri Tiomkin – 101 Strings Orchestra – Maverick 2-520377 – Motion Picture Soundtrack – 101 Strings Orchestra
Main Title from Touch of Evil, 1958
Henry Mancini – original soundtrack – Henry Mancini – Varese Sarabande VSD-5414 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Original Soundtrack
The Green Leaves of Summer used in Inglorious Bastards, 2009
Dimitri Tiomkin – 101 Strings Orchestra – Maverick 2-520377 – Motion Picture Soundtrack
Omaha Beach from Saving Private Ryan, 1998
John Williams – Boston Symphony Orchestra – John Williams – DreamWorks DRMD-5006 – The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Boston Symphony Orchestra
Grand Bazaar from Skyfall, 2012
Thomas Newman – original soundtrack – Thomas Newman – Sony 88765 41040 2 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Requiem for Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Two Mixed Choirs & Orchestra used in 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
Gyorgy Ligeti – Bavarian Radio Orchestra – Francis Travis – TCM/Rhino Movie Music R2 72562 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Vienna Philharmonic
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Main Title) used in 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
Richard Strauss – Vienna Philharmonic – Herbert Von Karajan – TCM/Rhino Movie Music R2 72562 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Vienna Philharmonic
The Batman Theme from Batman, 1989
Danny Elfman – The Sinfonia of London – Shirley Walker – Warner Bros 7599-25977-2 – Original Motion Picture Score – The Sinfonia of London
Main Title from Star Wars: A New Hope, 1977
John Williams – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – London Symphony Orchestra – John Williams cond – RCA 09026 68772-2