Favorite Movie Theme Tunes (What is your favorite movie theme tune?)

self | October 31, 2009 | PJ-Comix

[PJ-Comix]

What is your favorite movie theme tune? Mine is definitely the "Third Man" theme from the movie of the same name. Interestingly the director of that film didn't originally intend for music to play such an important part of that movie but Carol Reed was doing location scouting in Vienna and heard the zither sounds of Anton Karas at a beer garden. Reed loved the sound and brought Karas to London to compose a tune for his movie. Even before the movie was released, then tune was a big hit. When the movie was released, it too became a big hit.

It is hard to imagine the movie "Third Man" without that sound playing almost constantly in the background. It was what made this movie so iconic (along with Orson Welles as Harry Lime.

Never before or since has a tune so perfectly moved a movie along. So my nominee for BEST movie theme tune is definitely The Third Man theme.

[PJ-Comix]

What is your choice for best movie theme tune/song? Remember, emphasis on TUNE. Perhaps there is some movie that you thought was great but this is about tunes. Even if the movie was just so-so but you liked the tune, that is what counts. Example: "Billy Jack" was somewhat dopey but it had a great theme song: "One Tin Soldier."

[Vendome]

Opening riff of Bond 007 theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii1tc493bZM

[murron]

Moon River
The Pink Panther
The Days of Wine & Roses
Shenandoah
Charade
Mr. Lucky
Lara’s Theme from Dr. Zhivago
Love Story

[Ozone34]

Theme from ‘Backdraft’ (1991).

I knew it originally as the theme music of the original Japanese ‘Iron Chef’ TV series and later was very surprised to learn it had been lifted from the Ron Howard movie!

[PJ-Comix]

Lara’s Theme from Dr. Zhivago

For a number of years the Soviets shunned that tune because of the anti-Bolshevik nature of "Dr. Zhivago." Eventually the popularity of that tune caused them to relent and they embraced the tune to the extent that many of their Olympic ice skating events were performed to that tune.

[ErnBatavia]

Enzio Morricone - “Duck, You Sucker”.......great stuff for a spaghetti western.

[trimom]

Scott Joplin’s ragtime in The Sting.

[Harold Shea]

Remember Mad Magazine did a great parody of Billy Jack

Gawd,what a stupid movie...the theme song was a good song tho.

I still love My Fair Lady`s theme

[nickcarraway]

The Third Man is great. I like all the Bernard Herrman one's for Hitchcock, especially for Vertigo and North by Northwest

Maybe not my favorite, but David Raksin's work in Laura was great, and helped make the film.

[mylife]

Sorcerer~Betrayal~Tangerine Dream

[ronniesgal]

Mission Impossible
Purple Rain
Shrek ( I’m a Believer) if that counts

[nickcarraway]

Please explain what that song One Tin Soldier means? I'm sorry, it annoys me.

[heylady]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEzH0FuL8qo&feature=related

Theme from the Summer of 42....It was my wedding song

[stylin19a]

Speak Softly Love

[MuttTheHoople]

Two:

Theme to the movie "Exodus"

Theme to the movie "633 Squadron"

Supposedly, George Lucas copied the final attack scene on the Death Star from this movie.

[dr_lew]

REPO MAN ( opening credits )

[ThreePuttinDude]

I've always liked

"The Entertainer" from The Sting

[ElayneJ]

I liked Chariots of Fire - great movie, great song.

[martin_fierro]

In no particular order:

• Main theme to "The Natural" (Randy Newman, composer)
• The Hand of Fate Part I from "Signs" (about 00:04:50 in) (James Newton Howard, composer)
• Music behind the St. Crispin's Day Speech in Branaugh's "Henry V" (Patrick Doyle, composer)
• "Coming Home from the Sea" from "The Perfect Storm" (James Horner, composer)

[Lockbar]

“The Great Escape”

[Always Right]

Rocky and Star Wars.

[mylife]

Better footage from "Sorcerer"

[mylife]

Great film! L0L

[redhead]

Believe it or not, the music to "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" is loads of fun. Also, the sound track to the closing credits on "A Series of Unfortunate Events" gets my attention every time I hear it.

[SkyDancer]

Theme song from “Somewhere In Time” - variations on a theme by Paganini ......

[HospiceNurse]

I like to think of how appropriate the song is for the scene, how it makes the scene. There are many,but here is one that isn’t the greatest song, but it is a great scene maker.

Highway to the danger zone.

http://search.comcast.net/search/?cat=Web&con=toolbar&q=highway+to+the+danger+zone

[xkaydet65]

Theme from The Magnificent Seven.

[Waryone]

I like Ennio Morricone, but I like “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” and even better “The Ecstasy of Gold.”

[rwa265]

Born to be Wild in Easy Rider.

[latina4dubya]

A Summer Place
Chariots of Fire
The Godfather

the one i hate the most: The Exorcist...

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON

[latina4dubya]

and while this is embarrassing to admit, this is one if my guilty pleasures: St. Elmo’s Fire... both the instrumental and Man in Motion... i came of age in the 80s...

[truthkeeper]

A Summer Place

One of my favorites too. Also the theme from "The Apartment."

[got_moab?]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu2FekMaTQc

[Yorlik803]

Shaft.
Kellys Heros.
A little known cop movie : Even Hand.

[Disambiguator]

While we’re on TD, what about Risky Business, Firestarter, Thief, The Keep...

[apocalypto]

Mine actually is the theme from an old TV cop show, “Strike Force.” iirc, Robert Stack starred in it. During one long drive at night, it helped me stay awake.

[PJ-Comix]

That’s Garryowen. An Irish tune adopted by the 7th Cavalry. This tune long predated Hollywood. Not written specifically for this movie.

[mylife]

Morricone was the master of movie “mood”

[Paladin2]

The Endless Summer

[RandallFlagg]

“Decepticons,” and, “Skorpinok,” from Transformers: The Score.

[mylife]

Thief was great.

[PJ-Comix]

There used to be a radio station in L.A. that broadcast movie theme tunes in the mornings. Man, I loved listening to that station!

[latina4dubya]

One of my favorites too. Also the theme from "The Apartment."

i just listened to it on YouTube... i've seen the movie, but never really paid attention to the theme song... the theme song to A Summer Place always makes me happy... it has the same effect on me as Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White...

[Covenantor]

Main theme from “Quigley Down Under” by Basil Poledouris.
It’s a kick ass cake walking, strutting, manifest destiny type of thing.

his credits include,
The Hunt for Red October
Red Dawn
Lonesome Dove
The Conan movies

see more http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006231/

For clips of his music:
http://www.basil-poledouris.com/basil/music.html

[latina4dubya]

The Endless Summer

for a split second i thought you meant, "Endless Love." haha!

[PJ-Comix]

Theme music for “Captain from Castile.” So-so movie but with a great theme tune.