# Best use of classical music on a movie soundtrack **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535 "2018-06-06T13:27:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/61 "2018-06-08T18:52:43Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > What, seriously? 😕 _Bolero_ was written in 1928, and there has hardly been a day since then when it _wasn’t_ wildly popular. In your sphere, perhaps. I don’t live in your world. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/62 "2018-06-08T19:07:19Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > My list – add yours: > > 2001: A Space Odyssey – “Blue Danube” (J. Strauss) and “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (R. Strauss). Both are now iconic. > > Excalibur – “Siegfried’s Funeral” (R. Wagner). I used to think I loved this movie; it turns out I really just love this music. It’s used throughout, but especially at the end, as Percival returns the sword to the lake. > > The King’s Speech – Beethoven 7th Symphony, 2nd Movement. Background as the king delivers his speech. Some of my favorite music in a favorite movie at a climactic moment – goosebump-y. > > Honorable mention but ineligible: “Ride of the Valkyries” (Wagner, again) in Apocalypse Now, because it’s part of the movie action, not really on the soundtrack per se. My fave use in Excalibur is the music used during “Merlin! Where are you Merlin? Are you a dream?” And of course practically the first (if not the first) use of Carmina Burana in a film. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/63 "2018-06-08T19:10:55Z")
Best use of Carmen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKMOClN9ITg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKMOClN9ITg) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/64 "2018-06-08T19:52:23Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Also a note about another piece of often-used music – the second movement from Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. It’s been mentioned once above as being in _The King’s Speech_, but it ends up in a lot of places. I just heard it on TV this week in some TV show. _Westworld_. After seeing that scene I then watched this nice compilation on Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUDKZDQCrJ8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUDKZDQCrJ8) ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/65 "2018-06-08T20:28:45Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > _Westworld_. After seeing that scene I then watched this nice compilation on Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUDKZDQCrJ8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUDKZDQCrJ8) I had no idea it was so ubiquitous! Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/66 "2018-06-08T20:45:12Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > It wasn’t a _great_ film, but it’s one I thought was pretty good, anyway. _Knowing,_ starring Nicolas Cage, played Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, Second Movement, “Allegretto” as Cage’s character slowly drives his truck through the madness of New York as the world comes to an end. Yes. That movie was meh, but the Beethoven is probably the best thing about it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/67 "2018-06-08T20:55:56Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > My fave use in Excalibur is the music used during “Merlin! Where are you Merlin? Are you a dream?” \ “Prelude to Parsifal.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/68 "2018-06-08T20:59:33Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > > [@ekedolphin](#): > > > > It wasn’t a _great_ film, but it’s one I thought was pretty good, anyway. _Knowing,_ starring Nicolas Cage, played Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, Second Movement, “Allegretto” as Cage’s character slowly drives his truck through the madness of New York as the world comes to an end. > > Yes. That movie was meh, but the Beethoven is probably the best thing about it. FWIW, Roger Ebert was _really_ enthusiastic about that movie. He gave it four stars out of four stars and ranked it the sixth best movie that year. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/69 "2018-06-08T21:20:20Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > In your sphere, perhaps. I don’t live in your world. I apologize for sounding snarky. I was genuinely taken aback at the notion of _Bolero_ being obscure before 1979. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/70 "2018-06-08T22:29:03Z")
Use of _The Planets_ (Gustav Holst) in _The Right Stuff_. Though I just checked the soundtrack listing and found that Holst is not credited - apparently it was arranged by Bill Conti and he got all the credit?? Same deal with the theme music of this movie, the theme is [straight from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto](https://www.crisismagazine.com/2010/homage-or-hijacking) but credited to Bill Conti. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/71 "2018-06-08T23:42:06Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > Barber’s Adagio for Strings in [Platoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECQeLQURNuw) This was my first thought. The movie was hard for me to watch, and the music was absolutely haunting. To this day, it tears me up. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/72 "2018-06-09T00:08:50Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > I apologize for sounding snarky. I was genuinely taken aback at the notion of _Bolero_ being obscure before 1979. Forgiven. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/73 "2018-06-09T00:13:48Z")
I don’t care at all for Woody Allen, but Mr. CK tells me he appreciated the use of Mendelssohn’s _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ in _A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy._ ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/74 "2018-06-09T00:32:54Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > I don’t care at all for Woody Allen, but Mr. CK tells me he appreciated the use of Mendelssohn’s _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ in _A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy._ And Prokofiev in Love and Death. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/75 "2018-06-09T10:51:25Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > And Prokofiev in Love and Death. Most of the Prokofiev in that movie is from the original soundtracks of two movies, \*Alexander Nevsky \*and _Lieutenant Kijé_. Does it still count as classical music? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/76 "2018-06-09T16:45:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Most of the Prokofiev in that movie is from the original soundtracks of two movies, \*Alexander Nevsky \*and _Lieutenant Kijé_. Does it still count as classical music? Does Swan Lake count as classical because its the soundtrack of a ballet? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/77 "2018-06-09T16:52:02Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Does Swan Lake count as classical because its the soundtrack of a ballet? So does \*Alexander Nevsky \*count as a movie with a classical score for the purposes of this thread? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/78 "2018-06-09T17:37:15Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So does \*Alexander Nevsky \*count as a movie with a classical score for the purposes of this thread? Yes. Classical composer creating classical music purposed for a film. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/79 "2018-06-09T21:12:34Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Yes. Classical composer creating classical music purposed for a film. So like _Star Wars_? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535/80 "2018-06-09T22:30:28Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Does Swan Lake count as classical because its the soundtrack of a ballet? No, Swan Lake counts as classical because it’s classical. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-classical-music-on-a-movie-soundtrack/815535.md?page=5)