The Best Instrumental Movies and Music

Looking for the best instrumental music and movies? Look no further! We’ve got a great selection of the best of both genres for you to enjoy.

Classical Music in Movies

Many people around the world enjoy classical music, but what some don’t know is that it can be found in many movies as well. While some directors will use classical music to set the mood for a particularly emotional scene, others use it to make their film seem more high-brow. Regardless of the reason, classical music in movies can be a great way to experience the genre if you’re not already familiar with it.

The Pianist

The Pianist is a 2002 historical drama film directed by Roman Polanski, starring Adrien Brody as Władysław Szpilman, a Polish pianist and Holocaust survivor. The film is an adaptation of Szpilman’s autobiography, The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939–1945, which was published in 1946. dramatizes his survival during the German occupation of Warsaw in World War II by playing Chopin on the city’s destroyed grand pianos.

The King’s Speech

The King’s Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays King George VI who, to overcome his stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language therapist played by Geoffrey Rush.

The film was a critical and commercial success. It received twelve Academy Award nominations, winning four, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Firth, and Best Original Screenplay.

The King’s Speech is accompanied by an original score by English composer Alexandre Desplat. Desplat’s music has been praised for its “understated” and “elegant” nature, which complements the film’s restrained tone. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, making Desplat the first French composer to win the award.

Amadeus

Amadeus is a 1984 American period drama film directed by Miloš Forman, adapted by Peter Shaffer from his stage play of the same name. The story is set in Vienna, Austria during the latter half of the 18th century, and is a highly fictionalized biographical account of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, seen through the eyes of his peer and secret rival Antonio Salieri.

The film was nominated for 53 awards and won 27, including eight Academy Awards (out of 11 nominations), four BAFTA Awards (out of eleven nominations), four Golden Globes (out of seven nominations), two National Board of Review Awards, and three New York Film Critics Circle Awards.

Jazz in Movies

Since the beginning of the talkies, jazz has been used as movie music. In the early days, it was mostly diegetic, that is, the characters could hear it in the scene. Examples include a speakeasy in a gangster movie or a nightclub in a musical. Later, film directors started using jazz in the score, that is, the music you hear but the characters can’t.

La La Land

Jazz in Movies La La Land Dir. Damien Chazelle (2016)

An ode to Hollywood’s golden age, La La Land is set in modern day Los Angeles and pays tribute to the city’s rich history of jazz. The movie follows the story of an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) who fall in love and chase their dreams. The film features several original songs written by Justin Hurwitz, and the soundtrack includes performances by John Legend, Oscar Isaac, and Rosemarie DeWitt.

The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1999 American psychological thriller directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jack Davenport. The movie is an adaptation of the 1955 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. It tells the story of Tom Ripley, a young man who is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, the spoiled and reckless son of a wealthy businessman. When Dickie refuses to return home, Tom murders him and assumes his identity.

The movie features an excellent jazz soundtrack, with pieces by Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane. The music perfectly sets the mood for the suspenseful and enigmatic story.

Whiplash

Whiplash is a 2014 American drama film directed by Damien Chazelle and written by him and Andrew Ilnicki. The film stars Miles Teller as Andrew Neiman, a jazz drummer who attends the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory in New York City. Paul Reiser co-stars as Terence Fletcher, Neiman’s conductor and music teacher, who has a reputation for being abusive to his students. The film also features Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, and J. K. Simmons.

Jazz plays a significant role in the film, with several scenes taking place in jazz clubs or at competitions. The soundtrack was released on October 7, 2014, and features jazz standards such as “Caravan”, “Royal Garden Blues”, “Donna Lee”, and “Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)”.

Pop and Rock in Movies

While songs with lyrics can sometimes better capture the feeling of a moment on film, there are plenty of great instrumental pieces that have become iconic in their own right. Think of the scores to movies like Star Wars, E.T., or even Titanic. These pieces of music are ingrained in our collective consciousness, and for good reason – they’re awesome. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best instrumental pieces in pop and rock.

School of Rock

School of Rock is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black. The film’s plot follows failing rock band frontman Dewey Finn (Black), who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After witnessing the musical talent in his students, Dewey forms a band of fifth-graders to attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands competition.

The film’s supporting cast includes Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman, Mike White, and Miranda Cosgrove. School of Rock was released on October 3, 2003 by Paramount Pictures and grossed $131 million worldwide. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song (“Somebody to Love”) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Black).

Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical drama film about Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British rock band Queen. It was directed by Bryan Singer from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, and produced by Graham King and Simon Fuller. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2018 and in the United States on 2 November 2018.

The Queen song “Bohemian Rhapsody” is used to frame Mercury’s journey as he comes to terms with his sexuality and eventually dies of AIDS-related complications in 1991 at age 45. The film also includes appearances by other Queen band members Brian May and Roger Taylor; as well as live performances, including at Live Aid in 1985.

Rami Malek stars as Mercury, with Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon, Lucy Boynton as Mary Austin, Aidan Gillen as John Reid, Allen Leech as Paul Prenter, Aaron McCusker as Jim Hutton, Meneka Das as Jer Bulsara and Ace Bhatti as Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie’s father). Bohemian Rhapsody was met with generally positive reviews from critics; Malek’s performance was singled out for particular praise. For his role, Malek won several awards including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. The film grossed over $890 million worldwide Against a production budget of $52 million making it the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time.

A Hard Day’s Night

A Hard Day’s Night is a 1964 British musical comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring the Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. The band plays various songs in concert and during everyday activities, intermingled with comicalUntrustworthiness Under questioning, he eventually confesses to robbing the bank.