Feted in both the film and musical worlds alike for his groundbreaking scores, Hans Zimmer’s musical genius has added an extra dimension to popular movies like the Dark Knight film trilogy and the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
The German composer and music producer has been associated with some of the biggest films in his over four-decade-long career. On Zimmer’s 65th birthday, we pick five iconic film soundtracks scored by the veteran composer. Have a listen.
Rain Man (1988)
In one of his first solo Hollywood projects, Zimmer composed the music for Barry Levinson’s road comedy-drama Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. The film chronicles Charlie (played by Cruise), a selfish automobile dealer, who kidnaps his autistic older brother Raymond (played by Hoffman) to manipulate him into giving up his inheritance of a multimillion-dollar estate from their late father. Completely electronic and synthesised, the film’s score makes use of an array of different keyboards. Zimmer got his first nomination for Academy Award in the Best Original Score for Rain Man.
The Lion King (1994)
The music of Walt Disney’s The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff in their feature directorial debuts, is a magical ride from the very start. A rough adaptation of the Hamlet plot, the movie follows the journey of a young lion called Simba, who is destined to follow in the footsteps of his father Mufasa. The legendary Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice wrote the songs. Heavily influenced by African music, the film’s soundtrack fetched Zimmer an Oscar, a Golden Globe and two Grammy Awards. The composer won his first Academy Award for his work in The Lion King.
Gladiator (2000)
At the dawn of the new century, Zimmer collaborated with filmmaker Ridley Scott for the epic historical drama Gladiator. As Roman general Maximus seeks to avenge his slaughtered family by fighting in the Colosseum, his story is synced with the sound of dramatic and pulsating string instruments. Zimmer’s music matches the epic tonality of Ridley Scott’s grand interpretation of Roman civilisation. The movie’s soundtrack has influenced many composers to use elements like female wailing vocals and the battle waltz for ancient war movies that followed.
Inception (2010)
Zimmer continued his creative collaboration with filmmaker Christopher Nolan for his science fiction-action film Inception. The composer’s evocative score enhances the already brilliant sci-fi project that focuses on a group of individuals who extract information by entering into the subconscious of a person via their dreams. The use of synthesisers with blaring orchestral sounds adds to the death-defying fight scenes and extraordinary car chases. The music of Inception is filled with nostalgia and sadness to match Cobb’s (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) feelings throughout the film.
Dune (2021)
During the pandemic, Zimmer collaborated with filmmaker Denis Villeneuve for his then-upcoming adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic science fiction novel Dune. The novel was regarded as unadaptable, especially after filmmaker David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation was rejected by the fans. Zimmer, a childhood fan of the novel, created a new sound that goes beyond everything we ever heard before — he uses Tina Gua’s electric cello, Guthrie Govan’s guitar and vocalist Loire Cotler's extraordinary singing to create this unique soundscape. Zimmer is also scoring music for the sequel of Dune.
