Customer Reviews

Braveheart - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(128)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Arguably THE greatest movie score ever composed, and surely one of the best, James Horner's 'Braveheart' is a stunning, beautiful and haunting piece of music. Unfortunately words fail me, (and the superlatives run out, eventually) to describe the beauty and majesty of this score.

Mel Gibson's masterpiece, Braveheart, is my favourite movie ever, with a great story, awesome scenery, involving drama and acting, and wonderful action sequences. But all that would not, I believe, make such an impact were it not for the beautiful music that accompanies and enriches all the images on screen.

I have heard people describe the music in Braveheart as 'unbelievably beautiful', and assuredly it is that, and more. From the haunting, moving theme, to the pounding music for the action and battle sequences, the music is perfect. It perfectly captures and expresses the rugged beauty of Scotland, and the themes of freedom, love, and loyalty/betrayal. The theme itself is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever, perfectly encompassing all the great emotions, from love, to heroism unto death.

James Horner uses Celtic instruments like the Uillean Pipes, and the strings, to give a Scottish feeling to this composition, but without overdoing it. The strings are used very effectively, from the more 'active' scenes, to romantic and sad sequences, like "The Princess pleads for Wallace's life".

But the two tracks that most perfectly express all the beauty and majesty of both the score and the movie, are tracks 9 and 11. "Sons of Scotland" is the accompanying music to the scene in the film just preceding the Battle of Stirling. This scene revolves around Wallace's speech to the Scottish troops just before battle, culminating in the famous "They can take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!" The music in this track perfectly expresses the fear, anticipation, and renewed courage of the troops after Wallace's 'pep talk'. And it reaches its climax right around Wallace's "Freedom", with a crash of drums, strings and pipes, making even the audience wish they could join the fight against the oppressors.

Track 11, "For the Love of a Princess", is the Romantic theme, and is used frequently throughout the movie. It's haunting and beautiful melody is, I believe, the best ever in a movie, and has me drying my eyes every time.

All the other tracks in the CD are beautiful as well, especially tracks 16, 17 and 18, having to do with Wallace's trial, execution, and the aftermath of his death. And if Wallace's cry "Freedom" while being quartered doesn't have you crying, especially with the beautiful musical accompaniment, you don't have a heart!

'Braveheart', both film and music, is just perfect. And Braveheart fans were given a second volume of music: "More Music", with even more of Horner's score.

Listening to the soundtrack of 'Braveheart' regularly has made me realize just how powerful music can make a film. I firmly believe that Braveheart would not have been as great a movie were it not for James Horner's music.

This is a very moving soundtrack. While there is a common musical theme/or sound that runs through the entire soundtrack (which is typical of movie soundtracks), Horner's imagination gives each song a new twist, added verse, or slightly different melody that keeps the listener's attention. Moreover, I love the sound of bagpipes (despite the fact that I come from a Welsh background) ; )

The tracks themselves have many various textures from smooth melodious flowing music to gruff, fully orchestrated pieces that rattle your player until there is an abrupt stop in the music and you are left wanting more. The feeling of the movie definitely comes out in the music.

Having been an avid soundtrack collector for over 20 years now, I can safely say that this is one of the best sountracks out there. I highly recommend it.

As far as I am concerned, the best original scores ever written are 'Gladiator', 'Last of the Mohicans', 'Titanic', 'Star Wars', and of course, 'Braveheart'. This breathtakingly celtic score is sure to capture your imagination and take you away to Scotland. James Horner makes great use of bagpipes, harps, and some other folk instruments. 'Bravehearts' score has a wonderful natural feel to it, as if this music could have really been there during the story.

James Horner is most well known for his Academy Award Winning score for the critically acclaimed 'Titanic'. If you enjoyed the 'Titanic' score, you'll love this. The same drama and emotion is present and you may be faintly reminded of the 'Titanic' score after hearing this. Remember, 'Braveheart's' score came before 'Titanic's'!

James Horner creates some absolutely stunning and memorable themes here which are reused throughout the score. From the tender and emotional 'A Gift of Thistle' to the upbeat and dramatic 'The Battle of Stirling', James Horner manages to set the mood with his compositions. These pieces are all abosolutely stunning, you won't find yourself skipping over any of them as you usually must do with scores! I usually choose a few favorites when reviewing a score, but I find that I cannot with 'Braveheart's! If you have not seen the film, YOU MUST! And YOU MUST purchase this stunning piece of work, one of the finest scores ever!

To state it plainly, Braveheart is-- in my opinion-- the Greatest Movie of All Time. Mel Gibson told a timeless story in this powerful, insipiring epic film. However, no film can achieve a status of such greatness without an exceptional soundtrack. James Horner's accomplishment with this composition is nothing short of astonishing. The music in Braveheart corresponds perfectly with the action on the screen. You know a soundtrack is good when you can listen to it from beginning to end and virtually play the movie back in your mind. Every sequence of events is captured in music on this masterpiece. James Horner should have an Oscar statue on his mantle for this brilliant achievement, but he was wrongly overlooked. Add this soundtrack to your collection today!

Braveheart is a masterpiece at all levels. I remember seeing the movie in theatres and being blown away by the directing, the acting, and of course the music. This soundtrack is one of the best and one of Horner's best!
Main Title is a beautiful track that includes some great bag pipes. A Gift of a Thistle is a short but a very nice introduction of Muron's love theme that is developed further in the Wedding cue. The Secret Wedding is one of the best cues on the disc and includes a more drawn out version of the Gift of a Thistle cue. It starts very softly and builds to a great climax. Revenge is a great underated cue that build some much suepense even when you aren't watching the movie. Sons of Scotland starts out with some great percussion work and then works on Wallce theme, that becomes grand and heroic as Wallace begins to rally the troops. Battle of Stirling is the best battle cue of the soundtrack and has a buildup that is very satisfying. For The Love of a Princess is the best love theme in the movie and stands as another great cue on the album. Betrayal and Desolation is a very good cue that accents the Betrayal that Wallace feels as the King sells him out. Then comes "Freedom"/The Execution/Bannockburn which is a great combination of themes that is a very beautiful. And End Credits is a nice ending to a wonderful soundtrack.
A must have for all soundtrack fans!

James Horner has never written a more epic score than this--it eclipses even the gorgeous music he wrote for Legends of the Fall a few years earlier. This score boasts breathtakingly beautiful music at times, and powerful and inspiring music at others. There are a few tracks that evoke the tension of battle that, while not always pleasant on the ears, do a great job expressing the mood. Horner wrote multiple themes for this one, each of which is wonderful. He wrote two themes that can be heard simultaneously for one of the greatest musical moments in cinematic history (see track 17) but that stand alone well during the rest of the album. "For Love of a Princess" is probably one of my top ten favorite tracks of music ever. This album is an absolute staple of any good soundtrack collection, and would make an excellent place to start one if you haven't yet. Fantastic stuff that only gets better with repeated listens.

A very stirring soundtrack, I cannot express in words how it makes me feel to be Scottish when listening to this soundtrack.

The first time that I saw the movie, I knew that I had to have the soundtrack...the music moved me that much. Anyone who loves the movie or loves music that will keep you coming back for more will love the Braveheart soundtrack. If you don't already have "More Music from Braveheart" which is the second soundtrack released, I would greatly suggest that you get that one too!

Even though it's a variation of a Holst riff in "The Planets", this soundtrack contains one of the best known movie themes of all times. James Horner has guaranteed his place among the greats with this magnificient accomplishment. I've enjoyed the movie and the soundtrack over and over again since its release. Horner knows how to play on emotions and he does it so effectively in this work.

I love how he used the bag pipes to validate the music as though it came directly from Scotland. After all, it's a Scotish story, written by Randall Wallace. The flutes in #4 "The secret wedding" are supported warmly by the harp and violin, making it an incredibly emotional component to the entire piece. As far as melodic and soft cues go for this soundtrack, another favorite is #16 "The princess pleads for Wallace's life".

If it's the battle music you want, then you'll like #6 "Revenge" and #10 "The battle of Stirling". Every emotion imaginable is wrung out of you if you listen to this CD, which is another thing I love about it. You don't have to watch the movie to be able to enjoy the music. It stands on its own, which is something Horner is famous for. I've owned this soundtrack and "More music from Braveheart" for years and I listen to them frequently. This work stands the test of time, and will continue to do so in the future.

This score, just so beautiful and moving, depicts the flow and pace of the film right onto a cd. During the battle scenes, the score is the only thing heard. And it transforms the energy and anger and advneture and excitement into music. You can't help but replay the visuals of the movie as you sit and listen to this. And you can't help but get chills over and over again when you listen to the final scenes orchestration and it gets to the part when Wallace's sword is heaved across the battle field. It's magnificent.