Batman Begins (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
Batman Begins: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a soundtrack album
to Christopher Nolan
's 2005
Batman Begins
. It was released on June 15, 2005. The soundtrack drew from the film score, composed by Hans Zimmer
and James Newton Howard
, as well as contributions by Ramin Djawadi
and Mel Wesson. The songs on the soundtrack are all titled with the Latin names for different genera of bats.
and moved to London
where they stayed for 12 weeks to complete most of their writing. Zimmer and Howard sought inspiration for shaping the score by making set visits to Batman Begins.
Zimmer wanted to avoid composing a film score that had been done before, so the score became an amalgamation of orchestra
and electronic music
. The film's ninety-piece orchestra was developed from members of various London orchestras, and Zimmer chose to use more than the normal amount of cello
s. Zimmer enlisted a choir
boy to help reflect the music in the film's scene where Bruce Wayne's parents are killed. "He's singing a fairly pretty tune and then he gets stuck, it's like froze, arrested development", Zimmer said. Zimmer also attempted to add human dimension to Batman, whose behavior would typically be seen as "psychotic", through the music. Both composers collaborated to create 2 hours and 20 minutes worth of music for the film. Zimmer composed the action sequences, while Howard focused on the film's drama.
haters should probably skip this album. His score in the end is four stars out of five."
Movie Music UK was equally positive - Jonathan Broxton claimed that "I personally found that there was a great deal of music in Batman Begins that is hugely enjoyable", specifically complimenting "Howard's exceptionally beautiful string elegy...during the opening moments of Eptesicus", a motif that recurs in "the achingly emotional Macrotus and Coryhorinus". He did admit that a lack of strong superhero themes and a complete lack of similarities to Danny Elfman
's Batman scores, now considered classics, did make the score "unremittingly downbeat". He also rates the album four out of five.
Christian Clemmenson, sole reviewer of Filmtracks.com
, was less ready to praise the score, saying that Zimmer and Howard's decision not to use Elfman's material an attitude that "stinks of laziness". He also considers the theme used to represent Batman, a rising, two-note minor third, inadequate to represent the complex character of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego. Most of these complaints he lays on the shoulders of Zimmer, saying that "you could argue that Zimmer traded in his hoard of lesser-known ghostwriters for one top-notch ghostwriter [Howard]." His final rating is two stars out of five.
pilot for Heroes
. "Myotis" has been featured in trailers for King Kong
, Fantastic Four
and Far Cry
. "Molossus" was sampled for the Aquaman pilot, and was also used in the trailer for V for Vendetta
and The Dark Knight
. The beginning of "Vespertilio" and part of "Myotis" was also used for the previously mentioned V for Vendetta trailer.
The first letters of tracks #4-9 spell BATMAN.
Tracks not included within the release of the soundtrack:
Written by Arrigo Boito
.
Performed by Norman Treigle
.
Ambrosian Opera Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra
.
Conducted by Julius Rudel
.
EMI Classics.
EMI Film & Television Music
Written by Mildred J. Hill
& Patty S. Hill
.
Performed by Cavendish String Quartet
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
.
Performed by Cavendish String Quartet
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
to Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...
's 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
. It was released on June 15, 2005. The soundtrack drew from the film score, composed by Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
and James Newton Howard
James Newton Howard
James Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...
, as well as contributions by Ramin Djawadi
Ramin Djawadi
Ramin Djawadi is a German composer of orchestral music for film and television. He was born in Duisburg, Germany to an Iranian father and German mother...
and Mel Wesson. The songs on the soundtrack are all titled with the Latin names for different genera of bats.
Composition
Director Christopher Nolan originally invited Zimmer to compose the film score, and Zimmer asked the director if he could invite Howard to compose as well, as they had always planned a composers collaboration. The two composers collaborated on separate themes for the "split personality" of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman. Zimmer and Howard began composing in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where they stayed for 12 weeks to complete most of their writing. Zimmer and Howard sought inspiration for shaping the score by making set visits to Batman Begins.
Zimmer wanted to avoid composing a film score that had been done before, so the score became an amalgamation of orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. The film's ninety-piece orchestra was developed from members of various London orchestras, and Zimmer chose to use more than the normal amount of cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s. Zimmer enlisted a choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
boy to help reflect the music in the film's scene where Bruce Wayne's parents are killed. "He's singing a fairly pretty tune and then he gets stuck, it's like froze, arrested development", Zimmer said. Zimmer also attempted to add human dimension to Batman, whose behavior would typically be seen as "psychotic", through the music. Both composers collaborated to create 2 hours and 20 minutes worth of music for the film. Zimmer composed the action sequences, while Howard focused on the film's drama.
Critical reception
Reviews of the score were mixed. Soundtrack.net, for example, in a review by Matt Scheller, said that "the music compliments the visuals flawlessly." He called the main action track, Molossus, the best of the soundtrack: "Once this track starts, it never quits." He does admit that the album is heavy on Hans Zimmer's style rather than James Newton Howard's ("I would say 70% Zimmer, 30% Howard"), and that "Hans Zimmer/Media VenturesRemote Control Productions
Remote Control Productions is a film score company run by veteran composer Hans Zimmer. Originally known as "Media Ventures," which was conceived and founded by Jay Rifkin and Hans Zimmer, the company changed its name after the partners both filed lawsuits against each other.Remote Control...
haters should probably skip this album. His score in the end is four stars out of five."
Movie Music UK was equally positive - Jonathan Broxton claimed that "I personally found that there was a great deal of music in Batman Begins that is hugely enjoyable", specifically complimenting "Howard's exceptionally beautiful string elegy...during the opening moments of Eptesicus", a motif that recurs in "the achingly emotional Macrotus and Coryhorinus". He did admit that a lack of strong superhero themes and a complete lack of similarities to Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
's Batman scores, now considered classics, did make the score "unremittingly downbeat". He also rates the album four out of five.
Christian Clemmenson, sole reviewer of Filmtracks.com
Filmtracks.com
Filmtracks.com is a leading modern film score review website created and maintained out of Missoula, Montana by its sole reviewer, Christian Clemmensen...
, was less ready to praise the score, saying that Zimmer and Howard's decision not to use Elfman's material an attitude that "stinks of laziness". He also considers the theme used to represent Batman, a rising, two-note minor third, inadequate to represent the complex character of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego. Most of these complaints he lays on the shoulders of Zimmer, saying that "you could argue that Zimmer traded in his hoard of lesser-known ghostwriters for one top-notch ghostwriter [Howard]." His final rating is two stars out of five.
Use in other works
The soundtrack is also often sampled for other superhero related productions. "Vespertilio" and "Eptesicus" were used in the screenerScreener
A screener is an advance screening of a film sent to critics, awards voters, video stores , and other film industry professionals, including producers and distributors. A screener often has no post-processing....
pilot for Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
. "Myotis" has been featured in trailers for King Kong
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
, Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four (film)
Fantastic Four is a 2005 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics comic Fantastic Four. It was directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox. It is the second live-action Fantastic Four film to be filmed. The previous attempt, a B-movie produced by Roger Corman only for the...
and Far Cry
Far Cry (film)
Far Cry is a German film adapted from the video game of the same name. The film is directed by Uwe Boll and stars Til Schweiger.- Plot :Jack Carver, a former member of Germany's Special Forces, takes journalist Valerie Cardinal to visit her Uncle Max on an island, where he works in a military...
. "Molossus" was sampled for the Aquaman pilot, and was also used in the trailer for V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
and The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
. The beginning of "Vespertilio" and part of "Myotis" was also used for the previously mentioned V for Vendetta trailer.
Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Key Scenes/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Vespertilio Vesper bat Vesper bats , also known as Evening bats or Common bats, are the largest and best-known family of bats. They belong to the suborder Microchiroptera . There are over three hundred species distributed all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica... " |
2:52 | The opening, the flashback of the bats, the main theme and the journey to Ra's al Ghul's monastery. |
| 2 | "Eptesicus Eptesicus Eptesicus is a genus of bats, commonly called house bats, in the family Vespertilionidae.The 25 species within this genus are:*Little black serotine *Bobrinski's Serotine... " |
4:20 | The flashback of Bruce remembering his parents and the training sequence. |
| 3 | "Myotis Mouse-eared bat The mouse-eared bats are a diverse and widespread genus of bats within the family Vespertilionidae.-Relationships:Myotis has historically been included in the subfamily Vespertilioninae, but was classified in its own subfamily, Myotinae, by Nancy Simmons in 1998... " |
5:46 | Plays during the destruction of the monastery and when Bruce knows what he must do when he returns to Gotham. |
| 4 | "Barbastella Barbastelle The Barbastelle , also known as the Western Barbastelle, is a European bat. It has a short nose, small eyes and wide ears.It is rare throughout its range... " |
4:45 | The death of the Waynes, and when Bruce sees the Bat and enters the cave as an adult, knowing his path. |
| 5 | "Artibeus Artibeus The Neotropical fruit bats are a genus of bats within the subfamily Stenodermatinae. The genus consists of 21 species, which are native to Central and South America, as well as parts of the Caribbean.-Description:... " |
4:20 | Played during Batman's first appearance and when Henri Ducard meets Bruce in the prison. |
| 6 | "Tadarida Tadarida The genus Tadarida has ten or more species of bats divided into two subgenera, with the first of these containing seven species spread across the Old World... " |
5:06 | When Batman has Rachel in the Batcave, when Scarecrow attacks Batman, and when the man at Wayne Enterprises tells Earle about the damaged ship and missing microwave emitter. |
| 7 | "Macrotus Big Free-tailed Bat The Big Free-tailed Bat is a bat species found in South, North and Central America. They have a wingspan of 435 mm and an average length of 140 mm. This bat frequents rocky or canyon country where it roosts in crevices. This migratory species is a swift, powerful flier, and occasional individuals... " |
7:36 | The Wayne theme, flashback of Bruce going to the opera. Bruce in the Ninja test. Also plays during the flashback of Bruce meeting Rachel again and the courtroom with Joe Chill. |
| 8 | "Antrozous Pallid bat The Pallid Bat is a species of bat that ranges from western Canada to central Mexico. It is the sole species of its genus and is closely related to Van Gelder's Bat , which is sometimes included in Antrozous... " |
3:59 | Batman reveals himself to Dawes and flies to Ducard. Fights League of Shadows ninjas. |
| 9 | "Nycteris Nycteridae Nycteridae is the family of slit-faced or hollow-faced bats. They are grouped in a single genus, Nycteris. The bats are found in East Malaysia, Indonesia and many parts of Africa.... " |
4:26 | Played when Bruce meets Lucius Fox, sets his gadgets and when he has a moment with Rachel before she goes to Arkham. |
| 10 | "Molossus Molossus (genus) Molossus is a genus of bats. The genus contains ten species with a New World distribution from Mexico in the north to northern Argentina at its most southerly limit... " |
4:49 | The main action theme. Played during the Tumbler escape chase to the Batcave. |
| 11 | "Corynorhinus Corynorhinus The genus Corynorhinus consists of the lump-nosed bats, or American long-eared bats. Only three species occur in the genus, all occurring in North America. Members of this group were previously in the genus Plecotus. Populations of these species are generally uncommon and declining. Two... " |
5:04 | The film's resolution; Bruce and Rachel meeting in the ruins of Wayne Manor and Gordon unveiling the Bat Signal to Batman. |
| 12 | "Lasiurus Lasiurus Lasiurus is the genus comprising hairy-tailed bats. The name Lasiurus is derived from the Greek lasios and oura . It contains some of the most attractive bats in the whole continent of North America including such species as the red bat, L. borealis, and the hoary bat, L. cinereus... " |
7:27 | Includes Ra's al Ghul teaching Bruce about criminals, Batman watching over Gotham after defeating Falcone and it is Ra's al Ghul's theme. |
The first letters of tracks #4-9 spell BATMAN.
Tracks not included within the release of the soundtrack:
- "Folletto!...Folletto" from MefistofeleMefistofeleMefistofele is an opera in a prologue, four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera by the Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito.-Composition history:...
Written by Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his libretti, especially those for Giuseppe Verdi's operas Otello and Falstaff, and his own opera Mefistofele...
.
Performed by Norman Treigle
Norman Treigle
Norman Treigle was an American operatic bass-baritone, who was acclaimed for his great abilities as a singing-actor, and specialized in roles that evoked villainy and terror....
.
Ambrosian Opera Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
.
Conducted by Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel is an American opera and orchestra conductor who emigrated to the United States from Austria at the age of 17 and studied conducting at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. He then forged a 35-year career with the New York City Opera, from 1944 to 1979, and was the Music...
.
EMI Classics.
EMI Film & Television Music
- "Happy Birthday To YouHappy Birthday to You"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
"
Written by Mildred J. Hill
Mildred J. Hill
Mildred J. Hill was an American songwriter and musicologist, who composed the melody for "Good Morning to All", later used as the melody for "Happy Birthday to You".-Biography:...
& Patty S. Hill
Patty Hill
Patty Smith Hill is perhaps best known for co-writing the tune which became popular as Happy Birthday to You. She was an American nursery school, kindergarten teacher, and key founder of the National Association Nursery Education which now exists as the National Association For the Education of...
.
Performed by Cavendish String Quartet
- "Divertimento In D"
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
.
Performed by Cavendish String Quartet
Chart positions
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
155 |
| Top Soundtracks | 8 |