Hans Zimmer's Forbidden Cue

Let's break down Hans Zimmer's famous music cue for Terrence Malick's 1998 film "The Thin Red Line." In a movie about becoming forever changed by the experience of war, this rich, yet repetitive cue uses a structure common in Gregorian Chant music to underscore that emotional sea change with expert subtlety. From Steve Reich's minimalist influence to orchestration that suggests counter melodies as wandering characters in the narrative, to becoming "forbidden" by Zimmer himself, this one cue has appeared in tons of movie trailers and temp tracks, and has spawned a whole era of copycat composers working in Hollywood.

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[storminmormn]

Zimmer is the GOAT and it’s not even close.

Williams gets a nod for Star Wars, but that’s it!