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Hans Zimmer
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Filmtracks Statistics:
Average Filmtracks Rating: 2.86 Average Viewer Rating: 2.97 Number of Reviews: 118 Number of Votes: 294,490 Number of Comments: 6,570
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Reviews in Filmtracks' Top 100 Traffic Ranks:
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Reviews in Filmtracks' Top 100 Voting Ranks:
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Filmtracks Editor's Recommendations:
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Related Page of Interest:
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Additional Quotes:
"My job is to look for something that doesn't exist yet in the film.
I work a lot with friends --like Penny Marshall or Tony Scott-- so when
Tony starts a movie, I know about it years before it starts shooting, and
I hear the story every time I see him. So when I see the movie I find out
what's left of the story he told me about, and what actually happened
while he was shooting. And then I try to get back to the original reason
why we were doing that movie. With music, you can express things far better,
so what you try and do is express the things they haven't done eloquently.
'Yo, motherfucker!' is not a terribly eloquent line; I could write something
much better."
"I don't drive, so one of my assistants drives me to my writing room,
and I have a calendar on the wall telling me how much time I have left,
and how far behind I am. I look at it and panic, and decide which scene
to work on. And you sit there plonking notes until something makes sense,
and you don't think about it any more. Good tunes come when you're not
thinking about it."
"I have all these computers and keyboards and synthesizers, and I rattle
away. For instance, with The Lion King I wrote over four hours' worth of
tunes, and they were really pretty --but totally meaningless. So in the end I came
up with material I liked. We worked on The Lion King for four years, but I wasn't
toying until the last three-and-a-half weeks properly. On Crimson Tide, on the
other hand, I just went in and within seconds I knew what I wanted."
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Hans Zimmer poses at his studio in 1995
"I wake up around noon, light a cigarette, get a
cup of coffee, sit in the bathtub for an hour and daydream, and I usually
come up with some ideas... It's a very irresponsible life. The only
decisions I make are about the notes I'm writing."
Born September 12th, 1957 in Frankfurt, Germany, Hans Zimmer was a pioneer in the use of
digital synthesizers, advanced computer technology, electronic keyboards and their successful
integration with the traditional orchestra in music for film and television. Moving to London in the
1970's, Zimmer began composing jingles for "Air Edel Associates" and teamed up with Trevor Horn and
Geoff Downes as "The Buggles" to produce the worldwide hit, Video Killed the Radio Star and
subsequent album The Age of Plastic. By 1980, Zimmer was pioneering the use of computers
live on stage while working with the group Ultravox. Then he enjoyed a period of stardom in Italy
with the avant garde band "Krisma" before returning to London to develop his next project with Warren
Cann of Ultravox, culminating in a series of unique concerts at the London Planetarium.
It was in the 1980's that Zimmer met and began working with the film composer Stanley Myers.
Realizing the importance of incorporating the electronic and classical musical forms, they set
up "Lillie Yard Studio" in London with the very latest state of the art musical technology. Zimmer
continued to work out of "Lille Yard Studio" as his partnership with Myers strengthened. They worked
very successfully on Jerzy Skolimovshi's Moonlighting, Success is the Best Revenge and
The Lightship, Nicholas Roeg's Insignificance, and The Castaway. They then went
on the compose the music for the box office hit My Beautiful Launderette. In 1986, he worked
solo on Working Title's Vardo and he then went on to partner with Ryuichi Sakamoto and David
Byrne to produce the soundtrack for the award winning epic The Last Emperor.
In 1988 he was asked to compose the music for a small budget, ground breaking film about South Africa,
A World Apart. Based on a true story, this film was not just a coming of age for the voice of the
struggle, but a turning point in Zimmer's career. As a result, he was asked to write the Oscar nominated
score for the box office smash Rain Man, which in turn led to work on Ridley Scott's Black
Rain, another Best Picture recipient, Driving Miss Daisy, and Ron Howard's fireman epic,
Backdraft. Zimmer himself won an Oscar for The Lion King in 1994, leading to a successful
career scoring subsequent animated pictures. The next year, the submarine thriller Crimson Tide proved
a huge success at the box office and Zimmer received high praise for his choral, action-packed score,
including a Grammy win. Similar styles carried over into 1997's The Peacemaker, 2000's Gladiator,
and the Pirates of the Caribbean scores and eventually came to definite his career "sound."
First through a film music factory called "Media Ventures" (with Jay Rifkin) and later "Remote Control," Zimmer
transitioned in the 2000's into more of a producer than a typical film composer. In addition to his
composing work, Zimmer headed DreamWorks' film music division. His appointment marked the first time
that a composer had headed the music department of a major studio since the days of Dimitri Tiomkin
at MGM and Alfred Newman at Twentieth Century Fox. So large is Zimmer's influence on audiences and
potential buyers of film music albums that some record labels put Zimmer's name first and foremost on
score albums for which he only played a minor coordinating role. Many of his major soundtracks are released
in a variety of packaging ploys with different musical contents to enhance its marketability.
Zimmer is reluctant to perform his work in public and does not conduct his own scores. Almost always collaborating
rather than working alone, Zimmer has created scores with some of the industry's leading composers, including James
Newton Howard, John Powell, and Harry Gregson-Williams, and has brought artists from outside the industry,
led by Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL), into regular film scoring assignments. For better or for worse, Zimmer
has revolutionized the way film and television music is produced, allowing an opportunity for dozens of
younger composers to emerge successfully from his organization while at the same time contributing to a
trend towards recycled and generic blockbuster music he started in the 1990's.
(see legend below for abbreviations and codes)
| Title | FR |
VR | VT |
RD | TR | Dates |
Notes | 2024: | N | Blitz (co-wrote) | *** | 2.29 | 143 | ||| | 2,184 | 11/24 | | | Eden | | | | | | | | | Kung Fu Panda 4 (co-wrote) | *** | 2.85 | 190 | ||| | 2,003 | 03/24 | | | Dune: Part Two (co-wrote) (AW) | * | 2.54 | 315 | |||| | 1,927 | 03/24 | | 2023: | | The Creator (co-wrote) | **** | 3.38 | 238 | ||| | 1,900 | 09/23 | | | Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (co-wrote) | ** | | | | | | | 2022: | | The Son (co-wrote) | ** | | | | | | | | Top Gun: Maverick (co-wrote) (AW) | *** | 3.02 | 222 | |||| | 1,987 | 01/23 | multiple albums | | The Survivor | *** | 2.83 | 155 | ||| | 2,052 | 04/22 | | 2021: | | Army of Thieves (co-wrote) | *** | 3.71 | 328 | ||| | 2,035 | 12/21 | | | Dune (co-wrote) (AW) | * | 2.56 | 923 | ||||| | 1,289 | 11/21 - 11/22 | | | No Time to Die (AW) | *** | 3.37 | 504 | |||| | 1,738 | 10/21 | | | The Boss Baby: Family Business (co-wrote) | *** | 2.82 | 145 | ||| | 2,095 | 07/21 | | 2020: | | Wonder Woman 1984 | **** | 3.94 | 538 | |||| | 1,706 | 03/21 | all albums | | Hillbilly Elegy (co-wrote) | **** | 3.02 | 131 | ||| | 2,189 | 09/22 | | | The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (co-wrote) | ** | 2.05 | 187 | ||| | 2,065 | 06/21 | | | Rebuilding Paradise (co-wrote) | ** | 2.38 | 107 | || | 2,238 | 09/22 | | 2019: | | The Lion King (co-wrote) (AW) | *** | 2.82 | 287 | |||| | 1,957 | 07/20 | | | Dark Phoenix (co-wrote) | ** | 2.07 | 447 | ||| | 1,717 | 11/19 | multiple albums | 2018: | | Widows (co-wrote) | * | 1.71 | 157 | || | 2,178 | 09/21 | | 2017: | | Blade Runner 2049 (co-wrote) (AW) | ** | 2.81 | 552 | ||| | 1,429 | 12/17 | | | Dunkirk (co-wrote) (AW) | * | 1.79 | 578 | ||| | 1,250 | 12/17 | | | The Boss Baby (co-wrote) | *** | 2.69 | 166 | || | 1,642 | 06/17 | | 2016: | | Hidden Figures (co-wrote) (AW) | **** | 3.34 | 152 | || | 1,664 | 03/17 | | | Inferno (co-wrote) | ** | 2.65 | 436 | ||| | 1,602 | 12/16 | | | The Last Face | ** | | | | | | | | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (co-wrote) | * | 2.17 | 1,261 | |||| | 777 | 04/16 | multiple albums | | Kung Fu Panda 3 (co-wrote) | **** | 3.21 | 252 | || | 1,485 | 03/16 | | 2015: | | Freeheld (co-wrote) | ** | 2.57 | 93 | || | 2,247 | 09/22 | | | The Little Prince (co-wrote) | *** | 3.22 | 107 | ||| | 2,231 | 09/22 | | | Woman in Gold (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | Chappie (co-wrote) | ** | 1.85 | 560 | ||| | 1,138 | 03/15 | | 2014: | | Interstellar (AW) | ** | 3.29 | 1,883 | |||| | 506 | 01/15 - 04/21 | all albums | | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (co-wrote) | * | 2.44 | 1,613 | ||| | 511 | 05/14 | all albums | | Winter's Tale (co-wrote) | *** | 2.70 | 239 | ||| | 1,507 | 03/14 | | | Son of God | | | | | | | | 2013: | | 12 Years a Slave | ** | | | | | | | | Captain Phillips (co-wrote) (AW) | * | 1.62 | 495 | || | 1,166 | 12/13 | | | Rush (co-wrote) | *** | 3.37 | 551 | || | 1,408 | 12/13 | | | The Lone Ranger (co-wrote) | *** | 3.00 | 779 | ||| | 799 | 07/13 | | | Man of Steel (co-wrote) | * | 2.39 | 3,613 | |||| | 340 | 06/13 | all albums | | The Bible (TV) (co-wrote) | ** | 1.85 | 518 | || | 1,274 | 07/13 | | 2012: | | Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (co-wrote) | ** | 2.39 | 111 | ||| | 2,180 | 03/22 | | | The Dark Knight Rises (co-wrote) (AW) | ** | 2.67 | 2,135 | |||| | 305 | 07/12 | multiple albums | 2011: | | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (co-wrote) | * | 2.66 | 954 | ||| | 782 | 12/11 | | | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (co-wrote) | * | 1.98 | 2,600 | |||| | 585 | 05/11 | | | Kung Fu Panda 2 (co-wrote) | **** | 3.35 | 907 | || | 830 | 05/11 | | | Rango (co-wrote) | ** | 2.32 | 1,081 | || | 1,056 | 03/11 | | | The Dilemma (co-wrote) | ** | | | | | | | 2010: | | How Do You Know (co-wrote) | ** | | | | | | | | Megamind (co-wrote) | **** | 2.82 | 1,566 | ||| | 1,083 | 10/10 | | | Inception (co-wrote) (AW) | ** | 3.04 | 4,281 | |||| | 232 | 07/10 | | | The Pacific (TV) (co-wrote) | *** | 2.84 | 229 | || | 1,700 | 07/11 | | | Henri 4 (co-wrote) | ** | 2.14 | 216 | || | 1,778 | 07/11 | | 2009: | | Sherlock Holmes (co-wrote) (AW) | *** | 3.20 | 1,430 | ||| | 694 | 01/10 | | | It's Complicated (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | | Angels & Demons (co-wrote) | **** | 3.32 | 1,650 | ||| | 469 | 05/09 | | 2008: | | Frost/Nixon (co-wrote) (AW) | **** | 3.31 | 399 | || | 1,201 | 12/08 | | | The Burning Plain (co-wrote) | * | | | | | | | | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (co-wrote) | ** | 2.90 | 238 | ||| | 2,170 | 02/22 | | | The Dark Knight (co-wrote) (AW) | ** | 2.77 | 5,381 | |||| | 174 | 07/08 - 04/10 | multiple albums | | Kung Fu Panda (co-wrote) | *** | 3.21 | 1,139 | || | 619 | 06/08 | | | Casi Divas (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | 2007: | | The Simpsons Movie (co-wrote) | *** | 2.92 | 434 | || | 1,135 | 11/07 | | | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (co-wrote) | ** | 3.06 | 6,023 | |||| | 185 | 05/07 - 07/11 | multiple albums | 2006: | | The Holiday (co-wrote) | *** | 3.04 | 573 | | | 900 | 02/07 | | | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (co-wrote) (AW) | * | 2.69 | 5,381 | |||| | 172 | 07/06 - 07/11 | multiple albums | | The Da Vinci Code (AW) | *** | 3.12 | 5,501 | |||| | 246 | 05/06 | | 2005: | | The Weather Man (co-wrote) | ** | | | | | | | | The Little Polar Bear 2: The Mysterious Island (co-wrote) | **** | | | | | | | | Batman Begins (co-wrote) | ** | 2.97 | 6,413 | |||| | 80 | 06/05 - 09/11 | | | Madagascar (co-wrote) | * | 1.88 | 1,221 | || | 205 | 05/05 - 09/11 | | 2004: | | Spanglish (AW) | **** | 3.26 | 742 | || | 736 | 01/05 - 10/11 | | | Lauras Stern (co-wrote) | **** | 3.68 | 983 | || | 770 | 03/05 - 10/11 | German | | Shark Tale (co-wrote) | ** | | | | | | | | Thunderbirds (co-wrote) | *** | 3.02 | 1,079 | ||| | 388 | 07/04 - 10/11 | | | King Arthur (co-wrote) | **** | 3.49 | 3,417 | ||| | 144 | 07/04 - 09/11 | | 2003: | | Something's Gotta Give (co-wrote) | **** | 3.15 | 175 | || | 1,624 | 04/10 | bootleg | | The Last Samurai (AW) | **** | 3.77 | 3,992 | ||| | 64 | 11/03 - 03/09 | | | Matchstick Men | *** | 3.03 | 650 | ||| | 534 | 10/03 - 03/09 | | | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (co-wrote) | * | 2.80 | 23,929 | ||| | 6 | 07/03 - 07/11 | multiple albums | | Tears of the Sun (co-wrote) | *** | 2.91 | 3,036 | ||| | 230 | 03/03 - 03/09 | | 2002: | | The Ring (co-wrote) | ** | 2.57 | 1,629 | ||| | 206 | 10/03 - 11/22 | multiple albums | | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (co-wrote) (AW) | ** | 3.30 | 3,375 | ||| | 231 | 05/02 - 01/09 | | 2001: | | Riding in Cars With Boys (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | | Invincible (co-wrote) | **** | 3.43 | 427 | || | 923 | 09/03 - 03/09 | | | Black Hawk Down (co-wrote) | *** | 2.73 | 8,466 | ||| | 53 | 01/02 - 01/09 | | | Pearl Harbor (AW) | *** | 2.92 | 11,619 | ||| | 42 | 05/01 - 01/09 | | | Hannibal (co-wrote) | **** | 3.73 | 11,871 | ||| | 60 | 02/01 - 10/08 | | | The Pledge (co-wrote) | ** | 2.71 | 417 | || | 1,100 | 09/03 - 01/09 | all albums | 2000: | | An Everlasting Piece (co-wrote) | *** | 2.76 | 900 | || | 954 | 12/00 - 09/08 | | | Mission: Impossible 2 (co-wrote) | ** | 2.68 | 13,322 | || | 52 | 06/00 - 11/07 | | | Gladiator (co-wrote) (AW) | *** | 3.52 | 60,208 | ||||| | 1 | 05/00 - 10/07 | all albums | | A Taste of Sunshine (rejected) | | | | | | | | | The Road to El Dorado (co-wrote) | ** | 2.91 | 416 | ||| | 673 | 10/03 - 03/09 | all albums | 1999: | | Chill Factor (co-wrote) | ** | 2.24 | 321 | || | 1,241 | 10/03 - 04/09 | bootlegs | 1998: | | The Thin Red Line (co-wrote) (AW) | *** | 3.01 | 11,312 | |||| | 71 | 01/99 - 08/20 | multiple albums | | The Prince of Egypt (co-wrote) (AW) | **** | 4.07 | 13,555 | |||| | 32 | 12/98 - 03/08 | all albums | | The Last Days (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | | The Third Reich (in Color) (TV) | *** | | | | | | | 1997: | | As Good As It Gets (AW) | **** | 3.33 | 1,645 | | | 135 | 01/98 - 01/07 | | | The Peacemaker | **** | 3.23 | 2,874 | ||| | 97 | 09/97 - 08/14 | all albums | | Smilla's Sense of Snow (co-wrote) | ** | 2.71 | 287 | || | 796 | 03/97 - 09/11 | | 1996: | | The Preacher's Wife (AW) | **** | | | | | | | | The Fan (co-wrote) | * | 2.18 | 348 | ||| | 931 | 10/03 - 04/09 | all albums | | The Rock (co-wrote) | *** | 3.26 | 8,051 | ||| | 39 | 09/96 - 11/23 | multiple albums | | Muppet Treasure Island (co-wrote) | *** | 3.43 | 1,055 | || | 244 | 07/98 - 09/08 | | | Broken Arrow (co-wrote) | **** | 3.52 | 611 | ||| | 1,158 | 10/09 - 03/11 | all albums | | The Whole Wide World (co-wrote) | *** | 2.97 | 179 | || | 1,008 | 07/04 - 09/11 | | 1995: | | Something to Talk About (co-wrote) | *** | 2.76 | 107 | || | 1,843 | 04/10 | | | Two Deaths | **** | | | | | | | | Nine Months (co-wrote) | *** | 3.05 | 353 | | | 475 | 03/97 - 11/11 | | | Crimson Tide (AW) | ***** | 4.17 | 8,891 | ||| | 44 | 09/96 - 01/08 | | | Beyond Rangoon | **** | 4.03 | 1,190 | || | 364 | 09/96 - 09/08 | | 1994: | | Drop Zone (co-wrote) | ** | 2.84 | 170 | ||| | 1,635 | 03/10 - 05/21 | multiple albums | | The Lion King (co-wrote) (AW) | **** | 4.03 | 12,527 | |||| | 13 | 09/96 - 11/14 | multiple albums | | Renaissance Man | *** | 3.16 | 772 | | | 971 | 08/99 - 04/07 | | | Monkey Trouble (co-wrote) | ** | | | | | | | | I'll Do Anything | **** | 3.03 | 151 | || | 1,865 | 03/10 | | 1993: | | The House of the Spirits | **** | 3.49 | 654 | | | 424 | 07/98 - 09/08 | | | Cool Runnings (co-wrote) | **** | 3.12 | 136 | || | 1,661 | 04/10 | bootleg | | True Romance | *** | 3.05 | 98 | || | 2,267 | 05/24 | | | Calendar Girl | *** | | | | | | | | Younger & Younger (co-wrote) | **** | 3.40 | 273 | || | 1,873 | 03/10 | | | Point of No Return (co-wrote) | **** | 3.25 | 143 | || | 1,722 | 03/10 | | | Sniper (co-wrote) | FRISBEE | | | | | | | 1992: | | Toys (co-wrote) | ** | 2.64 | 398 | ||| | 629 | 07/04 - 09/11 | all albums | | A League of Their Own | **** | 3.56 | 427 | || | 1,492 | 03/10 | multiple albums | | The Power of One | **** | 3.23 | 167 | || | 1,474 | 03/10 | | | Millennium (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | | Radio Flyer | **** | 3.20 | 440 | ||| | 656 | 07/04 - 10/11 | | 1991: | | K2 (co-wrote) | **** | 3.40 | 281 | || | 1,555 | 04/10 | multiple scores | | Where Sleeping Dogs Lie (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | To the Moon, Alice | ** | | | | | | short film | | Regarding Henry (co-wrote) | **** | 3.01 | 161 | ||| | 1,680 | 03/10 - 12/11 | multiple albums | | Thelma & Louise (co-wrote) | *** | 3.18 | 336 | || | 1,444 | 04/10 - 12/17 | all albums | R | Backdraft | **** | 3.70 | 3,299 | |||| | 163 | 09/96 - 08/24 | all albums | | White Fang (co-wrote) | **** | 3.23 | 169 | ||| | 1,611 | 04/12 | limited | 1990: | | Green Card | **** | 3.36 | 249 | || | 1,720 | 03/10 | | | Spies Inc. (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | | Pacific Heights | **** | 3.40 | 264 | || | 1,770 | 04/10 | | | Days of Thunder | *** | 3.25 | 318 | ||| | 1,309 | 03/10 - 04/21 | multiple albums | | Fools of Fortune | **** | | | | | | | | Bird on a Wire | *** | | | | | | | | Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | 1989: | | Driving Miss Daisy (AW) | **** | 3.60 | 324 | || | 1,434 | 03/10 | | | Dark Obsession (Diamond Skulls) | **** | | | | | | | | Comeback (TV) | | | | | | | | | Black Rain | *** | 3.35 | 478 | ||| | 1,221 | 03/10 - 10/12 | multiple albums | | Twister | | | | | | | | 1988: | | Paperhouse (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | | Burning Secret | **** | | | | | | | | Rain Man (AW) | **** | 3.37 | 466 | ||| | 1,058 | 04/10 - 05/18 | all albums | | Nightmare at Noon (Death Street USA) (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | The Fruit Machine | *** | | | | | | | | A World Apart | *** | | | | | | | | Taffin (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | The Nature of the Beast (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | 1987: | | Terminal Exposure (Double Exposure) (co-wrote) | ** | | | | | | | 1986: | | The Zero Boys (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | Vardo | | | | | | | short film | | The Wind (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | Separate Vacations (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | Castaway (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | 1985: | | The Lightship (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | My Beautiful Laundrette (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | Wild Horses (TV) (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | Insignificance (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | 1984: | | Success is the Best Revenge (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | 1983: | | The Story of O: Part 2 (co-wrote) | *** | | | | | | | | Eureka (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | 1982: | | Moonlighting (co-wrote) | | | | | | | | | (reviews listed with a "co-wrote" indicate that either the composer wrote the score with another person or that more than one composer worked separately to provide a score for the production)
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Status:
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N
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R
| - indicates an older review that has been significantly revised in the last 180 days
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Awards:
| AW |
- or a golden year indicates that the music won or was nominated for a major award
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Ratings:
| FR |
- Filmtracks Rating ("Varied"
indicates a split rating with no overall designation) |
VR |
- Viewer Rating (overall average) |
VT |
- Vote Total (for viewer ratings)
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Comments:
| Comment Total (the number of messages posted in the review's comment area)
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Review Depth:
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- Massive Review (over 4,000 words)
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- Very Long Review (between 2,200 and 4,000 words)
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- Long Review (between 1,200 and 2,200 words)
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- Average Review (between 800 and 1,200 words)
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- Short Review (under 800 words)
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Traffic Rank:
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Popularity Rank (lower numbers indicate more cumulative reads; new reviews take time to climb the ranks)
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Dates:
| 1st
| - indicates the month and year during which the review was first published
| 2nd
| - indicates the month and year of the review's most recent significant revision (if any)
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