The Last Samurai (Original Motion Picture Score) is the soundtrack to the 2003 film The Last Samurai directed by Edward Zwick and starring Tom Cruise. The film's original score is composed by Hans Zimmer and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony under the supervision of conductor and orchestrator Blake Neely. The score was released through Warner Sunset Records on November 25, 2003.
| The Last Samurai (Original Motion Picture Score) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Film score by | ||||
| Released | November 25, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 59:41 | |||
| Label | Warner Sunset | |||
| Producer | Hans Zimmer | |||
| Hans Zimmer chronology | ||||
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Reception
editChristian Clemmensen of Filmtracks.com wrote "Zimmer's supplemental ethnic instruments, though, along with his genuinely interesting contemplative work for the film, make The Last Samurai one his better efforts of the 2000's."[1] Thomas Glorieux of Maintitles.net wrote "if Gladiator was powerful, raw and relentless (while equally moving at times), then The Last Samurai goes deeper so it can touch the soul."[2] Tamara Sue Crews of Soundtrack World called it as "most enjoyable to simply allow the music to unfold its power to draw me into a certain state of emotion without considering the whos, hows and whys."[3]
Simon K. of Sputnikmusic summarized "if you're a fan of OSTs, this is definitely worth checking out."[4] Heather Phares of AllMusic called it as "a somber but expertly crafted score that ranks among Zimmer's finest work."[5] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Hans Zimmer's score works a little too hard. He might have mixed Eastern and Western musical themes to greater advantage, but instead Zimmer sticks mostly to Western motifs and instruments."[6] Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote "Hans Zimmer, whose 100th motion picture score this is, occasionally inflects the instrumentations of his industrious compositions with Japanese motifs."[7] Matthew Wilkinson of Screen Rant listed the album as one of the iconic scores of the composer and summarized "Blending Japanese cultural music in with a high-paced action score when the film needs it, this soundtrack has everything."[8]
Live performances
editZimmer produced a rearrangement of the film's themes and released as "Last Samurai Suite" for his live album that featured "reimagining" of his themes from The Lion King (1994), Gladiator (2000), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010) and Dunkirk (2017).[9] He performed the score live at concerts in London.[10][11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Way of Life" | 8:04 |
| 2. | "Spectres in the Fog" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Taken" | 3:36 |
| 4. | "A Hard Teacher" | 5:44 |
| 5. | "To Know My Enemy" | 4:49 |
| 6. | "Idyll's End" | 6:41 |
| 7. | "Safe Passage" | 4:57 |
| 8. | "Ronin" | 1:53 |
| 9. | "Red Warrior" | 3:56 |
| 10. | "The Way of the Sword" | 7:59 |
| 11. | "A Small Measure of Peace" | 10:31 |
| Total length: | 62:17 | |
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Score | Nominated | [12] [13] [14] |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Score | Nominated | [15] [16] [17] |
| Golden Satellite Awards | Best Original Score | Won | [18] [19] [20] |
| Online Film Critics Society | Best Original Score | Nominated | [21] |
References
edit- ^ Clemmensen, Christian (2004). "The Last Samurai (Hans Zimmer)". Filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2006. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Glorieux, Thomas (2004). "Hans Zimmer: The Last Samurai". maintitles.net. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Crews, Tamara Sue (August 7, 2017). "The Last Samurai − Hans Zimmer". Soundtrack World. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ K., Simon (February 11, 2023). "Review: Hans Zimmer – The Last Samurai". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Review: The Last Samurai – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (December 1, 2018). "'The Last Samurai': THR's 2003 Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (November 30, 2003). "The Last Samurai". Variety. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Wilkinson, Matthew (November 26, 2019). "Hans Zimmer's 10 Most Iconic Soundtracks, Ranked". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (October 7, 2022). "Hans Zimmer Announces Live Album for 2023, Releases 'Last Samurai Suite'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Mahler, Matt (March 22, 2024). "Hans Zimmer Is Touring Live Concerts of Dune, Interstellar, and Other Scores". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (June 16, 2023). "Hans Zimmer Proposes to Partner During Live London Concert". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "'Rings' sweeps big prizes at Critics' Choice". Today. January 11, 2004. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2004.
- ^ Ryan, Joal (January 11, 2004). "Critics' Choice Hails "King"". E! Online. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2004.
- ^ "'Rings' cycle continues with four Critics' Choice". Los Angeles Times. January 13, 2004. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2004.
- ^ "Globes high on 'Cold Mountain'". CNN. December 18, 2003. Archived from the original on June 4, 2004. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Welkos, Robert; King, Susan (December 19, 2003). "'Cold' call from Globes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ "And the nominees are..." Los Angeles Times. December 19, 2003. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Maldonado, Ryan (December 18, 2003). "Satellites pix picked". Variety. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "The 2004 8th Annual SATELLITE Awards Nominees". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on April 2, 2004. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
- ^ "2004 8th Annual SATELLITE Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on April 4, 2004. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
- ^ Williams, Kimberly (December 30, 2003). "Online crix nod to 'King'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.