Mother's Day: unforgettable movie mothers and movie soundtracks

The figure of the mother in the world of the seventh art has been as fundamental as in life itself. Women who sacrifice everything for their children, like King Vidor's Stella Dallas, the Fordian mother, who directly defines the style of this great director, or even mothers who are icons of action cinema in their own right, like Sarah Connor, have described throughout history, the role of this figure in cinema, managing in many cases to raise his children.

Now that Mother's Day is here, we will tell you which have been the most relevant in the cinematographic universe. Those that have created unforgettable characters and that are accompanied by the most exciting movie soundtracks.

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Unmemorable soundtracks and movie mothers in cinema

Morticia Addams, the mother in The Addams Family

One of the most charismatic mothers that the big screen has given has been Morticia Addams, heart and soul of the dark and gloomy Addams Family. They describe her as a vampire, with pale skin and long, straight black hair, and gothic dresses of the same color that offer a special combination. The vampire par excellence became a fetish and, although her attitude may surprise, they say she is not very right in the head.

Barry Sonnenfeld's 1991 classic offers the soundtrack composed by Marc Shaiman, which mixes its own composition, with the original theme composed by Vix Mizzy, for the television series of the 60s. The song 'Mamushka', which in the film is derived from an ancient Cossack dance and which underlines the feeling of brotherly love that exists between Gómez and Fester, was composed by the composers of the Broadway musicals Betty Comden and Adolph Green, former authors of the unforgettable Singing' in the Rain.

The role of Mrs. Gump in Forrest Gump

Another of the mothers who have made history in cinema is Mrs. Gump, mother of the mythical character Forrest Gump. This mother is a woman who always wanted her son to be treated like a normal person and not to be discriminated against because of his condition. He even achieved it at any cost, such as having sexual relations with the school principal, as long as Forrest could study.

The soundtrack by Alan Silvestri, one of the most relevant musicians in the history of film music, was accompanied by a selection of classic, exclusively North American songs, covering different musical genres, popular during the second half of the 20th century. They say that the original soundtrack is capable of making even a robot cry and they are not wrong. His sensitivity is overwhelming. In fact, the Film Symphony Orchestra usually performs the magical 'Suite' in its concerts, which modulates strings and piano until we are noticeably moved.

Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast

Mrs. Potts is a maid at the Beast's castle, who was turned into a teapot by the sorceress's curse. He is one of the most beloved characters in the film, and is dubbed into Spanish in the original by Angela Lansbury.

The songs from the soundtrack Beauty and the Beast, an animated film with music by Alan Menken, are one of the most beautiful of the genre. For that reason, the score won the Oscar for best soundtrack and best song, performed by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson. On their Phoenix tour, the FSO has been performing the 'Beauty and Beast Suite' in several of their concerts.

Erin Brockovich and her representation in cinema films

Erin Brockovich is an environmental activist best known for her 1993 lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electrix Company (PG&E) in California. Employed at a law firm and intrigued by the coincidence of real estate compensation reports with medical care requests from the same people, she investigated and found probable contamination of drinking water by hexavalent chromium. Thanks to the film 'Erin Brokovich' starring Julia Roberts in 2000, he also became a media personality, hosting the television series Challenge America with Erin Brockovich on ABC and Final Justice on Zone Reality.

The soundtrack of the film 'Erin Brockovich', written by Thomas Newman, (nephew of Lionel Newman), with the collaboration of Sheryl Crow, has twenty-one songs composed in the purest style of the American composer, mainly with electronic arrangements. It is also characterized by the use of unconventional instruments, such as the hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, tabla, xaphoon or saz. In addition, it uses different types of percussion, as well as different melodies from classical music, popular music and jazz.

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Disney and Bambi's mother

Bambi's mother's death scene is one of the most moving Disney scenes in film history. While the mother takes her little calf to feed, an anonymous threat appears and stalks them, they both run while gunshots are heard behind them. When it seems that the danger has passed, Bambi realizes that his mother is not there and that she has been hit by one of the bullets, but who shot her? Some theories suggest that it was Gastón, a character from Beauty and the Beast, since he was fond of hunting.

The 1942 animated film, directed by David Hand, was Walt Disney's fifth animated film and earned three Oscar nominations. Award for best song for “Love is a song” and for best original soundtrack, in the musical world that concerns us, in addition to the best sound. Edward H. Plumb was in charge of the composition, who also had different collaborators.

Manuela's film role: Everything about my mother

The protagonist of Pedro Almodóvar's famous film, All About My Mother, called Manuela and characterized by the great Cecilia Roth, is a woman, mother and actress. An intelligent, talented, cultured person and actress, passionate about theater and the actress Huma Rojo. However, Manuela's most relevant role is that of Mother, a generous and very loving mother. This character and his great direction helped the film win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1999.

The soundtrack of Everything about my mother, written by Alberto Iglesias, is the very essence of the image. The connection between the director and the musician is essential, so much so that one listens to the notes of this composition and already knows that that cadence of strings evokes a production of El Deseo. This composition was awarded the Goya, with a score that follows its classic orchestral line that, as always, reminds us of the classics and contributes to creating the fiery atmosphere necessary for these Almodovarian characters. Herrmann's influences are very present in the work and its strings irrevocably evoke Vertigo either Psycho.

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The unforgettable Sarah Connor in Terminator

Sarah Connor is one of the most remembered heroines, if not the favorite, of all of us who were children in the 80s and young people in the 90s. This fierce girl, protagonist of the installments of Terminator, played the mother of time traveler John Connor and leader of the resistance against the Tech-COM.

The epic soundtrack of the first trilogy Terminator, composed by Brad Fiedel, is a pioneer in the use of synthesizers and electronic instruments, and also made its author a precursor of metallic percussion in terms of musical production.

Most notable role as mother, Holly Hunter in The Incredibles

The unforgettable Parr family, protagonists in The Incredibles, was dubbed by an impressive cast of actresses and actors. The mother, Helen Parr, also known as Elastigirl and played by Holly Hunter, planned to break the “glass ceiling,” but after marrying Mr. Incredible, a series of events resulted in the Supers being outlawed by the U.S. government. USA.

Michael Giacchino He composed the soundtrack for this great Disney production back in 2004, in his first work for Pixar. It allowed the composer to play with a jazzy feel reminiscent of the James Bond films of the '60s, and combined with excellent, fast-paced action beats. Thus, Giacchino discovered his voice, since he would later reuse techniques from this film in many of his films. The score received two nominations at the Grammy Awards, for Best Soundtrack Album for Audiovisual Media and for Best Instrumental Composition.

Film mothers deserve incalculable recognition, for all the great and unforgettable scenes they have given us, that is why, from the Film Symphony Orchestra we want to honor them on this Mother's Day. Their love and care is essential in the direction of our lives and, equally, they have served to create great characters and the most exciting film soundtracks. They deserve the best of music.