Soundtrack analysis of "The Dark Knight Rises"

Music has been in movies since the first “silent films” were made, and continues to be one of the most influential factors in determining how beautiful and lighthearted, or how horrific and tragic a film is perceived by the audience. This paper will provide an analysis of Hans Zimmer’s composition of the soundtrack to the movie The Dark Knight Rises. This dark, intense and emotionally pounding soundtrack pairs perfectly with the tension between the mysterious Batman character and his latest evil nemesis Bane. We will examine the musical characteristics of two selections from this soundtrack, the first selection examined is “Gotham’s Reckoning” which has become Bane’s primary theme music and will forever connect the audience with a feeling of impending doom. The second selection discussed is “Rise” the epic closing number in the movie that emotionally connects the listener to the previous films in the trilogy.
There is a reoccurring rhythmic pattern used throughout this soundtrack that seemingly connects each piece in the work. The chant heard throughout the score gives a primitive depth since the words are unrecognizable. Hans Zimmer uses synthesizers and samplers to create this modern score which is closely tied to the music previously written for the two prior films from this trilogy. There are even some parts of the new musical pieces that contain excerpts or samples from the prior films soundtracks. Zimmer uses this technique in order to recreate the emotions from the prior films to establish an immediate connection with the familiar characters. “Rise” is actually the last piece of music in the movie; however, since it is also used in both of the previous films this connection effectively marks the significant triumph of our hero in the closing scene. With the heavy repetitive percussive rhythms mixed with the dramatic low brass sounds, the music evolves and inspires while building up to a powerful crest to lift the listener’s spirit to connect