Favorite Themes - Part XXIV

Score: Casino Royale by David Arnold (Independence Day)

About the film: Having recently obtained '007' status, James Bond (Daniel Craig) must enter a high-stakes poker game, preventing banker Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) from winning and, thus, continuing the funding of terrorist activity. This is an exceptional origin story, with superb action set pieces, a well-tuned performance from Craig and strong doses of humor and heart, perfectly assembled by Martin Campbell (GoldenEye).

Title: "You Know My Name". Not only does the song make a terrific Bond theme, but Arnold's interpolations of it in the score are as peerless as anything in Barry's works. Whether as a pulse-pounding action motif ("African Rundown", "Miami International") or as a sweeping travelogue melody ("I'm the Money", "Blunt Instrument", "Aston Montenegro"), it rouses you fully.

Other themes of interest: A wafting string melody heralds the beautiful "Solange", reprised in the tense "Trip Aces" (with string work reminiscent of the darker parts of The Living Daylights). A feather-light piano touches off a gorgeous theme for Bond's relationship with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), appearing in "Dinner Jackets", "Vesper" and "City of Lovers". The legendary Monty Norman theme is hinted at throughout the score, but gets its fullest airing at the finale (for obvious reasons; see the film).

Availability: The lion's share of the score was released on Sony Classical. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room for the song, available as a single. (For the truly curious, the remaining thirteen minutes is available at iTunes.)