Just wanted to take a moment to give tribute to my favorite three songs that AREN’T Bright Eyes from the marvelous soundtrack to Watership Down, and the scenes these songs were used in.
- Climbing the Down - This song was just too perfect for the scene it was used for. It goes so quickly from being almost sorrowful to bright and triumphant. It really illustrates the point that by the time they had reached the down, their old home was completely gone, almost everyone who was stopped from escaping by the Sandleford Owsla had died, they had lost their only doe and Holly’s ears had been torn to ribbons by the Efrafans, but it didn’t matter in the end because they made it. They got just where they wanted to go and they made it there alive.
- Kehaar’s Theme - Kehaar was always one of my favorite characters and his song suits him absolutely perfectly. I’m not quite sure what it is I like so much about this song but it always gives me such a lofty, nostalgic feeling. I also enjoy how different this song seemed compared to the rest of the tracks (probably because he was, indeed, a seagull living in a rabbit warren). When I hear that clarinet I feel like I should be soaring over the ocean too.
- Fiver’s Vision - I love how vividly and interestingly they illustrated Fiver’s visions in the movie. The very first time I heard this song without the visuals to go to it, all sorts of dark imagery flooded my mind and it sent chills down my spine to think just how well this song could go with a wide variety of scenarios. In all, this song always had a special place in my heart because it’s just so disturbingly beautiful.
I excluded Bright Eyes because even if it’s my absolute favorite, it’s the most recognized song on the soundtrack and I wanted to give shout-outs to the less-known songs used in other parts of the movie.
