The Music of the Movie

American soundtrack German soundtrack French Soundtrack Japanese soundtrack Further soundtracks Klaus Doldinger

The original soundtrack for the German version of the Neverending Story was arranged, directed and produced and composed by Mr. Klaus Doldinger. Doldinger already was very experienced on soundtracks at this time. The best example is movie "The Boat" produced two years before. And I think that also for the Neverending Story an optimal music was created.

I think it's especially interesting that every situation owns a specific melody, although so many melodies aren't used at all. That speaks for its moving impression. In such a way, there are a thrilling melody (e.g. in the Howling Forest), a triumphal melody (e.g. in the flight scenes), a music for sadness (e.g. in the swamps) and a melody for solemnities (e.g. the hand over of the Auryn). Even further musics are played, I do not consider them as decisive as these four. Unfortunately on the Soundtrack CD one melody is not published. Namely it is this one that is played in the movie, when Atreyu went away from Falcor to the cave of Engywuk and Urgl.

For the triumphal melody another remarkable point exists in my eyes. This melody is played in the movie (without the end) exactly three times. In the flight scenes (with both Atreyu and Bastian on Falcor) and in the end of the film we hear the melody played by the strings and emphasized by the blowers. In the scene, in which Atreyu rides on Artax to save fantasia the roles are exchanged. The blowers give the melody and that strings put the accents.

There is another soundtrack in the American version. There the pop singer Limahl give his best. But in my opinion the title music by Mr. Doldinger harmonize simply better with the movie.

It's really interesting how many different international soundtracks and singles were released: