One can honestly say that Jonathan Demme's 1993 film 'Philadelphia' was groundbreaking. For his role as Andrew Beckett, Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the song "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

This snapshot is comprised of three scenes, with the first showcasing Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia. The second features Maria Callas singing "La Mamma Morta", which is from the opera Andrea Chénier, composed by Umberto Giordano with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The third scene is at the end of the film with Neil Young singing "Philadelphia".

All three of these scenes are uniquely powerful. "La Mamma Morta" is a scene that is indescribable because of the way it is acted by both Hanks and Washington, but also shot, lit, and edited. It's a beautiful moment when Beckett (Hanks) diverges from a conversation about his case to be in the moment with the music, and describing it in detail to D. Washington. Washington, in turn, finally sees into Hanks (through the music), and finally shows true empathy by being emotionally transformed. The scene alone is Oscar-worthy. The end of the film is tragic, but also beautiful, and we feel that Neil Young's musical genius brings this out perfectly. This is a truly incredible film, and worth the watch if you haven't seen it.
Where to watch: https://letterboxd.com/film/philadelphia/
Listen to the soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/album/7EpzUNDXiDs0OJT4JERRYa?si=wBnEhFLET-qmSXhVrD-T_w

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Every Monday and Wednesday, SCORE CUE SNAPSHOTS brings you iconic scenes married to the corresponding score cue without dialogue and SFX, thus allowing anyone to appreciate how the score works with what you see unfold on-screen.