If you really listen to the very first moments of the opening music, and if you know something of music, then you'll immediately recognize that the Composer (Dmitri Tiomkin ) was not messing around with THIS score. Tiomkin wrote a beautifully impending theme, internally driven, colored with adventure, suspended by taught phrases, and completely in line, and easily telling, of the quality of everything about this movie. ( My thought was that if Tiomkin wasn't messing around, no one else would be messing around either. This movie HAS IT ALL. )
When I heard those first opening passages, especially the quiet and complex timpani part, then I knew I was in for a really OUTSTANDING FILM. So, right then, I put off an important meeting, because I felt the movie would be as good as the music score. If you encounter this movie, put off anything else, except medical emergencies, and WATCH THIS MOVIE. ! !
Life's too short to miss this one, so watch it - NOW ! Yes, NOW !