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Now that I’ve counted down my top 50 film scores over ten weeks, here’s the full list for easy reference, counting down from #50 to #1. Each one has a link to the video used in the earlier posts. As prolific as film composers are, there will no doubt be additions to this list somewhere in the future; plus, the more films I see, the more exposure I’ll have to great movie music. If anyone has a recommendation, feel free to comment!
Being the list maniac I am, this is only the first (or technically, second) of many. As much as I love music and movies, a good countdown is inevitable, but that is another list and shall be told another time.
Batman – Danny Elfman/ The Dark Knight Trilogy – Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard
Sunshine – John Murphy
Hoosiers – Jerry Goldsmith Part 1
Gladiator – Hans Zimmer/Lisa Gerrard
Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Jerry Goldsmith/ Star Trek – Michael Giacchino
Glory – James Horner
Requiem for a Dream – Clint Mansell
Elizabeth: The Golden Age — Craig Armstrong/A.R. Rahman Part 2
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey – Bruce Broughton
Ruby Sparks – Nick Urata
Backdraft – Hans Zimmer
Schindler’s List – John Williams
The Terminator – Brad Fiedel Part 3
Rudy – Jerry Goldsmith
The Last of the Mohicans – Trevor Jones/Randy Edelman
Superman – John Williams
Wuthering Heights – Michel Legrand Part 4
The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos – The Cinematic Orchestra
The Hobbit Trilogy – Howard Shore
Inception – Hans Zimmer
Driving Miss Daisy – Hans Zimmer
The Incredibles – Michael Giacchino
The Mummy Returns – Jerry Goldsmith Part 5
The Avengers – Alan Silvestri
Treasure Planet – James Newton Howard
National Treasure 1 & 2 – Trevor Rabin
Elizabethtown – Nancy Wilson
Chariots of Fire – Vangelis Part 6
Dinosaur – James Newton Howard
Jane Eyre (1970) – John Williams
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – John Williams
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas – Harry Gregson-Williams
Cast Away – Alan Silvestri Part 7
Home Alone – John Williams
Back to the Future –Alan Silvestri
Out of Africa – John Barry
Sherlock Holmes – Hans Zimmer
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – Michael Kamen Part 8
The Piano – Michael Nyman
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind – Joe Hisaishi
Titanic – James Horner
Forrest Gump – Alan Silvestri
Jurassic Park – John Williams Part 9
How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell/Harry Gregson-Williams
The Chronicles of Narnia – Harry Gregson-Williams
Laputa: Castle in the Sky – Joe Hisaishi
Indiana Jones films – John Williams
Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy – Klaus Badelt/Hans Zimmer Part 10
Star Wars Saga – John Williams
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Howard Shore
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
A Beautiful Mind (James Horner)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Nick Cave/Warren Ellis)
Avatar (James Horner)
Braveheart (James Horner)
Chicken Run (John Powell/Harry Gregson-Williams)
The Cider House Rules (Rachel Portman)
Dances with Wolves (John Barry)
Doctor Zhivago (Maurice Jarre)
Gone with the Wind (Max Steiner)
The Great Escape (Elmer Bernstein)
Hook (John Williams)
The Horse Whisperer (Thomas Newman)
The Hours (Philip Glass)
The Hunger Games (James Newton Howard)
Like Crazy (Dustin O’Halloran)
The Neverending Story (Klaus Doldinger/Giorgio Moroder)
The Shawshank Redemption (Thomas Newman)
The Thin Red Line (Hans Zimmer)
Thor: The Dark World (Brian Tyler)
The Truman Show (Philip Glass)
The Village (James Newton Howard) (The more I listen to this one, the more I think it probably should have been #50.)
Up (Michael Giacchino)
I love that HTTYD is on there but if you want to check out a really great score from a movie that almost no one remembers, check out THIS.
Wow, that is magical. I’ve never really had much desire to see this, but I do like the whimsy of the score.
Check it out sometime, I highly reccommend it.
Love this list! Great to see recognition for such powerful works, like Requiem for a Dream, Titanic, The Piano and Laputa! But…where’s Atonement? Marianelli is one of the greatest composers working today. He should be on there for one of his works, whether it be Atonement or Anna Karenina or Pride and Prejudice. His work is magic.
Thanks, Andrew! I actually haven’t seen any of those Marianelli films yet, but from the snippets of the scores I’ve heard, they are lovely, like something the old classical masters would compose.
great to see this in list form! dont think I could ever compile a list like this 😦
Come now, you must have some favorites. Even a top 5?
Lots of favs!