Top 74 Film Scores of All Time! (or rather, my personal favorite 74 film scores of all time)
July 17, 2007
“Just yesterday morning” (insert James Taylor’s voice) I had the idea of doing a post on my top ten favorite movie soundtracks. Perhaps I was inspired by the forthcoming Bri-Bri’s B-Ratings. I realized right away just how difficult this would be. How does one choose only ten? It’s like trying to order at Taco Bell when you’re really hungry. There’s just too much goodness out there (and badness, too). So I decided to be excessive, to cast my net as deep and wide as I could manage; thus was born the Top 74 Film Scores of All Time!
Why seventy-four, you may ask? None of your dang business why! Now let’s get to it.
How did I choose my favorites? Most of this is arbitrary (I chose the music that I happen to like, of course); but I also think there are some technical aspects involved in the decision-making.
-Cohesiveness. I look for the appropriateness of the music for the film. How well does it blend with the other elements (story, characters, themes, direction, action, etc.)? The music shouldn’t be too distracting. It should enhance a scene, not draw attention to itself. This is regardless of whether the composer has written twenty different musical motifs or just one. In addition, how does the music hold up as a full body of work, apart from the movie. How do certain themes or sounds relate to one another in different parts of the movie? This is subtle. And some composers accomplish it masterfully.
-Pathos. I am interested in the emotional power of the music. Does it really make me feel for the characters? Does it bring the major themes to life? Does it draw me into the atmosphere of a particular scene?
-Orchestration. This seems to be the trickiest of musical sciences, yet the most fun and entertaining. I’m looking at how the composer utilizes his instruments, whether it be a solo cello or a massive orchestra with twelve choirs singing in Elvish and a rocket launcher.
-Overall Impact. Was the music powerful/beautiful enough to leave a lasting imprint? Will I be humming it in the bathroom for years to come?
Please keep in mind that I’ve only included films I’ve seen. You may be screaming, ‘How on earth could he have forgotten to include this one?!’ Feel free to drop comments along the way, especially if you feel I’ve left something out. But be patient. Your favorite film might show up later. I am quite sure I will have forgotten many great ones by the end, and I will be kicking myself later.
“But hey, enough of my yacking.”
The first installment is coming soon. Stand by….
Spinal Tap. Now – my dollar?
Dangit! Alright, next time I see you I’ll give you a dollar. Or I’ll just buy you in for 1/5 of a poker game.
I can’t believe you even know 74 film scores. That’s amazing. I just hope the Forrest Gump suite is in there somewhere.
Forest Gump…oh, it’s in there for sure.
Spinal Tap isn’t though. Sorry Luke. Songs like “Stone Henge” and “Hell Hole” are just so good they transcend the list.
You stole my dollar-reward-for-identifying-the-movie-quote idea too. I’m sure no one else has ever done that in a periodical/publication anywhere ever before me.
I was going to do one of my famous Top Fivers on film scores, but it may not be relevant now. I’ll probably just have to make it more specific, like “Top Five Movie Scores To Learn On Guitar”, to still be relevant after your soon-to-come comprehensive list.
You know a soundtrack is good if they use it in other trailers, like the soundtrack to Forrest Gump. I swear I’ve heard that one on like 15 trailers, a dozen commercials, and 3 or 4 computer games. Just kidding on that last one.
Not to get to far ahead here, but I’m gonna do what Art did and cast my premature vote for the soundtrack to A Beautiful Mind. Anyone who says that’s not a good soundtrack probably liked Tomb Raider and A Knight’s Tale.
Sorry Brian. I shouldn’t have sho shamefully shtolen your dollar idea. It’ll never happen again. I promise. Here I am, shtealing all your great ideas, claiming them as my own. And what do you do? You turn around and make an awesome post about my new blog. Thanks, dude.
Props on the “Dragons Bury” reference. How do you remember this stuff? It kinda scares me sometimes.
And are you telling me I have to add “A Beautiful Mind” to my list? Aaargh! I only saw it once with multiple interruptions and I don’t remember anything about it. Crap.
Something wrong with Tomb Raider?!? Sacrilege!
JONATHAN EPHRAIM DAVID WEY.
I used BOTH of your middle names for leaving A Beautiful Mind off your list. However, I realize that having not really seen the whole movie is a valid excuse, as you did preface your countdown with the fact that these are only the movies you’ve actually seen.
I would STRONGLY encourage you either go purchase the soundtrack (James Horner) or the movie (Ron Howard) and listen/watch to see what I mean. I actually own the soundtrack and I’ll try to remember to bring it over sometime. It is my favorite soundtrack of all time. (I believe it was up against, and lost to, LOTR #1 for an academy award for best original score, not that that actually means anything to me).
In summary, I won’t be offended if it’s not on your list since you haven’t seen the whole movie through. I’ll let it slip… this time.
LOL Luke. I stand by my statement.
If I get a chance to listen to it before I finish posting my list, I *may* consider throwing it in there. That is, if it is worthy….
Well, fellas, and Jon, I believe I should get a dollar for naming the number one soundtrack on his list before it has even come to bloom. Braveheart, boys, Braveheart. It’s not because I’m moving there, or because I have a mancrush on Mel Gibson. (Wait, did I just say that? Dang it….) It is a simple fact, such as two plus two equals four and a half, that Braveheart is the greatest of all time. Let’s go by Jon’s standards: Cohesiveness… umm… yeah…. hold on, I’ll think of something…. Ok, so I’ll let Jon tell you why it’s the greatest, but either way, I get a dollar. Who’s gonna give it to me?
Is Caleb correct? I can’t give that away just yet. There is a very clear #1 in my mind. All I can say is…right or wrong, he may have hit very close to the mark. Very close indeed….
Mwoohahahaha! >:^)
That was my favorite of all time until I heard A Beautiful Mind. Same composer I guess.
Yeah, everything about Braveheart is the best. Hey, I don’t think it’s technically a movie score, but what’s that song that uses like heavy choral music and it’s always in previews for really intense scenes and goes like, “BUM BUM bum bum….BUM BUM bum bum…BUM BUM BUM BUM BUM BUUUM BUUUMM.” Then moves up like a fifth or something and repeats. It’s like Das Boot or something. Anyways, I hop you start with number 74 and move your way up to number one to build suspense. Of course, I won’t have a clue what you’re talking about till you get to like number 3, but I’m still looking forward to this.
Hey Arthur, that’s Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. An awesome choral piece (we actually did it my junior year in high school). That famous first movement has been used in all kinds of movies including “Excalibur” in the climactic battle sequence. Yes, I will be starting with 74 and moving down to the glory of #1. In fact, that first installment should be up a little later today (hopefully)
OMG, dude just named the piece and the author simply by reading a bunch of BUM BUMs. He’s a genius I tell you.
Well, not really Brian. There is only one piece that he could have been talking about. It’s so famous but most people don’t know the name of it. I remember when I first heard it in high school and I was like, ‘Whoa. I’ve heard that on a commercial somewhere before.” Once you hear it you never forget it. It’s probably the most quoted choral piece today (that I can think of)
Whatever, stop being humble. The dude is a genius.
[...] Not since Dragons Buried on High have we been privileged with such an uninhibited glimpse into such a unique mind. He is a MUCH better writer than I (I’m talking LITS here) and you can tell that he meticulously prepares each and every post. I was blown away with his From Ancient Greece to John Williams: Music Has Always Been the Same post, and I’m looking forward to his post on theTop 74 Film Scores of All Time. [...]