Top Film Scores: 20-11

As my brother would often say, “It’s getting crucial!” Yes, we are getting down into the thick of it now. I’ll be relieved when this whole messy business is over with. But then what am I going to write about? What tale will be told when this endless list has run its rugged course?

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20. E.T.: The Extraterrestrial (1982), John Williams. A classic. There are so many endearing moments in this film that have since become icons of the industry (e.g. boy riding bicycle across full moon). Likewise, there are many wonderful and memorable musical treasures in this rich score. For instance, the moment Elliott and E.T. finally meet in the boy’s house, and the heart-racing bike race at the climax. The comments that I made about Hook earlier apply here just as well. Williams has captured the magic once again.

19. Dr. Zhivago (1965), Maurice Jarre. This film makes it so far down the list due in large part to the unforgettable theme song of Zhivago, played so ravishingly on the balalaika. Zhivago is a dreamer and a romantic, caught in a time of war and brutality in Russia. He is a surgeon in life, but a poet in his heart. Being surrounded by the brutality of the Revolution, he willingly throws himself into harm’s way to save the lives of many by his trade, a true humanitarian and hero. But in his heart he is an artist and a romantic, and often his mind strays away to a beautiful place that no one can touch. This is underscorred by the arrival of the trilling balalaika and the swooping strings. At times we find him wandering through a snowy field, lost in the beautiful landscape of his mind; but the music fades as he is jolted back to real life. Zhivago is torn between the fidelity to his wife and child and his love for the poor woman Lara, who brings out the passion in him. It is a beautiful and sad tale, told so poignantly by the peerless David Lean; Omar Sharif masters the role of Zhivago, a character brought vividly to life by the dreamy and melancholic melody which so fittingly represents his inner world.

18. Contact (1997), Alan Silvestri. What do you know? Another Zemeckis/Silvestri collaboration. This one is my favorite I think. The main theme is quite similar to both “Cast Away” and “Forrest Gump” (typical Silvestri style); but the theme that draws my attention more than any other is a very simple sequence of chords in the strings. It appears at critical moments in Ellie’s journey, bringing her both comfort and familiarity in times of agitation and disappointment. The theme must have struck me quite profoundly because I woke up one morning and played something like it on the piano; I didn’t know where I had heard it and so I thought I had written it. My excitement was matched only by my disappointment as I realized much later on where it turly came from. There is a lot to love visually about this movie and perhaps that is another reason why it made it this far down the list; but the music is subtle and unobtrusive, and in this way it fits the story perfectly, highlighting the very poignant and striking moments.

17. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), John Williams. This is one of the most recognizable scores from Williams (and that’s saying a lot!) There are so many great themes that both bring the characters to life and accompany exciting action sequences. Of the three films in the series this one’s my favorite all around. Just to name a few…there is a majestic and mysterious “grail” theme, the “Nazi” theme and an exciting passage in the beginning of the film where Indy’s motor boat is nearly chopped to pieces by the propeller of a larger boat in the canals of Venice. (I am sure that Brian could say much more about the music than I could. Maybe he could do a post on it some time???).

17a. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). “Snakes…why did it have to be snakes?”

17b. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Er . . . the black sheep of the trilogy.

16. The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Randy Edelman and Trevor Jones. I am surprised that I haven’t seen these names on more films (maybe I just don’t pay close enough attention). The theme of this movie is unforgettable and it gets into your head inevitably. We hear the same strains over and over again, whether it be a love scene or a battle sequence; yet it never grows tiring. It has become so engrained in our haeds by the end of the film, that we only have to hear the bass line (without melody) to recognize it in the last sequence, as Hawkeye vanquishes his foes and saves the damsel in distress (gotta love it). There is also a nice number in the middle of the film, “I Will Find You” performed by Clannad (Enya’s sister’s band from Ireland in case you were wondering).

15. Gladiator (2000), Hans Zimmer. This is my favorite Zimmer score. When I first saw it in the theatre, heard the guitar introducing Maximus and the ensuing battle with the German hordes, I knew that both the movie and the music were going to be awesome. There are a lot of themes to love–Commodus’ royal entry into Rome, the Gladiator’s theme itself (often sung by a woman’s voice), and a very impressive strings passage that accompanies Commodus’ ghastly murder of his father.

14. What Dreams May Come (1998), Michael Kamen. I was blown away by this film. It may not line up exactly with my own beliefs about the afterlife, but the story is incredible and the imagery is just as astounding. One of the greatest and most pleasant surprises for me was the music. It is sad that Kamen has passed away at a seemingly young age, and we won’t get to hear his music ever again. Having listened to the soundtrack many times apart from the movie, it is clear that this work stands on its own as a musical masterpiece. Kamen takes us from the heights of ectasy as Robin Williams’ character fairly flies through a paradise of delight–his own creation–and into the very depths of hell as he travels across a dark ocean filled with the bodies of the dead, and goes even deeper into the Underworld through a sunken upside-down cathedral to rescue his wife from the shackles of eternal despair and damnation. Like I said, I don’t agree with a lot of the religious implications; but the music is truly incredible, in as much as it brings to life some of the most vivid and imaginative places I have ever seen on the movie screen.

13. The Princess Bride (1987), Mark Knopfler. This film is one of my all-time favorites. It is the most charming of tales, a perfect blend of humor and heroism, grandeur and simplicity. What is amazing to me is that there are only a very few musical themes in the movie; even more amazingly, they are mostly midi-synthesized. As far as I know, the great bulk of the score is not even recorded by a professional orchestra; what we hear is a synthesizer! Yet somehow, it seems fitting that it should be this way. As you wish. To have the real thing would somehow make it too…real. Gosh, does that even make sense? There is a noticably large amount of guitar in the score, and I’m sure that is in large part due to the fact that the composer is an accomplished guitarist and has written a lot of music for the instrument outside of film.

12. First Knight (1995), Jerry Goldsmith. Originally, I thought this score would make my Top 10; but then I started thinking of so many other films out there and this whole silly ‘74′ business came about. Oh well. Guinivere’s theme is one the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard in a movie. Then there is the grandeur of Camelot brought on by the brass fanfare, the menacing trombones of Malagant, and the wistful, transcendent music that accompanies Arthur’s body to sea. The legend of King Arthur has always been one of my favorite tales, and while this version of the story may not be the most accurate, the movie is still one of my favorites.

11. Jurrasic Park (1993), John Williams. There is a LOT to say about this film, and I don’t even know where to begin.

Let’s start with the main theme. It gives us a sense of both the immense power and the otherworldy beauty of the dinosaurs. We hear it in many different instances, either as a triumphant outburst (full orchestra with choir) as Dr. Grant sees the brachiosaurs for the first time, or very quietly in a rich bed of low strings.

Other nice musical moments: the scene with the dying triceratops; the vehicles arriving at the Visitor’s Center for the first time; Dennis Nedry stealing the embryos from the cryogenically frozen containers; the many suspensful action sequences toward the end; and the percussive ‘thumps’ followed by choir ‘Aaaaahs’ at the opening credits.

From an orchestrational stand point, I think this is arguably Williams most impressive work (and that is *certainly* saying a lot). There are many hints of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring”, especially in action sequences when a character is running from a vicious velociraptor. There is a lovely little scene in the midst of the film when John Hammond and Ellie Sattler sit over icecream in the cafeteria. A sad little piano waltz plays in the background as Hammond reminisces his wonder at seeing the flea circus as an innocent child.

Like I said, there really is too much to say about how awesome this film is, and I wish I could tell more without boring you. But hold on, we’re not quite done with Williams. Not yet….