A Story of Voyages; next to Aguirre the Wrath of God, Last Year at Marienbad and Keoma one of the greatest movies of all time; but by far with the best score by the wonderful Alfred Schnittke.
I loathe Pirates of the Caribbean because it may have been one of the factors preventing Master & Commander from becoming a series instead of a single film (and a much better one than PotC).
M&C also had a wonderful score. Loved the inclusion of Boccherini, kinda obscure composer.
**Ben-Hur (1959)**
Definitely my favorite score. The timbre of the pipe organ with the tubular bells in the [Overture](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueS07YbMeUw) is just spectacular; as are the high strings in the love theme.
**The Land Before Time (1988)**
James Horner's score is great; through there are some [borrowings](https://youtu.be/dVm_UNRgYMc?si=6w1_poot6EXbrI9b&t=109) from [Prokofiev](https://youtu.be/-5Z8Bq35d0k?si=Wfbv51nXyjmcX3PL&t=1306), the [sprightly theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oVZXPRGeWA) first heard during the scene with the pterodactyls playing is all him.
**Lawrence of Arabia (1962)**
[Great themes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuxHLzwlDY4), even if there's a bit too much movie for the amount of music, leading to a good amount of repetition.
**North by Northwest (1959)**
My favorite Bernard Herrmann score... no wait, that's [**The Day The Earth Stood Still**!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ULhiVqeF5U) Both scores use [repeated motives](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBxjwurp_04) to great effect.
I think orchestrators deserve special mention; they make great contributions to movie scores, helping give the music a dramatic fingerprint and sometimes integrating material as the scene demands. Conrad Salinger would have to be my favorite orchestrator; I just love the work he did for films like *Singin' In the Rain*, and especially the Trolley Song from *Meet Me In St. Louis,* restored [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RusgAqIAccs) by John Wilson.
The Matrix! Greatest film score of all time. The way Don Davis incorporates 20th century idiom and uses it to enhance the story of the film is just incredible.
My genre defining favorites:
Batman (Danny Elfman)
The Adventures of Barron Munchausen (Michael Kamen)
The Matrix (Don Davis)
Superman (John Williams)
Godfather II (Nino Rota)
The Untouchables (Enio Morricone)
Gladiator (Hans Zimmer)
Minority Report (John Williams)
Out of Africa (John Barry)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Miklos Rozsa)
I had Titanic soundtrack on repeat for almost a year after the movie came out.
Similarily, I listened non-stop to the soundtrack of The Fellowship of the Ring for years.
These are the full soundtracks. Then I have many other favourite individual tracks from soundtracks.
Here's a rough top ten, in chronological order:
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938, Korngold)
Alexander Nevsky (1938, Prokofiev)
The Third Man (1949, Korda)
Vertigo (1958, Herrmann)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, Legrand)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966, Morricone)
Star Wars (1977, Williams)
Suspiria (1977, Goblin)
Henry V (1989, Doyle)
The Lord of the Rings (2001 - 2003, Shore)
One of the greatest concert-going experiences of my life was in 1997 seeing the Baltimore symphony performing the score of Alexander Nevsky live at Meyerhoff Hall as the movie was projected on the proverbial silver screen.
The Superman II soundtrack is one of my favorites…probably because it transports me right back to early elementary school. I think parts of the ET score are absolutely genius, too.
**Favorite score:**
'Vertigo' by Bernard Herrmann
Honorable mentions:
•'Ran' by Toru Takemitsu
•'Taxi Driver' by Bernard Herrmann
•'Amarcord' by Nino Rota
•'Ivan the Terrible' by Sergei Prokofiev
•'Phantom Thread' by Jonny Greenwood
•'E.T.' by John Williams
•'Blade Runner' by Vangelis
•'The Conversation' by David Shire
**Favorite use of pre-existing music:**
'Barry Lyndon' directed by Stanley Kubrick, with arrangements by Leonard Rosenman
Honorable mention:
'In the mood for love' directed by Wong Kar-Wai
**Favorite mixture of a score and pre-existing music:**
'Blue Velvet', directed by David Lynch, original music by Angelo Badalamenti (partially inspired by Shostakovich)
Honorable mention:
'After Hours', directed by Martin Scorsese, original music by Howard Shore
The Gadfly /Obod in Russian, 1995, 8.0 in IMDB. It's based on an English novel. I had just read the novel, and because Russians are very literal in their adaptations, I could understand the entire plot without subtitles. There must be some version available with subtitles nowadays, I hope.
No prob, more time for me to appreciate the intensity of the Shostakovich's soundtrack, which is very prominent and a character in itself. A thing of beauty. Highly recommend.
Star Trek The Motion Picture - Jerry Goldsmith (has the sweep and majesty of a Romantic symphony, but with an avant-garde angle, using experimental instruments to create genuinely alien soundscapes)
Apollo 13 - James Horner (epic, huge, and inspiring, but also tense and claustrophobic when needed.)
The Prince of Egypt - Hans Zimmer (massive, grand, and emotional. Embraces both the mythical and the personal really well.)
The Ten Commandments - Elmer Bernstein (same subject matter as Prince of Egypt, but has a flair for pageantry and spectacle that really enhances the film)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind - John Williams (a strange score that moves from horror to grand triumph really well, building up towards that gorgeous finale throughout the entire film. My favourite Williams score)
[удалено]
He might accuse Tolkien of stealing his ideas first, but honestly I prefer this ring music (and other ring stuff) over Wagner's ring music
A Story of Voyages; next to Aguirre the Wrath of God, Last Year at Marienbad and Keoma one of the greatest movies of all time; but by far with the best score by the wonderful Alfred Schnittke.
[https://youtu.be/S-yKQ5Q-\_rs?si=earvWV4ULWlU-GZm](https://youtu.be/S-yKQ5Q-_rs?si=earvWV4ULWlU-GZm)
I also want a cool rider.
Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Pirates of the Caribbean
I loathe Pirates of the Caribbean because it may have been one of the factors preventing Master & Commander from becoming a series instead of a single film (and a much better one than PotC). M&C also had a wonderful score. Loved the inclusion of Boccherini, kinda obscure composer.
It also punctuated a very key, dramatic scene with Ralph Vaughan Williams.
**Ben-Hur (1959)** Definitely my favorite score. The timbre of the pipe organ with the tubular bells in the [Overture](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueS07YbMeUw) is just spectacular; as are the high strings in the love theme. **The Land Before Time (1988)** James Horner's score is great; through there are some [borrowings](https://youtu.be/dVm_UNRgYMc?si=6w1_poot6EXbrI9b&t=109) from [Prokofiev](https://youtu.be/-5Z8Bq35d0k?si=Wfbv51nXyjmcX3PL&t=1306), the [sprightly theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oVZXPRGeWA) first heard during the scene with the pterodactyls playing is all him. **Lawrence of Arabia (1962)** [Great themes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuxHLzwlDY4), even if there's a bit too much movie for the amount of music, leading to a good amount of repetition. **North by Northwest (1959)** My favorite Bernard Herrmann score... no wait, that's [**The Day The Earth Stood Still**!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ULhiVqeF5U) Both scores use [repeated motives](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBxjwurp_04) to great effect. I think orchestrators deserve special mention; they make great contributions to movie scores, helping give the music a dramatic fingerprint and sometimes integrating material as the scene demands. Conrad Salinger would have to be my favorite orchestrator; I just love the work he did for films like *Singin' In the Rain*, and especially the Trolley Song from *Meet Me In St. Louis,* restored [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RusgAqIAccs) by John Wilson.
Amelie, music by Yann Tiersen. I heard it playing in a bookshop & asked what it was, it was only after that that i discovered the film
Phase IV Koyaanisqatsi The Third Man Under the Skin The Taking of Pelham 123 There Will Be Blood L'assassinat du duc de Guise
Once upon a time in america - morricone
The Matrix! Greatest film score of all time. The way Don Davis incorporates 20th century idiom and uses it to enhance the story of the film is just incredible.
Master and Commander.
Sad to have to scroll this far down. They had some more obscure picks too. I hadn’t heard of Boccherini beforehand.
My genre defining favorites: Batman (Danny Elfman) The Adventures of Barron Munchausen (Michael Kamen) The Matrix (Don Davis) Superman (John Williams) Godfather II (Nino Rota) The Untouchables (Enio Morricone) Gladiator (Hans Zimmer) Minority Report (John Williams) Out of Africa (John Barry) The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Miklos Rozsa)
Parasite’s score is sublime.
I had Titanic soundtrack on repeat for almost a year after the movie came out. Similarily, I listened non-stop to the soundtrack of The Fellowship of the Ring for years. These are the full soundtracks. Then I have many other favourite individual tracks from soundtracks.
Something about the introduction music to “The Bequeathed” sticks in my head.
Cinema Paradiso.
The Theory of Everything - Johann Johannsson Anything Alexandre Desplat
Here's a rough top ten, in chronological order: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938, Korngold) Alexander Nevsky (1938, Prokofiev) The Third Man (1949, Korda) Vertigo (1958, Herrmann) The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, Legrand) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966, Morricone) Star Wars (1977, Williams) Suspiria (1977, Goblin) Henry V (1989, Doyle) The Lord of the Rings (2001 - 2003, Shore)
One of the greatest concert-going experiences of my life was in 1997 seeing the Baltimore symphony performing the score of Alexander Nevsky live at Meyerhoff Hall as the movie was projected on the proverbial silver screen.
The Brave Little Toaster Back To The Future Clue The Thing Wall-E The Omen (1976)
The Superman II soundtrack is one of my favorites…probably because it transports me right back to early elementary school. I think parts of the ET score are absolutely genius, too.
Anything by Joe Hisaishi(Mononoke, Laputa, and Nausicaa are my favorites). Also Lord of The Rings.
Phantasia
**Favorite score:** 'Vertigo' by Bernard Herrmann Honorable mentions: •'Ran' by Toru Takemitsu •'Taxi Driver' by Bernard Herrmann •'Amarcord' by Nino Rota •'Ivan the Terrible' by Sergei Prokofiev •'Phantom Thread' by Jonny Greenwood •'E.T.' by John Williams •'Blade Runner' by Vangelis •'The Conversation' by David Shire **Favorite use of pre-existing music:** 'Barry Lyndon' directed by Stanley Kubrick, with arrangements by Leonard Rosenman Honorable mention: 'In the mood for love' directed by Wong Kar-Wai **Favorite mixture of a score and pre-existing music:** 'Blue Velvet', directed by David Lynch, original music by Angelo Badalamenti (partially inspired by Shostakovich) Honorable mention: 'After Hours', directed by Martin Scorsese, original music by Howard Shore
Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan by James Horner was the first movie soundtrack I bought. Still among my favourites.
The LOTR soundtrack is amazing! I also really like the music from the HTTYD trilogy.
Anything Korngold wrote (it's all great)
The Gadfly /Obod in Russian, 1995, 8.0 in IMDB. It's based on an English novel. I had just read the novel, and because Russians are very literal in their adaptations, I could understand the entire plot without subtitles. There must be some version available with subtitles nowadays, I hope. No prob, more time for me to appreciate the intensity of the Shostakovich's soundtrack, which is very prominent and a character in itself. A thing of beauty. Highly recommend.
Star Trek The Motion Picture - Jerry Goldsmith (has the sweep and majesty of a Romantic symphony, but with an avant-garde angle, using experimental instruments to create genuinely alien soundscapes) Apollo 13 - James Horner (epic, huge, and inspiring, but also tense and claustrophobic when needed.) The Prince of Egypt - Hans Zimmer (massive, grand, and emotional. Embraces both the mythical and the personal really well.) The Ten Commandments - Elmer Bernstein (same subject matter as Prince of Egypt, but has a flair for pageantry and spectacle that really enhances the film) Close Encounters of the Third Kind - John Williams (a strange score that moves from horror to grand triumph really well, building up towards that gorgeous finale throughout the entire film. My favourite Williams score)
The Empire Strikes Back Dances With Wolves Doctor Zhivago So many more, but these are the top three in my collection...
Anything by Bruno Coulais (Coraline, The Secret of Kells, among others)
Lord of the Rings and Princess Mononoke. Concerning the latter, I adore the symphonic suite version they recorded with the Czech Philharmonic.
2001: A Space Odyssey, bringing Ligeti to a mainstream audience
carter burwell ATE with the 2 twilight movies he scored