Truly outstanding scores draw you in and help suspend your disbelief. They can make you piss your pants one moment and sob your eyes out the next. Rousing tracks can make you shake in your seat during spectacular battle sequences, and soaring and heroic themes can make you want to jump up and roar in excitement. Don't agree? Then try watching this - the final scene of Star Wars: A New Hope, sans music:
Pretty painful, eh?
As someone who thinks music is one of, if not THE most important aspects of a good film, I spend a lot of time paying attention to soundtracks and scores. There are countless scores that I come back to again and again, and for good reason. I've considered doing a post like this for a while. A few caveats:
1. I've included original scores only. Some movies have fantastic soundtracks comprised of other songs and pieces, but for the purposes of this list I've only selected movies with all-original music. Sadly, this rules out pretty much every Stanley Kubrick film, as well as a ton of other contemporary classics, such as Pulp Fiction. As fantastic as Mozart's music is, I can't put Amadeus on the list. Francis Ford Coppola's use of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse Now may be the single most epic use of music in film that I've ever seen, but it's not original, and thus not included either.
2. I've limited composers to one position each. Composers like John Williams, Bernard Hermann, and Miklos Rosza have written countless memorable scores, but for the purposes of this list they can only get one spot.
3. I also haven't included any TV scores (of which there are many fantastic examples). If they were in the running, Cowboy Bebop would easily grab the first place spot. Seriously, I have never heard a more diverse and incredible score in my life. Attack on Titan would probably be pretty high up there too.
4. This list is entirely based on personal preference. While scores like Psycho and Jaws are certainly iconic, I don't listen to them for fun very often, and so they aren't on my list.
5. Finally, no Leonard Bernstein. Scores like On The Waterfront and West Side Story that were later turned into concert pieces will not appear on this list, as they are not solely film scores any more in my book.
So without further adieu, I present my top ten favorite movie scores of all time.
10 - Requiem for a Dream (2000) - Clint Mansell
Sadly, the main theme of this film has become so popular and served as background music for so many Youtube videos that many people are completely unaware of where it originally came from. Requiem is certainly one of the most disturbing films you'll ever see, in large part due to its creepy and hypnotic score. Composed by the talented Clint Mansell (who has collaborated with director Darren Aronofsky on all of his films) and featuring the world-famous Kronos string quartet, it's an extremely memorable score.
While you've probably heard the main theme before, I'd like to highlight the music used at the climax of the film, one of the most terrifying tracks ever composed for the big screen. Forget the Psycho shower scene, "Meltdown" almost makes you feel like you are overdosing on heroin. Granted, I don't know what that feels like, but daaamn, this track is scary! You can even hear the bonesaw used to amputate one of the protagonists' arms after it gets infected from shooting up too much:
9 - The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) - Howard Shore
I'm lumping these three scores together into one, as the three movies are essentially one story broken into three parts. Many consider Howard Shore's grandiose, leitmotif-infused masterpiece to be the best score of all-time. I can see why. The entire thing clocks in at nearly 4 hours long, and calls to mind the epic symphonies and operas of the late Romantic period. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who can't hum the main theme (sorry it's stuck in your head now), and the trilogy as a whole stands out as one of the best in film history.
Shore's score really brought Middle Earth to life just as much as Peter Jackson's spectacular direction and use of visual effects. I remember being stuck on the edge of my seat, my eyes glued to the screen as the Fellowship tried to outrun the Balrog in "The Bridge of Khazad Dum." Ominous chants and brass fanfares abound, with an insistent percussive beat that mirrors the Balrog's unstoppable advance:
8 - Star Wars (1977-1983) - John Williams
Another brilliant film trilogy and fantastic accompanying score. While many disparage Williams' liberal "allusion" to many classic works of the orchestral repertoire, you can't deny he is one of the most talented film composers in history. The Star Wars trilogy would be incomplete without Williams' rousing and adventurous score. The main theme brings back waves of nostalgia, while the "Imperial March" instantly calls to mind Darth Vader's menacing presence. Despite all the excellent tracks throughout the trilogy, "Cantina Band" remains my favorite. Simply iconic:
7 - Ben-Hur (1959) - Miklos Rosza
Rosza's incredible score to this 3.5 hour biblical epic makes the film almost tolerable. Ben Hur is definitely a product of its time, and has not aged well. The chariot race is still astounding and quite exciting, but most of the film drags on and on. Thankfully, the score is one of the best I've ever heard, and melds perfectly with the events unfolding onscreen. Like many epic films of Hollywood's Golden Era, it even has an Overture and Entr'acte! Two tracks in particular stand out - "Ramming Speed," which slowly gathers momentum over the course of 3 minutes as slaves in a Roman galley are forced to row faster and faster, and the iconic "Parade of the Charioteers," which serves as a musical prelude to the famous chariot race, still one of the most exciting action scenes in cinematic history. Here is the former:
6 - The Social Network (2010) - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
One of the few scores on my list that doesn't emulate the popular Romantic style of film composing, The Social Network features a fantastic contemporary score comprised of electronic music composed by Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor and English composer Atticus Ross. The score pairs seamlessly with David Fincher's superb direction and Aaron Sorkin's masterful script. It runs the gamut of emotions, from regret ("Hand Covers Bruise") to anticipation ("In Motion") to anguish ("In the Hall of the Mountain King"). It's hard to imagine The Social Network without it, which is always a sign of a good score. It deservedly won the 2010 Oscar for Best Original Score, beating out another film on my list. Pop on "In Motion" and you'll feel like you can write a 10-page paper in 10 minutes! I definitely wore this track out while writing many a paper during my time at Furman:
5 - Avatar (2009) - James Horner
Despite all the flack that Avatar has received for its derivative and manipulative story line, it's still a favorite of mine. Largely due to its groundbreaking visual effects, it remains an exhilarating film experience. James Horner's outstanding score also has a lot to do with that. Horner reportedly spent a whole year composing it, during which he didn't work on any other movies. While Avatar's score definitely does suffer somewhat from Horner's trademark self-cannibalization (there are a few moments that call to mind themes from Aliens), overall, it's one of the most impressive scores of the past decade.
The way Horner writes music for the Na'vi versus the humans really strengthens the conflict that serves as the centerpiece of the film. Contrast "Jakes First Flight," an absolutely glorious track celebrating the Na'vi way of life, with "War," which showcases humanity's military brutality. Chanting and non-western instruments dominate Na'vi tracks, while rigid percussion and demonic brass feature in human tracks. There really isn't a bad track in the whole score (with the exception of the painful pop-song that accompanies the closing credits), and overall it is a score that deserves repeat-listening. The 11-minute epic "War" definitely showcases most of what this score has to offer:
4 - How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - John Powell
Another 2010 nominee for the Best Original Score Oscar (ultimately losing out to The Social Network), John Powell's magnificent composition transformed what would have been merely a great animated film to one that outshines everything Pixar has done since Wall-E. Powell's integration of Celtic influences and Scottish bagpipes lend the film a distinct "viking" flair, while his rousing action themes soar higher than Toothless, the film's dragon protagonist. Certain sections are reminiscent of John Williams' style, and in some ways actually superior.
The repeated descending sequential motif that permeates most tracks in the score ties the whole thing together, while the "Test Drive" theme that appears several times may be the most memorable movie theme of the decade. It's impossible not to feel good when listening to this music - it's simply amazing. And while I am certainly tempted to use "Test Drive" as an example, I think "Forbidden Friendship" does an even better job:
3 - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966) - Ennio Morricone
Arguably the definitive Western of all time also features one of the best scores of all time. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, can hum the main tune. The featured whistling is so ingrained into popular culture that the tune is perhaps more iconic than Clint Eastwood's performance, which is saying something. Morricone wrote a bevy of incredible scores to Westerns, including the other two films of the "Dollars" trilogy and Once Upon A Time In The West, but The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly will forever remain his ultimate masterpiece.
Composers like Dmitri Tiomkin and Elmer Bernstein also wrote fantastic scores to Westerns, but Morricone's scores truly feel authentic. The wide-open intervals prevalent in each track echo the wide-open expanses of the boundless American West. The score to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is simply perfect in every way possible. In fact, it's pretty crazy to me that I've put two scores ahead of it. I think I once posted on Facebook that I'd like "The Ecstasy of Gold" played at my funeral. I don't know what that would say about my own values (heh), but it is an incredible track that accompanies one of my favorite scenes in cinematic history:
2 - Akira (1988) - Geino Yamashirogumi
Akira is considered by many to be the most influential Japanese anime of all time, and for good reason. Released in 1988, it took the world by storm is and is largely credited for introducing Western audiences to the genre. While the plot of the film is largely a convoluted mess (understandable, given it is a 2 hour adaptation of a 2,000 page manga), it is a thrilling experience nonetheless, in large part due to the incredible animation and one of the most unique scores I've ever heard.
In a stroke of brilliance, composer Geino Yamashirogumi incorporated Balinese gamelan into the main theme of Akira, giving the film a very distinct feel. The first time I saw the protagonists' motorbikes swerve through the busy streets of Neo-Tokyo accompanied by gamelan music, my jaw hit the floor. The entire score covers a wide range of styles, running the gamut from horrifying ("Doll's Polyphony") to evocative ("Kaneda") to apocalyptic ("Requiem") to downright exciting ("Exodus from the Underground Fortress"). Of particular note is the use of chant throughout the score in a variety of styles, serving a variety of purposes. The track "Battle Against Clown" best demonstrates this technique:
Before I reveal my favorite score of all time, I'd like to note some honorable mentions. All of these films have fantastic scores as well. It's a shame I've limited the list to just 10!
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A.R. Rahman
Metropolis (1927) - Gottfried Huppertz
Lawrence of Arabia (1960)- Maurice Jarre
Gettysburg (1993) - Randy Edelman
The Incredibles (2004) - Michael Giacchino
Sideways (2004) - Rolfe Kent
...and now for my favorite film score of all time.
1 - The Third Man (1949) - Anton Karas
Sadly, few people of my generation have heard of, let alone seen, this masterful film noir. It features an incredibly dark story, acidic script, and dynamite performances. It also features perhaps the best ending to any film I've ever seen. Shot in the ruins of post-WWII Vienna, if I had to sum up this film in one word, it would be atmospheric. Very few films can rival the atmosphere this film establishes right from the get go. The Oscar-winning cinematography has a lot to do with that, Anton Karas' zither score even more so. (If you haven't seen the film, I implore you to give it a try; you won't be disappointed!)
Apparently while scouting locations to shoot in Vienna, director Carol Reed came across Karas playing the zither in a local bar. So taken aback by the music, Reed immediately approached Karas and offered him the opportunity to write the music to his upcoming film, The Third Man. Thank goodness Karas did; it's impossible to imagine how the film would have turned out with a traditional Hollywood score from the era. The zither perfectly captures the mood of the deserted streets of occupied Vienna as well as the eccentric and dangerous inhabitants who lurk in the shadows.
The Third Man was a smashing success, and the main theme to the film ("The Harry Lime Theme") rocketed to the top of the worldwide charts and became the best-selling single of 1950. Never has a score so perfectly mirrored the events unfolding on screen. Quite frankly, I don't imagine it will ever happen again. Simply put, I believe the score to The Third Man to be the best film score of all time. Here's a taste:
Well, there you have it. My top ten film scores of all time. I hope you enjoyed reading through and listening to the list as much as I enjoyed putting it together! Film music is truly one of the most incredible musical mediums when done well. Thankfully, there is no shortage of great film music to explore.
-CC
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