I'm sure there have been threads about this before.....but a) I can't be bothered searching; and b) This is an ever changing list
What movie/score combination has blown you away? When has the composer just got it so right? and why?
My initial picks are..
John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back
To me - this movie is perfect. And John Williams' score simply elevates it. Leitmotivs used perfectly. Brilliant new themes. Every part of the score fits perfectly with the film. This is a film score I grew up on so I realise that I am biased. But to me, this is John Williams' Magnum Opus.
Alan Silvestri - Back to the Future
I remember the first time I saw this movie and having the feeling that I never wanted it to end. I was enjoying it so much. And Silvestri's score had a lot to do with that. That brilliant BTTF theme used so perfectly throughout the film. The score enhancing the emotion of the film so well.
So...when did a composer get it so right in a film for you?
Naked Lunch is a combination of acid jazz + electronics, orchestra, its very lively, up-beat, suspenseful, Howard Shore Nailed it with a little assistance from Ornette Coleman.
1 per composer, each of the below is a masterpiece with a perfect 100/100 score
Vertigo - Bernard Herrmann Tombstone - Bruce Broughton Waterworld - James Newton Howard The Hunt For Red October - Basil Poledouris Robin Hood Prince of Thieves - Kamen Jurassic Park - Williams Total Recall - Goldsmith Batman Returns - Elfman Michael Collins - Goldenthal Lord of the Rings trilogy - Shore Willow - Horner The Talented Mr Ripley- Yared How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell Dances with Wolves - John Barry The Shawshank Redemption - Thomas Newman Lawrence of Arabia - Maurice Jarre Cinema Paradiso - Ennio The Fabulous Baker Boys - Grusin Back to the Future - Silvestri Fly Away Home - Mark Isham Gladiator - Hans Z
One that comes to mind quickly is Signs by James Newton Howard.
The entire score is brilliant, but nothing compares to the scene where Mel Gibson distracts his kids from the sounds of the invading aliens by telling them of the days they were born. The way JNH moves from suspense to tender intimacy and back again is incredible. He does it again at the climax of the film, but for my money these scenes are where he "nailed it."
Secret of NIMH- Jerry Goldsmith Prince of Egypt- Hans Zimmer
Hmm...I wonder how much of the choice is based on an emotional connection with the film? I suspect my choices of TESB and BTTF are strongly based on my emotional connection with the films.
Secret of NIMH- Jerry Goldsmith Prince of Egypt- Hans Zimmer
Hmm...I wonder how much of the choice is based on an emotional connection with the film? I suspect my choices of TESB and BTTF are strongly based on my emotional connection with the films.
Well, they're certainly two of my favorite animated films. But I also believe the scores apart from the films are brilliant.
From 25th ranked composer of mine – all the way to the best ranked composer in the world (of mine).
Howard Shore: “Big” James Newton Howard: “Waterworld” Vangelis: “Chariots Of Fire” Max Steiner “Gone With The Wind” Bernard Herrmann: “North By Northwest” Alfred Newman: “The Mark Of Zorro” Victor Young: “Around The World In 80 Days” Jack Nitzche: “Starman” John Scott: “Greystoke – The Legend Of Tarzan: Lord Of The Apes” Georges Delerue: “The Black Stallion Returns” Jerry Fielding: “The Enforcer” Lalo Schifrin: “Magnum Force” Ennio Morricone: “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” Bruce Broughton: “The Boy Who Could Fly” Basil Poledouris: “Free Willy” Danny Elfman: “Batman” Maurice Jarre: “Firefox” Elmer Bernstein: “The Ten Commandments” Henry Mancini: “Santa Claus – The Movie” Bill Conti: “The Karate Kid” Alan Silvestri: “Back To The Future” John Barry: “Somewhere In Time” James Horner: “Cocoon” Jerry Goldsmith: “Supergirl” John Williams: “Superman – The Movie”
