The new documentary "Music By John Williams," now streaming on Disney+, explores composer John Williams' life, historic career, and contributions to music. It is outstanding and a must-see for any fan of movies and music.
In honor of this new film about the life of perhaps the greatest film composer in history, I am sharing with you the list of my 20 Favorite Movie Scores of All Time, ranked in order with the # 1 entry being my favorite movie score ever (yeah, I know, it's an unusual choice, but God, do I LOVE it!).
I chose not to include Williams' work on the list because, under normal circumstances, his scores would take up more than half of the list. The man is responsible for so many classic scores for so many incredible films that it wouldn't be fair to have him justifiably dominate the rankings.
Just watch the documentary to see the depth of this man's accomplishments in film scoring, and get your Williams fix there. I couldn't do it justice here.
Besides, my favorite work by John Williams is his magnificent score for Brian DePalma's "The Fury," which is considered an odd choice and NEVER appears on any "Best Of" lists.
An outstanding music score can make even a bad movie worth watching and make a good film great. When the right combination of a great score and a great movie happens, it is extraordinary and is one of the genuinely singular joys of moviegoing.
I really racked my brain to put this list together, it was not easy at all! I whittled it down from dozens of music scores that I love, and as a result, some classic scores have been left off of the list, omissions that I know will piss off a lot of people. Sorry about that.
I have a pretty wide-ranging taste in music, and I definitely tried to reflect that in this list. I also feel good about the varying musical styles represented here and the multiple film genres that pop up.
A few of the entries are a bit unusual in that I chose some composers who are only on a few lists of this kind, and when I do focus on a legendary composer, I chose one of their less popular, non-iconic scores.
This list is ALL ABOUT the music.
I have included the video link to a piece of music from each chosen score. Sometimes, it's the Title Theme, a good representation of the whole score, or, in a few cases, it's just a fantastic piece of music. I hope you click on the videos and listen to the music I have chosen here—that's the whole point.
I really love each of these scores for a myriad of reasons unique to each film and composer. If you would like a further explanation for any of my choices, just drop me a line at nick@nickdigilio.com, and I'd be happy to explain why I included any of these incredible pieces of music.
MY 20 FAVORITE MOVIE SCORES OF ALL TIME in order of preference
1) THE DEAD ZONE - Michael Kamen
2) THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST - Peter Gabriel
3) SUSPIRIA - Goblin
4) THE PIANO - Michael Nyman
5) THE FOG - John Carpenter
6) TAXI DRIVER - Bernard Herrmann
7) RISKY BUSINESS - Tangerine Dream
8) SOUTHERN COMFORT - Ry Cooder
9) BLADE RUNNER - Vangelis
10) ON THE WATERFRONT - Leonard Bernstein
11) DUNE PART TWO - Hans Zimmer
12) THERE WILL BE BLOOD - Jonny Greenwood
13) DEATH WISH - Herbie Hancock
14) DEAD MAN - Neil Young
15) PLANET OF THE APES - Jerry Goldsmith
16) TROUBLE MAN - Marvin Gaye
17) THE BURGLARS - Ennio Morricone
18) THE FLY - Howard Shore
19) THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
20) THE FOUNTAIN - Clint Mansell
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