There have been a lot of discussions about favorite movies. That's not what this is. I have a deep admiration for composers who score movies. Some scores are just so recognizable out of context, and others are not, but still equally as outstanding. My favorite movie scores include classics like John Williams' Superman and all of the Indiana Jones movies, but I also love underappreciated scores like Edward Shearmur's The Count of Monte Cristo. Danny Elfman's music, even though some of the scores are quite similar, still strikes me as quite impressive. How about you? Who is your favorite movie composer? What makes for a good movie score? And finally, which movie score is your favorite?
[question posted by Hmmmmm]
responses and comments:
this will seem strange, but the movie Monto Carne has the song "more" in it, and as it was my wedding song, I love that score [CaroleeKaufold]
I love Danny Elfman's scores. We own a few like Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas. I also love the Braveheart soundtrack. It's just so enjoyable to sit and listen to. [Phaedra_Scythe]
I love the music of the movie Magnolia. I actually bought the CD without having seen the movie. I loved the music so much I eventually rented the movie (even though I knew it was 3 hours long and most people I knew didn't like it). [sofia29]
I will have to check out the Magnolia score. I am not familiar with Jon Brion's work at all. [Hmmmmm]
Hi! I usually recognize the work of Dave Grusin (I love jazz) and James Horner (he did the scores to the Star Trek movies and Aliens). I think a good movie score draws you into the movie, makes you feel the emotions, and holds your interest throughout the story. My favorite score that I can think of right now is the soundtrack to "The Fabulous Baker Boys." Good stuff! :-) Another great soundtrack is the one for "Urban Cowboy." [clownfish]
Cool! I love that one, too. :-) [clownfish]
what makes a good movie score? song, tune or music that can make you remember certain moment in the movie. a very good movie score can add feeling to that moment. to me, scores like the one in the movie Armageddon where the astronaut are sent to space & came back to earth are my favorite movie score. it brings me to tears :) [encik_khairul]
Good discussion! Like you, I also love John Williams. In fact, I recently had a chance to see him conduct the Boston Pop in many of his classic movie themes (Like Jaws, Indaian Jones, Star Wars-The Imperial March, Jurrassic Park and music from the Harry potter movies). Lately I have been listening to to the Lord of the Rings soundtracks at work (all three movies). I love the Shire theme. I also love the song that Pippin sings in Return of the King. [twilight021]
I can't even begin to tell you how jealous I am. I watch "Evening at Pops" when it airs in the summer, but that's as close as I can get. [Hmmmmm]
my favourite movie score was the lord of the rings theme from the movie. idon't know the composer but that same theme is repeated throughout the movie and it relly brings out the potential of the movie.......... [jesusfreak89ster]
The Lord of the Rings score was composed by Howard Shore. He has done other memorable scores as well - Scanners, Big (the Tom Hanks movie), Mrs. Doubtfire, and Se7en, just to name a few! [Hmmmmm]
John Barry is my all-time favorite movie composer. Not only did he write great scores for James Bond movies, like Goldfinger, Moonraker, You Only Live Twice,Diamonds Are Forever.But he also wrote the music for The Lion In Winter (1968), Body Heat,Somewhere In Time,and Until September. My all time favorite is Out Of Africa.It takes my breath away. John's score is full and rich and so beautiful.It is so good to hear a real full orcheatra these days.He always finds the right theme for the film he is working on. His theme for Out of Africa fits so well you can't hear it without thinking of the film. [sarahruthbeth22]
SOMETIMES I get it mixed up between "score" and "soundtrack". I love soundtracks btw. Now as for scores. I REALLY love the "score" or whatever you call it for both Lord of the Rings & Pirates of the Caribean movies. If thats the soundtrack then never mind. But the music in those ARE REALLY COOL! :)) [monkeywriter]
I don't have a favorite composer, but I love the score of Halloween 1 and 2. Those are great- totally creepy and recognizable. [mixey62]
That would be the brilliant John Carpenter. [Hmmmmm]
the one who did Forrest Gump's. . .caught up in trance it's just fantastic [ebudae88]
Alan Silvestri is responsible for Forrest Gump. Very memorable indeed. Thomas Newman did American Beauty. He also did Pay It Forward. Try listening to them one after the other - they are very similar! [Hmmmmm]
I have to go for Australia's The Man From Snowy River. I loved the soundtrack so much, I bought in on album, tape and then CD. I am a bit of a sucker for the Victorian high plains, and horse movies. But the score takes you right through the whole movie, like you are in it. [Tetchie]
Your Favorite Movie Score? Do you pay attention to the music in movies? Why or why not? Yes: because the music can often break an otherwise good movie, or make an otherwise bad movie. If you do, which are some of your favorite movies, insofar as the music is concerned? These are too many to name,but the Star Wars series, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Lord of the Rings, the Matrix trilogy, A Clockwork Orange, The Nightmare Before Christmas -- just to name a few. (The TV shows Firefly and Battlestar Galactica get honorable mentions .Not movies, certainly, but great music in both.)(For the record, I'm talking about the score here, not necessarily about the pop music also often featured) [wawaww]
Me do believe you right! Reported for copy/paste. [tammyr]
I like the HAPPY FEET, where the penguin and sings and dance and how they communicate to people, the soundtrack is great [laarni080]
My favorite has to be Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story". Many of the songs live on as pop favorites ("Maria", "Tonight"). The score does better than any other (in my opinion) in capturing the essence of the action in the film. Note the recurring whistle (the Jets' call to action)in the overture, and the use of various rhythms to evoke the many moods of the film. I'm also fond of Henry Mancini's scores from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Moon River), "Hatari" (Baby Elephant Walk), and many others. [tallpaulno44a]
I love Thomas Newman's score fom American Beauty. I love all of the music from that movie! Aso, the score from the movie Phenomenon. A good score to me consists of a mix of musical numbers with other more contemporary and recognizable pieces. [awonderfullife]
I absolutely love the Hans Zimmer score from "Tears Of The Sun". I cry everytime I hear it. [wykedj]
I love Enia's scores. My favourite movie score was The Lord of The Ring. Is exelent. Good luck [patmanson]
ya my favaouritr movie is meerupukalalu in the the telugu film industry it was aa sweet love story between two people with a charming lady.heroine of the movie is kajole and the rest two actors are prabhudev and aravindh swamy.ya coming to the ratings they donot rate proparly they may be the hatred of that actor [aditya58731]
ya coming to the ratings they donot rate rate the movies properly the rating should be according to the opinion of the spectators but not their own opinions,and when the movies r rated they may be commercially loss their income as some people donot like documentaries or social movies as they rate the movies people acctually donot pay much interest to see the less rated movies . [aditya58731]
Definitely Star Wars. Or pretty much anything John Williams does. I love Jurassic Park, too. Stars Wars is my favorite, though. The music is so memorable. Almost everyone recognizes it and there are times I find myself humming Darth Vader's theme to myself, lol. The music brings back such good memories that I had to get it on CD. I also got Jurassic Park soundtrack, too. [4monsters4me]
i like very much forrest gump,it's my favorite one. i don't if it "scores" that's just beacouse i absolutely don't what a score movie is..:)...that's it..:).. [atticus]
In the movie "Con Air" by Nicolas Cage, the Theme "How do I live" written by Diane Warren, and sang by LeAnn Rimes would be one of my favorite movie score. Another one is "Titanic__1997" "My Heart Will go on" music by James Honor. [moneyhunter]
i love the score for the play turned into a movie, RENT especially SEASONS OF LOVE, LA VIE BOHEME, and I'LL COVER YOU [loisse21]
i love dying young's scoring..it was so touching!i even bought a soundtrack of it. i also love while you were sleeping,i know it was comedic but i just like how it helped the film became more interesting. [kagandahan]
may i just add,i also like meg ryan and nicolas cage's "City of Angels" especially angel by sarah mc lachlan and iris by "goo goo dolls". [kagandahan]
When I was in high school I was a "band nerd" as we are so affectionately called lol. Our director liked to have us play musical scores from well known movies for our concert band performances. The two that I remember enjoying the most were the scores from Star Wars: Episode One and Far And Away. I thought both scores were magnificently composed and rather fun to play (I played clarinet) but challenging at the same time. That, to me, is what makes a score good. [zuri25]
There definitely is a whole other level of appreciation for music when you understand how it's composed. P.S. If I could go back to high school, I'd still choose to be a band geek. And band camp rocked lol! [zuri25]
I'm a big fan of Howard Shore for his work on Lord of the Rings. The music was phenomenal- it really capture the character and qualities of the story and the world it was set in. A more recent one that impressed me was the score for Pan's Labyrinth. I don't know the name of the composer, but the music was brilliant. [thyst07]
I looked up Pan's Labyrinth because I hadn't even heard of that movie. The original music from that movie was composed by Javier Navarrete. I have never heard of him either and will definitely be doing some more research. [Hmmmmm]
I've got to agree with John Williams, he's always the name that comes up when i think of scores (Star Wars and Jurassic Park are the first that come to mind.) they are part of my childhood and they are almost instantly recognizable to a wide audience. [thrwbckjay67]
One of my favorites is Gone With the Wind but I also love the Barbra Streisand Hello Dolly movies with her singing most of the songs, of course there's the old West Side Story that I found awesome, not only in the movie but in the soundtrack and who could leave out Grease! [mistymornster]
My favorite movie composer is Curtis Mayfield. I paticularly love the soundtrack to "Sparkle." [Munira]
I'm a huge John Williams fan myself. So much that I went to see him conduct last year. Aside from the Indiana Jones movies, I also loved teh Jurassic Park score. Other scores that I love are the Lord of The Rings movies and the Harry Potter films. They just capture the mood of the the films so well. [krebstar5]
The first one that came to mind was Hans Zimmer's composition for the movie Rainman. I simply love it and listen to it all the time. I also like David Arnold's in Independence Day and several 007 movies.A good movie score is one which lingers in mind even after the movie has been watched and long forgotten. One should remember the movie from the score:) [greengal]
I went to go see it last night with my friends and we loved it.They stayed true to the comic book and I didn't take the movie seriously at first because Nicolas Cage was the star of the movie. (When I saw the previews for the movie) Now it was very ackward seeing an actor such as Nicolas Cage giving in and acting for a Marvel movie. But I'm not saying that it's a bad thing. The whole storyline was very well written and of course it could take this movie into a sequel leading up to possibly a trilogy. But the thing I'm bothered about is the fact that Nicolas Cage is a great movie star, hopefully he liked his role and possibly do another because I find that big movie stars tend to stray away from low budget movies. My point is, sometimes they do not want to go on anymore, like take James Bond for instance Pierce handed down the role of Bond and now looked what happened... a dirty blonde bond. I like the movies to try to stay as real as possible and not hire a new actor for the big roles.I liked it actually. Cool special effects were great. Storyline is so so. Was entertaining to watch pretty much. [afidzol]
Ditto on the copying and pasting. Don't miss page two of this discussion. [Hmmmmm]
I love the soundtracks from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Kundun. They are my favorites. [shopgirl]
No one has hardly paid tribute to Danny Elfman. You did reference him in your discussion, but I had to add in my 2¢ worth. I love the Desperate Housewives and The Simpsons theme songs (even though they're not movie scores) and I never tire of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and Beetlejuice. Even though John Williams is most recognized for the scores you mentioned, I wanted to add that I appreciate his work on The Witches of Eastwick, too. And I can't forget Dave Grusin's work on The Goonies! [CorrectMeIfIAmRight]
I have admired Danny Elfman's work since his Oingo Boingo days. Witches of Eastwick is an OUTSTANDING score. I believe there is a feature on the DVD that showcases the score by itself. And Dave Grusin? So versatile. He can do anything. [Hmmmmm]
I liked Forrest Gump too. The music on that sound track defined a lifetime for me. I do not know anything about the composers, and this is many different songs from several artists. I really like the beginning of Close Encounters. It set the tone for the whole movie! =o} [tammyr]
So your Forrest Gump appreciation is more for the soundtrack (pop) than the score (orchestral, but sometimes included in the soundtrack - usually just the "main theme"). Agreed, it's a great soundtrack and it covers a lot of ground. [Hmmmmm]
hans zimmer, danny elfman, jo hisaishi, james horner, and of course john williams. my all-time favorite though is jo hisaishi! he's mainly known for his scores for miyazaki animes. his stuff has similarities to john williams, but without the 'majestic' quality i think williams has. to me, his sound is so BIG, if you know what i mean. hisaishi is a bit more subtle. and he doesn't only work with full orchestra, but also with midi, or synthesized instruments. he's quite masterful at it, because many times, you can't tell which is the real instrument and which is a keyboard ;) his music is both haunting and enchanting, and as testament to its power, here's a personal anecdote... i had seen 'spirited away' on a small screen, but then went to see it at the cinema. as soon as the opening sequence began and hisaishi's score wafted through the room, tears sprung out of my eyes!!! i actually had the pleasure of attending the screening of his first film (for which, he of course also did the score) called 'quartet'. he was at the screening, and after the film ended, my bf and i were leaving the theatre, and there was mr. hisaishi standing right next to us with his translator. my bf said GO TALK TO HIM and i was too shy. i excused my behavior by saying my japanese wasn't up to par, and what would i possibly tell him that he hadn't heard before? before i could change my mind, this annoying person doing a survey came to ask us questions. though i refused, by the time i turned my attention back to hisaishi, he and his tranlslator had disappeared! yes, one of my biggest regrets in life having not gone up to him when given the chance ;) on another note, you mentioned elfman's scores all being similar. i think this is also true of hisaishi and williams. but they are such well-known sounding composers. they can be detected almost anywhere by anyone. even if you don't know what piece it is, i think most people are familiar with snippets of john williams' compositions, from superman, raiders, E.T., etc, even if they can't name them directly. though my favorite composer is hisaishi, my favorite film score is in fact something less known. i'm not even familiar with the composer. but it is the soundtrack for the japanese film 'ringu'. i know there are a few different incarnations of this soundtrack, such as 'songs inspired by', 'original score' etc... the one i have is supposedly the 'original soundtrack', and though most of it is apparent in the film, i think it is ACTUALLY the score for the tv series BASED on the film. composer's name is toshiyuki watanabe. and why i love it so much, is that it is subtle in all the right places, and hard-hitting in all the right spots too. there are incredibly creepy vocals and some unidentifiable sound effects that add to it. [shmeedia]
oh my, you are very welcome!! yes i'm familiar with tangerine dream, but i haven't heard much of their music. oh, and if you enjoy hisaishi after doing your research, you should definitely listen to the scores for 'kikujiro no natsu' ...another one that just makes the tears rush forward. and 'parasite eve', which incorporates very haunting vocals, and sampling of the same vocals. all good stuff! :) [shmeedia]
I enjoyed the movie score from The Untouchables. [Transdisc]
Yes, I saw that at the Academy Awards this last time. I was surprised that it was the same guy. I was also going to list The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- I loved that score since I was a child. [Transdisc]
From all the movies I've seen and what I can remember so far, I have always liked the movie score from Superman since childhood. When I saw Superman Returns and it was played there while Superman (Brandon Routh) and Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) were flying over the city, it brought back memories from earlier Superman movies. I've liked it before and I still do from its new release. I guess that's what makes a good movie score, one that triggers a memory, retained in your heartstrings, and makes you feel the movie itself. There are other movie scores that I know I like, I just can't seem to remember them now. LOL [MariaD]
I loved the score from Gladiator and The thin red line. But the score I love the most is from the movie "Savior". It was a movie set in a war background in the Balkans. The score captured the tradition of the Balkans and the sufferings they had to endure. The Score was by David Robbins. I searched for other movie scores by him but couldn't find any. Regards [astroo13]