{"id":30652,"date":"2023-07-21T15:10:20","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T13:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=4893"},"modified":"2023-07-21T15:40:03","modified_gmt":"2023-07-21T13:40:03","slug":"the-best-film-scores-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/the-best-film-scores-of-all-time\/","title":{"rendered":"The best film scores of all time\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grab the popcorn, dim the lights and settle in for a run through our pick of the best film scores of all time… <\/p>

By BBC Music Magazine\n \t\t<\/p>

2023-07-21 13:10:20<\/p>

\n\n

Music and film have had something of a symbiotic relationship since the dawn of cinema, but the film score as we know it today was really born in 1933. There have been some pretty memorable musical scores written for the movies over the last 90 years; here are some of the very best\u2026<\/h4>\n

Best film scores of all time<\/h2>\n

King Kong<\/em> by Max Steiner (1933)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Often referred to as the \u2018father of film music\u2019, Austrian-born composer Max Steiner moved to Hollywood in 1929, becoming one of the first composers to craft narrative music for film in a way still done to this day. Among his many successful film scores are The Searchers<\/em> and Casablanca<\/em>, with the most famous being Gone With the Wind<\/em> (1939, see below).<\/p>\n
One of his earliest original scores was for RKO\u2019s thrilling King Kong<\/em>, a film seemingly ahead of its time in terms of its visual effects. The big-screen adventures allowed Steiner to flex his muscles and show just exactly what a fully synchronised dramatic score could achieve. The result was ear-opening indeed, Steiner unleashing a battery of brass, percussion and thrilling\/soaring strings to create a sense of the sheer scale of the giant Ape, the mysterious fog-bound Skull Island and the most unlikely of love stories.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\u00a0<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>King Kong \u2013 The Complete 1933 Film Score by Max Steiner<\/em><br\/>\nMoscow Symphony Orchestra\/William Stromberg<br\/>\nNaxos 8.557700 (2005)<\/p>\n<a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/King-Kong-Complete-Score-2005-02-22\/dp\/B01M7VA7YK\/ref=sr_1_1?tag=classicalm05c-21&ascsubtag=classicalmusic-0"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""sponsored" noopener noreferrer\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YSOYTFw0JaA"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\">Gone With the Wind<\/em><\/a> by Max Steiner (1939)<\/strong><\/h3>\nSteiner was only given three months to compose what ended up being his most famous work, and when the film was released it was the longest-ever film score, at almost three hours. Steiner sometimes worked for 20 hours at a time and it took five orchestrators to help produce the score.<\/p>\nEach character was given its own musical motif with \u2018Tara\u2019s Theme\u2019 being the most famous, representing the Georgia plantation. The theme has a rich Romantic quality. In a key scene it is used as Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) is seen in silhouette with her father, a foreboding sunset in the background.<\/p>\nAlthough the film won ten Oscars, Steiner missed out on getting one for the score, despite a nomination. He was beaten by\u00a0The Wizard of Oz<\/em>\u00a0composer Herbert Stothart.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>Gone with the Wind \u2013 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/em><br\/>\nMGM Studio Orchestra\/Max Steiner<br\/>\nSony 88697638242<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Tara's\" theme=\"\" gone=\"\" with=\"\" the=\"\" wind=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PgF-rcHcPqE?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a class=\""standard-card-new__article-title"\" href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-film-score-and-film-soundtrack\/"\">What is the difference between a film score and film soundtrack?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/12-best-imaginary-composers"\">12 of the best fictional composers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Henry V<\/em>\u00a0by William Walton (1944)<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe actor Laurence Olivier and composer <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/walton-william\/"\">William Walton<\/a><\/strong> worked together on several Shakespearean films, including Hamlet<\/em> and Richard III<\/em>. Henry V<\/em>, a film that was commissioned by the Ministry of Information to help the war effort and was shot in Technicolor, remains one of the finest that they collaborated on and its score received an Oscar nomination.<\/p>\nThe stirring film gradually leads the audience from the confines of the Globe Theatre out to the fields of the Battle of Agincourt where Henry (Olivier) triumphs. The score has plenty of period feel, from brass fanfares, drumming and unusual modal harmonies. Walton even drew upon Auvergne folksongs for his theme for the French princess, Katharine. Walton told Olivier that the film would have been \u2018terribly dull\u2019 without the music.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>Henry V \u2013 Suite<\/span><\/em><br\/>Philharmonia Orchestra\/William Walton<\/span><br\/>Warner Classics<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Battle\" of=\"\" agincourt=\"\" from=\"\" olivier=\"\" henry=\"\" v=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7XPQuThLlso?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-best-classical-pieces-film"\">Six of the best classical pieces on film<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/10-best-films-made-about-composers"\">10 of the best (and worst) films about composers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Psycho<\/em>\u00a0by Bernard Herrmann (1960)<\/strong><\/h3>\nAlfred Hitchcock\u2019s suspense thriller Psycho <\/em>(1960) turned narrative convention on its head by bumping off the main character half way through. The famous shower murder, when serial killer Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), dressed as his mother, stabs his victim Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), is accompanied by the unforgettable screeching stabs of high-pitched strings.<\/p>\nThis music exists, thanks to the persistence of composer Bernard Herrmann, who resisted the director\u2019s initial requests for the scene to be silent. From the outset Herrmann was determined to only use strings for the whole score, which he thought would complement the starkness of Hitchcock\u2019s black and white photography.<\/p>\nThe feeling of impending disaster pervades the soundtrack: as Marion\u2019s sister, Lila, arrives at Bates Motel to investigate her disappearance, the lower strings ominously creep up while the violins slide down.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Bernard\" herrmann=\"\" psycho=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qMTrVgpDwPk?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>Psycho \u2013 The Complete Original Motion Picture Score<\/span><\/em><br\/>Royal Scottish National Orchestral\/Joel McNeely<\/span><br\/>Vars\u00e8se Sarabande VSD-5765<\/em><\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-great-contemporary-operas"\">Six great contemporary operas<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3><a href=\""http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8i1mI-P9Z3s"\">Lawrence of Arabia<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by Maurice Jarre (1962)<\/strong><\/h3>\nFrench composer Maurice Jarre rose to international attention with his score for David Lean\u2019s epic film Lawrence of Arabia <\/em>(1962), the story of how an Englishman helped the arabs fight against the Ottoman Empire during World War One.<\/p>\nAlthough the film\u2019s soundtrack won Jarre an Oscar, the credit might have gone elsewhere. He was commissioned after both Walton and Malcolm Arnold were unavailable. And he was initially asked to contribute music alongside Britten and Khachaturian, who both dropped out. It was left to Jarre to compose two hours of music in just six weeks. He took a large-scale approach with a 104-piece orchestra, including 11 percussionists.<\/p>\nThe exotic score included three ondes martenots and a cithara<\/em>. For one of the film\u2019s most iconic scenes, when Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) appears from the shimmering distance in the desert, Lean opts for just natural sounds, including wind, giving a beautiful contrast to Jarre\u2019s immense score.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>Lawrence of Arabia \u2013 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/span><\/em><br\/>London Philharmonic Orchestra\/Maurice Jarre\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Lawrence\" of=\"\" arabia=\"\" theme=\"\" the=\"\" bbc=\"\" concert=\"\" orchestra=\"\" john=\"\" wilson=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8i1mI-P9Z3s?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-best-classical-music-film-cameos"\">Six of the best classical music film cameos<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-film-soundtracks-our-top-picks"\">The best film soundtracks: our top picks<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Planet of the Apes<\/em> by Jerry Goldsmith (1968)<\/strong><\/h3>\nJerry Goldsmith (1929-2004) was one of Hollywood\u2019s most versatile composers. His music, fuelled by imaginative orchestrations, great energy and fine melodies, graced some of the big (and small) screen\u2019s most memorable titles. The Waltons<\/em>, Dr. Kildare,<\/em> The Omen, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Gremlins, Basic Instinct<\/em>, and so much more besides, were each elevated by Goldsmith\u2019s art.<\/p>\nWhile he could match John Williams in terms of orchestral heft and romantic sweep, he was also brilliantly skilled in creating unusual, avant-garde sonorities. A standout score in that regard is Planet of the Apes<\/em>, the film that sees an astronaut stranded on a planet ruled by intelligent apes, only to discover he has stumbled into Earth\u2019s distant future. The score sees Goldsmith unpack all manner of unusual percussive and tonal sounds, sitting within the more traditional brass, strings and piano of the Fox Orchestra; together they chop, saw, bang and hoot their way through what is a truly evocative piece of 12-tone composition.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>Planet of the Apes \u2013 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/em><br\/>\nStudio Orchestra\/Jerry Goldsmith<br\/>\nVar\u00e8se Sarabande VSD-5848 (1997)<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Planet\" of=\"\" the=\"\" apes=\"\" movie=\"\" clip=\"\" human=\"\" hunt=\"\" hd=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DruCG3LJiiU?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>The Godfather<\/em> by Nino Rota (1972)<\/strong><\/h3>\nAn iconic film, with an iconic score. The first part of Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s epic Corleone saga is one of the most quoted\/referenced of all time, lines of dialogue and full scenes etched into audience memories. The music is by Italian composer Nino Rota (1911-79), who had created a lasting artistic partnership with legendary director Federico Fellini in their home country.<\/p>\nFor this relatively rare Hollywood venture, Rota turned in a relatively sparse, but vital dramatic accompaniment and some killer themes. At the heart of the score is \u2018The Godfather Waltz\u2019, a now iconic melody for lone, foreboding trumpet, and the grandiose \u2018Love Theme from The Godfather\u2019, synonymous now with all things mafia. For the latter, Rota actually re-used a theme he\u2019d written for a 1958 Italian film called Fortunella<\/em> (albeit with a different rhythm and colouring), and it\u2019s for that reason his music for\u00a0The Godfather<\/em> wasn\u2019t eligible for an Original Score Oscar nomination.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>The Godfather \u2013 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/em><br\/>\nStudio Orchestra\/Nino Rota; Carmine Coppola<br\/>\nVar\u00e8se Sarabande VSD-5848 (1997)<\/p>\n<h3>Jaws<\/em> (1975)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/williams-john\/"\">John Williams<\/a><\/strong> has written some of the most memorable film music of all time, including Indiana Jones<\/em> and ET<\/em>. But the soundtrack to Steven Spielberg\u2019s Jaws <\/em>is the one that really established him. This got him noticed by George Lucas, leading to the collaboration on <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/tv-and-film-music\/best-star-wars-music-theme-tunes\/"\">Star Wars<\/em><\/a><\/strong> in 1977.<\/p>\nWith Jaws<\/em>, Williams undertook the challenge of portraying an animal that lives underwater with music rather than sound effects. Spielberg recalls fondly how Williams first introduced him to the Jaws <\/em>theme, playing it on a piano. \u2018What he played\u2026 with two fingers on the lower keys was dun, dun, dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun\u2026 sometimes the best ideas are the most simple ones and John [Williams] had found a signature for the entire score.\u2019<\/p>\nWilliams\u2019s brief rhythmic theme consisted of three repeated bass notes. \u2018I thought that altering the speed and volume of the theme, from very slow to very fast, from very soft to very loud, would indicate the mindless attacks of the shark,\u2019 he recalls. At this year\u2019s Oscars, Williams has a nomination for his score to Star Wars:<\/em> The Force Awakens<\/em>.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>Jaws \u2013 The 25th anniversary edition<\/span><\/em><br\/>Music composed and conducted by John Williams<\/span><br\/>Decca 467 0452<\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope<\/em> by John Williams (1977)<\/strong><\/h3>\nIt\u2019s hard to imagine a time before\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>, writer\/director George Lucas\u2019s homage to the Saturday morning serials of his youth, not to mention all manner of mythical tropes and samurai films. This adventure \u2018in a galaxy far, far away\u2019 went on to spawn eight more instalments over an impressive 42 years.<\/p>\nGiven Lucas\u2019s desire to conjure a bygone era of storytelling, it makes sense that the music should do the same and so composer John Williams \u2013 fresh from his Oscar for\u00a0Jaws<\/em>, set about creating his own love letter to the past, in music. Williams\u2019s score is knowing in its references, whether it\u2019s ceremonial Walton, rollicking Holst or thrilling film scores by Korngold.<\/p>\nIt all makes for a great old-fashioned narrative thrillride, with memorable leitfmotifs for key characters, places and things, not to mention some edge-of-your seat orchestral set pieces as the Rebellion fights the evil Galactic Empire.<\/p>\nIt went in so small way in whetting a renewed appetite for symphonic film scoring in Hollywood, the London Symphony Orchestra finding itself in demand for years to come. Oh and it won Williams another Oscar.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope \u2013 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/span><\/em><br\/>London Symphony Orchestra\/John Williams<\/span><br\/>Walt Disney Records D002585302<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""STAR\" wars:=\"\" a=\"\" new=\"\" hope=\"\" clip=\"\" the=\"\" death=\"\" star=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6H0vFP_jXN4?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>The Mission<\/em>\u00a0by Ennio Morricone (1986)<\/strong><\/h3>\nEnnio Morricone is one of the most prolific film composers of all time, with several hundred film soundtracks under his belt, including iconic 1960s Spaghetti Westerns like The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nAmong Morricone\u2019s finest soundtracks is the Oscar-nominated score to Roland Joffe\u2019s 1986 film The Mission <\/em>about a Jesuit priest\u2019s attempt to try and convert a South American tribe. The famous \u2018Gabriel\u2019s Oboe\u2019 theme appears when Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) tentatively plays a tune to befriend members of the Guaran\u00ed tribe.<\/p>\nThe composer apparently took inspiration from actor Jeremy Irons\u2019s random finger placements on the oboe. The subsequent uplifting theme, with its string accompaniment, has become famous in its own right.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>The Mission \u2013 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/span><\/em><br\/>London Philharmonic Orchestra\/Ennio Morricone<\/span><br\/>Virgin CDV-2402<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""The\" mission=\"\" gabriel=\"\" oboe=\"\" hd=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lAoT2ktM2H0?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>Interstellar<\/em> by Hans Zimmer (2014)<\/strong><\/h3>\nChristopher Nolan\u2019s film about a former NASA pilot-cum-Farmer who finds himself leading an expedition into the farthest reaches of space to find a habitable planet is mind-bending and brilliant. It\u2019s science-fiction.. or is it? Science-fact<\/em>ion perhaps, given the level of research and detail that went into every inch of celluloid.<\/p>\nNolan turned to his regular composer Hans Zimmer for the music, and the Hollywood titan birthed what is probably the best things he has ever written\u2026 so far. Okay, he won as Oscar for\u00a0Dune<\/em>, but he\u00a0should<\/em> have won for this. The score is expansive, occasionally quiet to the point of inaudibility, but with a meditative tranquility that enraptures the listener. Zimmer creates an unusual soundscape, but populates it with traditional orchestral elements and his trumpt card: a ver real pipe organ \u2013 performed by Roger Sayer in London\u2019s Temple Church. This is epic music and occasionally so transportive you think you, too, have travelled to another world.<\/p>\nEssential Recording:<\/strong><br\/>Interstellar \u2013 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/span><\/em><br\/>Roger Sayer (organ); London Voices; Studio Orchestra et al<\/span><br\/>Sony Classical 88875048122<\/em><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Interstellar\" into=\"\" the=\"\" wormhole=\"\" scene=\"\" movieclips=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UlBIWvojCBI?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Grab the popcorn, dim the lights and settle in for a run through our pick of the best film scores of all time… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":30653,"template":"","categories":[1,17],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"10"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/07\/the-best-film-scores-of-all-time.jpg",625,350,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/07\/the-best-film-scores-of-all-time-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/07\/the-best-film-scores-of-all-time-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/07\/the-best-film-scores-of-all-time.jpg",625,350,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/07\/the-best-film-scores-of-all-time.jpg",625,350,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/07\/the-best-film-scores-of-all-time.jpg",625,350,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/07\/the-best-film-scores-of-all-time.jpg",625,350,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Grab the popcorn, dim the lights and settle in for a run through our pick of the best film scores of all time...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/30652"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}