Greatest Soundtracks of All-Time
A purely subjective take (as are all lists of this sort) on what I consider to be the greatest achievements in film scoring. My preference for the dramatic, serious, epic will be clear, but I will include some surprise twists. My dislike for the disturbing and horrific will likely see several soundtrack masterpieces excluded.
I have decided to limit this list to original movie scores rather than movies that lean heavily on compilations of popular music (even if expertly done as in "Remember the Titans" or "Forrest Gump"). This list could be truly endless.
Music is the primary reason I go to the movies.
I have decided to limit this list to original movie scores rather than movies that lean heavily on compilations of popular music (even if expertly done as in "Remember the Titans" or "Forrest Gump"). This list could be truly endless.
Music is the primary reason I go to the movies.
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- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonA banker convicted of uxoricide forms a friendship over a quarter century with a hardened convict, while maintaining his innocence and trying to remain hopeful through simple compassion.Considered by many to be the greatest movie of all time, I would argue that the score is one of the pivotal reasons. I've yet to hear a Thomas Newman score I disliked, and this one captures all of his very best qualities.
- DirectorsJerome RobbinsRobert WiseStarsNatalie WoodGeorge ChakirisRichard BeymerTwo youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.A true masterpiece from Bernstein. Vibrant, complex, iconic, bittersweet, and truly set apart in the genre.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsMel GibsonSophie MarceauPatrick McGoohanScottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.James Horner's piece de resistance. A sound as dynamic, exotic, intimate, and majestic as the legend it accompanies.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksHelen HuntPaul SanchezA FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.Beautiful, sparse, understated, and perfectly matched to the story.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMatt DamonTom SizemoreFollowing the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose comrades have been killed in action.John Williams at his very best, precisely because, though he is unmatched in his ability to create iconic themes, this particular score is comparably subdued in its melodic rises and falls. It perfectly captures the grandeur and the gravity of the subject.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.A groundbreaking score, as Zimmer's often are. A score that transcends its story. A textbook case of what can be achieved with a simple theme and expert use of orchestration.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsJodie FosterMatthew McConaugheyTom SkerrittDr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.Some of the most hauntingly beautiful themes Silvestri has created.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsNaomi WattsJack BlackAdrien BrodyA greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.The fact that James Newton Howard had only months to compose after the firing of Howard Shore, and yet managed to create something so stirring and evocative of the era warrants a place on this list.
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsMel GibsonJoaquin PhoenixRory CulkinA widowed former reverend living with his children and brother on a Pennsylvania farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields, which suggests something more frightening to come.The frenetic motif sets the pace and never lets you rest until the movie itself resolves. James Newton Howard at his absolute best.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.Howard Shore's masterpiece. He perfectly captured the world in sound, establishing an almost lore within music to match the cultures created by Tolkien. All three movies could be placed on this list, but this was the groundbreaker.
- DirectorHugh HudsonStarsBen CrossIan CharlesonNicholas FarrellTwo British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.While the synthesizer sounds have perhaps aged poorly, they were groundbreaking for their time. The themes captured a depth of inner searching rarely equaled. Powerful, ethereal, mournful, and ultimately, transcendent.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweJoaquin PhoenixConnie NielsenA former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
- DirectorDavid AnspaughStarsSean AstinJon FavreauNed BeattyRudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.Be honest: You're crying just thinking about it.
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordKatharine RossIn 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid lead a band of outlaws. When a train robbery goes wrong, they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels..An outlier on this list, the music (alongside the expert writing and casting) largely lifted this movie out of the typical western to something culturally significant.
- DirectorsBrenda ChapmanSteve HicknerSimon WellsStarsVal KilmerRalph FiennesMichelle PfeifferEgyptian Prince Moses learns of his identity as a Hebrew and his destiny to become the chosen deliverer of his people.In a genre dominated by powerful Disney scores, here comes Dreamworks to shock the world.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsDaniel Day-LewisMadeleine StoweRussell MeansThree Mohican trappers agree to protect the daughters of a British Colonel in the midst of the French and Indian War.Moving to the core from Jones & Edelman.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsChow Yun-FatMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangA young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.Incredible cello work, and set aside from all other movies that year. Romantic and mystical.
- DirectorPaul HaggisStarsDon CheadleSandra BullockThandiwe NewtonLos Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.I have yet to actually see the movie, but its soundtrack stirs me deeply.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.Williams perfectly married theme, orchestration, and moment.
- DirectorsAndrew StantonLee UnkrichStarsAlbert BrooksEllen DeGeneresAlexander GouldAfter his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.Another brilliant work from Thomas Newman.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyMatthew MacfadyenBrenda BlethynWhen Elizabeth Bennet meets the handsome Mr. Darcy, she believes he is the last man she could ever marry, but as their lives become intertwined, she finds herself captivated by the man she has sworn to hate forever.Exquisite piano performance with composition completely suited to the pacing, characters, and period.
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsSigourney WeaverWilliam HurtJoaquin PhoenixA series of events tests the beliefs of a small isolated countryside village.Expert composition and violin work lifted this movie above the story it told.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsTobey MaguireKirsten DunstWillem DafoeAfter being bitten by a genetically-modified spider, a shy teenager gains spider-like abilities that he uses to fight injustice as a masked superhero and face a vengeful enemy.Danny Elfman's fusion of rhythm and stirring motif perfectly embodied the wall crawler. An underrated score.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsBrandon RouthKevin SpaceyKate BosworthSuperman returns to Earth after spending five years in space examining his homeworld Krypton. But he finds things have changed while he was gone, and he must once again prove himself important to the world.This movie was not well received, but its music warrants a rewatch. Nostalgic and elegant.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko TanakaWhile seeking to cure himself of a curse, young warrior Ashitaka stumbles into a conflict between the people of Iron Town and Princess Mononoke, a girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the destruction of her home.A powerful film, and a moving score.
