I love movies but just as equally, I love movie scores. For those that don’t know the term “score” in the context of cinema, it’s the background music that accompanies a film. This is opposed to the songs which most people remember. Famous scores you might know include Jaws, Psycho, Star Wars and Titanic.
I’ve been collecting my favourites since 1995 and I’d have about 150 in all. Most are for recent films. Over the years, I’ve developed an appreciation for certain composers. When I see their name in the opening credits, my ears pay very close attention. My tastes have changed over time but there are some scores that I never get tired of hearing.
And so, this week, I’m naming the top 10 film scores from my collection. As I alluded to earlier, these are mostly recent films and it’s not meant to be a list covering 100 years of cinema. I’m provided links to amazon.com where you can listen to brief snippets from the scores if you’d like. It might help trigger your memory if you’ve seen the film before.
I haven’t ranked them in order because I’ve found it simply too hard to do. I’ve also limited it to one soundtrack per composer so I can spread the credit around. Here we go…
Dragonheart – composed by Randy Edelman
A good track to listen to: 1
The Last Of The Mohicans – composed by Trevor Jones
A good track to listen to: 2
The Bourne Supremacy – composed by John Powell
A good track to listen to: 2
Legends Of The Fall – composed by James Horner
A good track to listen to: 2
The Horse Whisperer – composed by Thomas Newman
A good track to listen to: 28
Rudy – composed by Jerry Goldsmith
A good track to listen to: 8
The Claim – composed by Michael Nyman
A good track to listen to: 10
Magnolia – composed by Jon Brion
A good track to listen to: 2
Twister – composed by Mark Mancina
A good track to listen to: 4
The American President – composed by Marc Shaiman
A good track to listen to: 1
Honourable mentions go to Titanic (James Horner), The Shawshank Redemption (Thomas Newman), Requiem For A Dream (Clint Mansell), Romeo & Juliet (Nellee Hooper), The Cider House Rules (Rachel Portman), The Lord Of The Rings (Howard Shore), The Talented Mr. Ripley (Gabriel Yared) and Sideways (Rolf Kent).
So next time you’re at the movies, play close attention to the music in the background and see if it enhances the movie-going experience for you.