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Film Music Review (Volumes 1-7)

 
   

 

 

 


100 Essential Film Scores of the 20th Century

 

This is a list of scores from films released between the 1930s and 1990s.

No musicals or movie songs are included since
they are separate genres.

 


Recommended DVD

If you enjoy music from older films, this DVD is highly recommended. It is hosted with great candor by John Mauceri and includes music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, David Raksin, Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Franz Waxman, and all the film scores mentioned are on the 100 Essential Film Scores list below.

This DVD is well worth adding to your collection:

Music for the Movies: The Hollywood Sound

 

 

 


Selected by Roger Hall

Film Music Historian and Editor, Film Music Review

 

Preparing a survey list on any topic is always a problem.

Which ones to choose and which ones to leave out?

So this is not meant to be the definitive film score list -- I don't believe that is possible.
Instead it is meant to be representative of the many outstanding film scores
composed during the 20th century.

You may or may not agree with my choices.

It is not possible to please everyone, yet 22 of the titles listed below
are also on AFI's Top 25 film scores survey.

It was a very difficult task to place one great film score ahead of another great one. The numbering is not set in stone and is just meant to establish some order
for the 100 film scores.

The list is a revised one from what appears in my reference book,

A Guide to Film Music: Songs and Scores

Each film score was chosen as representative of significant originality and also for their popularity with audiences over the years.
Yet some popular scores didn't make the list.

For example, audience favorites like James Horner's STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) and Maurice Jarre's DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965). These film scores, while very popular, were not judged to have enough significant originality to make the list. The only series scores to make this list were for STAR WARS,
with two films listed at Nos. 16 and 14.

All the numbers have film title, date, and the film composer's name.

Click on the underlined links for CD reviews.

 

100 Essential Film Scores, 1933 - 1993

+ = American Film Institute's "100 Years of Film Scores" = 22 of the Top 25 scores are on this list

 

100. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968) -- Ennio Morricone

99. BATMAN (1989) -- Danny Elfman

98. COCOON (1985) -- James Horner

97. GOLDFINGER (1964) -- John Barry

96. TAXI DRIVER (1976) --Bernard Herrmann

95. +THE PINK PANTHER (1964) -- Henry Mancini

94. THE LOST WEEKEND (1945) -- Miklos Rozsa

93. ANTHONY ADVERSE (1936) -- Erich Wolfgang Korngold

92. RAINTREE COUNTY (1957) -- Johnny Green

91. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (1958) -- Dimitri Tiomkin

90. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) -- Max Steiner

89. THE UNINVITED (1944) -- Victor Young

88. THE NATURAL (1984) -- Randy Newman

87. THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965) -- Alfred Newman

86. TRUE GRIT (1969) -- Elmer Bernstein

85. JULIUS CAESAR (1953) --Miklos Rozsa

84. +OUT OF AFRICA (1985) -- John Barry

82. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984) -- Ennio Morricone

81. THE QUIET MAN (1952) -- Victor Young

80. LUST FOR LIFE (1959) -- Miklos Rozsa

79. HAWAII (1966) -- Elmer Bernstein

78. AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS (1956) -- Victor Young

77. THE SEA HAWK (1941) -- Erich Wolfgang Korngold

76. THE OMEN (1976) -- Jerry Goldsmith

75. MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961) -- Bernard Herrmann

74. STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) -- Jerry Goldsmith

73. HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1940) -- Alfred Newman

72. HATARI (1960) -- Henry Mancini

71. THE HURRICANE (1937) -- Alfred Newman

70. SHANE (1953) -- Victor Young

69. SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (1944) -- Max Steiner

68. THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1962) -- Dimitri Tiomkin

67. THE HEIRESS (1949) -- Aaron Copland

66. CASABLANA (1943) -- Max Steiner

65. DUEL IN THE SUN (1946) -- Dimitri Tiomkin

64. NOW VOYAGER (1942) -- Max Steiner

63. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) -- Elmer Bernstein

62. THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952) -- David Raksin

61. EL CID (1961) -- Miklos Rozsa

60. +A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) -- Alex North

59. SUMMER AND SMOKE (1961) -- Elmer Bernstein

58. +CHINATOWN (1974) -- Jerry Goldsmith

57. HENRY V (1944) -- William Walton

56. THE INFORMER (1935) -- Max Steiner

55. CAPTAIN FROM CASTILLE (1947) -- Alfred Newman

54. +THE MISSION (1986) -- Ennio Morricone

53. THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (1954) -- Dimitri Tiomkin

52. THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) -- Franz Waxman

51. FAHRENHEIT 451 (1966) -- Bernard Herrmann

50. +SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) -- Franz Waxman

49. +JAWS (1975) -- John Williams

48. POLTERGEIST (1982) -- Jerry Goldsmith

47. THE LION IN WINTER (1968) -- John Barry

46. OUR TOWN (1940) -- Aaron Copland

45. RED RIVER (1948) -- Dimitri Tiomkin

44. +LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) -- Maurice Jarre

43. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) -- Alfred Newman

42. THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS (1957) -- Franz Waxman

41. +PLANET OF THE APES (1968) -- Jerry Goldsmith

40. THE SONG OF BERNADETTE (1943) -- Alfred Newman

39. THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940) -- Miklos Rozsa

38. THE SAND PEBBLES (1966) -- Jerry Goldsmith

37. KINGS ROW (1942) -- Erich Wolfgang Korngold

36. +E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) -- John Williams

35. +HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1963) -- Alfred Newman and Ken Darby

34. PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE (1952) -- Miklos Rozsa

33. THE SEARCHERS (1956) -- Max Steiner

32. SUPERMAN (1978) -- John Williams

31. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) -- Henry Mancini

30. CLEOPATRA (1963) -- Alex North

29. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951) -- Franz Waxman

28. THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1946) -- Bernard Herrmann

27. THE ROBE (1953) -- Alfred Newman

26. KING OF KINGS (1961) -- Miklos Rozsa

25. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955) -- Elmer Bernstein

24 .PATTON (1970) -- Jerry Goldsmith

23. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993) -- John Williams

22. ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY (THE DEVIL & DANIEL WEBSTER,1941) -- Bernard Herrmann

21.THE BIG COUNTRY (1958) -- Jerome Moross

20. THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964) -- Dimitri Tiomkin

19. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) -- Bernard Herrmann

18. SPELLBOUND (1945) -- Miklos Rozsa

17. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) -- Bernard Herrmann

16. +STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (1977) -- John Williams

15. +THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) -- Elmer Bernstein

14. STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) -- John Williams

13. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) -- John Williams

12 .+GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) -- Max Steiner

11. +PSYCHO (1960) -- Bernard Herrmann

10. SPARTACUS (1960) -- Alex North

9. +LAURA (1944) -- David Raksin

8. +THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) -- Erich Wolfgang Korngold

7. +HIGH NOON (1952) -- Dimitri Tiomkin

6.THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946) -- Hugo Friedhofer

5. +KING KONG (1933) -- Max Steiner

4. +TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) -- Elmer Bernstein

3. +VERTIGO (1958) -- Bernard Herrmann

2. +BEN-HUR (1959) -- Miklos Rozsa

+ = American Film Institute's "100 Years of Film Scores" = 22 of the Top 25 scores are on this list

And the top film score is from what is generally regarded as the greatest American film...

Citizen Kane (Score)

 

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941) -- Bernard Herrmann

CD Review

 

Number of film composers on the 100 Essential Film Scores list = 25

Film composers with 3 or more scores on the Essential Film Scores list:

Bernard Herrmann = 10

Miklos Rozsa = 9

Alfred Newman = 8

Max Steiner = 8

Dimitri Tiomkin = 7

John Williams = 7

Elmer Bernstein = 6

Jerry Goldsmith = 6

Erich Wolfgang Korngold = 4

Franz Waxman = 4

John Barry = 3

Henry Mancini = 3

Ennio Morricone = 3

Alex North = 3

Victor Young = 3

 


Related links:

From the Editor: Film Composers

Editor's Choice: Top Ten Film Scores (1930s-1970s)

Web Poll: Top 10 Favorite Film Scores (1930s-1970s)


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