# Best film score of different genres. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944 "2005-04-18T20:48:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/1 "2005-04-18T20:48:53Z")
I’ll be somewhat vague/open about what qualifies as a genre, but I’m generally looking for the score best at conveying the mood of a movie, or just an outstanding piece of work in any given genre. I’ll start with the one that made me think to write this thread. For a gloomy/morose movie, the Memento score (David Julyan) is excellent. It’s absolutely bleak, and captures the feeling of futility in the movie really well. It fits. It’s extremely depressing, but nice in its own way. Action Suspense - Predator score (Alan Silvestri). Very good at creating a sense of, at times, urgency, confusion, suspense… and still a good action movie score overall. Head-stomping action: Conan the Barbarian score (Basil Poledoris). There’s actually some great stand-alone music on the score, definitely one of my favorites of all time. It’s just excellent orchestral work. The themes are very good, and work well in the movie to get you in the mood to watch some people being decapitated. Some of the score in the movie doesn’t fit especially well, but most of it is excellent as a stand-alone music piece, while other parts of the score fit absolutely perfectly. I’ll probably list more as I think of them. I wish they’d have got Poledoris to do the LOTR soundtracks. I was generally unimpressed by Howard Shore’s work on it. I think he’s great for some stuff, but swords and sorcery isn’t his thing. Not quite sure how to classify this one… Mystery/Suspense - Silence of the Lambs score (Howard Shore). Every piece on the score is an excellent standalone piece of music, but it all fits the mood of the movie perfectly, too. It’s mostly atmospheric, rather than driving, and that works perfectly. Definitely one of my favorite scores. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/2 "2005-04-18T21:22:23Z")
I’m going back a bit farther: Historical adventure: The Adventures of Robin Hood by Korngold. I can’t imagine the movie without it. Horror/suspense: Psycho, by Bernard Herrman. Atypical, all strings, but iconic and tense/creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/3 "2005-04-18T21:30:08Z")
I love the score for _Babe_ by **Nigel Westlake**. Great composer with a real ability to evoke and compliment scenes of nature and the outdoors. He also has in incredible cd called _Entomology_. Also, you can’t beat **Danny Elfman** for the Tim Burton genre; dark yet childlike surrealism. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/57b2e6/32.png) [@Quasimodal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodal)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/4 "2005-04-18T22:25:53Z")
The music in **Signs** is quite haunting. Even better, the whole thing is based on three notes. Much like Beethoven’s fifth (the later being four notes) ---
**Author:** ![ZeroGyro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47774/32.png) [@ZeroGyro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZeroGyro)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/5 "2005-04-19T00:35:33Z")
**Western:** Ennio Morricone’s score for **Once Upon a Time in the West** is suitably epic and melodramatic. I think it wonderfully maximizes the emotional impact of the final showdown between Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson. I believe much, if not all, of it was actually composed _before_ the film was shot. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/6 "2005-04-19T01:18:40Z")
John Barry’s various “James Bond” scores are definitive, particularly _Goldfinger_, _You Only Live Twice_, _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_, and _The Living Daylights_, and his haunting score for _Moonraker_ was manifestly the best thing about that film. The non-Barry scores have been disappointing to say the least, although I’d argue that McCartney did his best solo work on the credit track to _Live And Let Die_. Barry has a style that can be distinguesed elsewhere. I remember watching the poorly-promoted and seen _Enigma_ and thinking it sounded like a particularly mournful Bond score. Sure enough, Barry wrote and conducted the theme music. He was also supposed to do the score to _The Incredibles_, but then declined (apparently he didn’t want to return to doing a Bond-ish score), but Michael Giacchino did a fantastic job of mimicing Barry. Ennio Morricone did fantastic work, not only on Sergio Leone films (and an astonishing number of films starring Clint Eastwood) but also on other films, like _John Carpenter’s The Thing_. And of course, Greek New Age composer Vangelis with _Blade Runner_, _The Bounty_, _Nankyoku monogatari_ and \*L’apocalypse des animaux \*. I’m not a New Age fan (nor do I care for most of his other, non-film score work) but his music is often the best things about the films they score, as with _1492: Conquest of Paradise_. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/7 "2005-04-19T01:23:26Z")
I always thought the soundtrack to _Goodfellas_ was as close to perfect as you can get for the feel of a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/8 "2005-04-19T03:25:05Z")
The score to Hunt For Red October was pretty damned good. Basil Poledouris as well, I think. And of course the score to Amadeus, which was more or less all Mozart. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/9 "2005-04-19T04:00:45Z")
The only soundtrack I own is _A Perfect World_ and although mostly it is a collection of classic country songs it has 2 pieces from Clint Eastwood and Lennie Niehaus - _Big Fran’s Baby_ and _End Credits Medley_ which includes the theme. The former is the single most evocative bit of movie music I have ever heard, to this day I can virtually see the scenes in my head. I really liked Eastwood’s score for _Million Dollar Baby_ and the, probably mostly unknown, Paul Kelly score for _Lantana_. ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/10 "2005-04-19T04:04:20Z")
Creepy Hannibal Lecter Genre - The score from Manhunter. I love all the Shriekback tunes, especially This Big Hush. It was done by Michael Mann, the guy who did Miami Vice. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/11 "2005-04-19T04:04:34Z")
I’d nominate the soundtrack from **The Piano**. Just brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/12 "2005-04-19T04:48:06Z")
Morricone’s score to **The Mission** managed to combine heavenly beauty with menacing tension - very effective in portraying the South American tribes before and after the Europeans brought them religion. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/57b2e6/32.png) [@Quasimodal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodal)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/13 "2005-04-19T17:42:45Z")
**Monster’s Ball** has a great score. Impressionistic guitar looping that never resolves until the last sentence of the movie. It such a great release of tension. If you like this style of music, check out Bill Frisell who somewhat pioneered this style ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/14 "2005-04-19T18:28:22Z")
While I agree that Hermann’s **Psycho** is brilliant, his **NxNW** is clearly my favorite. In the Remake of a Classic About Young Boys Standed on a Tropical Island category, **Lord of the Flies** wins for bet ripoff of Stravinsky. James Horner had me with **Star Trek II**. Howard Shore bowled me over with **The Fly**. And who did **Farenheit 9/11**? I really liked that. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/15 "2005-04-19T18:49:37Z")
> [@Quasimodal](#): > > The music in **Signs** is quite haunting. Even better, the whole thing is based on three notes. Much like Beethoven’s fifth (the later being four notes) Ditto. I will say that the score for **Lord of the Rings** was absolutely perfect, and anybody who disagrees can step out outside. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/16 "2005-04-19T19:19:22Z")
The barn-raising scene from **Witness** had just about the best movie music I have ever heard… Maurice Jarre, if I recall correctly. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoneyKingofNowhere)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/17 "2005-04-19T19:46:39Z")
[The Usual Suspects](http://www.johnottman.com/projects/features/usualsuspects/index.html) (John Ottman) is hauntingly beautiful. I know the CD straight through. . . “The Greatest Trick” and both versions of “Main Theme” are excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-film-score-of-different-genres/299944/18 "2005-04-19T22:09:11Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > I will say that the score for **Lord of the Rings** was absolutely perfect, and anybody who disagrees can step out outside. 😉 Having sung four performances of the Lord of the Rings symphony, which is based on the music from the film scores, I can assure you that it’s actually quite boring and repetitive. 🙂