what, do the dopers believe, are the best themes from movie soundtracks? i’m talking about classical style, with an orchestra, composed for the film.
among my favorites:
the godfather
star wars
the hobbit theme from lord of the rings
the overture from dancer in the dark
rudy
austin powers
rocky
closing credits to moulin rouge
james bond
mission impossible
Not sure if these qualify :
Crimson Tide
Jurassic Park
Where Eagles Dare
Titanic
Glory
The Adventures of Robin Hood by Korngold
The Ten Commandments by Elmer Bernstein
North by Northwest by Bernard Herman
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure by Danny Elfman
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” is my favorite John Williams score. Every track on the album is strong, and the sweet woodwind on “Marion’s Theme” still gives me chills.
John Barry’s music for “Out of Africa” and “Dances With Wolves” is terrific, if often melancholy. John Dunbar’s theme (in “Dances”) is especially haunting, with its clarion solo horn.
Just about my favorite “classical” soundtrack is “The Black Stallion” by Carmine Coppala. Unfortunately it’s damned hard to find, which stinks because my cassette copy is worn out.
I was just reminded of “Beetlejuice” by Danny Elfman (thanks, h.sapiens). It’s alternately humorous and shivery, with the added bonus of two Harry Belafonte songs.
Contemporary compositions?
Just about anything by Angelo Badalamenti…
Quite a few by Danny Elfman…
Just about anything by Patrick Doyle (though Henry V (1989) is my fave)…
-bbb-
In no particular order:
Psycho by Bernard Herrmann
Mad Max by Brian Mays
Yojimbo by Masaru Sato
Les parapluies de Cherbourg by Michel Legrand
Beetlejuice by Danny Elfman was pretty good too.
I could think of more, but those are the ones that spring to mind.
Maurice by Richard Robbins
Star Trek: the Motion Picture I haven’t seen this movie in ages, but a couple of weeks ago, the local PBS radio station played it on there “Music of the Movies” show. I found it quite enjoyable and rank it at the top of my list now.
Dracula (the Frank Langella movie version) by John Williams
Jurassic Park
Star Trek II
The Nightmare Before Christmas by Danny Elfman and Back to the Future by Alan Silvestri.
b_b_b is right – Patrick Doyle’s Henry V is outstanding.
Also on my list:
Chinatown by Jerry Goldsmith; Body Heat and Somewhere in Time, both by John Barry; Citizen Kane and Taxi Driver, both by Bernard Herrmann; To Kill a Mockingbird by Elmer Bernstein; Three Days of the Condor by Dave Grusin; A Place in the Sun by Franz Waxman; Dr. Zhivago by Maurice Jarre; A Life of Her Own by Bronislaw Kaper; Field of Dreams by James Horner.
I love movie music. It’s always fun to hear a piece of it out of context somewhere, and if it’s a movie you really like to have some of the thrill of watching it in the theater come back to you.
I’ll second the Dances With Wolves music, especially “John Dunbar’s Theme,” as mentioned by plankter above.
The Last of the Mohicans has an awesome score–maybe my favorite as a whole soundtrack.
DAS BOOT
Jaws
Bernard Herrmann is God:[ul][li]Vertigo (possibly my all time favourite film score)[/li][li]Psycho[/li][li]North by Northwest[/li][li]Taxi Driver[/ul]Other favourites:[ul][]Fargo by Carter Burwell[/li][li]8 1/2 by Nino Rota[/li][li]Godfather also by Nino Rota[/li][li]the sweet hereafter by Michael Danna[/li][li]LOTR by Howard Shore[/li][li]Lawrence of Arabia by Maurice Jarre[/li][li]a whole bunch of stuff by Ennio Morricone, including The Good, The Bad, The Ugly[/li][]a whole bunch of stuff by Jerry Goldsmith, including Alien[/ul]
The Great Escape
Watership Down
Cinema Paradiso, Helen’s love theme is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.
That guy who wrote the music for Amadeus sounds like he knows what he’s doing. 