# Best Orchestral Movie Theme **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224 "2015-06-11T00:38:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [June 11, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/41 "2015-06-11T15:43:07Z")
Going way back here, Korngold’s score for “The Adventures of Robin Hood” has always been one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/42 "2015-06-11T15:51:05Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OuXkmg4cKso/hqdefault.jpg "The Long Goodbye (1973) Theme-High Quality") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuXkmg4cKso) Forgot to mention this one from Robert Altmans wierd take on Phillip Marlowe, The Long Goodbye. Its a great theme as a stand alone but Altman recycles it throughout the film using different singers and different styles. A good film unless you are a Marlowe purist. Watch for a Schwartzenegger cameo as a bodyguard pre plastic surgery and in his underwear. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/43 "2015-06-11T15:55:40Z")
[The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XdHgltVbHY) [Capricorn One](https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_109557&feature=iv&src_vid=vjGumnQ1cZ0&v=T1BTHDOs4cY) [The Omega Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxAN0B6lIeU) has a fantastic soundtrack. Perfectly encapsulates the 70’s idea of a last man on Earth. I love it. Ron Grainer wrote it and there really isn’t anything else like it. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/44 "2015-06-11T16:10:24Z")
Korngold, Waxman, Tiomkin, John Barry, etc. but [Toru Takemitsu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toru_Takemitsu) is a name that should never be left off lists like this. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/45 "2015-06-11T16:29:23Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > Vangelis with his sound track for Chariots of Fire is not to shabby, it certainly did pretty well as a stand alone album. I think Jerusalem is the only non original piece on the soundtrack, and it is a good rendition in itself. > … He did a fantastic job, IMO, on _Blade Runner_. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/46 "2015-06-11T16:41:58Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > He did a fantastic job, IMO, on _Blade Runner_. The Bounty is fantastic. I sweat just listening to it. ---
**Author:** ![Sasori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Sasori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sasori)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/47 "2015-06-12T15:52:46Z")
I’m quite partial to Marcello Giombini’s score for _Sabata_. Sample: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncp-NzeGu64](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncp-NzeGu64) ---
**Author:** ![Abracadebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Abracadebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abracadebra)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/48 "2015-06-12T16:54:56Z")
Another vote for Morricone, The Untouchables, 1987 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/49 "2015-06-12T18:11:47Z")
So many of the above… plus I love the _ **Harry Potter** _ soundtracks. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/50 "2015-06-12T18:23:37Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Lalo Schifrin has done many excellent scores, among my favorites of which include > > [Bullitt - Opening Credits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S__L_OQe6NE) > > and > > [Bullitt, Music Stereo Soundtrack “Shifting Gears” By Lalo Schifrin. HQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAGL8C9y8bg) > > Just saw your post, **madsircool**! My mother’s boss knew Lalo Schifrin. Her boss was a sociologist at a university, who knew Schifrin from sociology circles – Schifrin was trained as a sociologist, and worked as one for a while before going over full time to writing scores. > **[Lalo Schifrin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalo_Schifrin)** > > Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical elements alongside traditional orchestrations. He is a five-time Grammy Award winner; he has been nominated for six Academy Awards and four Emmy Awards. > Schifrin's best known compositions include the themes from Mission: Impossible and Mannix, as well as the... I remember him more for the original **Mission Impossible** TV theme music. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/51 "2015-06-12T18:26:34Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > My mother’s boss knew Lalo Schifrin. Her boss was a sociologist at a university, who knew Schifrin from sociology circles – Schifrin was trained as a sociologist, and worked as one for a while before going over full time to writing scores. > > [Lalo Schifrin - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalo_Schifrin) > I remember him more for the original **Mission Impossible** TV theme music. Is there a list of longest surviving original scores? I know the MI score has been re-written, but you can still clearly hear the original TV score in it, dating back to the, what, early 60s? ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/52 "2015-06-12T18:47:02Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Is there a list of longest surviving original scores? I know the MI score has been re-written, but you can still clearly hear the original TV score in it, dating back to the, what, early 60s? probably going to be from one of the long running TV series Mission Impossible 1968 Dr Who from 1963 - various reinterpretations but the same thing Coronation Street ( British long running soap) 1960, I assume it is still the same have not seen it for a long time ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/53 "2015-06-12T19:29:09Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > He did a fantastic job, IMO, on _Blade Runner_. Agreed. One of my two favorite soundtracks. I would have posted it but the OP specified “orchestral” and BR is of course 90% Vangelis himself on synthesizers. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/54 "2015-06-12T20:00:55Z")
My all-time favorite is from 1954’s [_The High and the Mighty,_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjN5_cJDWHs) by Dmitri Tiomkin. ---
**Author:** ![IT\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3ec8ea/32.png) [@IT\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IT_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/55 "2015-06-14T04:00:59Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Here is a theme that should have had a movie. Here is another - Samuel Barber: [Overture to The School for Scandal](https://youtu.be/Ki1yAlqo2PA) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/56 "2015-06-14T15:31:24Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Without naming a specific movie, I just want Henry Mancini’s name in this thread! Creature From the Black Lagoon Offering [The Towering Inferno](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D84hNvh0zSw) Why don’t you evacuate the people off of the roof with helicopters? They keep running out of gas before they can get up there! - MAD magazine ---
**Author:** ![Sasori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Sasori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sasori)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/57 "2015-06-14T20:20:00Z")
These aren’t too shabby either: Ennio Morricone - [L’ Arena](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndpGiMkh0P0) (_Il Mercenario_) James Horner - [Willow Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df-a0Bl0b74) (okay, a bit stretching on the “original” part) Christopher Young - [Hellbound](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L7D9kRso5M) (_Hellraiser_) Miklos Rosza - [Overture](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dApIMjrn2Vg) for 1959’s _Ben Hur_ Bill Conti - [Main Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmDzW6ZBvf8) for _Masters of the Universe_ (a gem on a pile of dung) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/58 "2015-06-14T20:22:00Z")
Bill Conti and Rocky wasnt to bad either ---
**Author:** ![Sasori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Sasori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sasori)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224/59 "2015-06-14T23:43:46Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > My all-time favorite is from 1954’s [_The High and the Mighty,_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjN5_cJDWHs) by Dmitri Tiomkin. Thanks, I haven’t heard that one in ages! A few more for your entertainment: Roy Budd - [Main Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BUBHaHbWh8) for _Get Carter_ Danny Elfman - [Wolf Suite Part 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IvRPU0L-Co) (_The Wolfma_n) Alex North - [Love Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GFE0l-W-CU) (_Spartacus_) Jerry Goldsmith - [Main Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js69DkyaDVQ) for _Papillon_ Craig Armstrong - [Escape](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dnXXN6K1U4) (_Plunkett & Macleane_, unfortunately the ending flows into the next piece) Luis Enriquez Bacalov - [My Name is King](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe_m6-J1Qfo) (_His Name was King_:)) Bruno Nicolai - [Main Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ5Osst18sU) for \*Adios, Sabata \*(poor guy always stood in Morricone’s shadow but made many brilliant scores) Nora Orlandi - [Il Cacciatore](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMsk767XBLU) (_One Hundred Thousand Dollars Per Killin_g, another brilliant , often overlooked composer) Ennio Morricone - [Rabbia e Tarantella](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttbL3Y8sdBQ) (_Allonsanfans_) Not altogether orchestral, but you just can’t pidgeonhole this genius who died much too young: Francois de Roubaix - [Main Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ2FURhZgy8) for _Dernier Domicile Connu_ (sounds familiar eh?;)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-orchestral-movie-theme/722224.md?page=2)