Favourite movie composer.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

I'm rather partial to John Barry myself, plus a little side action with David Arnold, Howard Shore, Ennio Morricone and Danny Elfman. You lot?

[PAMod]

1. I love John Barry - I like John Williams too.

My favorite soundtrack is "Out of Africa".

I like Williams' music because it is tuneful.

I also love the soundtrack of 2001 A Space Odyssey - the combination of the Strausses.

Strangely, I also like the music from The Omen, but I don't know who was responsible for that.

In general, I like movie music.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. I think The Omen was Jerry Goldsmith

like Williams, a hardy perennial in the field.

[GOPisEvil]

2. Elmer Bernstein (especially for The Magnificent Seven)

Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman did a good job in The Last of the Mohicans too.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. Yeah. I dig Bernstein. Hell of a back catalogue.

[Richardo]

21. His music lent a lot to Animal House, Ghostbusters, Stripes...

You can tell a John Landis or Harold Ramis film by the Elmer Bernstein score...

[Richardo]

3. Danny Elfman

...with a side of Bernard Hermann (Hitchcock's main guy)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

8. I'd forgotten about Hermann. Good call.

[terrya]

15. Bernard Herrmann. Another genius.

People mostly remember "Psycho" from Herrmann's scores. But listen to the score from "Vertigo". Haunting, just beautiful.

[Richardo]

16. The opening credits for North by Northwest amaze me to this day...

Both the art direction and the score. :thumbsup:

[terrya]

18. Oh, yeah! I think Saul Bass did the titles in the opening credits.

The opening credits from "North By Northwest" still amazes me. Brilliant. :thumbsup:

Terry

[terrya]

4. John Barry is the best. We sure agree on this one, SLB.

I'm especially partial to Barry's score from "The Lion in Winter". It's wonderous...it helps to create the versimiltude of the film. With his score, you feel like you are in 12th century England.

John Barry is a genius, IMO.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

10. Extraordinarily versatile, brilliantly dynamic.

The guy was (is) a genius. The only genius to ever work with Duran Duran, also. :evilgrin:

[terrya]

13. That's right! I forget Barry has done scores from the Bond films.

:-)

I also liked Barry's score from the film "Frances" with Jessica Lange. Very haunting score.

[terrya]

11. Also, James Horner. And I second Elmer Bernstein.

I loved Bernstein's scores from "The Grifters" and "Far From Heaven"

[Bertha Venation]

5. Georges Delerue, Danny Elfman, Randy Newman, and Thomas Newman

eom

[Screaming Lord Byron]

12. How could I forget Randy and his family?

[demnan]

9. Randy Newman

because I like everything Randy Newman does.

I also like John William's score for "Catch Me if you can" I think that was one of the finest movie scores I've ever heard.

[Pale Blue Dot]

14. Ennio

His percussive score made The Untouchables exciting; his atmospheric scores set the mood for the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns; his sentimental score for Cinema Paradiso wrung ever drop of emotion from that film.

He was a great one, and I still miss his presence in the movies.

[BigMcLargehuge]

17. Akira Ifukube

followed by:

Ennio Morricone
John Williams

[bbernardini]

19. Danny Elfman...John Williams is too derivative.

I'll admit John Williams has come up with some nice tunes, but most of the time he rips off Stravinsky, Copeland and himself. Large parts of the first "Harry Potter" score sound very much like "Schindler's List".

[MuseRider]

24. I agree

about Williams. I admit that I like his music but he really does tend to rip more than some of the others. Listen to the "Star Wars" music the Holst's "The Planets". I also love Elfman, so playful and interesting.

[doubleplusgood]

20. Bernard Herrmann

Besides the Hitchcock movies ("Psycho", "Vertigo", etc.) he did a lot of other great scores for movies like "Citizen Kane", "Day the Earth Stood Still", "Fahrenheit 451", "Taxi Driver" & "Obsession".

Also, Sergei Prokofiev for "Alexander Nevsky", one of the all-time best movie scores.

[Rabrrrrrr]

31. Yes, Hermann!! Also Elfman and Basil Poledouris

Hermann was the king, though. Gonna be hard to top him in terms of overall quality of one's output. Williams is also good, but everything sounds the same - except for one movie which surprised me at the end it was him. I think it was AI, but I'm not sure. Didn't have that over-done Williams-ness to it.

[doubleplusgood]

52. Yeah, Poledouris: "Conan the Barbarian"

...is also one of my favorite scores. "Hunt for Red October", too.

[Rabrrrrrr]

53. I think in terms of matcing music with story, Conan's is the tops

Not only extraordinary music, that works totally on its own, it is the most perfect match of story/action and music that I've witnessed, except maybe the qatsi series and Star Wars (the first one, Episode IV).

[Twillig]

38. Yes, excellent. n/t

[XNASA]

46. Herrmann was the Master.

Dig Morricone too.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

22. The Amateur Soundtracker sub-thread. Neil Young for Dead Man.

Haunting, in every sense of the word.

[Dedalus]

23. Korngold

Korngold did the scores for lots of 30s/40s/50s/60s adventure movies... most of the old Errol Flynn ones..
John Williams should be in jail. Nearly everything he did is either directly stolen or so derivative it's embarrassing. Listen to Holst's "Mars" from Planets Suite, Verdi's "Dies Irae", "Aleksandr Nevsky" (I think it's Prokofiev) and it's everything from Star Wars phrase for phrase... "Jurassic Park" theme is directly stolen from Bach...

[MrBenchley]

25. Max Steiner

King Kong, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca...

[asjr]

26. Henry Mancini

[Screaming Lord Byron]

27. Good call. Did Mancini do 'Casino Royale' or just the title track?

Great soundtrack, lousy movie.

[terrya]

32. Burt Bachrach did the score from "Casino Royale". I agree with you, SLB...

Great score (including "The Look of Love"). Hideously bad movie (what was John Huston thinking of being involved with this POS??)

Terry

[Screaming Lord Byron]

40. John Huston, Nicholas Roeg, Woody Allen, David Niven and Peter Sellers.

What were any of these people thinking? Just throw enough talent at it and it'll work?
The Look of Love is fantastic, though.

[terrya]

42. Deborah Kerr, Charles Boyer, William Holden...

It's the most bizarre thing...so much talent actually lent themselves to this schlock.

I love the Bachrach score. And having Herb Alpert perform on it was perfect.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

29. I " heart " Henry Mancini .

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

28. Gonna have to go with Elfman

I'm in a funk so I can't get any more profound than I just like the way his scores sound. He sets a mood beautifully. He is the perfect match to Burton.

Oh and Nightmare Before Christmas was gold and I don't like musicals as a rule

[Insider]

30. wally badarou

did 'kiss of the spiderwoman", used to do keyboards for Level 42. great composer and musician

[bif]

33. Nino Rota--Felinni's composer and Popol Vuh

Who did most of Werner Herzog's movies.

[SaveElmer]

34. Ry Cooder

"The Long Riders"...not a bad movie....one of the best soundtracks!!!

[hatrack]

35. I'm a big Eliot Goldenthal fan; also (of course) Bernard Hermann . . .

Thomas Newman, Howard Shore, and the late Michael Kamen.

[no_hypocrisy]

36. Aaron Copeland. "Of Mice and Men", ca. 1934

Not sure if he scored "Grapes of Wrath"

[Calico Jack Rackham]

37. Mikis Theodorakis

he did the "Serpico" soundtrack

[Fenris]

39. Philip Glass, Lalo Schifrin, Danny Elfman

[Screaming Lord Byron]

41. Of course. How could I forget Lalo Schifrin. Good call, Fen.

[terrya]

44. Schifrin did some great scores for television. "Mannix" is one of the...

coolest themes. Very jazzy and perfect for the show.

[Fenris]

50. And "Mission: Impossible"

[Speck Tater]

61. Phillip Glass?!?

His themes are so repetitive and boring. Did you hear the old joke?

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Phillip Glass.

[skypilot]

43. Pino Donaggio.

Scored a bunch of Brian DePalma movies including "Carrie" and "Dressed to Kill".

[Beaverhausen]

45. Thomas Newman- did Shawshank Redemption

and many others. There is a piece from Shawshank that just gets me every time I hear it. Just piano and strings. Haunting. It was reused in White Oleander.

He is Randy's Uncle I think...or cousin.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002353/

[Gildor Inglorion]

47. Angelo Badalamenti ("Twin Peaks - Fire Walk with Me")

and Randy Edelman ("Last of the Mohicans").

[flowomo]

54. he also did one of my faves.... Mulholland Drive

[mockmonkey]

48. Vic Mizzy...

and I like Casino Royale....it's stupid!

[terrya]

49. Vic Mizzy did all of the theme music from the Don Knotts movies...

"The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" "The Shakiest Gun in the West"...

AND the theme from "The Addams Family" television show...

AND the theme from "Green Acres"

Truly, Vic Mizzy is one of our most underrated composers. Seriously.

[Neshanic]

51. Williams for "AI" was perfection. Elfman is a genius.

[flowomo]

55. CARTER BURWELL.... "Fargo"

[mitchum]

56. Nino Rota, Bernard Herrmann, Terence Blanchard, Ennio Morricone

[Ramsey]

57. Hans Zimmer

He did Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, among other great soundtracks.

Of course the BEST movie soundtrack of all time is Passion from The Last Temptation of Christ, by Peter Gabriel, but I wouldn't really call him a movie composer.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

58. Frank Zappa - '200 Motels'

[southpaw]

59. Elfman...

Love John Williams, too...

[Screaming Lord Byron]

62. Elfman seems like the most popular choice.

[Speck Tater]

60. James Newton Howard rocks!

Interpreter, The (2005) (filming)
Collateral (2004) (post-production)
Village, The (2004) (post-production)
Hidalgo (2004)
Peter Pan (2003)
Dreamcatcher (2003)
Making 'Signs' (2003) (V) (from "Signs")
Treasure Planet (2002)
Emperor's Club, The (2002)
Unconditional Love (2002)
Signs (2002)
... aka M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002) (USA: promotional title)
Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage (2002) (from 'Dinosaur (2000)') (uncredited)
... aka AMALL (2002) (India: Hindi title: informal short title)
Big Trouble (2002)
"Franco Buenaventura, el profe" (2002) TV Series (from film "The Prince of Tides") (uncredited)
... aka "Tango Lover" (2002) (International: English title)
America's Sweethearts (2001)
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
"Yago, pasión morena" (2001) TV Series (from "Prince of Tides, The") (uncredited)
... aka "Yago, Pure Passion" (2001) (International: English title)
Vertical Limit (2000)
Unbreakable (2000)
"Gideon's Crossing" (2000) TV Series
"Fugitive, The" (2000) TV Series (from "Fugitive, The (1993)")
Dinosaur (2000)
Wayward Son (1999)
Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
Mumford (1999)
Sixth Sense, The (1999)
Stir of Echoes (1999)
Runaway Bride (1999)
"Muñeca brava" (1998) TV Series (from "Prince of Tides, The") (uncredited)
... aka "Wild Angel" (1998) (International: English title)
Perfect Murder, A (1998)
"From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) (mini) TV Series (part six)
Postman, The (1997)
Devil's Advocate, The (1997)
... aka Im Auftrag des Teufels (1998) (Germany)
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
Fathers' Day (1997)
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)
Picture Perfect (1997) (additional music)
Liar Liar (1997) (theme)
Dante's Peak (1997) (theme)
Metro (1997) (additional music) (uncredited)
"Sentinel, The" (1996) TV Series (theme)
Sentinel, The (1996) (TV) (theme)
One Fine Day (1996) (theme song "For the First Time")
Space Jam (1996)
Rich Man's Wife, The (1996) (musical theme)
Trigger Effect, The (1996)
Primal Fear (1996)
Juror, The (1996)
Eye for an Eye (1996)
Restoration (1995)
Waterworld (1995)
French Kiss (1995)
... aka Paris Match (1995)
Outbreak (1995)
Just Cause (1995)
Junior (1994)
"ER" (1994) TV Series (theme composer)
ER (1994) (TV)
Wyatt Earp (1994)
Major League II (1994) (additional music)
Intersection (1994)
Saint of Fort Washington, The (1993)
Fugitive, The (1993)
"Celeste, siempre Celeste" (1993) TV Series (from "Dying Young" and "The Prince of Tides") (uncredited)
Dave (1993)
Falling Down (1993)
... aka Chute libre (1993/II) (France)
Alive (1993)
... aka Alive: The Miracle of the Andes (1993)
Night and the City (1992)
American Heart (1992)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
"2000 Malibu Road" (1992) TV Series (theme)
Diggstown (1992)
... aka Midnight Sting (1992)
Private Matter, A (1992) (TV)
... aka Miss Sherri (1992) (TV) (USA)
Grand Canyon (1991)
Prince of Tides, The (1991)
My Girl (1991)
Man in the Moon, The (1991)
Dying Young (1991)
Guilty by Suspicion (1991)
... aka Liste noire, La (1991) (France)
King Ralph (1991)
Descending Angel (1990) (TV)
3 Men and a Little Lady (1990)
... aka Three Men and a Little Lady (1990) (USA: poster title)
Marked for Death (1990)
... aka Screwface (1990)
Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture (1990) (TV)
Flatliners (1990)
Revealing Evidence: Stalking the Honolulu Strangler (1990) (TV)
Pretty Woman (1990)
Coupe de Ville (1990)
Image, The (1990) (TV)
Package, The (1989)
Major League (1989)
Tap (1989)
Everybody's All-American (1988)
... aka When I Fall in Love (1988)
Go Toward the Light (1988) (TV)
... aka Go to the Light (1988) (TV)
Some Girls (1988)
... aka Sisters (1988)
Off Limits (1988)
... aka Saigon (1988) (UK)
Promised Land (1987)
... aka Young Hearts (1987)
Russkies (1987)
Five Corners (1987)
Campus Man (1987)
Nobody's Fool (1986)
8 Million Ways to Die (1986)
Tough Guys (1986)
Wildcats (1986) (songs)
... aka First and Goal (1986)
Head Office (1985)