Aside from Bernard Herrmann I would pick:

1. Close Encounters (or Empire Strikes Back): John Williams

2. Alien 3 (or Final Fantasy): Elliot Goldenthal

3. Basic Instinct: Jerry Goldsmith

1. Harry Potter & the prisoner of askaban - John Williams
2. Starwars (all of them) - John Williams
3. The Lord of the Rings - Howard Shore

@Maya said:

Oh, no Gabriel Yared fans around here? How come....

Possession, the english patient... just beautiful.

M

Actually I'm a big fan of Yareds - Never heard Possesion though. I really love his scores from The English Patient, Talented Mr. Riply, and what he almost scored for Troy - in fact his Troy score is one of the best scores in a long, long time. I'm sure it would have taken an oscar!

Hmmm... 3 favorite scores? Thats really tough.

- Shindlers List
- Conan the Barbarian
- A Beautiful Mind

Atleast those are the ones I'm thinking of now.

My absolutely favourits:

- Obsession by Bernard Herrmann
- Legend by Jerry Goldsmith
- E.T. by John Williams

Speaking of Gabriel Yared, is the rejected Troy score available for purchase? I heard that music too (when it was on his website) and think that it could very well be his best work.

There was a rumor it would be released somehow so here's hoping...

Clark

And another of my faves: Signs from JNH

@clarkcontrol said:

Speaking of Gabriel Yared, is the rejected Troy score available for purchase? I heard that music too (when it was on his website) and think that it could very well be his best work.

There was a rumor it would be released somehow so here's hoping...

Clark

And another of my faves: Signs from JNH

I did never find out where to get the troy music by Yared. I was told that it is very authentical (unlike the film [6] he even recorded bulgarian choirs for it ...).
My favorites are (besides Yared [:)]):
Russia House /Jerry Goldsmith
Malena /Ennio Morricone
7 years in Tibet /John Williams

I'm glad to see someone else who holds 'Seven Years In Tibet' in high regard. It was such a mediocre movie. But I love the score - especially the melody of that main theme!

Fred Story

Oh yeah!
And the Cello playing of YoYo Ma...........*sigh*, the incredible sound if this instrument.......mmmmh

[:D]

Yared - English Patient

Goldsmith - Alien (possibly the score doing most for a movie ever imo)

Barry - The James Bond work



Oh, and that Yared theme I'd really like to hear. Anyone happen to have an MP3 of it that can share it in the name of great art? [:P]

1. Edward Scissorhands- Danny Elfman
2. Cutthroat Island- John Debney
3. Stargate- David Arnold

Vagn


revisit the "Body Heat " cues from J Barry........the quiet stuff

Awesome

SvK

I'm surprised no one is mentioning Wjochiech Kilar

Maya are you familiar with his movie scores?

The Ninth Gate
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Death And The Maiden
The Pianist


Dracula and Ninth Gate are awesome.

SvK

@ISM said:

1. Edward Scissorhands- Danny Elfman
2. Cutthroat Island- John Debney
3. Stargate- David Arnold

Edward Scissorhands score is very nice!

Mummy - Jerry Goldsmith
Jurassic Park - John Williams
Vertical Limit - James Newton Howard

...to name a few that made "some" rounds in my cd-player.

hmmm evil question, I have too many favorites! I see other people cheating with the general blanket of star wars but I'm not going to do that [:P]

ok so I have to go with:

1. Empire Strikes Back (Williams)
2. Psycho (Herrmann)
3. Schindlers List (Williams)

@Maya said:

Oh, no Gabriel Yared fans around here? How come....

Possession, the english patient... just beautiful.

M

Actually I'm a big fan of Yareds - Never heard Possesion though. I really love his scores from The English Patient, Talented Mr. Riply, and what he almost scored for Troy - in fact his Troy score is one of the best scores in a long, long time. I'm sure it would have taken an oscar!

Hmmm... 3 favorite scores? Thats really tough.

- Shindlers List
- Conan the Barbarian
- A Beautiful Mind

Atleast those are the ones I'm thinking of now.

How could I forget Basic Instinct, and Empire Stikes Back

You people are only listing current film composers.

They are not the greatest.

Though I don't know this Yared cat. So I defer to your statements there, Maya.

BTW Does everybody here know only current composers? I'm sorry to ask these difficult questions. Very sorry. And I was trying so hard to be nice. As everyone here knows by now, I always try to be nice.
[6] [6] [6] [6] [6]

@Rob Elliott said:

Give this some thought, but one for me that shot right to the 'near' top is

Pride and Predujice. If a score is judged solely on its impact to the film - this has my utmost respect!!!


Rob

Which of the dozen or so versions and who was the composer? - just curious.

Derek Jarman's "War Requiem" - Benjamin Britten
The Score to 2001 Space Odyssey - several contributors.
Death in Venice - again several contributors.

But if I must play the game properly then;

Scott of the Antarctic - Vaughan Williams
The Belles of St Trinians - Malcolm Arnold
Things to Come - Arthur Bliss

@DaveTubaKing said:

Derek Jarman's "War Requiem" - Benjamin Britten
The Score to 2001 Space Odyssey - several contributors.
Death in Venice - again several contributors.

But if I must play the game properly then;

Scott of the Antarctic - Vaughan Williams
The Belles of St Trinians - Malcolm Arnold
Things to Come - Arthur Bliss

Hehehehe.

The Belles of St Trinians works really well - I watched that tons of times at the cinema when I was a kid and the whole thing was excellent. Of course, Alistair Sim makes a massive difference. Also, The Green Man shows Alastair Sim at his fantastic, sardonic best. A great comedy film actor - one of the greatest probably.

Scott of the Antartic by Vaughan Williams - later to become a full blown symphony has been copied a thousand times.

Also, William Walton could write for film now and again. Battle of the Skies is too good for most filmscore writers today - and indeed, most of his Battle of Britain score was apparently too good for the director at the time.

But I think it's fair to say that most people today have absolutely no idea about what makes a good film score - partly because they have no sense of history whatsoever - and partly because they wouldn't know a good film if it came up and tatooed them on the ass 'THIS IS A GREAT FILM FOREVER'.
This is always the trouble with this type of discussion. They seem to think a film is no good if it doesn't entertain them within 5 nanoseconds or they don't like it for whatever reason.
There are tons of films I personally don't like that are absolutely brilliant - that's the difference between objectivity and being slavishly subjective when discussing this particualr artform.

Rule No. 1 - the filmscore doesn't mean shit if the film is no good.
Rule No. 2 - the filmscore is there to enhance the film.
Rule No. 3 - the filmscore doesn't mean shit if the film is no good.