Hmmmm....Thats a good question.... I'll go with these that come to mind......

Star Trek II - James Horner
Dances With Wolves - John Barry
Basic Instinct - Jerry Goldsmith

Gattaca, Michael Nyman
End of the Affair, Michael Nyman
Somewhere in Time, John Barry..

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

Modern Times (1936)
Song “Smile“ by Charlie Chaplin

Alfred Hitchcock
any by Bernard Herrmann

Blade Runner (1982)
V. Papathanassiou

Amadeus (1984)
Wolfgang. A. Mozart

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
V. Papathanassiou
...so good, it dosn't need the film at all, similar to Amadeus....

well there are five really good ones, not three

[:)]

.

@Angelo Clematide said:

Modern Times (1936)
Song “Smile“ by Charlie Chaplin

Co-written by David Raksin as was the entire score.

1) ET
2) James Newton Howard's peter pan
3) Basic Instinct

also my 3 favorite composers

Magates, I didn't think anyone even remembered Basic Instict..... Great score huh? Horrible movie though.....

-Ben

yea great score, and i think the movie is okay. mainly cause the score makes it work.

You know another similar scenario with regards to this was Congo. I thought the score was great, movie not so great. Jerry G, had a knack for keeping me intersted even though the move was flat....

-Ben

ALIEN-Jerry Goldsmith

1) Star Wars (all of them)
2) Gladiator
3) ....too hard to decide on a third one...

alien should be footnoted with howard hanson. The movie wouldn't be the same with out his music. At least in my opinon as huge howard hanson fan.

Was any Hanson used in the film other than the end title? Have you heard Goldsmiths original end title? A stunning work that is quite beautiful.

I haven't heard what jerry did, but I am sure it was great. And yea I think it was just the end titles but still it had a huge impact to me anyways.

I recorded it when Gail Eichenthal interviewed David Raksin on KUSC years ago. I like the Hanson but I think Jerry's music blew it away and was far more appropriate to the film.

I'm guessing you know a little about KUSC if I'm not mistaken.

State Of Grace - Ennio Morricone

brilliantly dischordant and hauntingly beautiful!


Oh and in terms of "drony" scores:

Copland - Howard Shore

AND speaking of cops .......for jazzy it's GOT TO BE

Bullit - Lalo Schifrin (or maybe Taking Of Pelham 123.......12note system)

hehe

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

Possession, the english patient... just beautiful.

M

1- A L I E N
2- Poltergeist
3- Gremlins

...but also
Chinatown, Papillon, Patton, Planet of the Apes, The Illustrated Man and Logan's Run...
as well as The Final Conflict, The Challenge and Night Crossing...
fighting for a place in this top-3... [[;)]]

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