Your favorite film score, soundtrack or composer

[Fellini912]

What makes a movie great are these key features: the direction, cinematography, editing, acting, the script and score. There are many other factors, but I find these features to be the most important.

Most of the films that are called great or classic have a strong marvelous score. Film score, by definition, is an original musical composition made for the film.

A Soundtrack has multiple definitions. For use of this thread, it will be defined as any music not made for the film. For example, Bob Dylan's "Man in Me" in Big Lebowski. Sometimes a film will have both a film score and soundtrack.

So name your favorite film score, soundtrack or composer.


For the moderators: There was only one thread in Music about scores, the last post was in 2008. This thread is more general.

[Scarriere]

Princes' work in Purple Rain was stellar and remains a fav of mine.
The soundtrack in The Crow is awesome as well.

[ZooTv]

All of Trent Reznor's soundtrack work has been phenomenal (Natural Born Killers, Lost Highway, The Social Network, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). The Lost Highway soundtrack is probably my favorite of all time if I had to choose.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by Scarriere

Princes' work in Purple Rain was stellar and remains a fav of mine.
The soundtrack in The Crow is awesome as well.

Princes' Purple Rain is awesome. I think it is still one of the best albums in his career.

I love Miles Davis' music, so Elevator to the Gallows is one of my all time favorites. This is one of his first modal improvisation recordings , which then lead to his classic Kind of Blue.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by ZooTv

All of Trent Reznor's soundtrack work has been phenomenal (Natural Born Killers, Lost Highway, The Social Network, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). The Lost Highway soundtrack is probably my favorite of all time if I had to choose.

Just to add, the Twin Peaks theme by Angelo Badalamenti is iconic and eerie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pXrjMaVoTy0

[thrillmygorilla]

Ennio Morricone

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by thrillmygorilla

Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone is one of the great film composers. There are few in his league (John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith). I love his versatility in his music. From an ambient piece (The Thing) to an orchestral score (Days of Heaven), they are all great.

[Fellini912]

Zbigniew Preisner, the other half of Kieslowski, the only constant in his filmography.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk9XVocR_RQ&feature=player_detailpage

[SimBelm]

I'm a big fan of Toru Takemitsu. From his grand Ran score, to his garage rock early Shinoda collaborations, to his avant-garde work for the New Wave directors. He can really heap on the atmosphere when he needs to (Kwaidan and Pitfall are particularly great), I haven't heard a score from him that didn't compliment the film well.

Philip Glass' Mishima is another score that sticks with me. I also really like Peer Raben's work for Fassbinder.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by SimBelm

I'm a big fan of Toru Takemitsu. From his grand Ran score, to his garage rock early Shinoda collaborations, to his avant-garde work for the New Wave directors. He can really heap on the atmosphere when he needs to (Kwaidan and Pitfall are particularly great), I haven't heard a score from him that didn't compliment the film well.

Philip Glass' Mishima is another score that sticks with me. I also really like Peer Raben's work for Fassbinder.

Takemitsu's variation on Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde in Ran (during the siege of the castle) is superb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aA9P1VRTxIY

I made sure that criterion's transfer of La Belle et la Bete on blu ray had Philip Glass' alternative soundtrack. It really puts a spin on Cocteau's movie.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Favorite original film scores:

Elevator to the Gallows (Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud)
Goldfinger
The Thin Red Line
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Vertigo

Favorite film soundtracks:

The Lost Boys
Some Kind of Wonderful
Pretty in Pink
24 Hour Party People
Repo Man

Great picks, thanks for contributing Great Owl. Iggy Pop's Repo man just rocks

[The Great Owl]

Favorite original film scores:

Elevator to the Gallows (Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud)
Goldfinger
The Thin Red Line
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Vertigo

Favorite film soundtracks:

The Lost Boys
Some Kind of Wonderful
Pretty in Pink
24 Hour Party People
Repo Man

It's a crime against humanity that a film soundtrack was never released for Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Those songs are all golden. I was just listening to The Dream Academy - "The Edge of Forever" in my truck on the way to work this morning.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Great picks, thanks for contributing Great Owl. Iggy Pop's Repo man just rocks

Oops...I deleted and edited as you posted. Thanks for the feedback!

[Fellini912]

Here is another great film soundtrack with Iggy Pop

Trainspotting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP5am2vRca0&feature=player_detailpage

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Here is another great film soundtrack with Iggy Pop

Trainspotting

Yes! New Order's "Temptation" is on that soundtrack as well.

Here's the Ferris Bueller's Day Off track that I mentioned above...
The Dream Academy - "The Edge of Forever" This song plays when Ferris Bueller is saying goodbye to Sloan near the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuvWq4NnTVo

[AnimalChin]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Here is another great film soundtrack with Iggy Pop

Trainspotting

I'd say all of Danny Boyle's movies have great soundtracks

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Yes! New Order's "Temptation" is on that soundtrack as well.

Here's the Ferris Bueller's Day Off track that I mentioned above...
The Dream Academy - "The Edge of Forever" This song plays when Ferris Bueller is saying goodbye to Sloan near the end.

There are some great 80s film soundtracks, your post reminded me of

Say Anything

http://vimeo.com/4419513

[ZooTv]

How could I forget this masterpiece!

[Fellini912]

Taxi Driver - Bernard Hermann's original score is lush. I know he will always be remembered by scores that he composed for Hitchcock's films. But this one is just as great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLVYEUb8vU&feature=player_detailpage

Enjoy.

[dobyblue]

For more recent films that don't have traditional big orchestra instrumentation I've really been digging Harry Greggson-Williams, particularly the scores he's done of Tony Scott flicks including Enemy of the State and Man on Fire.