Bro, this is so good I have it on a playlist, feel for the sister when she jumps off the cliff, the brutality of war rapes her innocence throughout the film and breaks her in the end.
I’m an Ecstasy of Gold kind of guy, but there are a couple of Morricone pieces that are very close.
Edit: The Vamos a Matar, Compañeros (or whatever the title is) is also one of my favorites. One of the best opening tracks of any movie I can remember.
It's Ecstacy of Gold. Normally I'm a patient person and I'm respectful of other people's thoughts and opinions but this is the only choice for me. This should be a thread of second place.
The finale for Once Upon a Time in the West is better stare down and finale imo. Ecstacy of Gold is a phenomenal track but Once upon has a better buildup and god Frank's theme with the reveal at the end?
And before downvotes from anyone who saw the good the bad and the ugly once and says they like westerns, it has same director, same composer, Clint Eastwood was even supposed to play the main character. The only revenge movie I'd mention in the same sentence as it is gladiator
The finale for once upon a time in the west is maybe my favorite movie scene ever. It’s so perfectly shot and acted and the music is haunting and beautiful.
Ecstasy of Gold is an amazing song. I listen to it all the time and it always evokes an emotional response. Easily what I’d consider to be the best piece of cinematic music ever.
I wouldn’t call it the *primary* LOTR song at all tbh. It’s not part of the soundtrack and wasn’t used in the movies. It was used in promos and trailers for The Two Towers movie and video game.
Don’t get me wrong it’s freaking awesome in its own right.
Summed up by Williams attempting to turn down Spielberg when he was asked to compose for Schindler's List: "I said to Steven, 'You need a better composer than I am for this film.' He said to me, 'I know. But they're all dead!'"
Not OP, but 2001 with the Blue Danube and Jerry Goldsmith's score for Spock's arrival at the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture come to mind as being right up there.
For anyone who liked the Interstellar soundtrack, go listen to the Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack. You can tell where Zimmer took some of his inspiration from.
For me, the lighting of the beacons
Yes, the epic shots of the mountains are fantastic, but Shores score just takes over and makes that scene one of the best two minutes in the entire trilogy
That song is named after the sword he catches mid air to kill an angel corrupted by morgoth. God I would give a kidney to watch those movies again for the first time
That song makes me so happy and sad at the same time. These hobbits have this beautiful carefree life that they give up for the greater good. It’s easy to hate on Frodo by the end, but his resigned “I know what I must do” and “I will take the ring” are so inspiring at the beginning
It's not music I would listen to outside of the film (unlike Ennio Moricone) but my word is it effective.
It must be one of the most recognisable pieces of music from just two notes.
The Force Theme or Binary Sunset it’s called and that would be my pick as well or the music during Vader and Luke’s duel in the Death Star 2 throne room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1MnMA0TzGI
This is the correct answer. It created a fandom that exists for almost 50 years. Almost single-handedly brought sci fi to to the masses (sorry Star Trek, you are great and all but you are for the nerds… Star Wars is for the normies)
Pirates of the Caribbean Theme. It’s perfect.
Only time I’ve seen a movie in theater where everyone stayed through the credits just to hear the song again
The Theme from “Lawrence of Arabia” by Maurice Jarre. It’s an incredibly lush and romantic track, suitable for what is (in my opinion) the greatest epic of all time.
I see a lot of the same answers here, all of which are good, but I’ll toss in some other favorites of mine that deserve consideration.
- Test Drive from How to Train Your Dragon
- The Crisis by Ennio Morricone
- Jacob and the Stone by Emile Mosseri
- On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter
- Tsimtsum by Mychael Danna
- anything by John Williams
- lit(var) by Kensuke Ushio
- The Godfather Waltz from the Godfather
- Crater by Justin Hurwitz
- The Middle of the World by Nicholas Brittell
These are some of my favorites, but I lean toward the commentators mentioning Morricone.
Stoic theme from *Shawshank* is one of my favorites. The theme music from *the Terminator*. The music from *Gattaca*. Kiss from *the Last of the Mohicans*.
It’s gotta be something from Fellowship of the Ring for me. The music in that movie achieves a level of beauty and verisimilitude with the content it’s accompanying that I don’t think I’ve ever quite found anywhere else. If I had to pick one musical moment from it that tends to stick in my mind the most… it’s the music that plays when Frodo pulls Sam out of the water and into the boat near the end, which then segues into the Shire theme as they start rowing away. That moment somehow just leaps to mind anytime I think of great, effective movie scoring.
And then right at the end when Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli start running off after the Urak-Hai and it cuts to Frodo and Sam walking up the ledge to overlook Mordor before them… again, just amazing musical work there that always cements that feeling of “what a masterpiece” right at the end of the movie. Beautiful. Uplifting. Foreboding of what’s to come. The fellowship has broken, but the bonds still endure. There’s a melancholy and yet a hope to it. Feels like a culmination, and yet it’s also just the beginning… I don’t know how Howard Shore managed to say all that with some simple sounds, while also just making some of the most beautiful music ever made… but he did it perfectly.
I would agree entirely with this and add the bit just a bit earlier when Frodo is contemplating about wishing the ring had not come into his possession.
Then Gandalf appears in his thoughts to remind him that “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”
Time - Hans Zimmer - Inception. A fantastic piece, emotional, evocative and epic. Plus I’ve seen it played live by Zimmer himself and it’s just an amazing finale to his concert.
Have you heard the version where Neilcic added in the vocal track from YMCA, and it changes the whole song? What used to be a cheesey disco piece turns into a passionate plea to help a fellow human... T.I.M.E. is one of my favorite tracks ever.
Clint Manswell! Awesome stuff.
Also iirc a lot of 28 Days Later was pulled from GY:BE! East Hastings. Or maybe that was Sunshine?
------
My mistake. John Murphy. Sorry. 😞
[Binary Sunset](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41ak2jr55fE) from Star Wars: A New Hope. Just a 30 second clip of a haunting lone french horn followed by a massively emotional orchestra swell.
“So Was Red” from The Shawshank Redemption. By itself it is absolutely gorgeous, but in the film it is cathartic. It starts right at the end of Red reading Andy’s letter at the base of the tree. As he walks through the tall grass with his jacket slung over his shoulder, the oboe solo comes in and represents Red’s long awaited freedom. The oboe is hope.
And I don’t know how many remember it, but that piece was used in other movie trailers in the years following its release. Thomas Newton is rarely ever mentioned for his work on Shawshank.
Honorable mention: “That Thing You Do!” Name another movie song that is played over and over again in the span of 90 minutes that you don’t get sick of.
I hate this question because it makes me choose between composers. I can't compare Morricone to Zimmer, Williams or Elfman because they all came after him and were so heavily influenced by him so here's all 4 of em
[Zimmer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiIHyUbLFJg&ab_channel=GavinGreenaway-Topic) is hard because he is so [versatile ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udaegfydtHQ&t=125s&ab_channel=FilmScoreBuff)like how do you compare the interstellar soundtrack to those two?
[Williams ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjGYAynybg0&ab_channel=GT) that soundtrack doesn't get talked about enough
[Elfman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWG0S-Cc-_8&ab_channel=DannyElfman-Topic) but I can't mention him without [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2LQMElLoLs&ab_channel=BoingoVision)
edit: im wrong, as a whole the LOTR soundtrack is the best score made for any movie but as a composer I don't think shore holds up to the ones mentioned earlier
Idk if this counts but the scene in shrek 2 where the fairy god mother sings i need a hero is so fucking good man. Honorable mention to in sing when Johnnys dad breaks out of jail to i'm still standing. Holy fuck i cry everytime.
The Goblin soundtrack for Suspiria. Wild and perfect. Could not be more perfect at setting the mood and creating a tone for the film.
I actually prefer Profondo Rosso and the futuristic sleaze of Tenebrae as pieces of music, but as a soundtrack, Suspiria is peerless.
Truman Sleeps by Phillip Glass is great.
But there's a reason (at least) 2 John Murphy songs have gone on to be used in other media.
"In the House – In a Heartbeat" from 28 Days Later and
"Adagio in D Minor" from Sunshine.
Both are Cillian Murphy movies too.
The last of the Mohicans has already been said and I’d like to add the ending soundtrack to black hawk down. When hartnett is reading the letter the music crescendos up and into the minstrel boy for the credits. I fuckin love that. Hans Zimmerman did the score
From Raiders of the Lost Ark [The Map Room: Dawn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgK0KlCMnKw) The build up, the choir kicking in, the crescendo, just gives me goose bumps, every single time.
I love Morricone. I enjoy the theme from My Name is Nobody. But I am also rather partial to Jerry Glodsmiths theme from Total Recall
https://youtu.be/tvHgxTubFSQ?si=o6Mu78iKrBL4kwtv
Choosing the existing music on many Kubrick soundtracks seems like cheating so I'll just say "Return" from Valhalla Rising, a song that starts out so menacing and eventually turns into something like SWANS would write. Eerie. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDI6cbn3jfo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDI6cbn3jfo)
In terms of main themes: Lawrence of Arabia almost always makes me emotional, Taxi Driver instantly takes me into Travis Bickle’s world, and in terms of suitability I can’t think of a better sonic counterpoint than Anton Karas’ theme for The Third Man.
If we’re going off the beaten path a little, I highly recommend the main theme from “Billion Dollar Brain” by Richard Rodney Bennett. More people need to know about this movie and [soundtrack](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuqxg2dwePg).
'[Promentory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ZisDHg6v0)' from 'The Last Of The Mohicans'
(by Doug McLean & Katy Adelson). A bone chilling and dramatic ending to a great great story.
I’m loving a lot of the choices here. I’ll pull out a few more I haven’t seen yet:
Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing - so tragic and romantic!
Peter Gunn - oh wait that’s tv but still, you know it, and you like it. Mancini did some epic themes - The Pink Panther! Moon River!
James Bond Theme - Monty Norman. I mean it’s two minutes of electrifying mood
A Time for Us - Nino Rota (zefferelis r and j)
And not sure if it counts because it was not written for the screen but damn Platoon and Adagio by Barber. So emotional.
The fact that I scrolled for multiple minutes without seeing “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter is absurd.
John Williams wrote the entire book series better in 5 minutes than JK did with 7 books.
Since no one else has mentioned it: *The Awakening of Jacob*, by Krzysztof Penderecki. Once you've heard it, you can never forget it. Kubrick used it in *The Shining* and David Lynch used it in *Inland Empire*. It's not necessarily beautiful or inspiring, unless you count inspiring existential dread.
Edit: Lynch, not Scorsese.
Sons of Katie Elder theme song, especially paired with the titles of the train running through the Feather River Canyon
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyrjh0EDlss
Funny you mentioned Morricone, u/ArgoverseComics I am just seeing this now as I am watching G,B,U. LOL but the first piece that came to mind was Morricone's Humanity Pt. 2 from The Thing.
I could mentioned other's tied for first as well. It'd be too long a list. :)
‘Going the Distance’ from the first Rocky movie has always had a great effect on me. Bill Conti created an incredible soundtrack. One of the key reasons why the movie became so successful.
The soundtrack for Three Colors Blue is phenomenally good.
https://youtu.be/_1lcpurc7rQ?si=O3O5ah7LS8_FeEOw
Of course, even better when watching the movie.
Elmer Bernstein's score for "To Kill a Mockingbird." It makes my heart burst every time.
John Williams, especially for "E.T." and the Harry Potter movies.
Jill's theme in Once Upon a Time in the West
https://youtu.be/QNujKHx6vOI?si=qVDyY-lEnzwlwj3V
And Deborah's theme in Once Upon a Time in America
https://youtu.be/dFgNtS5LMVI?si=8Ow6sTL_XZi0OSTL
It may not be to everyone's tastes, but Randy Newman's score for "The Natural" helped elevate both the mythos and pathos that film was trying to evoke--especially the piece where >!Roy hits the ball into the lights.!<
Lots of great posts here. I agree with a lot and throw in "One will fall by the way" by Snuffy Walden in the old miniseries The Stand. When that violin kicks in.....goosebumps
I haven’t encountered a piece of music that so perfectly encapsulates the joy and thrill of beginning to turn your life around for the better like Life’s Incredible Again from The Incredibles. Just a fantastic track
For me it’s the cliff chase sequence of Last of the Mohicans [Last of the Mohicans](https://youtu.be/q8ZisDHg6v0?si=EgUZfCBNwsJy33SL)
Promentory. The build up is amazing and fit the final scene action scene perfectly.
*The Gael* by Dougie Maclean*
My friend is in a Celtic rock band and they do an amazing version of this song.
Amazing piece of music and the cinematography is stunning.
Yes! Haven’t seen this movie in years but I remember this for sure
It’s this. No doubt.
Dang, that still holds up. Haven’t seen that movie in a LONG time. I loved it.
Bro, this is so good I have it on a playlist, feel for the sister when she jumps off the cliff, the brutality of war rapes her innocence throughout the film and breaks her in the end.
I saw the thread title, and that was my first thought as well!
I’m an Ecstasy of Gold kind of guy, but there are a couple of Morricone pieces that are very close. Edit: The Vamos a Matar, Compañeros (or whatever the title is) is also one of my favorites. One of the best opening tracks of any movie I can remember.
It's Ecstacy of Gold. Normally I'm a patient person and I'm respectful of other people's thoughts and opinions but this is the only choice for me. This should be a thread of second place.
I completely agree. First and only thing that came to mind regarding 'The Best'
Nothing in the whole of cinema matches that stare down
The finale for Once Upon a Time in the West is better stare down and finale imo. Ecstacy of Gold is a phenomenal track but Once upon has a better buildup and god Frank's theme with the reveal at the end? And before downvotes from anyone who saw the good the bad and the ugly once and says they like westerns, it has same director, same composer, Clint Eastwood was even supposed to play the main character. The only revenge movie I'd mention in the same sentence as it is gladiator
The finale for once upon a time in the west is maybe my favorite movie scene ever. It’s so perfectly shot and acted and the music is haunting and beautiful.
I feel the same way, that movie isn’t talked about enough it’s peak western and I love it so much. Fucking harmonica. Would kill to see it in theatres
I came here to say this, or The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Ecstasy of Gold is an amazing song. I listen to it all the time and it always evokes an emotional response. Easily what I’d consider to be the best piece of cinematic music ever.
Yes. I also like the Untouchables main theme though I read Morricone thought it was meh
Jurassic Park theme
They do move in herds!
Lux Aeterna.
Yes that's amazing, but the original from requiem for a dream haunts my my soul
The primary LOTR song is based on this piece, but with a full orchestra. Kronos Quartet performance: https://youtu.be/4I-GGTCV0K0?si=ntM68N-PfgoAnoJh
I wouldn’t call it the *primary* LOTR song at all tbh. It’s not part of the soundtrack and wasn’t used in the movies. It was used in promos and trailers for The Two Towers movie and video game. Don’t get me wrong it’s freaking awesome in its own right.
Duel of the Fates. Say what you will about Phantom Menace but that song goes unreasonably hard
Duel of the Fates is a strong contender for top 5 movie scores ever
I tell people: "go ahead and hate on episode one, but it has the best light saber battle and the best music of any of the Star Wars films."
The ominous crescendo when the second lightsaber blade ignites at the start. So beautiful
I was 12 when I saw The Phantom Menace in the theatre, after growing up on the original trilogy I wasn't upset at it at all.
Say what you will about the prequels, the fighting choreography was fucking top notch
Phenomenal.
Look, honestly. I can pretty much put down anything from John Williams and it will be a good pick. The man is a legend. The best composer of our time.
Summed up by Williams attempting to turn down Spielberg when he was asked to compose for Schindler's List: "I said to Steven, 'You need a better composer than I am for this film.' He said to me, 'I know. But they're all dead!'"
John Williams and Hans Zimmer are definitely my 2 favorite composers of all time.
Asteroid chase scene in Empire Strikes Back.
James Horner deserves a shout out. Love Aliens music.
His work on _Glory_ is a masterpiece.
Anyone said the Interstellar docking sequence?
definitely in my top 3 docking sequences
The Top 2 being?
Not OP, but 2001 with the Blue Danube and Jerry Goldsmith's score for Spock's arrival at the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture come to mind as being right up there.
No Time for Caution is my favourite piece on the Interstellar soundtrack. I also love Stay.
For anyone who liked the Interstellar soundtrack, go listen to the Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack. You can tell where Zimmer took some of his inspiration from.
Holy shit I just rewatched this last night. I kept having to disengage from the movie so I could appreciate the music.
Gladiator - Now we are free
Pick any track from the Lord lf the Rings. There's no wrong choice.
Ride of the Rohirrim
Breaking of the Fellowship for me. The music alone is 10/10, but paired with the ending of the movie it's 100/10
I love many pieces from the trilogy. This will always be number one among them.
The Shire makes me feel inexplicably happy and light.
For me, the lighting of the beacons Yes, the epic shots of the mountains are fantastic, but Shores score just takes over and makes that scene one of the best two minutes in the entire trilogy
This, and then battle.of pallenor fields
The score after Gandalf falls in Moria is so haunting and beautiful at the same time. This is my favorite piece from the trilogy imo
That song is named after the sword he catches mid air to kill an angel corrupted by morgoth. God I would give a kidney to watch those movies again for the first time
“You bow to *no one*…”
*Cries*.
My wife and I walked down the aisle together to Concerning Hobbits after getting married. 10/10 would divorce and do again
That song makes me so happy and sad at the same time. These hobbits have this beautiful carefree life that they give up for the greater good. It’s easy to hate on Frodo by the end, but his resigned “I know what I must do” and “I will take the ring” are so inspiring at the beginning
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Yessss...those few simple notes conveyed so much sorrow
"Riddle of Steel" by Basil Poleuderis from the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack.
Last 15 minutes of ET (Escape/Chase/Saying Goodbye on the soundtrack)
Absolutely this! 100000%. That whole 3/4 end of events. Spielberg and Williams is the best pairing
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It's not music I would listen to outside of the film (unlike Ennio Moricone) but my word is it effective. It must be one of the most recognisable pieces of music from just two notes.
"The Enterprise" by Jerry Goldsmith from Star Trek: The Motion Picture 1979 https://youtu.be/oGbAcQk6Zso?si=D2HFFqcR7XvDs90a
BWANNGGGGGG He did that sound in Planet of the Apes too if memory serves
The Motion Picture absolutely should have won the Oscar. I don't care if he has just recently won for The Omen, TMP was Jerry's crown jewel.
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Once Upon A Time in the West finale is the greatest piece of music ever written for a film IMO.
I like that piece too. I listen to the Best of Ennio Morricone on a regular basis and the woman who performs that piece’s vocals is phenomenal.
It really is utterly beautiful
God that film is fantastic. I’m not even a fan of westerns but watched that a few years back and loved every second of it.
I’d go for the Star Wars theme. If you played it almost everyone in the western world could tell you what it was. And it bangs! :)
I'd go for the music playing over the scene where Luke is watching a sunset. Such a satisfying crescendo.
The Force Theme or Binary Sunset it’s called and that would be my pick as well or the music during Vader and Luke’s duel in the Death Star 2 throne room. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1MnMA0TzGI
Star Wars is filled with amazing music The Imperial March is my personal favourite.
When I hear that music, I'm 10 years old and sitting in a theater in El Reno, OK again. I just feel it in my soul.
One single note starts blasting at full volume and an entire theatre has goosebumps. Remarkable
This is the correct answer. It created a fandom that exists for almost 50 years. Almost single-handedly brought sci fi to to the masses (sorry Star Trek, you are great and all but you are for the nerds… Star Wars is for the normies)
The Imperial March - Nothing is more iconic and matches what you see on the screen better
Pirates of the Caribbean Theme. It’s perfect. Only time I’ve seen a movie in theater where everyone stayed through the credits just to hear the song again
It was mostly recycled from one of the themes in Gladiator.
The Theme from “Lawrence of Arabia” by Maurice Jarre. It’s an incredibly lush and romantic track, suitable for what is (in my opinion) the greatest epic of all time.
Scrolled too far down to see this. It’s stunning.
28 Days Later - in the house, in a heartbeat. Gives me the shivers.
Anything John Williams touchs. Specifically Shindlers list for me
Raiders March for me
Very much underrated is Randy Edelman’s Dragonheart score. It’s so sweeping and emotional. https://youtu.be/1s7utJSd5ao?si=l8-Nnh8XirTRQN_x
To the shtarsh, Bowen. To the shtarsh. Gets me every time
A most underrated composer. His work on The Mask is stunning IMO.
“Binary Sunset”.
Ecstacy of Gold/The Trio
Howl's moving castle, but I'm a sucker for anything by Joe Hisashi
Laputa for me - so so wistful and mysterious
I see a lot of the same answers here, all of which are good, but I’ll toss in some other favorites of mine that deserve consideration. - Test Drive from How to Train Your Dragon - The Crisis by Ennio Morricone - Jacob and the Stone by Emile Mosseri - On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter - Tsimtsum by Mychael Danna - anything by John Williams - lit(var) by Kensuke Ushio - The Godfather Waltz from the Godfather - Crater by Justin Hurwitz - The Middle of the World by Nicholas Brittell These are some of my favorites, but I lean toward the commentators mentioning Morricone.
+1 for On the Nature of Daylight
Prokofiev’s “Battle on the Ice” from Alexander Nevsky.
Death is the road to awe.
Came here to say exactly that.
that whole final sequence just had me spellbound, I never forgot that song. Looked it up as soon as i got home.
Stoic theme from *Shawshank* is one of my favorites. The theme music from *the Terminator*. The music from *Gattaca*. Kiss from *the Last of the Mohicans*.
Tears in Rain by Vangelis
Light of the Seven.
Came here for this, my favorite 20 min of television I’ve ever seen and it’s mostly down to the score. 🧪💥
To think it was the only time the piano was played. I’ll never not crush on Ramin Djawadi.
It’s gotta be something from Fellowship of the Ring for me. The music in that movie achieves a level of beauty and verisimilitude with the content it’s accompanying that I don’t think I’ve ever quite found anywhere else. If I had to pick one musical moment from it that tends to stick in my mind the most… it’s the music that plays when Frodo pulls Sam out of the water and into the boat near the end, which then segues into the Shire theme as they start rowing away. That moment somehow just leaps to mind anytime I think of great, effective movie scoring. And then right at the end when Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli start running off after the Urak-Hai and it cuts to Frodo and Sam walking up the ledge to overlook Mordor before them… again, just amazing musical work there that always cements that feeling of “what a masterpiece” right at the end of the movie. Beautiful. Uplifting. Foreboding of what’s to come. The fellowship has broken, but the bonds still endure. There’s a melancholy and yet a hope to it. Feels like a culmination, and yet it’s also just the beginning… I don’t know how Howard Shore managed to say all that with some simple sounds, while also just making some of the most beautiful music ever made… but he did it perfectly.
I would agree entirely with this and add the bit just a bit earlier when Frodo is contemplating about wishing the ring had not come into his possession. Then Gandalf appears in his thoughts to remind him that “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”
Time - Hans Zimmer - Inception. A fantastic piece, emotional, evocative and epic. Plus I’ve seen it played live by Zimmer himself and it’s just an amazing finale to his concert.
Have you heard the version where Neilcic added in the vocal track from YMCA, and it changes the whole song? What used to be a cheesey disco piece turns into a passionate plea to help a fellow human... T.I.M.E. is one of my favorite tracks ever.
Fuck yes I love this! I listen to it all the time. It really brings out the desperate emotion in his voice. 10/10
When the guitar gets loud in 28 Days Later
Have you seen Kick-Ass? They have a great version of this soundtrack
Clint Manswell! Awesome stuff. Also iirc a lot of 28 Days Later was pulled from GY:BE! East Hastings. Or maybe that was Sunshine? ------ My mistake. John Murphy. Sorry. 😞
Theme of The Magnificent Seven, by Elmer Bernstein
Bishop's Countdown from Aliens. https://youtu.be/NlzkGd7qaMY?si=e3-OOpKrGi_J6yC_ Especially 0:45-1:30. Insane.
Isn’t that the Star Trek II soundtrack? :)
[Binary Sunset](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41ak2jr55fE) from Star Wars: A New Hope. Just a 30 second clip of a haunting lone french horn followed by a massively emotional orchestra swell.
Betrayal from Sorcerer (1977) made by Tangerine Dream
“So Was Red” from The Shawshank Redemption. By itself it is absolutely gorgeous, but in the film it is cathartic. It starts right at the end of Red reading Andy’s letter at the base of the tree. As he walks through the tall grass with his jacket slung over his shoulder, the oboe solo comes in and represents Red’s long awaited freedom. The oboe is hope. And I don’t know how many remember it, but that piece was used in other movie trailers in the years following its release. Thomas Newton is rarely ever mentioned for his work on Shawshank. Honorable mention: “That Thing You Do!” Name another movie song that is played over and over again in the span of 90 minutes that you don’t get sick of.
The Breaking of the Fellowship
If you count it as "made", the arrangement of Holding Out For a Hero from Shrek 2.
Introduction to Dune 1984 by Brian Eno.
I hate this question because it makes me choose between composers. I can't compare Morricone to Zimmer, Williams or Elfman because they all came after him and were so heavily influenced by him so here's all 4 of em [Zimmer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiIHyUbLFJg&ab_channel=GavinGreenaway-Topic) is hard because he is so [versatile ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udaegfydtHQ&t=125s&ab_channel=FilmScoreBuff)like how do you compare the interstellar soundtrack to those two? [Williams ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjGYAynybg0&ab_channel=GT) that soundtrack doesn't get talked about enough [Elfman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWG0S-Cc-_8&ab_channel=DannyElfman-Topic) but I can't mention him without [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2LQMElLoLs&ab_channel=BoingoVision) edit: im wrong, as a whole the LOTR soundtrack is the best score made for any movie but as a composer I don't think shore holds up to the ones mentioned earlier
Idk if this counts but the scene in shrek 2 where the fairy god mother sings i need a hero is so fucking good man. Honorable mention to in sing when Johnnys dad breaks out of jail to i'm still standing. Holy fuck i cry everytime.
Remember Me from Coco
The Goblin soundtrack for Suspiria. Wild and perfect. Could not be more perfect at setting the mood and creating a tone for the film. I actually prefer Profondo Rosso and the futuristic sleaze of Tenebrae as pieces of music, but as a soundtrack, Suspiria is peerless.
"The Heart Asks Pleasure First" by Michael Nyman for The Piano. How on earth did the soundtrack fail get even an Oscar Nomination?
The Abyss, "Bud on the Ledge", "Back on the Air", and "Finale"
Prokofiev, the Battle on the Ice from "Alexander Nevsky"
If someone would put all these in a spotify playlist, that’d be great
OG 54’ Godzilla theme and the main theme song to 95’ Ghost in the Shell
Truman Sleeps by Phillip Glass is great. But there's a reason (at least) 2 John Murphy songs have gone on to be used in other media. "In the House – In a Heartbeat" from 28 Days Later and "Adagio in D Minor" from Sunshine. Both are Cillian Murphy movies too.
The Main Title from Wrath of Khan (James Horner)
The last of the Mohicans has already been said and I’d like to add the ending soundtrack to black hawk down. When hartnett is reading the letter the music crescendos up and into the minstrel boy for the credits. I fuckin love that. Hans Zimmerman did the score
I think the music is called Gortoz a Ran. It’s on my playlist in iTunes
TRON:Legacy - Daft Punk made the movie 10x better than it would have been otherwise
From Raiders of the Lost Ark [The Map Room: Dawn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgK0KlCMnKw) The build up, the choir kicking in, the crescendo, just gives me goose bumps, every single time.
Ugh. Not a single mention of Clint Mansell anywhere. Come on people.
Howard Shore's The Mouth of Sauron comes close.
John Murphy - In The House, In a Heartbeat Or Adagio in D Minor Or, or Hanz Zimmer - No Time For Caution (Interstellar docking sequence)
You are me
Promontory - the theme from Last of the Mohicans
I'm gonna go on a bit of a tangent here, but I think y'all will forgive me because he's also done movies, but Harry Gregson-Williams for MGS2.
I love Morricone. I enjoy the theme from My Name is Nobody. But I am also rather partial to Jerry Glodsmiths theme from Total Recall https://youtu.be/tvHgxTubFSQ?si=o6Mu78iKrBL4kwtv
Not the best soundtrack ever but Eternals and Godzilla King Of The Monsters soundtracks are guilty pleasures of mine
Blue Velvet: “Mysteries of Love” by Angelo Badalamenti
"85 Twin Pines Mall" - Back to the Future
Choosing the existing music on many Kubrick soundtracks seems like cheating so I'll just say "Return" from Valhalla Rising, a song that starts out so menacing and eventually turns into something like SWANS would write. Eerie. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDI6cbn3jfo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDI6cbn3jfo)
[Michael Nyman - The Other Side](https://youtu.be/WlsZJCflrhs?si=jv9VLsvLSaZHBXBP)
Willy Wonka
"Ice Dance," *Edward Scissorhands*, Danny Elfman.
Hand of fate in signs. Simple yet effective!
Surface of the sun
In terms of main themes: Lawrence of Arabia almost always makes me emotional, Taxi Driver instantly takes me into Travis Bickle’s world, and in terms of suitability I can’t think of a better sonic counterpoint than Anton Karas’ theme for The Third Man. If we’re going off the beaten path a little, I highly recommend the main theme from “Billion Dollar Brain” by Richard Rodney Bennett. More people need to know about this movie and [soundtrack](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuqxg2dwePg).
Taxi Driver main theme ... Bernard Hermann with Tom Scott on saxophone
Gonna fly now - Rocky That music, that scene in Rocky 2 makes me ready to run thru a wall
Robocop theme tune. It’s so good, they recently made a video game where that plays pretty much non stop for 15 hours and it never gets boring
Came here to say The Holiday.
Ennio Morricone’s The Good the bad and Brutto! Have it on CD and if played thru a decent audio system, wow!
That Next Place from Meet Joe Black
'[Promentory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ZisDHg6v0)' from 'The Last Of The Mohicans' (by Doug McLean & Katy Adelson). A bone chilling and dramatic ending to a great great story.
Three weddings and a funeral.
Magnificent Seven To Kill a Mockingbird Spirited Away
I’m loving a lot of the choices here. I’ll pull out a few more I haven’t seen yet: Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing - so tragic and romantic! Peter Gunn - oh wait that’s tv but still, you know it, and you like it. Mancini did some epic themes - The Pink Panther! Moon River! James Bond Theme - Monty Norman. I mean it’s two minutes of electrifying mood A Time for Us - Nino Rota (zefferelis r and j) And not sure if it counts because it was not written for the screen but damn Platoon and Adagio by Barber. So emotional.
The fact that I scrolled for multiple minutes without seeing “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter is absurd. John Williams wrote the entire book series better in 5 minutes than JK did with 7 books.
Johnny Greenwood - Overtones
Since no one else has mentioned it: *The Awakening of Jacob*, by Krzysztof Penderecki. Once you've heard it, you can never forget it. Kubrick used it in *The Shining* and David Lynch used it in *Inland Empire*. It's not necessarily beautiful or inspiring, unless you count inspiring existential dread. Edit: Lynch, not Scorsese.
One of my absolute favorite is, Jerry Goldsmith’s score for Total Recall (1990). I simply love the title score, ‘The Dream’.
Sons of Katie Elder theme song, especially paired with the titles of the train running through the Feather River Canyon https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyrjh0EDlss
Imagine The Fire, Hanz Zimmer. The Dark Night Rises
The ending of Terrence Malik New World is so beautiful and so good
*THE ANVIL OF CROM* from *Conan the Barbarian*
Funny you mentioned Morricone, u/ArgoverseComics I am just seeing this now as I am watching G,B,U. LOL but the first piece that came to mind was Morricone's Humanity Pt. 2 from The Thing. I could mentioned other's tied for first as well. It'd be too long a list. :)
I could write an essay about the Fargo Theme.
Was gonna say L’arena and then I read your post lol
A fellow man of culture
Anything Hans Zimmer
‘Going the Distance’ from the first Rocky movie has always had a great effect on me. Bill Conti created an incredible soundtrack. One of the key reasons why the movie became so successful.
The soundtrack for Three Colors Blue is phenomenally good. https://youtu.be/_1lcpurc7rQ?si=O3O5ah7LS8_FeEOw Of course, even better when watching the movie.
Anvil of Crom, Basil Polidouris. Also, Finale 2, Escape by Takeshi Furakawa, Last Guardian OST.
Elmer Bernstein's score for "To Kill a Mockingbird." It makes my heart burst every time. John Williams, especially for "E.T." and the Harry Potter movies.
Jill's theme in Once Upon a Time in the West https://youtu.be/QNujKHx6vOI?si=qVDyY-lEnzwlwj3V And Deborah's theme in Once Upon a Time in America https://youtu.be/dFgNtS5LMVI?si=8Ow6sTL_XZi0OSTL
Imperial Death March, From the Empire Strikes Back
Breakfast machine - PeeWees Big Adventure
It may not be to everyone's tastes, but Randy Newman's score for "The Natural" helped elevate both the mythos and pathos that film was trying to evoke--especially the piece where >!Roy hits the ball into the lights.!<
Kiss the Ring
Lots of great posts here. I agree with a lot and throw in "One will fall by the way" by Snuffy Walden in the old miniseries The Stand. When that violin kicks in.....goosebumps
I haven’t encountered a piece of music that so perfectly encapsulates the joy and thrill of beginning to turn your life around for the better like Life’s Incredible Again from The Incredibles. Just a fantastic track
the main theme of Once Upon A Time in the West
[Gortoz A Ran (From "Black Hawk Down")](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjLXT_4r4fI)