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John Powell’s Top 100 Film Scores


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Thought some here would find this interesting. Here are John Powell’s top 100 film scores of all time, per his Facebook:

 

Quote

My Top 100 Film Scores [as of 2008] 🤓

I’d say ‘discuss’ but that’s a bit redundant 🙂

A playlist from some of these films’s popular tracks is available on here: https://spoti.fi/2TXFMf4

 

1. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Elmer Bernstein
2. Goldfinger (1964) - John Barry
3. The Great Escape (1963) - Elmer Bernstein
4. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - Alan Silvestri
5. Star Wars (1977) - John Williams
6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - Jerry Goldsmith
7. The Pink Panther (1963) - Henry Mancini
8. Little Women (1994) - Thomas Newman
9. Much Ado About Nutting (1993 - Short) - Carl Stalling
10. All the President’s Men (1976) - David Shire
11. Finding Nemo (2003) - Thomas Newman
12. 633 Squadron (1964) - Ron Goodwin
13. Jaws (1975) - John Williams
14. Batman (1989) - Danny Elfman
15. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - John Williams
16. Predator (1987) - Alan Silvestri
17. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) - John Williams
18. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Jon Brion
19. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) - Ernest Gold
20. Mission: Impossible (1996) - Danny Elfman
21. Michael Collins (1996) - Elliott Goldenthal
22. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Danny Elfman
23. Alien (1979) - Jerry Goldsmith
24. Queen Margot (1994) - Goran Bregovic
25. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - John Williams
26. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Thomas Newman
27. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) - Maestro Ennio Morricone
28. Taras Bulba (1962) - Franz Waxman
29. Back To the Future (1985) - Alan Silvestri
30. The Fifth Element (1997) - Eric Serra
31. Beetlejuice (1988) - Danny Elfman
32. Our Town (1940) - Aaron Copland
33. Once Upon A Time in America (1984) - Ennio Morricone
34. Koyaanisqatsi (1982) - Philip Glass
35. Scott of the Antarctic (1948) - Ralph Vaughan-Williams
36. Planet of the Apes (1968) - Jerry Goldsmith
37. Thin Red Line (1998) - Hans Zimmer
38. Fargo (1996)- Carter Burwell
39. The Lion King (1994) - Hans Zimmer
40. Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - Peter Gabriel
41. Jurassic Park (1993) - John Williams
42. Toy Story (1995) - Randy Newman
43. The Magnificent Seven (1960) - Elmer Bernstein
44. Babe (1995)– Nigel Westlake / Camille Saint-Saens
45. On The Waterfront (1954) - Leonard Bernstein
46. Exodus (1960) - Ernest Gold
47. North By Northwest (1959) - Bernard Herrmann
48. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) - Ennio Morricone
49. The Mission (1986) - Ennio Morricone
50. The Godfather (1972) - Nino Rota
51. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) - Ryuichi Sakamoto
52. Captain Blood (1935) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
53. The Player (1992) - Thomas Newman
54. Bullitt (1968) - Lalo Schifrin
55. The Sea Hawk (1940) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
56. Crimson Tide (1995) - Hans Zimmer
57. Psycho (1960) - Bernard Herrmann
58. Birth (2004) - Alexander Desplat
59. Bambi (1942) - Frank Churchill, Edward Plumb
60. Edward Scissorhands (1990)- Danny Elfman
61. Henry V (1944) -- William Walton
62. Henry V (1989) - Patrick Doyle
63. Things to Come (1936) - Arthur Bliss
64. An American Tail (1986) James Horner / Alexander Borodin
65. The Red Pony (1949) - Aaron Copland
66. From Russia With Love (1963) - John Barry
67. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) - Bernard Herrmann
68. Gladiator (2000) - Hans Zimmer
69. Get Shorty (1995) - John Lurie
70. The Natural (1984) - Randy Newman
71. The Producers (1967) - John Morris
72. Ransom (1996) - James Horner
73. Basic Instinct – Jerry Goldsmith
74. Men in Black (1997) - Danny Elfman
75. Talk to Her (2002) - Alberto Iglesias
76. Chariots of Fire (1981) - Vangelis
77. Se7en (1995) - Howard Shore
78. The Omen (1976) - Jerry Goldsmith
79. The Ice Storm (1997) - Mychael Danna
80. Capricorn One (1977) - Jerry Goldsmith
81. The Draughtsman's Contract (1982) - Michael Nyman
82. The Jungle Book (1967) - George Bruns
83. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - John Barry
84. As Good as it Gets (1997) - Hans Zimmer
85. The Witches of Eastwick (1987) - John Williams
86. Run Lola Run (1998) - Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek , Tom Tykwer
87. The Untouchables (1987) - Ennio Morricone
88. On Dangerous Ground (1951) - Bernard Herrmann
89. Chinatown (1974) - Jerry Goldsmith
90. Witness (1985) - Maurice Jarre
91. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - John Barry
92. Cool Hand Luke (1967) - Lalo Schifrin
93. Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Gustavo Santaolalla
94. Batman Forever (1995) - Elliott Goldenthal
95. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) - Danny Elfman
96. Hatari! (1962) - Henry Mancini
97. Thief of Bagdad (1940) - Mikos Rosza
98. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) - Angelo Badalementi
99. Thelma & Louis (1991) - Hans Zimmer
100. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Cy Lince

 

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It's a curious list in that it hiphop's between extremely idiosyncratic and boring fanboy choices but it makes sense as personal best-of list (on which things like The Draughtsman's Contract, Crimson Tide, The Player, Capricorn One, Queen Margot and Mosquito Squadron happily co-exist next to each other).

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Fairly standard choices, most of them, but glad to see a handful of less common picks in there, like the Bregovic (his Kusturica scores are very hit/miss, but always appropriate for the wild universes he conjures up). I had hoped for a few more contemporary picks.

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8 hours ago, Kasey Kockroach said:

Surprised to see at least one horror score there! Powell never struck me as being much of a horror hound.

 

He did write the score to a French animation short Les escarpins sauvages which I think does have horror in it. But yeah he seems to prefer scoring animations containing flower-smelling bulls...

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Let me know when he's finished his Top 1000.

 

14 minutes ago, Kasey Kockroach said:

I recall him being asked in an interview (don’t recall which one) about whether he’d ever like to do a horror movie, and he felt he just doesn’t have that in him. 

 

He's talked in several interviews about not wanting to do movies where the main point is violence, regretting some earlier movies, trying to talk Zimmer out of some movies, etc.  I remember a very thorough discussion of it from him at one point, but here are a few glancing discussions.

 

https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/john-powell/50304/john-powell-interview-scoring-bourne-hans-zimmer-faceoff-and-more

https://www.npr.org/2016/07/30/487777654/in-the-sounds-of-jason-bournes-world-a-story-of-creation-and-loss

https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2017/july/what-is-the-role-of-a-composer-is-telling-the-story-of-a-film-exclusive-q-and-a-with-screen-composer-john-powell/

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4 hours ago, mstrox said:

He's talked in several interviews about not wanting to do movies where the main point is violence, regretting some earlier movies, trying to talk Zimmer out of some movies, etc.  I remember a very thorough discussion of it from him at one point, but here are a few glancing discussions.

 

Yes, I know. That annoys me a little bit. I mean, he's free to prioritize as he wishes, but I find him the most interesting in live action format, for more 'serious' films. Enough with the kiddie animations already!

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9 hours ago, dougie said:

All these complaints of "boring fanboy choices", what's he supposed do to, pad the list with more obscure choices to prove how artsy and cultured he is?

 

Preferably. 

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On 4/3/2019 at 8:34 AM, Richard said:

I know it's a personal list, but I cannot sanction some of his choices.

LITTLE WOMEN above JAWS? No LAWRENCE OF ARABIA?! What the hell is going on, here?! My god in heaven.

 

Ps, it's THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, ejit.

 

Yes, and where's Homeward Bound?

 

Maybe this was a drunk post.

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Powell’s got great taste for the most part.

 

 

 

Although when I originally read the thread title I thought it was a ranking of Powell’s scores. Didn’t think he’d scored that many films.

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1 hour ago, Knox Harrington said:

No idea why that's funny. 

 

Just the idea of a composer (whether Zimmer or someone else) listing his or her own work in a 'best of' list; I just found that funny. The only composer I can think of that would genuinely have done this, is Leonard Rosenman (rest his soul).

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Neither I nor any other composer I know, and that's quite a few, would be remotely likely to feel as strongly about their own work as that of others.  Even Williams, who may put on a more humble air in public than is genuine, probably earnestly has the same reservations about his work as the rest of us.  One can know when one did a good job, but only the most narcissistic are likely to point a finger at their own work as something they really love on a list like this.

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  • 2 years later...

I just discovered Powell's top 100 list now.

 

I don't think it is a particularly good list. There is nothing by Alex North, Leonard Rosenman, Toru Takemitsu or Georges Delerue - all four of them are four of film music's most major and innovative voices. No Max Steiner either. All this while listing seven John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and Danny Elfman scores and also six scores by Hans Zimmer.

 

I am however pleased to see Goldenthal's Michael Collins on the list.

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23 minutes ago, Aenae said:

There is nothing by Alex North, Leonard Rosenman, Toru Takemitsu or Georges Delerue - all four of them are four of film music's most major and innovative voices.

Just for the sake of argument/discussion: I think innovative just means that they introduced new ideas. Does that necessarily have to mean that they are also the ones who perfected, expanded and used those ideas and elements and fused them with others on a "Top 100 scores" level?

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I also wrote most "major", not just innovative, obviously they have all written a number of splendid scores, some of which belong on a top 100 list certainly, otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned them.

 

I honestly don't see how you can truly care about film music and leave them out. It is comparable to leaving off Bernard Herrmann.

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35 minutes ago, Aenae said:

No Max Steiner or Miklós Rózsa either.

 

On 4/3/2019 at 2:37 AM, John said:

97. Thief of Bagdad (1940)

:lovethis:

On 4/3/2019 at 2:37 AM, John said:

- Mikos Rosza

:angryfire:

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Ops, Rózsa's name was misspelled that's why I missed that one. No Michel Legrand and some other important names either though.

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