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Thomas Newman, Elliot Goldenthal, Leonard Rosenman and Hans Zimmer pick the 5 best film scores of all time


Lewya

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I just found their picks.

 

Thomas Newman's top 5 film scores of all time:

 

1. Chinatown - Jerry Goldsmith - ”For its mood — it fits the time and place perfectly.”

2. To Kill a Mockingbird - Elmer Bernstein - ”Very effective, it just works.”

3. Psycho - Bernard Herrmann - ”Unique and utterly unusual.”

4. The Wizard of Oz - Herbert Stothart - ”Sure, I love the songs, but the score itself is excellent.”

5. King Kong - Max Steiner - ”There's a total sense of popcorn fun. It's a fountainhead score - the beginning of something new.”

 

Elliot Goldenthal's top 5 film scores of all time:

 

1. Cape Fear - Bernard Herrmann - ”He was the first minimalist. The score was played at a volume where it wouldn't compete with the movie's sound effects.”

2. La Strada - Nino Rota - ”It brought together the carnival and sensual elements of the church.”

3. Altered States - John Corigliano - ”With this soundtrack, he reinvented orchestration in film scoring.”

4. On the Waterfront - Leonard Bernstein - ”His only score had the sky-soaring melodic beauty of the American school.”

5. The Informer - Max Steiner - ”This has both Irish and Celtic folk melodies combined with a sweeping orchestral tapestry. It's brilliant.”

 

Leonard Rosenman's top 5 film scores of all time (in no order, although we can assume the Herrmann score is his #1):

 

Psycho - Bernard Herrmann

Jaws - John Williams

Gone with the Wind - Max Steiner

Patton - Jerry Goldsmith

East of Eden - Leonard Rosenman

 

He included himself among the 5 best film scores of all time.

 

Hans Zimmer's top 5 film scores of all time (in no order, although he has said at another time that the Morricone score is his #1):

 

Once Upon a Time in America - Ennio Morricone

Blade Runner - Vangelis

Midnight Express - Giorgio Moroder

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - John Williams

The Shawshank Redemption - Thomas Newman

 

Thoughts on their picks?

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Finally! Two pollsters who actually know what they are fucking talking about!

 

Oops! For a minute, I thought that it was the Dirty Harry THE INFORMER :lol:

To be honest, it's no surprise that Goldenthal picked ALTERED STATES. It's a bit like Marco Beltrami selecting THE OMEN. Having said that, these are solid choices, all round. Bravo. People whose opinions we can both admire, and trust.

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Fine choices, albeit quite "safe" (except maybe THE INFORMER, which was a surprise).

 

Obviously no surprise that Goldenthal picked ALTERED STATES, since Corigliano was one of his mentors. Surprised he didn't also pick an Aaron Copland score, since that was another of his mentors.

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1 hour ago, Richard said:

Bes, you'll find that John Corigliano is still very much alive.

 

Not only that, he's always looked incredibly young for his age, although I believe that now, at 81, his age is finally starting to show a little bit. But just a little.

 

scipps_0727.jpg

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2 hours ago, Richard said:

Bes, you'll find that John Corigliano is still very much alive.

Where did that guy just come from?! I googled him and really feel like I should get all his scores (only four of them there are). It's a great find for me in any case!

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He's one of the foremost US composers of the latter half of the 20th century and beyond, so I'm surprised you haven't heard of him. He's up there with John Adams, Philipp Glass, Steve Reich etc. But yeah -- you have a lot of great stuff ahead of you if you're going to explore. And ALTERED STATES ain't a bad beginning (I also saw the film for the first time about a year ago, and I was really blown away by it -- far better than I had expected. It's on Netflix, at least here in Norway).

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I saw an interview recently where it looked like his age was finally catching up to him.

 

39F8EF17-759E-481C-A30C-D7164CFC8562.jpeg

 

And very solid choices listed by these fine gentlemen.

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17 hours ago, Lewya said:

I just saw their picks in an article from 1995.

 

Thomas Newman's top 5 film scores of all time:

 

1. Chinatown - Jerry Goldsmith - ”For its mood — it fits the time and place perfectly.”

 2. To Kill a Mockingbird - Elmer Bernstein - ”Very effective, it just works.”

 3. Psycho - Bernard Herrmann - ”Unique and utterly unusual.”

 4. The Wizard of Oz - Herbert Stothart - ”Sure, I love the songs, but the score itself is excellent.”

 5. King Kong - Max Steiner - ”There's a total sense of popcorn fun. It's a fountainhead score - the beginning of something new.”

  

Elliot Goldenthal's top 5 film scores of all time:

 

1. Cape Fear - Bernard Herrmann - ”He was the first minimalist. The score was played at a volume where it wouldn't compete with the movie's sound effects.”

2. La Strada - Nino Rota - ”It brought together the carnival and sensual elements of the church.”

3. Altered States - John Corigliano - ”With this soundtrack, he reinvented orchestration in film scoring.”

4. On the Waterfront - Leonard Bernstein - ”His only score had the sky-soaring melodic beauty of the American school.”

5. The Informer - Max Steiner - ”This has both Irish and Celtic folk melodies combined with a sweeping orchestral tapestry. It's brilliant.”

 

Both Newman and Goldenthal have a Herrmann and Steiner score in their top 5 film scores of all time.

 

Thoughts on their picks?

 

Great minds think alike!

 

On 6/18/2019 at 5:13 PM, TheUlyssesian said:

John Williams Scores

1. E.T. 

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

3. Star Wars 5: The Empire Strikes Back

4. The Reivers

5. Hook

 

Non John Williams Score

1. Gone With The Wind - Max Steiner

2. Lawrence of Arabia - Maurice Jarre

3. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - Michel Legrand

4. Amarcord - Nino Rota

5. La Strada - Nino Rota

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7 hours ago, KK said:

I saw an interview recently where it looked like his age was finally catching up to him.

 

39F8EF17-759E-481C-A30C-D7164CFC8562.jpeg

 

And very solid choices listed by these fine gentlemen.

 

He's starting to look even more like Frank Langella.  Boring composer.  Not enough fanfares and hummable tunes. 

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11 hours ago, Thor said:

...ALTERED STATES ain't a bad beginning (I also saw the film for the first time about a year ago, and I was really blown away by it -- far better than I had expected. It's on Netflix, at least here in Norway).

My only regret, is that I never saw ALTERED STATES at the cinema, and in Megasound. Other than that, it's a visually amazing film, with a very moving - and very human - ending. Ken Russell should be proud.

 

2 hours ago, Dixon Hill said:

Not enough fanfares and hummable tunes. 

Coming from you, Pil, I find that hard to believe.

 

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Given my dislike of Steiner's brand of heavy viennese style i looked up 'The Informer' (probably even watched the Ford movie when i was a kid). I still don't see the appeal. It ain't bad, for sure, but thick as usual.

 

 

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My issue with Steiner isn't so much the Viennese style, but his reliance on mickey-mousing (although I guess you could say they're related in a way). He's my least favourite composer of the Golden Agers. However, he has some gems, and his film noir stuff feels more coherent. And the triptych of THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN, KING KONG and THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE are favourites. I believe I sampled THE INFORMER once; should check it out again. Never seen the film.

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23 hours ago, Thor said:

 

Not only that, he's always looked incredibly young for his age, although I believe that now, at 81, his age is finally starting to show a little bit. But just a little.

 

scipps_0727.jpg

 

I'd say he looks like a woman in her 50s!

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2 hours ago, Thor said:

And the triptych of THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN, KING KONG and THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE are favourites

 

Especially TotSM i found grating beyond believe for Huston's tough movie. This was a sparse Hour of the Gun-Goldsmith score waiting to happen. If i would have to chose a favourite, it would be the eternal 'Adventures of Don Juan'. 

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Y'know the old story, Korngold meets Steiner on the WB lot in the late 40's, asking him 'Tell me something, Korngold. We've both been at Warner's for years now, and in that time your music has gotten progressively worse and worse and mine has been getting better and better. Why do you suppose that is?' And without missing a beat Korngold answered, 'I tell you vy dat iss, Steiner dat iss because you started copying me and I started copying you.' "

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  • 6 months later...

I just found Leonard Rosenman's and Hans Zimmer's top 5.

 

Leonard Rosenman's top 5 film scores of all time (in no order, although we can assume the Herrmann score is his #1):

 

Psycho - Bernard Herrmann

Jaws - John Williams

Gone with the Wind - Max Steiner

Patton - Jerry Goldsmith

East of Eden - Leonard Rosenman

 

He included himself among the 5 best film scores of all time.

 

Hans Zimmer's top 5 film scores of all time (in no order, although he has said at another time that the Morricone score is his #1):

 

Once Upon a Time in America - Ennio Morricone

Blade Runner - Vangelis

Midnight Express - Giorgio Moroder

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - John Williams

The Shawshank Redemption - Thomas Newman

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Zimmer included Shawshank, the score he defeated when he won his Oscar in 94, in his list of best film music tracks and now of top 5 scores. 

 

Does he feel a little guilty for defeating Shawshank? Of course, The Lion King opened many doors on his career, earned him a ton of money and is of course his only Oscar, but... Deep down, maybe he wanted to loose to Newman that year?

 

If that's truth, then we agree. In a perfect world, Newman would've won for Shawshank in 94 and Zimmer would've won either for The Thin Red Line or Prince of Egypt in 98 - both are wonderful scores. 

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