Popular Post JoeinAR 1,949 Posted August 15, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2023 We're halfway through the month of August of 2023. It's been a month and a half since John Williams latest score was revealed. Now it's time to see what John Williams fans, old and new, think are his best film scores. Before we begin there are some ground rules. Each film counts as its own. Don't count all the Star wars films is one because they're different films with different measures and beats and qualities. The same goes for the Harry Potter scores. I would like each individual to provide a list of their 10 favorite best however you look at it is 10 scores that work best for you. I propose we take two full months to compile these lists. It will be interesting to see how much our tastes have changed since the original list in 2003. My. Top ten. 1. E.T. the Extraterrestrial 2. Jaws 3. Superman 4. Star Wars 5. Raiders of the Lost Ark. 6 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 7. Jurassic Park 8. Home Alone 9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 10. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Sandor, Courtney Sees Ghosts, Bellosh and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Naïve Old Fart 9,549 Posted August 15, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2023 My top-10 JW scores are: 1/ CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 2/ SUPERMAN 3/ THE TOWERING INFERNO 4/ 1941 5/ THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK 6/ EMPIRE OF THE SUN 7/ THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST 8/ J.F.K. 9/ CINDERELLA LIBERTY 10/ PIECE OF ASS Larry O, GlastoEls, Bellosh and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Faleel 5,357 Posted August 15, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2023 1 Angela's Ashes 2 SUPERMAN 3 EMPIRE STRIKES BACK 4 TEMPLE OF DOOM 5 REVENGE OF THE SITH 6 Memoirs 7 POA 8 The Lost World 9 Hook 10 Towering Inferno JoeinAR, Bellosh, Oswin Pond and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandor 797 Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 1. Star Wars 2. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 3. Schindler’s List 4. Raiders Of The Lost Ark 5. Superman The Movie 6. The Empire Strikes Back 7. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind 8. Jaws 9. Jurassic Park 10. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone Bellosh and JoeinAR 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GlastoEls 563 Posted August 15, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2023 1. Empire Strikes Back 2. Star Wars 3. Jaws 4. E.T. 5. Jurassic Park 6. Hook 7. Home Alone 8. The Phantom Menace 9. Return Of The Jedi 10. The River Bellosh, Taikomochi and JoeinAR 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,370 Posted August 15, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2023 Since Joe didn't include one, here's a list of the 111 eligible film scores Daddy-O I Passed For White Because They're Young The Secret Ways Bachelor Flat Diamond Head Gidget Goes To Rome The Killers None But The Brave John Goldfarb, Please Come Home The Rare Breed How to Steal a Million The Plainsman Not With My Wife, You Don’t! Penelope A Guide for the Married Man Valley of the Dolls Fitzwilly Heidi Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting Goodbye, Mr. Chips The Reivers Storia di una Donna (Story of a Woman) Jane Eyre Fiddler on the Roof The Cowboys Images The Poseidon Adventure Pete ‘N’ Tillie The Long Goodbye Tom Sawyer The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing The Paper Chase Cinderella Liberty Conrack The Sugarland Express Earthquake The Towering Inferno The Eiger Sanction Jaws Family Plot The Missouri Breaks Midway Black Sunday Star Wars Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Fury Jaws 2 Superman – The Movie Dracula 1941 The Empire Strikes Back Raiders of the Lost Ark Heartbeeps E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Monsignor Return of the Jedi Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The River SpaceCamp The Witches of Eastwick Empire of the Sun The Accidental Tourist Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Born on the Fourth of July Always Stanley & Iris Presumed Innocent Home Alone Hook JFK Far and Away Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Jurassic Park Schindler’s List Sabrina Nixon Sleepers Rosewood The Lost World: Jurassic Park Seven Years in Tibet Amistad Saving Private Ryan Stepmom Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Angela’s Ashes The Patriot A.I. Artificial Intelligence Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones Minority Report Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Catch Me If You Can Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Terminal Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith War of the Worlds Memoirs of a Geisha Munich Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn War Horse Lincoln The Book Thief Star Wars: The Force Awakens The BFG Star Wars: The Last Jedi The Post Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker The Fabelmans Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Choosing my personal top 25 from that list is easy. Shown here unranked, just chronological Jaws Star Wars Close Encounters of the Third Kind Superman 1941 The Empire Strikes Back Raiders of the Lost Ark E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial The Return of the Jedi Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Empire of the Sun Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Home Alone Hook Jurassic Park The Lost World Amistad The Phantom Menace A.I. Artificial Intelligence Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Minority Report Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Adventures of Tintin War Horse Lincoln Selecting ONLY 10 of those 25, and then RANKING those 10 against each other? Difficulty level 1000!!! But being forced to do so, the best I can do is: Hook Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The Empire Strikes Back Jurassic Park Close Encounters of the Third Kind E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Lost World: Jurassic Park Lincoln War Horse It's so hard to kill so many darlings... JoeinAR, Edmilson, Once and 7 others 6 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted August 15, 2023 Author Share Posted August 15, 2023 Don't think of it as forced. Think of it as something you cherish. JTN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Andy 4,139 Posted August 15, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2023 1. Star Wars 2. The Empire Strikes Back 3. Raiders of the Lost Ark 4. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 5. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 6. Jaws 7. Superman the Movie 8. Return of the Jedi 9. Close Encounters of the Third Kind 10. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade This makes no sense to me after making it. There’s no logic that Superman would ever end up 7th place on ANY ranking, but here it is. JTN, Bellosh and JoeinAR 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB-8 3,480 Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 Wasn't there a tool to create such lists? Provided by @bollemanneke bollemanneke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bollemanneke 3,349 Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 Sadly I had to group the scores by decade as the tool didn't allow me to paste them all at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh 3,419 Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 1. Raiders of the Lost Ark 2. The Empire Strikes Back 3. E.T. the Extra Terrestrial 4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 5. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 6. Jaws 7. Schindler's List 8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 9. Close Encounters of the Third Kind 10. War Horse JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeltington 1,440 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars Hook The Phantom Menace Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Return of the Jedi War Horse Lincoln JoeinAR and Bellosh 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ricard 2,245 Posted August 16, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 16, 2023 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi Superman: The Movie Jaws E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Raiders of the Lost Ark Jaws 2 The Witches of Eastwick Mr. Hooper, Damien F, Bellosh and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,515 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 I think I posted a JW top 10 fairly recently, but I don't remember where, so guess I'll have to do one again and hope it matches up with that somewhat. 1. JURASSIC PARK 2. Jane Eyre 3. Return of the Jedi 4. Angela's Ashes 5. A.I. 6. Hook 7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 8. Far & Away 9. E.T. 10. Not With My Wife You Don't Bellosh and JoeinAR 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GerateWohl 4,370 Posted August 16, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 16, 2023 E.T. Still unbeaten in perfect combination of picture and music, collection and variation of themes. The Empire Strikes Back I can hardly listen to it anymore. I know it is perfect. But I have listened too often. I am waiting for the definitive release coming out one day to listen to it with fresh curiousity. The Force Awakens No soundtrack has played more often in the last 8 years in my player. For me the most perfect execution of Williams' 2000s action writing that I adore so much. The Witches of Eastwick This score has it all. Williams' best comedy score. The Tennis Game is brillant. There wouldn't be Hedwig's theme without this and this is even better. Ballroom scene is the most beautiful romantic theme of Williams ever. Schindler's List Williams best lyrical score in my eyes. And Schindler's Workforce is probably my favourite film music cue ever. War Horse This is for me the best combination of lyrical themes and Williams current musical style. Raiders of the Lost Ark I am not the biggest fan of the Raider's March and even not Marion's theme. But the way Williams works here with the themes is incomparable. And the Ark Theme is Williams best mystery theme anyway. A.I. I must confess, I hate the song. But apart from that A.I. has some of the best musical ideas in Williams scores and the arrangements are terrific. The Lost World This is more or less the birth hour of Williams modern action writing and the use of percussion with orchestra is best ever. I love it. Attack of the Clones Unfortunately it is kind of an unfinished work. But for me it is the best SW prequel score. Taikomochi, Bellosh, Schilkeman and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433 Posted August 16, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 16, 2023 12 hours ago, Jay said: Since Joe didn't include one, here's a list of the 111 eligible film scores Daddy-O I Passed For White Because They're Young The Secret Ways Bachelor Flat Diamond Head Gidget Goes To Rome The Killers None But The Brave John Goldfarb, Please Come Home The Rare Breed How to Steal a Million The Plainsman Not With My Wife, You Don’t! Penelope A Guide for the Married Man Valley of the Dolls Fitzwilly Heidi Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting Goodbye, Mr. Chips The Reivers Storia di una Donna (Story of a Woman) Jane Eyre Fiddler on the Roof The Cowboys Images The Poseidon Adventure Pete ‘N’ Tillie The Long Goodbye Tom Sawyer The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing The Paper Chase Cinderella Liberty Conrack The Sugarland Express Earthquake The Towering Inferno The Eiger Sanction Jaws Family Plot The Missouri Breaks Midway Black Sunday Star Wars Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Fury Jaws 2 Superman – The Movie Dracula 1941 The Empire Strikes Back Raiders of the Lost Ark Heartbeeps E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Monsignor Return of the Jedi Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The River SpaceCamp The Witches of Eastwick Empire of the Sun The Accidental Tourist Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Born on the Fourth of July Always Stanley & Iris Presumed Innocent Home Alone Hook JFK Far and Away Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Jurassic Park Schindler’s List Sabrina Nixon Sleepers Rosewood The Lost World: Jurassic Park Seven Years in Tibet Amistad Saving Private Ryan Stepmom Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Angela’s Ashes The Patriot A.I. Artificial Intelligence Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones Minority Report Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Catch Me If You Can Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Terminal Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith War of the Worlds Memoirs of a Geisha Munich Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn War Horse Lincoln The Book Thief Star Wars: The Force Awakens The BFG Star Wars: The Last Jedi The Post Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker The Fabelmans Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Choosing my personal top 25 from that list is easy. Shown here unranked, just chronological Jaws Star Wars Close Encounters of the Third Kind Superman 1941 The Empire Strikes Back Raiders of the Lost Ark E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial The Return of the Jedi Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Empire of the Sun Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Home Alone Hook Jurassic Park The Lost World Amistad The Phantom Menace A.I. Artificial Intelligence Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Minority Report Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Adventures of Tintin War Horse Lincoln Selecting ONLY 10 of those 25, and then RANKING those 10 against each other? Difficulty level 1000!!! But being forced to do so, the best I can do is: Hook Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The Empire Strikes Back Jurassic Park Close Encounters of the Third Kind E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Home Alone Lincoln War Horse It's so hard to kill so many darlings... I was wondering why Sergeant Ryker and The Screaming Woman didn't find their way in the eligible list (I know The Screaming Woman is only one cue though). I was also wondering how Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was consider is it more Courage or Williams (since Williams wrote a few new themes and Courage only arranged them)? Also my top 10: The Force Awakens The Empire Strikes Back Revenge of the Sith War Horse E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Jurassic Park Temple of Doom A.I. Artificial Intelligence Superman: The Movie The Adventures of Tintin Bellosh, JoeinAR, Tom and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,515 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 13 minutes ago, Raiders of the SoundtrArk said: I was wondering why Sergeant Ryker and The Screaming Woman didn't find their way in the eligible list (I know The Screaming Woman is only one cue though). I was also wondering how Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was consider is it more Courage or Williams (since Williams wrote a few new themes and Courage only arranged them)? SUPERMAN IV qualifies, I think, with Williams' new themes. THE SCREAMING WOMAN is a stretch due to - as you say - only one theme (of unknown origin) being used at the end. SERGEANT RYKER was reworked from the double episode "The Case Against Paul Ryker" from KRAFT SUSPENSE THEATRE five years earlier, so it qualifies as TV music, not feature film music. Plus, Williams' music from other episodes was used in it as well, so it's all a bit messy. Things like YOU ARE WELCOME, THE KATHERINE REED STORY, THE UNFINISHED JOURNEY, A TIMELESS CALL and DEAR BASKETBALL are also left out, due to them being short films, not feature films. Raiders of the SoundtrArk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTN 2,033 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 1. Star Wars 2. The Empire Strikes Back 3. Return of the Jedi 4. Superman: The Movie 5. Raiders of the Lost Ark 6. E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial 7. Jaws 8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 9. Schindler’s List 10. Close Encounters of the Third Kind JW has at least 25 scores that could be on his Top 10 list anytime. JoeinAR and Bellosh 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,837 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 1. E.T. 2. Hook 3. Schindler's List Jurassic Park Superman: The movie Indiana Jones and the temple of doom The Empire strikes back Home Alone Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone A.I. Artificial intelligence Bellosh and JoeinAR 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom 4,665 Posted August 16, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 16, 2023 ET ESB SW AI Home Alone CEOTK Temple of Doom Tintin Nixon Dracula JoeinAR, Bellosh, GerateWohl and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,370 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 On 16/08/2023 at 4:58 AM, Raiders of the SoundtrArk said: I was wondering why Sergeant Ryker and The Screaming Woman didn't find their way in the eligible list (I know The Screaming Woman is only one cue though). I was also wondering how Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was consider is it more Courage or Williams (since Williams wrote a few new themes and Courage only arranged them)? For Superman IV, he only wrote themes; Alexander Courage scored the film. This puts it in the same category as Yes, Giorgio and Solo: A Star Wars Story. In my opinion, none of these three should qualify as a "film scored by John Williams" or be considered for a top 10 list of the best films scores by John Williams. Joe may disagree, I have no idea, but that's my opinion. Likewise, for The Screaming Woman, there's one cue by John in the final cut, but it could have been written for a different Universal project and then tracked in - we don't know. So again, doesn't count as a film scored by John Williams in my book. Likewise, for Stark Fear, John only wrote the "party music", the film was scored by Lawrence V. Fisher. Sergeant Ryker isn't really a movie. It's an extended re-cut of two episodes of the TV series "Kraft Suspense Theater" that aired in 1963 - Season 1 episode 1 "The Case Against Paul Ryker Part 1" and Season 1 episode 2 "The Case Against Paul Ryker Part 2". When it was recut into a "film" in 1968, John didn't write any new music for it, the "movie" just contains the tv scores he wrote 5 years prior. Likewise Nightmare In Chicago doesn't count for the same reason - that's just another episode of "Kraft Suspense Theater", season 1 episode 21 "Once Upon A Savage Night", recut into a "film". And John didn't write any new music for that either, it just contains the score he wrote for the TV episode. You Are Welcome, The Katherine Reed Story, The Unfinished Journey, A Timeless Call, and Dear Basketball don't count because they are short films, not feature length films. 21 minutes, 15 minutes, 21 minutes, 7 minutes, and 6 minutes respectively. So again outside the scope of what this thread is trying to accomplish in my view, but again Joe might disagree, I have no idea. JTN and Raiders of the SoundtrArk 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,515 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 4 hours ago, Jay said: And before anyone asks, You Are Welcome, The Katherine Reed Story, The Unfinished Journey, A Timeless Call, and Dear Basketball don't count because they are short films, not feature length films. 21 minutes, 15 minutes, 21 minutes, 7 minutes, and 6 minutes respectively. So again outside the scope of what this thread is trying to accomplish in my view, but again Joe might disagree, I have no idea. 9 hours ago, Thor said: SUPERMAN IV qualifies, I think, with Williams' new themes. THE SCREAMING WOMAN is a stretch due to - as you say - only one theme (of unknown origin) being used at the end. SERGEANT RYKER was reworked from the double episode "The Case Against Paul Ryker" from KRAFT SUSPENSE THEATRE five years earlier, so it qualifies as TV music, not feature film music. Plus, Williams' music from other episodes was used in it as well, so it's all a bit messy. Things like YOU ARE WELCOME, THE KATHERINE REED STORY, THE UNFINISHED JOURNEY, A TIMELESS CALL and DEAR BASKETBALL are also left out, due to them being short films, not feature films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mr. Hooper 1,793 Posted August 16, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 16, 2023 13 hours ago, Ricard said: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi Superman: The Movie Jaws E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Raiders of the Lost Ark Jaws 2 The Witches of Eastwick Nice to see some love for Jaws 2! 👍 JoeinAR, Ricard and Andy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,694 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 Vaguely in order. Potter 1 and Jurassic tend to alternately be my favourite depending on the day of the week. I reckon I only have an attachment to the first Jurassic because the theme would've been floating around in the early 00s. I don't know when I first saw the film. Jurassic Park Potter 1 Last Crusade Revenge of the Sith Potter 2 Potter 3 The Lost World The Terminal War of the Worlds Home Alone The last three or so aren't quite favourites in the sense of listening to them loads, but that I discovered them at the right time for them to have a nostalgic attachment and sufficient highlights. Bellosh 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,357 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 12 hours ago, GerateWohl said: The Force Awakens the most perfect execution of Williams' 2000s action writing that I adore so much. 2010's action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toillion 215 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 Star Wars Jurassic Park Raiders of the Lost Ark Schindler’s List The Empire Strikes Back Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Close Encounters of the Third Kind Home Alone Star Wars: The Force Awakens My top five are pretty set but after that it could really switch up depending on the day. I also could have easily picked 8 Star Wars scores + Jurassic and Raiders as my top 10. JoeinAR and Bellosh 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted August 17, 2023 Author Share Posted August 17, 2023 I can say my list is changed by one score. Home alone bumped the towering inferno which would be number 11 if I went that one step further But I decided home alone deserve to place because I do love that score and then having been in New York City at Christmas time and that score became an earworm but a good kind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh 3,419 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 If anything this thread makes me want to make a top 10 without Indy and Star Wars, would be a very different list. JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad'Dib 1,802 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 1. The Fury 2. The Eiger Sanction 3. Jurassic Park: The Lost World 4. AI: Artificial Intelligence 5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 6. The Terminal 7. Tintin 8. Dracula 9. The Long Goodbye 10. The Missouri Breaks Bellosh 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,370 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 9 hours ago, Bellosh said: a top 10 without Indy and Star Wars Hook Jurassic Park Close Encounters of the Third Kind E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Home Alone Lincoln War Horse A.I. Artificial Intelligence The Lost World Bellosh 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,484 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 My Top 10 hasn't changed since the last time. Well, I hope it hasn't changed, because I don't remember it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,370 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 5 minutes ago, Bespin said: My Top 10 hasn't changed since the last time. Well, I hope it hasn't changed, because I don't remember it! On 06/10/2013 at 9:07 PM, Bespin said: Born in 1974, Star Wars generation 1. Star Wars: A New Hope 2. Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back 3. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 4. E.T. 5. Raiders of the Lost Ark 6. Schindler's List 7. Seven Years in Tibet 8. Memoirs of a Geisha 9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone 10. Jurassic Park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,484 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 This Bespin has good taste! JoeinAR and Sylvan 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted August 17, 2023 Author Share Posted August 17, 2023 Okay please stop. I am using one list per person. Excluding Star Wars and Indy Music should only be done if you genuinely believe there is better JW music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,370 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 I wasn't submitting that list to you, just replying to Bellosh. But sure, that's probably better done in another thread JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,484 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 1 hour ago, JoeinAR said: Excluding Star Wars and Indy Music should only be done if you genuinely believe there is better JW music. Any member whose Top excludes Star Wars or Indy will be sent to the salt mines of Kessel. @Jay you still can submit another top 10, it's not too late! JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmilson 7,466 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 1 hour ago, Bespin said: Any member whose Top excludes Star Wars AND Indy will be sent to the salt mines of Kessel. Fixed. Every John Williams top 10 must include at least one movie of these franchises. Bespin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mr. Hooper 1,793 Posted August 17, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 17, 2023 1. ESB 2. Jaws 3. E.T. 4. ROTJ 5. SW 6. Jaws 2 7. Raiders 8. Dracula 9. Jane Eyre 10. CE3K Honorable mention: Witches of Eastwick Bellosh, Damien F and Ricard 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricard 2,245 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 18 hours ago, Bellosh said: a top 10 without Indy and Star Wars Mine: Close Encounters of the Third Kind Superman: The Movie Jaws E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Jaws 2 The Witches of Eastwick Far and Away Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Jane Eyre The Lost World: Jurassic Park Bellosh and Mr. Hooper 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,837 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 On 15/08/2023 at 10:50 PM, Jay said: Valley of the Dolls Goodbye, Mr. Chips Fiddler on the Roof Tom Sawyer I don't think the 4 score adaptations should be eligible since large part of those scores is based on music written by other composers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,370 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 That's..... a great point. So Indy 5 is his 107th original feature-length film score, not his 111th. Huh. That also means The Book Thief was #100, not Indy 4. Huh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,665 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 48 minutes ago, filmmusic said: I don't think the 4 score adaptations should be eligible since large part of those scores is based on music written by other composers. There has got to be a Star Wars joke in there somewhere. filmmusic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayesian 1,363 Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 On 15/8/2023 at 12:50 PM, Jay said: Since Joe didn't include one, here's a list of the 111 eligible film scores Daddy-O I Passed For White Because They're Young The Secret Ways Bachelor Flat Diamond Head Gidget Goes To Rome The Killers None But The Brave John Goldfarb, Please Come Home The Rare Breed How to Steal a Million The Plainsman Not With My Wife, You Don’t! Penelope A Guide for the Married Man Valley of the Dolls Fitzwilly Heidi Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting Goodbye, Mr. Chips The Reivers Storia di una Donna (Story of a Woman) Jane Eyre Fiddler on the Roof The Cowboys Images The Poseidon Adventure Pete ‘N’ Tillie The Long Goodbye Tom Sawyer The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing The Paper Chase Cinderella Liberty Conrack The Sugarland Express Earthquake The Towering Inferno The Eiger Sanction Jaws Family Plot The Missouri Breaks Midway Black Sunday Star Wars Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Fury Jaws 2 Superman – The Movie Dracula 1941 The Empire Strikes Back Raiders of the Lost Ark Heartbeeps E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Monsignor Return of the Jedi Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The River SpaceCamp The Witches of Eastwick Empire of the Sun The Accidental Tourist Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Born on the Fourth of July Always Stanley & Iris Presumed Innocent Home Alone Hook JFK Far and Away Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Jurassic Park Schindler’s List Sabrina Nixon Sleepers Rosewood The Lost World: Jurassic Park Seven Years in Tibet Amistad Saving Private Ryan Stepmom Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Angela’s Ashes The Patriot A.I. Artificial Intelligence Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones Minority Report Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Catch Me If You Can Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Terminal Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith War of the Worlds Memoirs of a Geisha Munich Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn War Horse Lincoln The Book Thief Star Wars: The Force Awakens The BFG Star Wars: The Last Jedi The Post Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker The Fabelmans Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Choosing my personal top 25 from that list is easy. Shown here unranked, just chronological Jaws Star Wars Close Encounters of the Third Kind Superman 1941 The Empire Strikes Back Raiders of the Lost Ark E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial The Return of the Jedi Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Empire of the Sun Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Home Alone Hook Jurassic Park The Lost World Amistad The Phantom Menace A.I. Artificial Intelligence Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Minority Report Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Adventures of Tintin War Horse Lincoln Selecting ONLY 10 of those 25, and then RANKING those 10 against each other? Difficulty level 1000!!! But being forced to do so, the best I can do is: Hook Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The Empire Strikes Back Jurassic Park Close Encounters of the Third Kind E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Home Alone Lincoln War Horse It's so hard to kill so many darlings... I have a list of JW's OSTs that includes three TV movies not listed here: Nightmare in Chicago, Sergeant Ryker, and The Screaming Woman. I'm not sure how I learned about these, except that I learned about them on this forum. Can anyone remind me what the story is with these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,837 Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 24 minutes ago, Bayesian said: I have a list of JW's OSTs that includes three TV movies not listed here: Nightmare in Chicago, Sergeant Ryker, and The Screaming Woman. I'm not sure how I learned about these, except that I learned about them on this forum. Can anyone remind me what the story is with these? https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/35540-2023-john-williams-official-top-10-film-scores-your-individual-lists/&do=findComment&comment=1976681 Bayesian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Schilkeman 964 Posted August 18, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 18, 2023 1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind All mood and color. his finest work of orchestration and learned musical intelligence. JW's favorite, and mine as well. 2. The Empire Strikes Back The uber-score. It has everything. Great melodies, great orchestration, and some of the most mind-bogglingly intense writing that has ever been cut from a movie. He hasn't gone this hard before or since. 3. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial Maybe the most satisfying score ever written, whether in complete form, or the ost, it is always chill-inducingly awesome. 4. Superman: The Movie From the subtle intelligence of the Superman theme, to the overt goofy-ness of March of the Villains, I think he was having just about as much fun here as he has had on any score in his career. 5. Jaws It's easy to overlook just how smart this score is. It's almost become cliché, but like most Originals, it holds up because of its supreme craft. 6. Hook Maybe the score most indebted to the Russian masters, which is saying something, and it's stage-musical roots give it a wealth of melodies. In my opinion, this may be the widest disparity between quality of score and quality of film ever (I hold AotC in high regard, don't @ me). 7. Jurassic Park It's just fun, isn't it? Not a dull moment, and some of his most memorable melodies. 8. Attack of the Clones Perhaps due to his intense schedule in 2002, this score is lean and clean, and says what it needs to with as little fuss as possible. The antitheses of ESB. The orchestra is let off the hook for the Chase Through Coruscant in one of his best ever bits of action scoring. 9. The B.F.G. "the symphony is packed with strong personal melody from beginning to end ... A mellow glow suffuses the work, as it does the work of many veteran composers who seem to gaze retrospectively over their careers ... the Ninth Symphony is a masterpiece" A quote from an assessment of Vaughan-Williams's 9th symphony, which I find it applicable here, as well. 10. Minority Report A score that doesn't seem to match the film, until it does. JW wrote an unfinished symphony? and it's no.8? Where are the other 7?Track 1 of the ost is one of my favorite individual tracks ever. A moody, agitated masterpiece to close out a list. GlastoEls, Bellosh and Smeltington 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,478 Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 1. E.T. the Extraterrestrial 2. The Reivers 3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 4. Hook 5. Jaws 6. Star Wars 7. Superman 8. Raiders of the Lost Ark. 9. The Empire Strikes Back 10. Jurassic Park Bellosh 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien F 1,742 Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 I've never done a ranking of his scores before but a quick glance over his filmography suggests that about 7 of my top 10 are either Indy or Star Wars scores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat_S 69 Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 Tricky! I don't think I've really thought of anything beyond my top 3 before. I find it really hard to rank the scores, and I think that I could put any of these 10 above any of the others on some particular day, and I'm sure next month it would be completely different. But, if I had to rank them right now: 1. Hook 2. Superman 3. Empire Strikes Back 4. A.I. Artificial Intelligence 5. E.T. 6. The Lost World: Jurassic Park 7. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 9. War of the Worlds 10. Dracula And the following complete my 15 favourites at the moment: Close Encounters of the Third Kind Angela's Ashes Jurassic Park Memoirs of a Geisha Witches of Eastwick Creating this list reminds me that after 1975, all of Williams' scores have something to like about them, so it was really hard to select a few. Thanks for organising this! Bellosh 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,370 Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 8 hours ago, Bayesian said: I have a list of JW's OSTs that includes three TV movies not listed here: Nightmare in Chicago, Sergeant Ryker, and The Screaming Woman. I'm not sure how I learned about these, except that I learned about them on this forum. Can anyone remind me what the story is with these? On 16/08/2023 at 9:31 AM, Jay said: Likewise, for The Screaming Woman, there's one cue by John in the final cut, but it could have been written for a different Universal project and then tracked in - we don't know. So again, doesn't count as a film scored by John Williams in my book. Likewise, for Stark Fear, John only wrote the "party music", the film was scored by Lawrence V. Fisher. Sergeant Ryker isn't really a movie. It's an extended re-cut of two episodes of the TV series "Kraft Suspense Theater" that aired in 1963 - Season 1 episode 1 "The Case Against Paul Ryker Part 1" and Season 1 episode 2 "The Case Against Paul Ryker Part 2". When it was recut into a "film" in 1968, John didn't write any new music for it, the "movie" just contains the tv scores he wrote 5 years prior. Likewise Nightmare In Chicago doesn't count for the same reason - that's just another episode of "Kraft Suspense Theater", season 1 episode 21 "Once Upon A Savage Night", recut into a "film". And John didn't write any new music for that either, it just contains the score he wrote for the TV episode. Bayesian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post That_Bloke 115 Posted August 18, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 18, 2023 On 16/08/2023 at 2:15 AM, Naïve Old Fart said: 10/ PIECE OF ASS It took me a while to figure out what this was. Naïve Old Fart, Martinland, Bayesian and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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