2023 John Williams Official top 10 film scores. Your individual lists.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

13 hours ago, Holko said:

Oh it's bad alright

 

It's better than a whole bunch of Eastwood films that I could name.

 

 

 

50 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

I guess I'm also just wondering like, the best of the films left I haven't seen where the scores really make an impact. Which is somewhat a gray area between the best scores and the best films. 

 

It usually follows the equation: Great film = great score. Of course, there are exceptions.

[Tom 4,664]

19 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

 

It's better than a whole bunch of Eastwood films that I could name.

 

Clint Eastwood is the biggest yellow-belly in the West.   

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

I'm gonna hunt you down, and shoot you, like a duck.

[Thor 7,511]

On 23/08/2023 at 7:26 PM, Naïve Old Fart said:

It's better than a whole bunch of Eastwood films that I could name.

 

Certainly is. I saw the film for the first time in 2009, and here's what I wrote on FSM then:

 

Quote

Well, I finally got around to seeing this one.

It's a very well-made thriller with a comedy undertone that WORKS - taking us to different locales and exciting setpieces.

I thought it was funny how it started off as an INDIANA JONES precursor....here was the popular college professor that led a secret life as someone more adventurous (an assasin for a government company), with female students falling in love with him.  And a little bit of James Bond as well, girls being his exact "weakness" or femmes fatales.

Interesting to finally find out what the cryptic title "The Eiger Sanction" means....'sanction 'being the assasination assignment that is given whenever an agent from a competing company is killed. And obviously, this assignment is supposed to take place while climbing the famous Eiger top.

The climbing setpieces were quite impressive, but I wish more time was dedicated to this segment of the film. It just feels a little short and sudden, the way it ends now.

As usual, Williams' music was excellent in context.

The opening main theme is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, of course, the kind of baroque jazz melancholy that I love and made a thread on earlier:

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=51696&forumID=1&archive=0

In the film, it is presented more classical and longer, and I actually prefer that over the recording on the soundtrack album.

Also, Williams has an excellent approach to the humorous "training montage" sequences (in three parts) - easy-going, baroque melody on pizzicato strings, guitar and harpshicord that grow in orchestral force as Clint becomes fitter and fitter. Overall, Williams deals with the action scenes in a very classy, lean style. Quite unusual.

Recommended film.

 

[MedigoScan 324]

Man my list would just have the usual suspects on it.

And Fiddler on the Roof doesnt really count I think.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Off the top of my head:

 

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Munich

Cinderella Liberty

Empire of the Sun

Heartbeeps

Catch Me If You Can

Black Sunday

The Accidental Tourist

[Thor 7,511]

On 25/08/2023 at 1:42 PM, MedigoScan said:

Man my list would just have the usual suspects on it.

And Fiddler on the Roof doesnt really count I think.

 

Depends. I think TOM SAWYER counts, for example. There's more than just arrangement going on there, Williams wrote a considerable amount of original score. I'm not familiar enough with FIDDLER to know if there is a considerable amount of score in addition to the arrangement stuff. I have the 30th anniversary edition, but haven't listened to it in ages.

[LewWho95 14]

1. Jurassic Park 

2. Star Wars 

3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi 

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark 

5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 

6. Jaws 

7.  Close Encounters of the Third Kind 

8. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 

9. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 

10. The Empire Strikes Back 

[Score 770]

1. Star Wars

2. The Empire Strikes Back

3. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

4. Schindler’s List

5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

6. A.I. Artificial Intelligence

7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

9. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

10. Angela’s Ashes

 

 

 

 

[TownerBarry 1]

John Williams has said interviews all on the net..His Top Three Scores are..

 

Schindler’s List

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Images 

 

My List

 

Schindler’s List

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Images

Superman

Jaws

AI

ET

The Empire Strikes Back

Empire of The Sun

Jurassic Park

 

[Sylvan 10]

Star Wars

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Superman – The Movie

The Empire Strikes Back

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Heartbeeps

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Empire of the Sun

Jurassic Park

Prisoner of Azkaban

 

[filmmusic 1,836]

Whoever is knowledgeable about this things:

Out of all these lists can we have a single statistics list?

On 26/08/2023 at 5:04 PM, Koray Savas said:

Off the top of my head:

 

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Munich

Cinderella Liberty

Empire of the Sun

Heartbeeps

Catch Me If You Can

Black Sunday

The Accidental Tourist

This is a very unusual list.

No Star Wars, no Indiana Jones but Cinderella Liberty? 

[Thor 7,511]

25 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

No Star Wars, no Indiana Jones but Cinderella Liberty? 

 

When it comes to "all time" favs, STAR WARS or INDIANA JONES would tower above CINDERELLA, but when it comes to my recent taste and preferences, I would much rather play CINDERELLA than any of those overplayed classics. So I completely sympathize with Koray, NOF and others who have it on the list. Such a funky and moody score altogether.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Lists please. 

 

I have6 noticed it on here but I feel like John's The Mission from Amazing Stories is just as worthy a candidate as any of his older films. It has nearly 30 minutes of score and some"Amazing" music.  Very reminiscent of INDY music. .

[Jay 37,369]

If you wanted to allow television scores in your polls, you should have stated so in the main post.  I assumed, as did I would guess all or at least most other voters, that only his film scores were eligible.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Jay I have had several people in the past submit Heidi and or Jane Eyre. If John scored a movie whether tv or theatrical I Accepted it in the past.  The Mission was not quite a movie but so close. It was very cinematic.

 

My only rule was one movie per vote so no one includes all SW or all Indy in one vote.

 

 

 

[Jay 37,369]

I also assumed you were allowing Heidi and Jane Eyre.  I brought all this up in a post on the first page that you didn't reply to.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

43 minutes ago, Jay said:

I also assumed you were allowed Heidi and Jane Eyre.  I brought all this up in a post on the first page that you didn't reply to.

I did not respond because I did not see a need.  We're just doing simple statistics not rocket science. 

 

I am confident in my choices but I am taking this opportunity to revisit some long overdue friends

 

[Mr. Hooper 1,793]

Although made for TV, Jane Eyre was released theatrically in the UK, and much later in China (per Wikipedia).

[Brónach 1,302]

jane eyre should be on the list.

[Thor 7,511]

19 minutes ago, Brónach said:

jane eyre should be on the list.

 

It should be on every list.

[Brónach 1,302]

trying really hard to avoid the joke here

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

JANE EYRE is a bona fide masterpiece, and it did have a theatrical release.

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

On 28/8/2023 at 4:56 AM, filmmusic said:

This is a very unusual list.

No Star Wars, no Indiana Jones but Cinderella Liberty? 

I’ve personally never been a fan of Star Wars. The scores are great in their respective films, but I’ve never had the desire to listen to them in my free time.

 

I’m pretty sure I had Temple of Doom on my list at some point in the past. But Indiana Jones generally falls into the same boat as Star Wars for me. 
 

Give me melancholy over bombast any day of the week. 

[Brónach 1,302]

i want both.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

Even just a few years ago, my top-10 would definitely have contained E.T., RAIDERS OF THE LIST ARK, and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I still like these scores, but my tastes have changed. Like @Koray Savas, and @Thor, I enjoy something a little more subdued, these days (of course, that doesn't account for 1941 ).

Who knows; in ten years' time, my top-10 might consist of SABRINA, HEIDI, and all those 1960s comedies. I can't wait to find out.

[Larry O 115]

Been awhile since I've done of these!

 

10) Catch Me If You Can
9) A.I. Artificial Intelligence

8) Superman: The Movie

7) Jurassic Park

6) Raiders of the Lost Ark

5) Star Wars

4) E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

3) Schindler's List

2) The Empire Strikes Back

1) Close Encounters of the Third Kind

[Ollie 1,059]

Superman

Jaws

The Lost World

Schindlers List

Harry Potter POA

Jane Eyre

The Empire Strikes Back 

CE3K

Raiders of the Lost Ark

E.T.

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

SUPERMAN? CE3K? JANE EYRE? PIECE OF ASS?

Yeah, baby, yeah!

[crocodile 8,017]

If I were to pick now:

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
2. Jaws
3. Superman: The Movie
4. Star Wars
5. Angela's Ashes
6. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
7. Schindler's List
8. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
9. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
10. Raiders of the Lost Ark

These are either his most impressive or have special meaning to me. Or both. Where's Jurassic Park, you ask? It would be no. 11. The score to sequel was my very first JW score album and it is a very special to me.

 

Karol

[SJLinNYC 8]

1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
4. Superman: The Movie
5. Jane Eyre
6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
7. Empire of the Sun
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
9. SpaceCamp
10. Midway

I very easily could have included The Fablemans, and I'm growing increasingly fond of the Dial of Destiny score, even though it feels so unlike the rest of his Indiana Jones work.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

7 hours ago, SJLinNYC said:

1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
4. Superman: The Movie
5. Jane Eyre
6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
7. Empire of the Sun
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
9. SpaceCamp
10. Midway

I 

SpaceCamp.

Odd choice, but to each his own.

Why this score?

[mrbellamy 6,287]

On 28/08/2023 at 3:56 AM, filmmusic said:

Whoever is knowledgeable about this things:

Out of all these lists can we have a single statistics list?

 

That's what this thread is for eventually 

[SJLinNYC 8]

9 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

SpaceCamp.

Odd choice, but to each his own.

Why this score?

 

I’m pushover for a Williams fanfare, and the SpaceCamp soundtrack provides one of his most underrated. The main theme dances between the French horns, trumpet, and low brass, with the strings sweeping in to carry the melody; it conveys the film’s emotional peaks as effectively as Williams’ more iconic scores. It’s also one of Williams’ most ethereal scores because of its gentle use of strings and woodwinds in the more quiet moments. And as much as the Training Montage might get mocked, I love the fact that in the middle of this otherwise timeless score there’s a moment where the drum machine and synths evoke the time when pastels and shoulder pads ruled.

[Mr. Hooper 1,793]

 

Put some lyrics to it about dancing the night away, and this could've been a hit for El DeBarge! lol

 

Williams has such a knack for composing catchy melodies and "earworms" that he could've been a pop music hit maker on a par with Nile Rodgers.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

Nile who?

[Mr. Hooper 1,793]

Wikipedia is your friend! 😄

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Nile who?

 

Eejit.

 

2 hours ago, Mr. Hooper said:

Wikipedia is your friend! 😄

 

He bloody well knows who.

[Courtney Sees Ghosts 269]

I hope nobody minds, but I'm gonna do a Top 12 cause there's two scores I cannot bare to leave off.

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Superman
4. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
5. Jurassic Park
6. Memoirs of a Geisha
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
9. Jaws
10. Schindler's List
11. The Adventures of Tintin
12. Empire of the Sun

Ngl, this wasn't a hard list to make except for the fact that I had to leave off Hook.

[Bespin 8,483]

1 minute ago, Courtney said:

I hope nobody minds, but I'm gonna do a Top 12 cause there's two scores I cannot bare to leave off.

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Superman
4. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
5. Jurassic Park
6. Memoirs of a Geisha
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
9. Jaws
10. Schindler's List
11. The Adventures of Tintin
12. Empire of the Sun

Ngl, this wasn't a hard list to make except for the fact that I had to leave off Hook.

 

Disqualified!

[Mr. Hooper 1,793]

22 minutes ago, Courtney said:

I hope nobody minds, but I'm gonna do a Top 12 cause there's two scores I cannot bare to leave off.

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Superman
4. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
5. Jurassic Park
6. Memoirs of a Geisha
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
9. Jaws
10. Schindler's List
11. The Adventures of Tintin
12. Empire of the Sun

Courtney, ordinarily this would be grounds for immediate expulsion from JWFan...

 

But because The Empire Strikes Back is your No. 1, you get a free pass. 😁

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

"Free pass" my ass!

@Courtney, if there are two scores that you "cannot bear to leave off", then, logically, there are ten scores that you can bear to leave off. You already left off HOOK. You can do it 

[Courtney Sees Ghosts 269]

14 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

"Free pass" my ass!

@Courtney, if there are two scores that you "cannot bear to leave off", then, logically, there are ten scores that you can bear to leave off. You already left off HOOK. You can do it 

I'll painfully leave Tintin and Empire of the Sun.

*Pain*

[Mr. Hooper 1,793]

The solution might be to start a "Top 15 John Williams Scores" thread.

 

But if someone posts their top 17 because there are 2 scores they can't leave off, then I'm throwing up my hands...

[Naïve Old Fart 9,542]

9 hours ago, Courtney said:

I'll painfully leave Tintin and Empire of the Sun.

 

Wrong.

TINTIN can fuck off as far as I'm concerned, but you put EMPIRE OF THE SUN back, right now!

[MSM 126]

I used to make these lists over and over again. They happen to change over time, and with mood.

My favorite JW period is probably 1979-2002, concert works and all. Overall I find myself coming back to Jurassic Park, Harry Potter 1, Sabrina, Always, Hook, Schindler's List, Phantom Menace, E.T., Dial of Destiny, Temple of Doom. Mostly the orchestration 'Bibles', I think.

[Sebastian David Schwittay 19]

1. The Lost World

2. Jurassic Park

3. War of the Worlds

4. Minority Report

5. JFK

6. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

8. Return of the Jedi

9. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

10. Heartbeeps

 

I'm quite into modernism/avantgarde/Bartók-Stravinsky-Style, so my Top 5 is very 'dark'.

 

(Favorite cues from JP thus are "Dennis Steals The Embryo", "Eye to Eye"... and all the eerie, dissonant stuff.  )

[Bellosh 3,419]

Wow. WotW at number 3. Not digging at ya, genuinely intrigued at that pick. Nice. Makes me want to throw it on and see if I'm missing something (I probably am)

 

Its awesome to see that quite frankly.

[Sebastian David Schwittay 19]

6 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

Wow. WotW at number 3. Not digging at ya, genuinely intrigued at that pick. Nice. Makes me want to throw it on and see if I'm missing something (I probably am)

 

Its awesome to see that quite frankly.

 

2005 was such a great summer. WOTW played for weeks and months.  

 

I love the bleak, 'black&white' instrumentation of the score. "Minority Report" was a precursor to that, but not as radical as in WOTW...

[Mr. Hooper 1,793]

2 hours ago, Sebastian David Schwittay said:

I'm quite into modernism/avantgarde...

 

...and all the eerie, dissonant stuff.

How about 'Images'?