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Best score by a major composer


Romão

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one score each.

The selection of "major" composers I leave to you:

Danny Elfman - Batman

Hans Zimmer - Hannibal

James Horner - Glory

Jerry Goldsmith - Star Trek TMP

James Newton Howard - Atlantis the Lost Empire

Ennio Morricone - Cinema Paradiso

Bernard Herrmann - Vertigo

Basil Poledouris - Conan, the Barbarian

Elliot Goldenthal - Final Fantasy

Gabriel Yared - Troy

Rachel Portman - The Cider House Rules

John Debney - Cutthroat Island

David Arnold - Tomorrow Never Dies

Vangelis - 1492: Conquest of Paradise

Maurice Jarre - Lawrence of Arabia

Alex North - Spartacus

Max Steiner - King Kong

Miklos Rosza - Spellbound

Alan Menken - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Patrick Doyle - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

John Barry - Dances with Wolves

John Williams - Schindler's List

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Shore has been a major composer for several years before he wrote FOTR.

Here's some I can think of...in many other cases I just can't pick a favourite:

Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi

Elliot Goldenthal - Sphere

James Horner - Sneakers

Erich Wolfang Korngold - Captain Blood

Not much...and mostly really just favourites and not necessarily "the best".

Marian - :)

;) Rambo III (Jerry Goldsmith)

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Danny Elfman - The Nightmare Before Christmas (or, for score only I'd say Batman)

Hans Zimmer - Gladiator or The Thin Red Line

James Horner - Krull or Glory

Jerry Goldsmith - Star Trek TMP

James Newton Howard - Either Signs or Waterworld

Bernard Herrmann - North by Northwest

Basil Poledouris - Conan the Barbarian or Starship Troopers

Elliot Goldenthal - Alien 3

Gabriel Yared - Troy

John Debney - Cutthroat Island

David Arnold - Independence Day

Alex North - Spartacus

John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back

... And some others:

Alan Silvestri - Back to the Future 3

Elmer Bernstein - The Great Escape

Howard Shore - The Return of the King

Michael Kamen - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves or Band of Brothers

Thomas Newman - American Beauty

Don Davis (I'd consider him to be just as "major" as Debney) - Matrix Revolutions

;) Gabriel Yared's Troy

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Danny Elfman - Sleepy Hollow

Hans Zimmer - nothing, he's trash

James Horner - Titanic or STTWOK

Jerry Goldsmith - Star Trek TMP

James Newton Howard - Signs

Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Frank Waxman - Rebecca

Basil Poledouris - Conan, the Barbarian

John Debney - the Passion of the Christ

David Arnold - Stargate

Maurice Jarre - Lawrence of Arabia

Max Steiner - King Kong

Alan Menken - Beauty and the Beast

John Barry - Out of Africa

John Williams -E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

granted some of these are not major composers and some I edited because I have no opinion or they really weren't worth bother with.

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Danny Elfman - Sleepy Hollow

Hans Zimmer - nothing, he's trash

James Horner - Titanic or STTWOK

Jerry Goldsmith - Star Trek TMP

James Newton Howard - Signs

Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Frank Waxman - Rebecca

Basil Poledouris - Conan, the Barbarian

John Debney - the Passion of the Christ

David Arnold - Stargate

Maurice Jarre - Lawrence of Arabia

Max Steiner - King Kong

Alan Menken - Beauty and the Beast

John Barry - Out of Africa

John Williams -E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

granted some of these are not major composers and some I edited because I have no opinion or they really weren't worth bother with.

It's like I'm typing, but it's coming out of Joe's

BKL

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Silvestri - Predator

Poledouris - Hunt for Red October

James Newton Howard - The Fugitive

Goldsmith - Basic Instinct

Debney - he nails most of them except POTC which sounds like zimmer

Young - Bless the Child (check the end titles out - amazing)

Danny Elf - Spiderman or Batman - dont like the style much but they are awesome - just admit it

Randy Newman - Toy Story

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Here are some of my favorites:

John Barry - Somewhere In Time

Elmer Bernstein - To Kill A Mockingbird

Bruce Broughton - Silverado

Patrick Doyle - Henry V

Randy Edelman - Gettysburg

Jerry Goldsmith - Star Trek: TMP

James Horner - Glory

Michael Kamen - Band Of Brothers

Erich W. Korngold - The Adventures Of Robin Hood

Jerome Moross - The Big Country

Ennio Morricone - The Untouchables

Alfred Newman - Wuthering Heights

Thomas Newman - Angels In America

Basil Poledouris - Conan The Barbarian

Nino Rota - Romeo And Juliet

Miklos Rozsa - Ben-Hur

Max Steiner - The Adventures Of Don Juan

Sir William Walton - Henry V

Franz Waxman - Prince Valiant

John Williams - E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Victor Young - Scaramouche

Kathy

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Kathy, no cheating. You have Henry V twice.

As for my list, and with no real criteria of what makes a composer minor or major, I'd say:

John Williams - E.T. The Extraterrestrial

Danny Elfman - Edward Scissorhands

James Newton Howad - Signs

Alan Menken - Beauty and the Beast

Maurice Jarre - Lawrence of Arabia

Patrick Doyle - Hamlet

Alan Silvestri - Contact (I need to study this man's work harder)

David Arnold - Independence Day

Randy Newman - Toy Story / A Bug's Life

Michael Kamen - Band of Brothers

Basil Poledouris - Les Miserables

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John Barry - Dances With Wolves

Danny Elfman - Batman

Jerry Goldsmith - Star Trek - The Motion Picture

James Horner - Star Trek II - The Wrath of Kahn

John Williams - Raiders of The Lost Ark

Hans Zimmer - The Power of One

David Arnold - Stargate

Patrick Doyle - Needful Things

Elliot Goldenthal - Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within

James Newton Howard - Signs

Trevor Jones - Merlin

Thomas Newman - Angels In America

Basil Poledouris - Conan The Barbarian

Alan Silvestri - Back To The Future

Bernard Herrmann - Psycho

Miklos Rosza - King of Kings

Justin

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John Barry -The Black Hole

Danny Elfman - Batman

Jerry Goldsmith - Poltergeist

James Horner - Krull

John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back

David Arnold - Stargate

James Newton Howard - Peter Pan,maybe

Basil Poledouris - Robocop

Howard Shore:Dead Ringers

Maurice Jarre:Lawrance of Arabia

Michael Kamen:Robin Hood,Prince of Theives

Ennio Morricone:The Mission

Kay Hem

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Debney - he nails most of them except POTC which sounds like zimmer

Debney did not score POTC. Klaus Baldet did it.

Debney did the other POTC. Think about it.

Neil

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David Arnold ? Independence Day

John Barry ? Goldfinger

Elmer Bernstein ? To Kill and Mocking Bird

Danny Elfman ? Black Beauty

Jerry Goldsmith ? The Omen

Bernard Herrmann ? Citizen Kane

James Horner - Braveheart

Akira Ifukube ? Godzilla vs. Destroyah

Maurice Jarre ? Lawrence of Arabia

Erich Wolfgang Korngold ? The Adventures of Robin Hood

Basil Poledouris ? RoboCop

Miklos Rosza ? Ben-Hur

Howard Shore ? The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Alan Silvestri ? The Mummy Returns

John Williams ? The Empire Strikes Back

Hans Zimmer ? Crimson Tide

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I'm not as well versed outside of Williams as most here, but here's my two cents:

Jerry Goldmith- Star Trek: TMP

James Horner- Star Trek II and Willow

David Arnold- Independence Day

Michael Kamen- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Hans Zimmer- Gladiator (in a "best of the worst" competition :P )

Howard Shore- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Alan Silvestri- Back to the Future

John Williams- Star Wars Saga

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Debney - he nails most of them except POTC which sounds like zimmer

Debney did not score POTC. Klaus Baldet did it.

Debney did the other POTC. Think about it.

Neil

But what POTC sounds more like Zimmer?

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Now that I think of it, I guess both POTC's sound like Zimmer.

PiratesOTC sounds like Zimmer all over the place.

PassionOTC sounds like Zimmer in tracks like "It is done".

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Debney - he nails most of them except POTC which sounds like zimmer

Debney did not score POTC. Klaus Baldet did it.

Debney did the other POTC. Think about it.

Neil

But what POTC sounds more like Zimmer?

The one that was out earlier this year.

Neil - who didn't like POTC and never saw POTC

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Williams - The Empire Strikes Back

Hans Zimmer - The Rock

Basil Poledouris - Conan the Barbarian

James Horner - Krull

Danny Elfman -Batman

Jerry Golsmith - Patton

No major surprises here, but meh I dont care.

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Williams: Undecided

Goldsmith: Undecided

Elfman: Black Beauty

Zimmer: The Rock/ Hannibal

Horner: Braveheart/Legend of the Fall

Poledouris: Conan The Barbarian

Howard Shore: Ed Wood

David Arnold: Tomorrow Never Dies

Michael Kamen: Die Hard 3/ Robin Hood

Alan Silvestri: Forrest Gump

John Barry: Undecided

Elmer Bernstein: Undecided

Ennio Morricone: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Patrick Doyle: Currently, Much Ado About Nothing

James Newton Howard: Signs

Thomas Newman: Road To Perdition/Little Women (I'm getting Angels in America next week, so this might change)

Randy Newman: Undecided

Alan Menken: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Randy Edelman: Dragonheart

Gabriel Yared: Troy

John Debney: If I had to choose something, it'd be the most overrated score of the 90's, Cutthroat Island. But the man is seriously unimpressive.

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Danny Elfman - Mars Attacks

Hans Zimmer - The Rock

Mark Mancina - Speed

James Horner - The Mask of Zorro

Jerry Goldsmith - The Mummy

James Newton Howard - Dinosaur (but still have to hear Atlantis, Peter Pan and The Village)

Ennio Morricone - Cinema Paradiso

Bernard Herrmann - Psycho

Basil Poledouris - Hunt for Red October

Elliot Goldenthal - Final Fantasy

Rachel Portman - Emma

Randy Newman - Toy Story

Vangelis - 1492: Conquest of Paradise

Maurice Jarre - Lawrence of Arabia

Alex North - Spartacus

Max Steiner - Gone With the Wind

Erich Wolfgang Korngold - The Sea Hawk

Miklos Rosza - Ivanhoe

Alan Menken - Beauty and the Beast

Patrick Doyle - Sense and Sensibility

Mark Shaiman - The American President

John Barry - Octopussy

John Debney - Cutthroat Island

Alan Silvestri - The Mummy Returns

Don Davis - Jurassic Park 3

David Arnold - Independence Day

John Williams - Jurassic Park

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Alan Silvestri: Forrest Gump
:(

I voted that one too!

I must admit I don't know much of Silvestri, but I doubt I'd love any other score more than Forrest Gump!

:music: Mark Mancina - "Bad Boys" (the bootleg I've done using the isolated DVD track)

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I think the Back to the Future scores get better each time. Back to the Future Part III is definitely one of Silvestri's best works. The original is okay, and its main value is its great use within the film.

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Forrest Gump doesn't have many themes, but they're so damn great!!!

It has more themes than most movies, and they're all superb.

I think the Back to the Future scores get better each time. Back to the Future Part III is definitely one of Silvestri's best works. The original is okay, and its main value is its great use within the film.

III is very good, the best of them, but still, I think it's overrated. A fun western theme, a lovely love theme and the main theme. Still doesn't justify all the praise it gets. (or that thread a couple of years back calling it the greatest score of the 80's)

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Yes, my mistake. The person was refering to the first BTTF score. My point still stands.

Of course. And indeed, BttF isn't the greatest score of the eighties either. Not by a long shot.

I still think it deserves a complete release, though, particularly seeing how the OST had only 2 actual tracks that came from the score.

- Marc

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A. I think most of us have the regular release, which is not too representative of how good the score really is.

B. Horner has done many great scores, and, quite simply, Braveheart, Willow, Glory, Wrath of Kahn and Legend of the Fall are better in most people's opinions.

I personaly might like it more if I had a decent album of it, and the original album is a terrible listening experience.

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It's by far my favorite. I still need someone to explain to me why Back to The Future is so great, aside from it's theme.

The theme is the score. The theme is Silvestri's best therefore the score is Silvestri's best. Questions?

I thought not. :)

Justin - Who considers the matter closed.

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Kathy, no cheating. You have Henry V twice.

:)

A few more I didn't list the first time around:

Lee Holdridge - Mists of Avalon

Trevor Jones - The Dark Crystal

Kathy

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The theme is the score. The theme is Silvestri's best therefore the score is Silvestri's best. Questions?

I thought not. :)  

Justin - Who considers the matter closed.

I find your logic and the application of it flawed.

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Here is another little formula:

Modern Film Score = Director's Temp Track - Smallest Possible Changes to avoid lawsuit

Anyway now a days the film industry is all about making money - its the same with composing as it is with costume artists, set painters, cinematographers, casting. They get their own versions of temp tracks as well.

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