Half way through watching the new Force Awakens trailer a few days ago (which if you haven’t already seen, you totally should!) I realised something: You can modify the Star Wars franchise in many ways – its characters, its cast, its director – but without the unforgettable orchestrations of John Williams, it would never be the same. For me, soundtracks are often what define the movie-going experience, and when crafted effectively they can perfectly encapsulate the film they accompany. But which soundtracks deserve to be remembered as the best, those pinnacles of auditory achievement, fit to be replayed on Classic FM for centuries to come? This article certainly won’t answer that question definitively, nor does it hope to. But here are 10 that I quite like:
Oh, and since I can’t be bothered to write very much, I’ll let the music speak for itself.
10) Ben-Hur, by Miklós Rózsa
9) Psycho, by Bernard Herrmann
8) The Magnificent Seven, by Elmer Bernstein
7) The Godfather, by Nino Rota
6) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, by Howard Shore
5) E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, by John Williams
4) The Mission, by Ennio Morricone
3) Jurassic Park, by John Williams
2) Back to the Future, by Alan Silvestri
1) Star Wars, by John Williams
Bet you didn’t see that coming…
And a few honourable mentions:
- Best Shot (Hoosiers), by Jerry Goldsmith
- Braveheart, by James Horner
- Edward Scissorhands, by Danny Elfman
- Gone with the Wind, by Max Steiner
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, by Ennio Morricone
- The Omen, by Jerry Goldsmith
- Raiders of the Lost Ark, by John Williams
- Superman, by John Williams
TheNicheCinema 