15 Best Film Scores of All Time (A Personal List)

by Charles Vallena

Music provides a vehicle for conveying a message that hits the heart more than any well-written script can. After all, as Don Shanahan said, every movie has a lesson. An excellent musical score is one of the keys to a successful film. It speaks to both the mind and the heart to provide for a more immersive experience.

For me, nothing beats these 15 best film scores of all-time when it comes to delivering the film’s message.

1. Schindler’s List

Sure, the graphic images of people being rounded up and packed into trains deliver a message that chills the spine. When you add John William’s score to this 1993 Spielberg masterpiece, you get a film that speaks of man’s inhumanity to his kind. No action nor words can provide a harrowing account of one of the darkest periods in modern history.

2. The Lord of the Rings

With more than 80 different motifs and themes that represent the various locations and characters of Middle Earth, this song is right there at the top of my list. You do not have to be a LOTR fan to feel the drama woven into each note of the musical score. It is not surprising this score won for Howard Shore three Golden Globes, four Grammys, and three Oscars.

3. Gladiator

It may not have won the Oscars for Best Musical Score, but the Gladiator still won many hearts. It has a stirring melody that transports you to an era when all the glory revolved around the action in a Roman Colosseum. Add Lisa Gerrard’s melancholic voice, and you have a musical score with an atmospheric and timeless quality.

4. Out of Africa

How do you describe the untamed beauty of the Kenyan wilderness? Through music, of course. While I do not downplay Redford and Streep’s performance in this 1985-released Sydney Pollack romantic epic, I am never more moved than its score. It features a fascinating blend of African traditional songs and Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto,” making it one of AFI’s top 25 US film scores.

5. Star Wars

Who could ever forget “The Imperial March” that people today add to their homemade videos? John Williams reintroduced grand symphonic scores to modern film-making, starting with the first Star Wars of many installments. I could spend the whole day listening to Star Wars music and will never grow tired of getting washed in pure acoustic bliss.

6. Chariots of Fire

Who would have believed that a modern electronic musical score will work wonders to a 1920’s set film? That is what precisely happened when Vangelis used his synthesizer ingenuity to create one of the world’s most iconic themes of all time. It is a surreal melody that electrifies the soul as no other music can.

7. Jurassic Park

I love John William’s spectacular display of compositional techniques in this 1993 blockbuster that introduced the modern world to a long bygone era. It is one of the most enduring film scores with its easy-to-hum-along melody that instantly conjures images of Brontosaurs, T-Rexes, Velociraptors, and more.

8. Doctor Zhivago

Without a doubt one of Maurice Jarre’s most moving film scores. Doctor Zhivago provides a fitting backdrop to the story of a Russian doctor-poet. You will love “Lara’s Theme” as most of the modern world does. Even if you do not know the story, it is easy to feel Dr. Zhivago’s sentiments in the beautiful interplay of notes.

9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

John Williams returns to my list of all-time best film scores with his work for this 1982 sci-fi flick. You can feel sympathy for our out-of-this-world friend, thanks to William’s magical blending of the Lydian mode with polytonality. It gives the music score a heroic, dreamlike, and mystic quality. This musical score is indeed one of the most magical ever to grace the human ear.

10. The Magnificent Seven

People worldwide love this 1960 film’s main theme. Many brands have adopted the melody as their own. It showcases Elmer Bernstein’s magician-like capabilities to transform Copland’s Western ballet into an expansive and galloping romp that is super easy to memorize. This musical score deserves a spot in any top 10 list.

11. Braveheart

Rich with Scottish and Celtic influences, listening to James Horner’s Braveheart masterpiece is like entering a time capsule to the 13th-century English-Scottish countryside. There were Andean Kena flutes and Irish themes, too. These elements added a spine-tingling melody befitting William Wallace’s final ‘Freedom’ cry.

12. Lawrence of Arabia

Most people think providing an acoustic background to an African landscape is challenging. You should try describing the vast expanse of the Arabian desert in musical notes. Good thing Maurice Jarre was a musical wizard. He combined classic orchestral harmonies with exotic percussion beats to bring to life the most enduring of all desert romances.

13. Gone With the Wind

We would never have film music today if not for the pioneering efforts of Max Steiner. One of Steiner’s earliest works and most enduring masterpieces for the silver screen is Gone With the Wind. A few seconds of listening to the music is enough to trigger goosebumps and send tingly sensations down the spine.

14. The Sound of Music

Who can forget Julie Andrews and her voice in this 1965 musical drama film? You have got to give credit to Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rogers for their wizardry in creating a soundtrack that has become one of the world’s most successful. It should never surprise you why this musical score is a fan favorite.

15. Dances With Wolves

This musical score is not your typical western theme. John Barry did an excellent job depicting the movie’s wide-open plains in a surprisingly gentle manner. I always get mesmerized listening to the haunting Love Theme, although the “John Dunbar Theme” is as eloquent as the other songs in the score.

These film scores are what I consider 15 of the world’s all-time best. Let us agree, none of these movies would have been successful if not for their excellent musical score to deliver the message right to the heart. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Vallena is the author, and editor-in-chief of TheGuitarJunky.com, an online music site dedicated in helping aspiring musicians become real musicians. He provides expert insights, guides, lessons, and reviews on acoustic guitars, keyboard, drums, and other music instruments. Follow Guitar Junky on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.