A friend recently asked me to name the 50 best orchestral film scores for a tv programme idea he's working on. He wanted:

5 from the 50's
5 from the 60's
10 from the 70's
10 from the 80's
10 from the 90's
10 from the 00's

What would you vote for?

Cheers,

That's despicable.

I mean, I can certainly still think about and fill in the criteria, but I'd like to know what kind of a program it is....Perhaps there's a reason for exluding the first four decades of cinema? If there's not, starting things in 1950 eliminates many, many, many of the very best scores ever written.

Yes, that was sarcastic. I'm only asking what I was asked - I didn't set the criteria. I'll do it myself.

Or is your friend looking for a list of what are generally considered to be the best scores from those decades (meaning the general public's perception as opposed to that of a bunch of nutcases such as us)? I did see you asked "What would you choose?" - which takes us back to the Masterlist. Or do you want us to now each narrow our choices down to the figures specified?

Pedantic old git. If you want, I've got author Roberto Cueto's Top 100 scores listed by decade. I could post that. Or am I on the wrong track? You did say "What would you choose?" That means us, right? Which takes us back to....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz but maybe narrow down to five or ten zzzzzzzzzzzzz

I think my friend is basically asking for the Top Ten most recognised/famous film scores from each of those decades. That's literally I know. I'm not sure what the programme is either.

I could've cooked up my own list but I wanted a few other suggestions from other like-minded filmscore nuts.

Cheers,

The 50s -
SUNSET BOULEVARD (Franz Waxman)
A PLACE IN THE SUN (Franz Waxman)
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Alex North)
DEATH OF A SALESMAN (Alex North)
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Bernard Herrmann)
VIVA ZAPATA (Alex North)
HIGH NOON (Dimitri Tiomkin)
THE QUIET MAN (Victor Young)
IVANHOE (Miklos Rozsa)
JULIUS CAESAR (Miklos Rozsa)
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (Elmer Bernstein)
ON THE WATERFRONT (Leonard Bernstein)
THE SEVEN SAMURAI (Fumyo Hayasaka)
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (Malcolm Arnold)
THE BIG COUNTRY (Jerome Moross)
VERTIGO (Bernard Herrmann)
THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (Bernard Herrmann)
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Bernard Herrmann)
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (Alfred Newman)
BEN-HUR (Miklos Rozsa)

I can't argue with those choices, though as personal faves I'd add that great trilogy of Leith Stevens SF scores - DESTINATION MOON, WAR OF THE WORLDS and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, plus two Hammers - James Bernard's splendid (HORROR OF) DRACULA and Franz Reizenstein's truly magnificent THE MUMMY. Missing from Cueto's list is Victor Young's AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS, a curious omission perhaps, but not one of my personal faves (I could never get into Young's super-melodic vein). Oh, I'd also add Leonard Rosenman's REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and, particularly, EAST OF EDEN.

The 60s -
JULES ET JIM (George Delerue)
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (Elmer Bernstein)
ONE-EYED JACKS (Hugo Friedhofer)
ROCCO E I SUOI FRATELLI (Nino Rota)
SPARTACUS (Alex North)
PSYCHO (Bernard Herrmann)
FREUD (Jerry Goldsmith)
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Maurice Jarre)
CLEOPATRA (Alex North)
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Elmer Bernstein)
THE LEOPARD (Nino Rota)
HAMLET (Dimitri Shostakovich)
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (Maurice Jarre)
ROMEO AND JULIET (Nino Rota)
THE LION IN WINTER (John Barry)
PLANET OF THE APES (Jerry Goldsmith)
A WALK WITH LOVE AND DEATH (Georges Delerue)
THE WILD BUNCH (Jerry Fielding)

Again, impeccable taste. Being an old horror head I'd add Les Baxter's tremendous scores for Corman's (FALL OF THE) HOUSE OF USHER and PIT AND THE PENDULUM, plus possibly even Elisabeth Lutyen's hugely interesting THE SKULL (though that movie fell at the first hurdle for the Oscars - ie nobody would even think of nominating it, but it's a great score, so there). I also think that Goldsmith's TORA TORA TORA is brilliant, in fact most of Goldsmith's 60s work is among my favourites of all time. Crikey - THE BLUE MAX! Absolutely fantastic!

In case there's a thunderstorm and all this goes to bloody hell, I'm going to post it and go urinate, but, fear not, I'll be back.

The 70s -
PATTON (Jerry Goldsmith)
THE GODFATHER (Nino Rota)
THE GODFATHER PART TWO (nino Rota)
AMARCORD (Nino Rota)
CHINATOWN (Jerry Goldsmith)
JAWS (John Williams)
OBSESSION (Bernard Herrmann)
TAXI DRIVER (Bernard Herrmann)
THE OMEN (Jerry Goldsmith)
ROBIN AND MARIAN (John Barry)
CASANOVA (Nino Rota)
STAR WARS (John Williams)
DRACULA (John Williams)
ALIEN (Jerry Goldsmith)

Nope, can't argue with that choice, though I'd add two scores by the amazing Gil Mellé - THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR and THE SENTINEL (in fact I'll add THREE scores by the amazing Gil Mellé - FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY is the third, though I'm bending the rules by admitting TV, I know). As with Elisabeth Lutyens and THE SKULL, these Mellé movies are low-profile (some would say "crap"), so they went under the radar.

The 80s -
SOMEWHERE IN TIME (John Barry)
ALTERED STATES (John Corigliano)
DRAGONSLAYER (Alex North)
BODY HEAT (John Barry)
UNDER FIRE (Jerry Goldsmith)
THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (George Fenton)
OUT OF AFRICA (John Barry)
THE DEAD (Alex North)
HENRY V (Patrick Doyle)

I'm surprised Goldsmith's POLTERGEIST and TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE didn't make the list. Wait a minute, neither did STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE make the 70s list. Never mind, they're Cueto's choices, but I'd definitely add them. And add onto the 80s Broughton's SILVERADO. Oh, and his YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES too.

The 90s -
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (Danny Elfman)
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Howard Shore)
DRACULA (Wochcieh Kilar)
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (Elmer Bernstein)
SCHINDLER'S LIST (John Williams)
CARLITO'S WAY (Patrick Doyle)
MARY REILLY (George Fenton)

Yes, and I'd add two marvellous Western scores - James Newton Howard's WYATT EARP and Bruce Broughton's TOMBSTONE.

2000+

Book too old, no entries. I'd have difficulty with this. For me, Shore's LORD OF THE RINGS doesn't cut the cheese, for example. Book too old. Me too old.

By the way , I'm suddenly thinking of lots more to add onto the other decades, but I'll give it a rest (if not, I'd be "Ooh yes, and LOGAN'S RUN for the 70s" etc).

60s:
Fahrenheit 451 (Bernard Herrmann)
8˝ (Nino Rota)
Rocco and His Brothers (Nino Rota)
Contempt (Georges Delerue)
Jules and Jim (Georges Delerue)

70s:
Obsession (Bernard Herrmann)
Casanova (Nino Rota)
The Godfather Part II (Nino Rota)
Novecento ("1900") (Ennio Morricone)
Day of the Locust (John Barry)
L'Innocente (Franco Mannino)
The Godfather (Nino Rota)
The Conformist (Georges Delerue)
The Fury (John Williams)
Night Digger (Bernard Herrmann)

80s:
The Elephant Man (John Morris)
Flowers in the Attic (Christopher Young)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (Danny Elfman)
House on Sorority Row (Richard Band)
Batman (Danny Elfman)
Heavy Metal (Elmer Bernstein)
Once Upon a Time in America (Ennio Morricone)
The Last Emperor (Sakamoto, Byrne, Su)
Young Sherlock Holmes (Bruce Broughton)
Dead Ringers (Howard Shore)

90s:
What Dreams May Come: Rejected (Ennio Morricone)
Legend of 1900 (Ennio Morricone)
Edward Scissorhands (Danny Elfman)
Mission to Mars (Ennio Morricone)
Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman)
Sleepy Hollow (Danny Elfman)
Batman Returns (Danny Elfman)
Schindler's List (John Williams)
The Edge (Jerry Goldsmith)
The Age of Innocence (Elmer Bernstein)

00s:
Bad Education (Alberto Iglesias)
Malena (Ennio Morricone)
The Machinist (Roque Banos)
A Very Long Engagement (Angelo Badalamenti)
Birth (Alexandre Desplat)
2046 (Shigeru Umebayashi)
I’m Not Scared (Ezio Bosso)
A Tale of Two Sisters (Lee Byong-Woo)
Canone Inverso (Ennio Morricone)
Talk to Her (Alberto Iglesias)

Dylan
NP: Brazil (Michael Kamen)

1950's -
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Bernard Herrmann)
VERTIGO (Bernard Herrmann)
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Alex North)
THE BIG COUNTRY (Jerome Moross)
LA STRADA (Nino Rota)

1960's -
8˝ (Nino Rota)
A PATCH OF BLUE (Jerry Goldsmith)
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Elmer Bernstein)
PSYCHO (Bernard Herrmann)
PLANET OF THE APES (Jerry Goldsmith)

1970's -
THE GODFATHER (Nino Rota)
CHINATOWN (Jerry Goldsmith)
TAXI DRIVER (Bernard Herrmann)
CASANOVA (Nino Rota)
THE OMEN (Jerry Goldsmith)
THE WIND AND THE LION (Jerry Goldsmith)
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (Jerry Goldsmith)
OBSESSION (Bernard Herrmann)
STAR WARS (John Williams)
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (John Williams)

1980's -
FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC (Christopher Young)
YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES (Bruce Broughton)
BACK TO THE FUTURE (Alan Silvestri)
THE ELEPHANT MAN (John Morris)
CONAN THE BARBARIAN (Basil Poledouris)
KOYAANISQATSI (Philip Glass)
THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT (Michael Nyman)
LEGEND (Jerry Goldsmith)
STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KHAN (James Horner)
BRAZIL (Michael Kamen)

1990's -
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (Danny Elfman)
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (Elmer Bernstein)
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Danny Elfman)
HOOK (John Williams)
PRINCESS MONONOKE (Joe Hisaishi)
THE MATRIX (Don Davis)
INCOGNITO (John Ottman)
RUDY (Jerry Goldsmith)
GATTACA (Michael Nyman)
THE RED VIOLIN (John Corigliano)

2000's (10 is a little excessive considering this decade isn't even half over, but here goes) -
FAR FROM HEAVEN (Elmer Bernstein)
AMELIE (Yann Tiersen)
THE CLAIM (Michael Nyman)
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN (Elliot Goldenthal)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (Howard Shore)
MISSION TO MARS (Ennio Morricone)
THE CELL (Howard Shore)
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (Edward Shearmur)
DRAGONFLY (John Debney)
NAQOYQATSI (Philip Glass)

Yeah. That's about right. Great lists so far from Graham and Dylan.

Phew, been away for a few days and just gotten back to see all your excellent suggestions! Thanks very much! I really appreciate it.

Cheers,