Whose film scores do you prefer?

Are you more of the good, the bad and the ugly, exorcist II, untouchables  or  star wars, Jaws, E.T. etc,
Personally they are both geniuses in my opinion.

Mark

Morricone.

Don't get me wrong. John Williams exercises a dramatic influence over all the films he scores. I saw War Horse the other day so his compositions are fresh in my mind. They're highly effective. But I'm not a fan.

Regardless, I'd take Trent Reznor or RZA over either any day. Musicians almost always know how to score films better than composers.

Morricone all the way.

If for not other reason, than a personal one...

When I first decided to write a screenplay, I re-imagined a Western I liked.
Thought it would be a good way to write with "training wheels" to learn.

Morricone's iconic scores really kept me afloat during that time.
Without having that success, I likely would not be here now.

Thanks, Ennio!

E.D.

I grew up with Morricone`s music.... the fistful of dollars, a few dollars more and obviously the good, the bad and the ugly.... He just created an atmosphere in those movies, like nothing I`d ever seen on heard.

Quoted from James McClung Musicians almost always know how to score films better than composers.

I agree Johnny Greenwood(Radiohead`s guitarist) did a sweet job on "Let there be blood."

Mark

I like Moriccone a tad better overall, but no theme has ever been as befitting as Williams' Jaws theme.

Love Trent's work, saw him in concert several times and loved the Social Network Soundtrack. I hope he continues to do soundtracks.

My two faves are Hanz Zimmer and James Newton-Howard. Love everything they've done. There's a dark emotion to the type of music they create. One of my faves is the Batman Begins soundtrack, which they collaborated on. And, thankfully, Nolan has kept for his sequels...

James

Giacchino all the way. The guy's brilliant in my book, one of the best composers working today. David Arnold's really good as well.

John Williams for me but like, James, my personal fave is Hans Zimmer.

Steve

I know somebody, who knows somebody, that knows somebody, who knows Hans Zimmer.

It`s all about who you know.

Mark  :)

John Williams.

How many themes has this man created that are casually hummed in every corner of the globe? "Star Wars", "Jaws", "Indiana Jones", "Jurassic Park", etc. Williams has created some of the most famous pieces of music of all time. Not just movie music, but all time.

Of course, that's nothing against Morricone, who is brilliant. To me comparing the two is kind of like saying The Lord of the Rings is better than The Godfather. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would agree with this, but the two are hardly comparable. LOTR doesn't have the subtlety and finesse of character and writing, but GF suffers from a lack of 60-foot-tall stampeding elephants.

Quoted from Matthew Taylor LOTR doesn't have the subtlety and finesse of character and writing, but GF suffers from a lack of 60-foot-tall stampeding elephants.

But they do have a horse`s head.... in the bed.

Mark :)

Quoted from irish eyes I know Hans Zimmer. Mark  :)

Wow, Mark! You know some impressive people, maybe he could do the Loserville soundtrack for you? ;D ;D

Steve :)

Quoted from Steve Wow, Mark! You know some impressive people, maybe he could do the Loserville soundtrack for you?

I`m having dinner with him next week!!!..... he just doesn`t know it yet.  :)

Mark

If Daft Punk sustain the level achieved on TRON, then they'll surely be heavyweights for years to come.

You can't beat a bit of Hans, either. He really nailed it with Inception.

Quoted from Andrew If Daft Punk sustain the level achieved on TRON, then they'll surely be heavyweights for years to come.

Love Daft Punk but I think their sound is only really suited to a film like Tron. Though it would be interesting to see them branching out into other fields.

Quoted from Steve Love Daft Punk but I think their sound is only really suited to a film like Tron. Though it would be interesting to see them branching out into other fields.

Maybe a tv sitcom, I know "Loserville"  :)

Mark

Between Morricone and Williams?


Hmmm.   Williams.


But overall, there was Jerry Goldsmith.


Then there's everyone else ;)

Williams- love the intro to Catch Me if You Can in the catchy title sequences.
Oh and happy 80th birthday to Mr Williams!

Quoted from mikep But overall, there was Jerry Goldsmith. Then there's everyone else ;)

Wow, good call.
I was just listening to one of his lesser known scores yesterday.
And I'm still stunned by the subtle range of his compositions.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Wow, good call. I was just listening to one of his lesser known scores yesterday. And I'm still stunned by the subtle range of his compositions.

Goldsmith was and is, the master.  Some film score fans have said that Goldsmith tops all because, he could write like Barry or Williams, but they could never write like Goldsmith.

But Williams is still sublime. As good as his stuff is, there's always a formal, very curt and everything-in-it's-place feel to his music, like every piece is ready for the concert hall.  Goldsmith wrote some furious action music that had a ragged, explosive quality no one could match.

Morricone is wonderful too, but his music can have a feeling of musical wallpaper at times. Don't get me wrong, stuff like Once Upon A Time In The West, or Good, The Bad And The Ugly are masterworks. But he is so prolific it seems like he - at times - just slathers music onto the screen.

Can't choose between the two, to be honest. But of all their scores my favorite, and the one I think aided the film the most, is without doubt Williams' score for Jaws. On my first couple viewings of that movie as a kid just hearing the first chords of the low-end cello sent shivers in anticipation of the shark. Freaking brilliant.


BTW, for years Williams conducted the Boston Pops on the Esplanade in Boston for the grand 4th of July celebration. Not only classical music but he conducted his greatest movie hits as well. I attended something like six in a row and it was always a blast and a great trip through movie memory lane. Once he retired from that gig, it was never the same, not nearly as enjoyable.

ETA

I almost forgot to note that Williams composed the theme (and I assumed scored episodes) of one of my favorite TV shows as a kid: Lost In Space. Maybe that puts him over the top for me for nostalgic (selfish) reasons.

My listening preferences since I was 4 have been dominated by Williams. Even over rock, country, rap, hip hop, art music, etc. The way Williams writes music just has an effect on my mind and my soul that few other composers or musicians can touch. It has nothing to do with the way a score fits the film or how groundbreaking/pedestrian it is. I find something significant in seemingly every note the man writes. I don't know if it's because my brain is accustomed to his composing style or if my brain was wired to respond uniquely to his music.

These days, I also think it's just the familiarity that attracts me too. As a lonely only child, I think I struck up a lifelong companionship with music and movies. In the early years, my best friend movie/music 'friend' was STAR WARS. From there, I started branching out to JURASSIC PARK and STAR TREK, which introduced me to the works of Jerry Goldsmith. Nowadays, I probably listen to more Goldsmith because he was so prolific and interesting in his work. Before he died, I wouldn't have said he was as great as Williams. Now that he's gone, I feel an obligation to appreciate his work more and see him as an equal. I listen to both of them about everyday if I can help it, though.

As for Morricone, I'm late to the game. I've only warmed up to his work in the last five years or so. He scored movies that my family didn't watch or movies that never interested me as a kid. Williams and Goldsmith did movies and TV shows throughout their careers that were geared for kids of all ages (like LOST IN SPACE). Morricone's work is good and I listen to it a lot--especially the spaghetti westerns, even the obscure ones--but I just don't think I'll enjoy him as much as Williams or Goldsmith.