BOT's TOP 100 Film Scores: The Fourth Will Be With You, Always --- RECOUNT DONE, NEW TOP 100 POSTED

[4815162342]

#23 Apollo 13 (1995)

 

Composed by James Horner

 

 

497 Points

Top 5 Placements: 1

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

2015 Placement: #90 (+67)

 

2017 Placement: #90 (+67)

 

 

Like its eponymous craft, Apollo 13 has rocketed to the skies, leaping nearly seventy places on the back of new submissions supporting the Horner Honorarium Hour. Horner's music places heavy emphasis on background vocalization, including solo vocals by performer Annie Lennox, to convey a sense of almost mystical awe at the technological feats on display, and the unwavering determination of those up above and on the ground to pull through.
 

[4815162342]

#22 Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

 

Composed by Ennio Morricone

 

 

550 Points

Top 5 Placements: 4

 

2015 Placement: #21 (-1)

 

2017 Placement: #13 (-9)

 

 

After a lengthy absence Ennio Morricone returns to the list, with one of his famous collaborations with Sergio Leone. Morricone composed much of the score prior to production as Leone would like to play the music for a scene while filming it, in order to get the actors/actresses in the emotional mood he wanted. The music for the film is best known for its eerie harmonica-based theme, which sets a mood of foreboding.

[4815162342]

#21 Avatar (2009)

 

Composed by James Horner

 

 

573 Points

Top 5 Placements: 5

 

2015 Placement: NOT RANKED

 

2017 Placement: NOT RANKED

 

 

And now we arrive at perhaps the biggest climb of all for this year's Top 100. The infusion of new participants helped drive up a number of James Horner works to new heights. Horner when hired by James Cameron promised to not work on any other project other than Avatar while production was underway, and worked with various persons, including an ethnomusicologist to craft a naturalistic musical culture and feel for the Na'vi. Horner himself described the film's score as being a fusion of two very different types of music, one for the Na'vi, and a more traditional orchestra for the humans. 

 

 

 

The Top 20 is nigh, we'll visit that realm tomorrow.

[TomCruiseTop]

Jim Gang coming in strong. 

[LawrenceBrolivier]

Well, now I know better I guess....

[The Panda]

Avatar above OUATITW is disgusting!

 

Shouldnt even be on the list!

Edited July 18, 2019 by The Panda

[Fancyarcher]

20 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Avatar above OUATITW is disgusting!

 

Shouldnt even be on the list!

Absolutely! When I saw that Avatar on the list, I thought it was Numbers playing a prank on us at first. 

 

Seriously that score is literally Horner recycling so much of his material, even by his usual standards, and I say that as a big fan. It shouldn't anywhere near the top 100, let alone the top 1000.

[Jake Gittes]

1 hour ago, The Panda said:

Avatar above OUATITW is disgusting!

 

Shouldnt even be on the list!

listen, and understand. the cameroons are out there. they can't be bargained with. they can't be reasoned with

[4815162342]

A couple now, the rest later tonight.

 

 

#20 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

 

Composed by Howard Shore

 

 

579 Points

Top 5 Placements: 3

Top 10 Placements: 2

 

2015 Placement: #6 (-14)

 

2017 Placement: #9 (-11)

 

 

The conclusion to one of the defining film sagas of this century brings with it a score long adored by BOT, though not quite as much as prior go-arounds. Shore had to furiously write music to keep pace with the editing process of the mammoth film. Likewise the undertaking for actually recording the score was vast. One piece of music required an instrument invented and crafted especially for the film: a fiddle with four pairs of strings instead of single strings. The martial Gondor theme, briefly referenced in prior movies, is given its full due here, covering a number of the most dramatic scenes in the movie.

[4815162342]

#19 The Magnificent Seven (1960)

 

Composed by Elmer Bernstein

 

 

591 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

2015 Placement: #46 (+27)

 

2017 Placement: #26 (+7)

 

 

Elmer Bernstein's rousing and energetic film score for one of the iconic American westerns finally cracks the Top 20. Just as the film itself is iconic in American cinema (with appropriate debts to Seven Samurai), so has the main theme for the movie become an iconic piece of music. The theme has been quoted and referenced in countless other media products, from films to TV shows to advertisements. Strangely enough, the score for the film was never released initially, but came out only after the release of the far lesser known sequel Return of the Seven, for which Elmer Bernstein reused much music.
 

[JB33]

15 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

A couple now, the rest later tonight.

 

 

#20 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

 

Composed by Howard Shore

 

 

579 Points

Top 5 Placements: 3

Top 10 Placements: 2

 

2015 Placement: #6 (-14)

 

2017 Placement: #9 (-11)

 

 

The conclusion to one of the defining film sagas of this century brings with it a score long adored by BOT, though not quite as much as prior go-arounds. Shore had to furiously write music to keep pace with the editing process of the mammoth film. Likewise the undertaking for actually recording the score was vast. One piece of music required an instrument invented and crafted especially for the film: a fiddle with four pairs of strings instead of single strings. The martial Gondor theme, briefly referenced in prior movies, is given its full due here, covering a number of the most dramatic scenes in the movie.

This is my personal number 1. Actually, it's tough to rank the three Lord of the Rings scores. They're all number 1 for me in general. 

[Hydrogen]

3 hours ago, Jake Gittes said:

listen, and understand. the cameroons are out there. they can't be bargained with. they can't be reasoned with

We will not stop until James Horner is back to life! 

[4815162342]

#18 Jurassic Park (1993)

 

Composed by John Williams

 

 

 

604 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

2015 Placement: #10 (-8)

 

2017 Placement: #10 (-8)

 

 

Another legendary Williams score, another hit in the rankings due to the embargo. Williams' goal for much of the score was to convey a sense of awe and wonder at the characters encountering live dinosaurs. Much of the scoring was done at Skywalker Ranch simultaneously with the film's sound editing, so Williams would utilize the dinosaur sounds generated there to influence his work. Spielberg was unable to attend any recording sessions due to his work on Schindler's List, so Williams provided him with demo tapes of piano versions prior to his departure.

[4815162342]

#17 Halloween (1978)

 

Composed by John Carpenter

 

 

 

616 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

2015 Placement: #25 (+8)

 

2017 Placement: #42 (+25)

 

 

The iconic slasher film rebounds after a decent drop in 2017 to crack the Top 20 for the first time. Eschewing an orchestral/symphonic score, in part due to the low budget, director John Carpenter relied almost entirely on a series of piano melodies, and composed the film's score in just three days. While simple, the film's music effectively conveys the eerie tension that stalks most of the film.

[4815162342]

#16 Vertigo (1958)

 

Composed by Bernard Herrmann

 

 

 

629 Points

#1 Placements: 1

Top 5 Placements: 2

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

2015 Placement: NOT RANKED

 

2017 Placement: #24 (+8)

 

 

One of Hitchcock's most famous films continues its trajectory, from rocketing onto the countdown in 2017 to almost cracking the Top 15 this time around. Much of the music is built around repeating cues and motifs and melodies, to emulate the obsession of the main character that consumes him. The actual recording of the score had to be done in Europe due to a musician's strike in America. Hitchcock and Herrmann has historically been a potent combo for the Top 100.
 

[SLAM!]

Exciting list!!

[Hydrogen]

On 7/18/2019 at 3:19 AM, 4815162342 said:

#21 Avatar (2009)

 

Composed by James Horner

 

 

573 Points

Top 5 Placements: 5

 

2015 Placement: NOT RANKED

 

2017 Placement: NOT RANKED

 

 

And now we arrive at perhaps the biggest climb of all for this year's Top 100. The infusion of new participants helped drive up a number of James Horner works to new heights. Horner when hired by James Cameron promised to not work on any other project other than Avatar while production was underway, and worked with various persons, including an ethnomusicologist to craft a naturalistic musical culture and feel for the Na'vi. Horner himself described the film's score as being a fusion of two very different types of music, one for the Na'vi, and a more traditional orchestra for the humans. 

 

 

 

The Top 20 is nigh, we'll visit that realm tomorrow.

Avatar one of my all time faves, listen to it a lot in the background when I am in the garden or smth like that. 

[darthdevidem01]

Rooting for Titanic or the Star Wars saga to nab #1

[4815162342]

#15 Schindler’s List (1993)

 

Composed by John Williams

 

 

 

630 Points

Top 10 Placements: 2

 

2015 Placement: #14 (-1)

 

2017 Placement: #16 (+1)

 

 

Starting our Top 15 is a model of consistency, landing at pretty much the same spot each time around. When asked by Spielberg to work on the film, Williams was reluctant to given the nature of the material, but Spielberg said any composer better than Williams to handle the score was long dead. Famed violinist Itzhak Perlman plays a solo violin throughout the film's score, especially in moments highlighting the main theme. Williams drew on his years of composing dating back to his work for Fiddler on the Roof to get the sound and feel of the music right.

[4815162342]

#14 Gladiator (2000)

 

Composed by Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard

 

 

 

638 Points

Top 5 Placements: 1

 

2015 Placement: #43 (+29)

 

2017 Placement: #30 (+16)

 

 

We have reached the peak of Mount Zimmer for this iteration of the Top 100. Zimmer originally intended to collaborate with Israeli vocalist Ofra Haza for the score, but following her death prior to recording brought in Lisa Gerrard. Much of the action music for the film bears a similarity to the work of Gustav Holst, especially "Mars: The Bringer of War", so much so that in 2006 Zimmer was actually sued by the Holst Foundation for plagiarism. Famed singer Luciano Pavarotti turned down an opportunity to perform on the soundtrack and later said it was one of his regrets.