BOT's Top 100 Film Scores Countdown (2021): Fast Five Edition (TOP 10 WEDNESDAY EVENING EST)

[Walt Disney]

Great to see Captain America: TFA make the list. Silvestri is always an under-appreciated composer on this board and on these lists. It’s great to see him make the list multiple times so far.

[The Panda]

2 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

82. On Golden Pond (1981)

 

Original Music by Dave Grusin

 

 

236 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2017- Honorable Mention
2019- Honorable Mention
 

 

In a change of pace, instead of films dropping heavily, we have a film for the first time making the jump from honorable mentions into the 100 itself. For crafting the music to the film, the filmmakers sought out Dave Grusin, known for his jazz and piano-inspired compositions, and true to form, his work for the film heavily relies on a piano. Dave Grusin's work for the film would earn an Oscar nomination, but it would lose the award to a film that has historically done quite well for itself on the 100.

Glad it made the list but still way too low!

[4815162342]

80. Spartacus (1960)

 

Original Music by Alex North

 

 

238 Points

 

 

Prior Placements:
2017- #83
2019- #78

 

 

Since appearing for the first time in 2017, the Stanley Kubrick sword-and-sandal epic has found a comfortable niche on the 100, regardless of the quantity or identity of the lists being submitted. North's score utilizes a number of instruments used during which antiquity, and though most were not period or geographically appropriate to the Roman Republic era, they still lend an atmosphere of an era long past. North especially relies upon the ondioline, which served as a prototypical version of an electronic synthesizer. North's score was nominated for an Oscar, but would lose to Ernest Gold's work for Exodus.

[4815162342]

79. Under the Skin (2013)

 

Original Music by Mica Levi

 

 

238 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1

Vote Tiebreaker over Spartacus

 

 

 

Edging out Spartacus by one list is another brand-new film to the 100. Mica Levi when hired to compose for the eerie sci-fi film was instructed to use as guidelines prompts that reflected the uncomfortable, detached, pained nature of the protagonist, such as "Imagine when you tell somebody a joke and it’s not very good and their reaction’s a bit stilted". Levi embraced the concept and crafted a musical score designed to be discomforting and alarming, with one reviewer calling the use of strings sometimes like "nails going down a universe-sized chalkboard". The score received awards attention from several groups, including the BAFTAs.

[4815162342]

78. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

 

Original Music by Maurice Jarre

 

 

240 Points

Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #85
2017- #94
2019- #66
 

 

 

Next is a film that has bounced around the bottom half of the Countdown over the years, now hitting every ten-spot except for #51-60. Jarre crafted the music to fit the epic scale and sweeping dramatics of the fall of the Russian Empire and the rise of the Soviet Union, and the tragic love story caught up in the middle of it all, with his theme for Lara being one of his most iconic and enduring compositions. Jarre's work would win the Oscar for Original Score, beating out films such as The Greatest Story Ever Told and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

[4815162342]

77. North by Northwest (1959)

 

Original Music by Bernard Herrmann

 

 

249 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #91
2017- #45
2019- #81

 

 

Aside from a brief sojourn in the forties, here is a film that otherwise has settled into the bottom quarter of the Countdown. Herrmann and Hitchcock collaborated many times over the course of both artists' careers, and North by Northwest definitely ranks as one of their more acclaimed team-ups. The bombastic horn, percussion and cymbals main theme for the movie is re-used heavily throughout the film to symbolize the over-the-top and madcap adventure protagonist Roger Thornhill finds himself unwillingly thrown into with the stakes growing higher and higher by the minute as he scrambles from clue to clue.
 

[4815162342]

76. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

 

Original Music by Phillip Glass

 

 

253 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #34
2017- #43
2019- #82
 

 

After two relatively high placements, the experimental film depicting the Earth falling out of natural balance has dropped down a decent margin, though still present due to passion of support rather than breadth. Composer Phillip Glass recorded music for almost the entire length of the film, giving it a second voice of sorts that always accompanied the film's imagery. The music relies heavily on electronic sounds and synthesizers, though occasionally other instruments feature as well. Glass's embracing of the minimalist school of music composition is on display here, featuring simple structures and heavily repeated tones and motifs in a pattern, also known as the Ostinato style. Glass's music for the film had an enduring pop culture legacy, featuring in works such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Watchmen, and Scrubs.

[4815162342]

One-quarter of the way through the 100, here is how the decades have fared so far:

 

1980s- 6

2010s- 5

1970s- 4

2000s- 3
1950s- 2
1960s- 2

1990s- 2

1940s- 1

[The Panda]

46 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

76. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

 

Original Music by Phillip Glass

 

 

253 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #34
2017- #43
2019- #82
 

 

After two relatively high placements, the experimental film depicting the Earth falling out of natural balance has dropped down a decent margin, though still present due to passion of support rather than breadth. Composer Phillip Glass recorded music for almost the entire length of the film, giving it a second voice of sorts that always accompanied the film's imagery. The music relies heavily on electronic sounds and synthesizers, though occasionally other instruments feature as well. Glass's embracing of the minimalist school of music composition is on display here, featuring simple structures and heavily repeated tones and motifs in a pattern, also known as the Ostinato style. Glass's music for the film had an enduring pop culture legacy, featuring in works such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Watchmen, and Scrubs.

glad this rebounded some!

[DAR]

21 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

89. The Mission (1986)

 

Original Music by Ennio Morricone

 

 

226 Points

Vote Tiebreaker Over Hunt for Red October

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #62
2017- #52
2019- #80
 

 

Dipping slightly from 2019, The Mission wins the tiebreaker over Red October due to appearing on one more submitted list. Ennio Morricone is a busy man, making his third appearance on the 100 in only 12 films. He is certainly angling to compete for most placements, though we will see if he actually has a shot at dethroning Johnny W. Morricone designed the score for the film to act as a tug of war between two dueling motifs, a Spanish style of music inspired by Catholic liturgical sounds, and a native style of music featuring instruments indigenous to South America. While it won the Golden Globe for Original Score, it came up short at the Oscars.

Huzzah 

[DAR]

9 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

83. The Incredibles (2004)

 

Original Music by Michael Giacchino

 

 

235 Points 

Vote Tiebreaker over Tron Legacy

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #33
2017- #34
2019- #41
 

 

The change in list submissions compared to prior years have clearly resulted in a notable number of films dropping from their customary positions, with Michael Giacchino's first Pixar score no exception. The Incredibles is also the most heavily-submitted film to appear so far, appearing on 10 lists. Brad Bird wanted a retro-futuristic style of music like a 1960s adventure movie, and initially approached John Barry, who ultimately declined since he didn't want to revisit his earlier styles of music. The score was recorded on analog tapes to give it a more old-timey feel, and the film's recording engineer noted that brass instruments, which form a big part of the score, sound better on analog equipment instead of digital. This film was Giacchino's big break into film scoring, which has led to a very productive 17 years since.

God dammit I knew I forgot something 

[4815162342]

75. La La Land (2016)

 

Original Music by Justin Hurwitz

 

 

253 Points

Top 10 Placements: 2
Top 5 Placements: 1

Vote Tiebreaker over Koyaanisqatsi

 

 

Prior Placements:
2017- #41
2019- #79
 

 

Climbing a few spots after a precipitous fall in 2019 is the film that almost but not quite won Best Picture in 2016. Damien Chazelle hired his Harvard classmate Justin Hurwitz to handle the musical score for the film, continuing their history of collaboration. Hurwitz's compositions find a balance between his own instrumental motifs and incorporating the music for the songs collaborated on with Pasek & Paul into the tracks as well. Hurwitz's score won the Oscar, beating out films such as Jackie and Moonlight (which the film itself could not manage in BP, Beatty and Dunaway notwithstanding).

[4815162342]

74. Laura (1944)

 

Original Music by David Raksin

 

255 Points

 

 

Prior Placements:
2017- #70
2019- #94

 

 

After almost dropping out of the 100 last time around, the film noir by Otto Preminger has rebounded. Preminger and Raksin came into conflict regarding the main musical core of the soundtrack, with Raksin resisting Preminger's ideas and the director finally giving Raksin a weekend to compose a tune under threat of being fired. Raksin rose to the challenge, writing a main theme inspired by a letter he received from his own wife that weekend. The result was a theme that has been covered over 400 times by persons such as Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. Raksin's work came in at #7 in AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores.
 

[4815162342]

73. In the Mood for Love (2000)

 

Original Music by Michael Galasso & Shigeru Umebayashi

 

 

259 Points
 

 

Rising into the top three-quarters almost out of nowhere is Wong Kai-Wai's moody period romance, marking the first time the Hong Kong film has made it onto the countdown. The film score utilizes a lot of string instruments and consistently evokes an atmosphere of yearning and emotional tentativeness to fit with the film's story of the protagonists slowly falling in love with one another and their emotional conflicts.

[4815162342]

72. Finding Nemo (2003)

 

Original Music by Thomas Newman

 

 

260 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1
Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- Honorable Mention
 

 

Only reaching an honorable mention once, 6 years ago, Finding Nemo finally reaches the big time. The fishy tale was the first Pixar film not scored by Randy Newman, breaking the composer's stranglehold on the studio. Instead the honor went to his cousin, Thomas Newman, so Pixar still kept it in the family. Thomas Newman's work for Finding Nemo evokes the vibrant aura and mystique of the underwater world it is mostly set in, with all the wonder and terror that comes from little fish in a big wide ocean. While nominated for an Oscar, the score would lose to the Return of the King juggernaut.

[4815162342]

71. Days of Heaven (1978)

 

Original Music by Ennio Morricone

 

 

262 Points

Top 10 Placements: 1
Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

Ennio Morricone is having himself quite a 100 so far, marking his 4th appearance in the first 30 film scores. This is also the first time Days of Heaven has made the 100. Morricone found his time working with Terrence Malick to be demanding and would relate stories of instances where Malick would spontaneously come up with unworkable musical ideas and try to get Morricone to incorporate them into the score, so Morricone would humor him and play the tune, at which point Malick would change his mind and go with Morricone's original plan. Morricone's work for the film earned him his first Oscar nomination, though it would be almost 30 years before he would finally win the award.

[4815162342]

And here are three more films that comprise the Next 10 Out:

 

 

118th. The Avengers (2012)

 

 

 

115th. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

 

 

 

112th (Tied). Independence Day (1996)

 

 

[The Panda]

7 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

And here are three more films that comprise the Next 10 Out:

 

 

118th. The Avengers (2012)

 

 

 

115th. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

 

 

 

112th (Tied). Independence Day (1996)

 

 

 

I guess we had to sacrifice Cinema Paradiso to keep The Avengers out.

 

[Jake Gittes]

7 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

73. In the Mood for Love (2000)

 

Original Music by Michael Galasso & Shigeru Umebayashi

 

 

 

This music is not original to In the Mood for Love, people. (Galasso's is, but it's not his stuff that's played 40 times in the movie and is most associated with it.)

Edited July 12, 2021 by Jake Gittes

[lorddemaxus]

6 hours ago, The Panda said:

 

I guess we had to sacrifice Cinema Paradiso to keep The Avengers out.

 

Love Morricone, but out of all his most famous scores, I'm fine with that one staying out of the top 100 (that movie's score really does nothing for me).