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

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11. Jurassic Park (1993)

 

Original Music by John Williams

 

 


716 Points


Top 10 Placements: 2
Top 5 Placements: 3

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #10
2017- #10
2019- #13
 

 

We conclude this pod of 5 with the 4th John Williams score in a row, which has spent its time on the Countdown right at the border of the Top 10, though twice now on the wrong side of it. Williams spent a month in early 1993 composing for the film, and similar to his work for Close Encounters of the Third Kind wanted to write music that would convey the awe and fascination of confronting something not of this earth (or more accurately here, not of this time). This idea is echoed in the two major musical themes for the film, the main theme, as encountered when the first dinosaur is revealed to the main characters, and the journey theme, as encountered when the main characters first travel to the island (both being featured in the first youtube video in this post). This was the first time in their collaboration that Spielberg was not able to attend the recording sessions for the score, so Williams provided him with demo tapes that the director would listen to while halfway across the world. Williams' work was nominated for an Oscar, but lost out to a different Williams score for the same director.

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Jaws and Superman are way too low. They were legit my #3 and #2, respectively. Not on Top Ten?! 😱 

 

Very interesting. Excited to see what comes next now. 

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The Top 10 will be posted tomorrow evening.

 

 

4 films have made their first ever appearance in the Top 10. Given the history of this list, I expect most of you can figure out what those 4 films are. The question of course, is where those films will land.

 

 

See you tomorrow.

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10. Vertigo (1958)

 

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Original Music by Bernard Herrmann

 

 


717 Points

 


Top 10 Placements: 1
Top 5 Placements: 1
#1 Rankings: 2

 

 

Prior Placements:

2017- #24
2019- #14

 

 

"Vertigo was not only the high point of Herrmann's work with Hitchcock, it was also the first in a series of film and TV scores that marked, arguably, Herrmann's most prolific and inventive period,
from 1958 to 1963."
- Steven C. Smith,

 

 

But somehow, the artistic sensibilities of these two artists was enough to bridge emotional differences. Perhaps it was Herrmann's respect for Hitchcock's abilities as a film director. Perhaps it was Hitchcock's working style, which allowed fellow artists to work at their own pace and on their own, leaving Herrmann to contribute without confrontation."
-- VERTIGO: THE MAKING OF A HITCHCOCK CLASSIC, 1998, pages 138-39

 

 

One of Alfred Hitchcock's most acclaimed movies started off entirely off the Countdown, and it has progressively barged its way to the forefront, now cracking the Top 10 itself for the first time. As much as BOT has certain preferences and tastes, sometimes, the old classics get their day in the sun
 

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9. Schindler’s List (1993)

 

Schindler-s-List-WW2-Movie-Film-Classic-

 

Original Music by John Williams

 

 

 

 


767 Points

 


Top 10 Placements: 3
Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #14
2017- #16
2019- #12

 

 

After viewing the film for the first time, Williams was profoundly moved and at first declined, informing Spielberg that he deserved a better composer. Spielberg’s reply is now legendary; “I know, but they are all dead.”

 

 

 

Lest we forget about the Williams in the room, though the prolific composer lost two Top 10 film scores in Jaws and Superman, he has gained one back, with a first-time appearance in the final running by his work for Steven Spielberg's emotional and heart-wrenchingly personal Holocaust epic.

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8. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

 

lawrence-of-arabia-movie-posters-31.jpg?

 

Original Music by Maurice Jarre

 

 

 

 


792 Points

 


Top 5 Placements: 4
#1 Rankings: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #11
2017- #6
2019- #7

 

 

Producer Sam Spiegel initially wanted to create a score with two themes to show the 'Eastern' and British side for the film and intended for Soviet composer Aram Khachaturian to create one half and British composer Benjamin Britten to write the other. 

 

"Jarre also gave LAWRENCE a distinctive sound by using two non-symphonic instruments in important solo roles: the cithare (zither) - in this case electronically amplified - and Ondes Martenot. Both had been used before (and would be used again) by many of Jarre's colleagues, but rarely together or with such prominence as here."

- Frank DeWald

 

 

One of the most iconic sweeping film motifs of the past 60 years has solidified its grasp on the Top 10, though time will tell if it ever will manage to break into the Top 5.

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7. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

 

once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-vintage-mov

 

Original Music by Ennio Morricone

 

 

 

 


855 Points

 


Top 10 Placements: 1
Top 5 Placements: 7

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #21
2017- #13
2019- #19

 

 

Ennio goes to the room next door, to the studio, and asks me to follow him, saying, “Come to the piano and explain to me once again what you want for your character, because 1 don’t know what more I can do. I’ve already tried fifteen themes like this one!” Immediately I ask him: “Have you seen Walt Disney’s Lady and the Tramp?” “Yes,” he replies, “but what has that got to do with Cheyenne?” Then I explain. “Well, Cheyenne is the Tramp. He has at the same time intelligence and instinct, he’s a bandit and a lout, a son of a bitch, but he has the capacity for friendship. So there shouldn’t just be violence in Cheyenne’s theme, but also a great tenderness, because he’s a sweet, romantic character, proud and full of love.” When he’d heard all these descriptive words, Ennio begins to play: “Tan, tan tan tan tan, tanti tan tanti tan.” He’s composed the music by instinct and I say to him “That’s IT. That’s the one.” ’

 

 

We have our third brand new entrant into the Top 10 this time around, and it's the harsh and beautiful work for the fourth of Sergio Leone's acclaimed spaghetti westerns.

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6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

 

lord_of_the_rings_the_fellowship_of_the_

 

Original Music by Howard Shore

 

 

 

 


861 Points

 


Top 10 Placements: 1
Top 5 Placements: 1
#1 Rankings: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #2
2017- #5
2019- #1

 

 

“The world that I write in is very 19th-century and very green. I live in a forest so the connection to nature is very important to me. “And I think that was also the connection to Tolkien’s work. I know how important that was to Tolkien and his writing: everything that was green and good.”

- Howard Shore

 

 

Our #1 film of 2019 has shockingly dropped out of the Top 5 it has spent its list career residing within. Perhaps this is a sign that going forward, certain franchise films will continue to loosen their grip on the top.

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5. The Godfather (1972)

 

82bf981e6df1484176256db67a06fd1e.jpg

 

Original Music by Nino Rota

 

 

 

 


869 Points

 


Top 10 Placements: 3
Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #12
2017- #12
2019- #11

 

 

"The reason The Godfather is close to being the perfect American film is the fine score by Nino Rota. Instead of being the usual lush string tour de force for which he is noted, The Godfather's music is meaningful and involving. The poignancy is set early by coronet and cello solos which depict the isolation and insulation of the Corleone family."

-William J. Knittle, Jr.

 

"Rota focuses on the heart and soul of the family spirit that drives Italian culture. He always said music was a vehicle for the soul and the second you hear that trumpet solo, you just know what he’s trying to do.”

- Rachel Zeffira

 

 

And we have our final brand new film ever in the Top 10, barging up all the way to #5. Nino Rota's lush and romantic music for Francis Ford Coppola's mob epic, while disqualified from the Oscars, is clearly not disqualified from BOT's head and heart.

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4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

 

raiders-of-the-lost-ark-vintage-movie-po

 

Original Music by John Williams

 

 

 

 


910 Points

 


Top 5 Placements: 1
#1 Rankings: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #4
2017- #4
2019- #5

 

"My first task on Raiders Of The Lost Ark was to create a recognizable theme for the Indiana Jones character. Every time Harrison jumps on the horse or does something heroic, I wanted to pay reference to this theme. I remember playing Steven a couple of options on the piano. He loved them and simply said, "Why don't you use both?" So those two tunes became the main theme and bridge of what we know call The Raiders March."

- John Williams

 

"I used to love those old romantic themes in Warner Bros. films like Now, Voyager. For the love story between Indiana Jones and Marion I thought that the music could be like one of those '30s themes and that would contrast well with the humour and silliness, even if it is inappropriate emotionally. I also remember doing pastiches of brass stabs that always represented the evil Nazis - all of it with tongue slightly in cheek."

- John Williams

 

Extremely consistent in its rankings, hitting fourth place for the third time in four goes, the jaunty and legendary music to Spielberg's adventure classic maintains a hold on the minds and ears of BOT. While some films have suffered setbacks and reversals of fortune over the years, this is not one of them.

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3. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

 

the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-vintage-mo

 

Original Music by Ennio Morricone

 

 

 

 


936 Points

 


Top 10 Placements: 1
Top 5 Placements: 3
#1 Rankings: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #3
2017- #2
2019- #3

 

"I thought that I might come close to this effect by overlaying two hoarse male voices, one singing "A" the other singing "E" somewhere in between sforzato and falsetto. I went to the recording room, talked about it with the singers, we recorded the voices and added a light reverb and the effect worked,"

- Ennio Morricone

 

 

Similar to Raiders, this film has been remarkably consistent, now hitting third place for a third time. It got to runner-up in 2017, but it remains to be seen if this film can ever truly muster the power to contend for the crown.

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2. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

 

the-empire-strikes-back-post-m-ferguson.

 

Original Music by John Williams

 

 

 

 


951 Points

 


Top 10 Placements: 1
Top 5 Placements: 4
#1 Rankings: 1

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #5
2017- #3
2019- #4

 

“Empire will require 107 minutes of underscore,” Williams continues in Rinzler’s book. “You could say it’s the equivalent of several Lisztian tone poems."

 

“Darth Vader, I think, is one of his [George’s] great creations,” Williams says in the 2010 Blu-ray featurette A Conversation With The Masters, “and his music should be certainly militaristic, and certainly a march, and certainly in a minor key, and certainly coming at you with a repetitive and powerful declamatory force. The brass should be right in your face, the way Darth Vader is.”

 

 

The most acclaimed overall of the Star Wars saga has its best position yet on the Countdown, yet though the film itself has generally been considered to be the more superior overall, the film's music has never managed to supplant the movie that is our #1

 

 

 

1. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

 

IMG_0689-482x719.jpeg

 

Original Music by John Williams

 

 

 

 


1173 Points

 


Top 10 Placements: 4
Top 5 Placements: 3
#1 Rankings: 2

 

 

Prior Placements:
2015- #1
2017- #1
2019- #2

 

 

Williams went on, “One day, Steven called me and said, ‘Do you know George Lucas?’ I said, ‘No, I have no idea who he is.’ ‘Well, he’s got this thing called “Star Wars,” and he wants to have a classical’—his term, he didn’t say Romantic—‘classical score, and I’ve convinced George he should meet you, because he admired the score for “Jaws.” ’ I came out here one night, to Universal Studios, and met George.” As Williams remembers it, Lucas had been entertaining the idea of using pre-existing classical works on the “Star Wars” soundtrack. The composer argued for an original score, in which newly created themes could be manipulated and developed to best serve the drama.

 

 

Rinzler’s book also shares an anecdote from the scoring sessions with the London Symphony Orchestra, with actor Mark Hamill stating, “The main titles are my theme…the only reason I say that is because Carrie [Fisher] pointed to the Star Wars album and said, ‘Look, Mark, here’s ‘Princess Leia’s Theme,” and stuck out her tongue at me. Not that we’re not mature adults, but I pouted for three days thinking, ‘Where’s my theme?'”

 

 

It was never in jeopardy. Beating out Empire by over 200 points, the original Star Wars film, aside from a brief stumble in 2019, continues its run of dominance for the Countdown. It may be a bit predictable and samey seeing this film destroy the competition, but given its quality, its legacy, its standing in cinema history and in the development of film music, can you really blame it or the people who rank it?

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Thank you to everyone who submitted a list. I couldn't put this together without all of your contributions.

 

 

Here's hoping that 2023 will see a much bigger contribution from the community, because this is something I think can evolve in film placements as we get more people chiming in

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Williams rightfully takes his place at the #1 and #2 spots. Really the entire Star Wars saga score-wise, is an accomplishment unlike anything a film composer has done before or really likely after. 

 

Anyway, this list got a predictable by the end, but I appreciated that the top ten was a bit different from last time, and the new additions were nice. Great presentation @4815162342.

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Here is all of the 100 in one go

 


 

Spoiler

 

1. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 

 

2. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 

 

3. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

 

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark

 

5. The Godfather 

 

6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

 

7. Once Upon a Time in the West

 

8. Lawrence of Arabia

 

9. Schindler’s List

 

10. Vertigo

 

11. Jurassic Park

 

12. Superman

 

13. Jaws

 

14. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

 

15. Batman 

 

16. E.T.: The Extraterrestrial

 

17. The Third Man

 

18. Spirited Away

 

19. The Lion King (1994) 

 

20. Back to the Future

 

21. Conan the Barbarian

 

22. The Magnificent Seven 

 

23. Chariots of Fire

 

24. Halloween

 

25. Titanic

 

26. Blade Runner

 

27. Mad Max: Fury Road

 

28. Psycho (1960)

 

29. Apollo 13

 

30. Rocky

 

31. Princess Mononoke

 

32. Gone with the Wind

 

33. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

 

34. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

 

35. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
 

36. Chinatown

 

37. Beauty and the Beast

 

38. Casablanca

 

39. Escape From New York

 

40. The Social Network

 

41. The Great Escape

 

42. The Natural 

 

43. Alexander Nevsky

 

44. The Adventures of Robin Hood

 

45. Up

 

46. Braveheart

 

47. Inception

 

48. The Right Stuff

 

49. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
 

50. The Last of the Mohicans

 

51. Pan’s Labyrinth

 

52. Robocop

 

53. Goldfinger

 

54. Ben-Hur

 

55. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

 

56. The Grand Budapest Hotel

 

57. Avengers: Endgame
 

58. Forrest Gump

 

59. Interstellar

 

60. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
 

61. The Bridge on the River Kwai

 

62a. If Beale Street Could Talk

 

62b. Inside Out

 

64. Edward Scissorhands

 

65. Sunset Boulevard

 

66. Touch of Evil

 

67. The Piano

 

68. Gladiator

 

69. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
 

70. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 

 

71. Days of Heaven
 

72. Finding Nemo

 

73. In the Mood for Love
 

74. Laura

 

75. La La Land

 

76. Koyaanisqatsi

 

77. North by Northwest

 

78. Doctor Zhivago

 

79. Under the Skin 
 

80. Spartacus

 

81. The Ten Commandments

 

82. On Golden Pond

 

83. The Incredibles

 

84. Tron: Legacy

 

85. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

 

86. Taxi Driver
 

87. Suspiria (1977)

 

88. The Godfather Part II

 

89. The Mission

 

90. The Hunt for Red October

 

91. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

 

92.  Avengers: Infinity War
 

93. How to Train Your Dragon 

 

94. Wall-E

 

95. Once Upon a Time in America

 

96.  Starman
 

97. Sunshine

 

98. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

 

99. The Untouchables
 

100. Captain America: The First Avenger

 

 

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