After hearing Ennio Morricone’s ultra-swoony Cinema Paradiso theme on the radio last week, I got to thinking about my favorite movie scores. That, in turn, compelled me to throw together a (highly informal) list of Best Music nominees to go with my other retro Muriels from back in the day.
Ever
since Steve and I rolled out the Best Music category back in 2008, we wanted to
make the selections as diverse as possible, ranging from instrumental scores to
song scores, originals to well-done adaptations, and even notable compilations
of previously-existing material. That was my aim here as well. Although my
picks tend to lean mostly to original works, I made room for some compilations
and adaptations here, especially when the music was particularly well selected.
And even among my original-skewing nominees, I made sure to choose a number of
rock and jazz scores as well. In addition, I’ve tried to throw some sublimely
silly choices into the mix, including at least one score that features a whole
lotta kazoo.
Winners
for every year since 1995 have already been chosen, while winners for 1954-1994
will be chosen at a later date. Due to the wide range of styles represented
here, expect a fair number of ties. Sorry about that.
If
there’s something so self-evidently awesome that you can’t believe I forgot it,
feel free to smack me around in the comments section.
1954:
The
Earrings of Madame De… (Oscar Straus & Georges Van Parys)
M.
Hulot’s Holiday (Alain Romans)
Magnificent
Obsession (Frank Skinner)
On
the Waterfront (Leonard Bernstein)
Rear
Window (Franz Waxman)
1955:
All
That Heaven Allows (Frank Skinner)
The
Man With the Golden Arm (Elmer Bernstein)
Night
of the Hunter (Walter Schumann)
Rebel
Without a Cause (Leonard Rosenman)
The
Wages of Fear (Georges Auric)
1956:
The
Court Jester (Walter Scharf & Vic Schoen)
Forbidden
Planet (Louis & Bebe Barron)
Godzilla
(Akira Ifukube)
La
Strada (Nino Rota)
The
Ten Commandments (Elmer Bernstein)
1957:
12
Angry Men (Kenyon Hopkins)
The
Bridge on the River Kwai (Malcolm Arnold)
A
Face in the Crowd (Tom Glazer)
Nights
of Cabiria (Nino Rota)
Sweet
Smell of Success (Elmer Bernstein)
1958:
The
Big Country (Jerome Moross)
Mon
Oncle (Alain Romans)
Some
Came Running (Elmer Bernstein)
Touch
of Evil (Henry Mancini)
Vertigo
(Bernard Herrmann)
1959:
The
400 Blows (Jean Constantin)
Anatomy
of a Murder (Duke Ellington)
Imitation
of Life (Frank Skinner & Henry Mancini)
Lola
Montes (Georges Auric)
North
by Northwest (Bernard Herrmann)
1960:
The
Cranes Are Flying (M. Vaynberg)
Exodus
(Ernest Gold)
The
Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein)
Psycho
(Bernard Herrmann)
Spartacus
(Alex North)
1961:
Breakfast
at Tiffany’s (Henry Mancini)
El
Cid (Miklos Rosza)
La
Dolce Vita (Nino Rota)
Elevator
to the Gallows (Miles Davis)
The
Innocents (Georges Auric)
1962:
Cape Fear (Bernard Herrmann)
Last
Year at Marienbad (Francis Seyrig)
Lawrence of Arabia
(Maurice Jarre)
Lola
(Michel Legrand)
To
Kill a Mockingbird (Elmer Bernstein)
1963:
8
½ (Nino Rota)
Charade
(Henry Mancini)
Hud
(Elmer Bernstein)
Jason
and the Argonauts (Bernard Herrmann)
The
Leopard (Nino Rota)
1964:
Contempt
(Georges Delerue)
A
Hard Day’s Night (The Beatles & George Martin)
Marnie
(Bernard Herrmann)
The
Umbrellas of Cherbourg
(Michel Legrand)
Woman
in the Dunes (Toru Takemitsu)
1965:
Doctor
Zhivago (Maurice Jarre)
Help!
(The Beatles)
Hush…
Hush, Sweet Charlotte (Frank de Vol)
Juliet
of the Spirits (Nino Rota)
Repulsion
(Chico Hamilton)
1966:
Blowup
(Herbie Hancock)
Fahrenheit
451 (Bernard Herrmann)
For
a Few Dollars More (Ennio Morricone)
Seconds
(Jerry Goldsmith)
Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Alex North)
1967:
Far
From the Madding Crowd (Richard Rodney Bennett)
The
Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Ennio Morricone)
In
Cold Blood (Quincy
Jones)
Privilege
(Mike Leander et al)
Two
for the Road (Henry Mancini)
1968:
The
Lion in Winter (John Barry)
Planet
of the Apes (Jerry Goldsmith)
The
Producers (John Morris et al)
Romeo
and Juliet (Nino Rota)
The
Young Girls of Rochefort (Michel Legrand)
1969:
Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Burt Bacharach)
Easy
Rider (various)
Midnight
Cowboy (John Barry)
Model
Shop (Spirit)
Once
Upon a Time in the West (Ennio Morricone)
1970:
The
Ballad of Cable Hogue (Jerry Goldsmith)
Beyond
the Valley of the Dolls (Stu Phillips et al)
The
Conformist (Georges Delerue)
Let
It Be (The Beatles & George Martin)
Zabriskie
Point (Pink Floyd)
1971:
Bananas
(Marvin Hamlisch)
The
French Connection (Don Ellis)
Macbeth
(The Third Ear Band)
Straw
Dogs (Jerry Fielding)
Walkabout
(John Barry)
1972:
Duck,
You Sucker (Ennio Morricone)
The
Godfather (Nino Rota)
The
Hot Rock (Quincy
Jones)
Superfly
(Curtis Mayfield)
Two
English Girls (Georges Delerue)
1973:
Last
Tango in Paris (Gato Barbieri)
The
Long Goodbye (John Williams)
O
Lucky Man! (Alan Price)
Pat
Garrett and Billy the Kid (Bob Dylan)
The
Way We Were (Marvin Hamlisch)
1974:
Amarcord
(Nino Rota)
Chinatown (Jerry Goldsmith)
The
Godfather, Part II (Nino Rota & Carmine Coppola)
Phantom
of the Paradise (Paul Williams)
Stavisky…
(Stephen Sondheim)
1975:
Barry
Lyndon (Leonard Rosenman)
The
Fortune (David Shire & Jose Padilla)
Jaws
(John Williams)
Nashville (various)
The
Wind and the Lion (Jerry Goldsmith)
1976:
Bugsy
Malone (Paul Williams)
Carrie
(Pino Donaggio)
Obsession
(Bernard Herrmann)
The
Outlaw Josey Wales (Jerry Fielding)
Taxi
Driver (Bernard Herrmann)
1977:
Aguirre,
the Wrath of God (Popol Vuh)
Close
Encounters of the Third Kind (John Williams)
Saturday
Night Fever (David Shire et al)
Sorcerer
(Tangerine Dream)
Star
Wars (John Williams)
1978:
Days
of Heaven (Ennio Morricone)
The
Fury (John Williams)
Heaven
Can Wait (Dave Grusin)
The
Lord of the Rings (Leonard Rosenman)
Superman
(John Williams)
1979:
1941
(John Williams)
The
Black Stallion (Carmine Coppola)
The
Muppet Movie (Paul Williams & Kenny Ascher)
Nosferatu
the Vampyre (Popol Vuh)
Star
Trek: The Motion Picture (Jerry Goldsmith)
1980:
Airplane!
(Elmer Bernstein)
Altered
States (John Corigliano)
Dressed
to Kill (Pino Donaggio)
The
Empire Strikes Back (John Williams)
Somewhere
in Time (John Barry)
1981:
Blow
Out (Pino Donaggio)
Caveman
(Lalo Schifrin)
Chariots
of Fire (Vangelis)
The
Last Metro (Georges Delerue)
Raiders
of the Lost Ark
(John Williams)
1982:
Blade
Runner (Vangelis)
Conan
the Barbarian (Basil Poledouris)
E.T.:
the Extra-Terrestrial (John Williams)
One
From the Heart (Tom Waits)
Victor/Victoria
(Henry Mancini & Leslie Bricusse)
1983:
Koyaanisqatsi
(Philip Glass)
Local
Hero (Mark Knopfler)
Rumble
Fish (Stewart Copeland)
Terms
of Endearment (Michael Gore)
Videodrome
(Howard Shore)
1984:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (John Williams)
The
Natural (Randy Newman)
Once
Upon a Time in America
(Ennio Morricone)
Purple
Rain (Prince)
This
Is Spinal Tap (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Harry Shearer)
1985:
The
Color Purple (Quincy Jones et al)
Mishima
(Philip Glass)
Pee
Wee’s Big Adventure (Danny Elfman)
Ran
(Toru Takemitsu)
Witness
(Maurice Jarre)
1986:
Blue
Velvet (Angelo Badalamenti)
Down
by Law (John Lurie & Tom Waits)
The
Mission (Ennio
Morricone)
Peggy
Sue Got Married (John Barry)
‘Round
Midnight (Herbie Hancock)
1987:
Empire
of the Sun (John Williams)
Innerspace
(Jerry Goldsmith)
Ishtar
(Dave Grusin & Paul Williams)
The
Last Emperor (Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su)
The
Princess Bride (Marc Shaiman)
1988:
The
Last Temptation of Christ (Peter Gabriel)
Rain
Man (Hans Zimmer)
The
Thin Blue Line (Philip Glass)
Tucker:
The Man and His Dream (Joe Jackson)
Wings
of Desire (Jurgen Kneiper)
1989:
Black
Rain (Toru Takemitsu)
Cinema
Paradiso (Ennio Morricione)
Do
the Right Thing (Bill Lee et al)
Glory
(James Horner)
The
Little Mermaid (Alan Menken)
1990:
Avalon
(Randy Newman)
The
Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (Michael Nyman)
Edward
Scissorhands (Danny Elfman)
Hamlet
(Ennio Morricone)
Miller’s
Crossing (Carter Burwell)
1991:
Beauty
and the Beast (Alan Menken)
Dead
Again (Patrick Doyle)
Defending
Your Life (Michael Gore)
The
Double Life of Veronique (Zbigniew Preisner)
Naked
Lunch (Howard Shore)
1992:
Aladdin
(Alan Menken)
Bram
Stoker’s Dracula (Wojciech Kilar)
The
Last of the Mohicans (Randy Edelman & Trevor Jones)
Malcolm
X (Terrence Blanchard)
Unforgiven
(Lenny Niehaus)
1993:
The
Age of Innocence (Elmer Bernstein)
Dazed
and Confused (various)
Naked
(Andrew Dickson)
Schindler’s
List (John Williams)
Three
Colors: Blue (Zbigniew Preisner)
1994:
Ed
Wood (Howard Shore)
Little
Women (Thomas Newman)
The
Lion King (Hans Zimmer & Elton John)
Pulp
Fiction (various)
Three
Colors: Red (Zbigniew Preisner)
1995:
12
Monkeys (Paul Buckmaster)
Heat
(Elliot Goldenthal)
Il
Postino (Luis Enrique Bacalov)
Safe
(Ed Tomney)
Secret
of Roan Inish (Mason Daring) [winner]
1996:
Chung
King Express (various)
Dead
Man (Neil Young) [winner]
English
Patient (Gabriel Yared)
Fargo
(Carter Burwell)
Grace
of My Heart (Larry Klein et al)
1997:
As
Good As It Gets (Hans Zimmer)
Boogie
Nights (Michael Penn et al)
Fast,
Cheap and Out of Control (Caleb Sampson) [winner]
Good
Will Hunting (Danny Elfman & Elliott Smith)
The
Ice Storm (Mychael Danna)
1998:
Dark City (Trevor Jones)
Gods
and Monsters (Carter Burwell)
Rushmore
(Mark Mothersbaugh et al)
The
Thin Red Line (Hans Zimmer)
Velvet
Goldmine (Carter Burwell et al) [winner]
1999:
Magnolia
(Jon Brion and Aimee Mann)
Ravenous
(Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn)
The
Red Violin (John Corigliano)
South
Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (Trey
Parker and Marc Shaiman) [winner]
The
Straight Story (Angelo Badalamenti)
2000:
Dancer
in the Dark (Björk)
Ghost
Dog: The Way of the Samurai (RZA et al)
[winner]
O
Brother, Where Art Thou? (various)
POLA
X (Scott Walker)
Requiem
For a Dream (Clint Mansell)
2001:
A.I.:
Artificial Intelligence (John Williams)
Lord
of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(Howard Shore)
The
Man Who Wasn’t There (Carter Burwell)
Monsters,
Inc. (Randy Newman)
Waking
Life (Glover Gill and the Tosca Tango Orchestra) [winner]
2002:
25th
Hour (Terence Blanchard) [winner]
8
Women (Krishna Levy et al)
Far
From Heaven (Elmer Bernstein)
Punch-Drunk
Love (Jon Brion)
Sex
and Lucia (Alberto Iglesias)
2003:
The
Fog of War (Philip Glass)
Kill
Bill: vol. 1 (RZA et al)
A
Mighty Wind (various) [winner]
Spider
(Howard Shore)
The
Triplets of Belleville
(Benoit Charest)
2004:
Bad
Education (Alberto Iglesias)
Birth
(Alexandre Desplat) [winner[
Greendale
(Neil Young)
The
Incredibles (Michael Giacchino)
The
Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (Mark Mothersbaugh and Seu Jorgé)
2005:
The
Beat That My Heart Skipped (Alexandre Desplat et al)
Gilles’
Wife (Vincent D’Hondt)
King
Kong (Howard Shore)
Pride
& Prejudice (Dario Marianelli)
Tony
Takitani (Ryuichi Sakamoto) [winner]
2006:
Brick
(Nathan Johnson)
Drawing
Restraint 9 (Björk)
The
Fountain (Clint Mansell) [winner]
The
Prestige (David Julyan)
The
Proposition (Nick Cave and Warren Ellis)
2007:
The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Nick Cave
and Warren Ellis)
Once
(Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova)
Ratatouille
(Michael Giacchino)
There
Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood) [winner]
Walk
Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Michael Andrews, John C. Reilly, et al)
2008:
Cassandra’s
Dream (Philip Glass)
Happy-Go-Lucky
(Gary Yershon)
My
Winnipeg (Jason
Staczek et al)
Speed
Racer (Michael Giacchino)
WALL*E
(Thomas Newman) [winner]
2009:
Coraline
(Bruno Coulais)
Fantastic
Mr. Fox (Alexandre Desplat et al)
The
Informant! (Marvin Hamlisch)
Tetro
(Osvaldo Golijov) [winner]
Up
(Michael Giacchino)
2010:
Never
Let Me Go (Rachel Portman) [winner]
Scott
Pilgrim vs. the World (Nigel Godrich et al)
The
Social Network (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
Soul
Kitchen (various)
Tron:
Legacy (Daft Punk)
2011:
Drive
(Cliff Martinez et al)
Hanna
(Chemical Brothers)
Rango
(Hans Zimmer)
Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy (Alberto Iglesias et al) [winner]
The
Tree of Life (Alexandre Desplat et al)
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