Who Are Your Favorite Film Score Composers

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sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,623
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
I was listening to Elmer Berstein's theme for To Kill A Mockingbird and was reminded of how much a great score can contribute to the effect of a film. So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite composers:
Elmer Bernstein

Bernard Herrmann

John Williams

Miklos Rozsa

Ennio Morricone

Franz Waxman

Max Steiner

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Dimitri Tiomkin
OK cineastes, who are yours?

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,348
John Williams

Howard Shore

Hans Zimmer

Danny Elfman

Kurt Harland (technically video game scores, but his work on "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver" was amazing)

 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,602
14,666
I have no great knowledge or insight regarding film composers, but I certainly notice when the score contributes in a significant way.
Also, I appreciate a couple of instances I'm aware of where there was a really meaningful collaboration between Directors and Composers, such as with Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone, and David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,623
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
No expert here, but didn't Randy Newman score a number of films ? I like his pop stuff, wonderfully sarcastic.
Absolutely! Toy Story for one. And he comes from the royal family of film music. Alfred Newman, winner of 9 Academy Awards, who composed the score for All About Eve, Wuthering Heights, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and many other films; Emil Newman, who was the musical director and composer on many films; Lionel Newman, who had a long career with 20th Century Fox and who won an Oscar for Hello Dolly!, etc, etc. An amazing family!

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
I'd have to say
John Williams

Ramin Djawadi

Ennio Morricone

Alan Silvestri

Clint Mansell

Howard Shore

Danny Elfman

Andrew Lloyd Weber
Are a few of my favorites that I took the time to look for when I first learned of their work.
John Williams and the musical score to Star Wars is fantastic! Ennio Morricone is my favorite composer for any westerns. I mean the man with no name trilogy is just fantastic.
Ramin Djawadi does the score for Game of Thrones and he came to town once and I was really sad I had to miss him.
Clint Mansell did the score for the video game series Mass Effect.
Alan Silvestri did so many movies I can't count them all.
Andrew Lloyd Weber might not be fair, since he does more stage composing than film, but I love his work in the Phantom of the Opera.

 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,602
14,666
No expert here, but didn't Randy Newman score a number of films ? I like his pop stuff, wonderfully sarcastic.
This brings to mind another great musician who's done a lot of work in both film and popular music, Jean-Luc Ponty.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,568
27,074
Carmel Valley, CA
John Williams,

Zbigniew Preisner

Vangelis
These are all names I've come to know but not originally from the fact that they scored numerous movies and some films I've seen.

 

drbenway

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 30, 2017
134
0
Glad someone else mentioned Clint Mansel. I think he is seriously underated. His music for the films The Fountain and Moon is like its own character in the movie.

I also add Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Their work on The Propistion is fantastic.

Joseph Koo's score for Way Of The Dragon is another good one.

 
Jan 8, 2013
7,493
733
I was just about to say I was surprised nobody had mentioned Basil Poledouris, but then I saw that Warren did.
Also, Howard Shore, Alan Silvestri, John Williams Danny Elfman, Michael Kamen

 

enrikon

Lurker
Dec 26, 2018
43
3
Being Italian, I can't not mention Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone. With them the soundtrack constituted almost 50% of the movie.

 
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