Best musical scores in film?

Who can forget Bernard Herrmann's haunting saxophone music in "Taxi Driver"? Scorsese's images and DeNiro's acting backed up by Herrmann's score really left me with an indelible memory.

In addition to the "Psycho" (Hitchcock originally did not want any background music in the shower scene), the Herrmann film scores in "Vertigo", "The Birds", "Marnie" and "North by Northwest", "The Wrong Man", "The Bride Wore Black" and "Cape Fear" (both versions) cannot not be beaten by any other composer in the thriller/mystery film category. That's why Scorsese used Herrmann's original music from the 1962 "Cape Fear" in his 1991 version after Herrmann's death.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" with that powerful crescendo when the wide screen camera pans down into the throat of the volcano is one of my favorite Herrmann scores. He also scored "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" and other fantasies -- I good candidate to have scored "The Lord of the Rings." The Leonard Roseman score for the animated was okay but not on the same plane as Howard Shore. Many don't remember Herrmann scored "Citizen Kane!" How's that for a credential? His score with the Therimin for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is still on the top of sci-fi movie music.

Some interesting trivia.....I read recently that Herreman died the same night that he finished the score for Taxi Driver.

Lightwizard - If my memory serves me correctly, after first seeing Blade Runner, Philip K. Dick was unimpressed, but he subsequently changed his mind on a further viewing. Although my memory could be as unreliable as a Nexus 6 replicant, so don't quote me! Maybe I just think I read it......Although I do seem to remember that there was a Unicorn sitting next to me as I read the article. Would that be significant?

Just to digress for a moment Lightwizard...I added Dr Strangelove to my DVD collection a few days ago. With the events in Iraq etc, it somehow seemed an appropriate moment to revisit Kubrick's classic. I've not had the time to sit down and watch it yet, although I did pick a scene at random, only intending to treat myself to a couple of minutes - George C. Scott in the war room, explaining in a matter of fact way to he President, why they can't recall the bomber.....Ten minutes later, I had to pull myself away from the screen. The madness just draws you in.

Yes, Stinger, be careful about going through a red light on asserting anything from cinema memories here -- the film police might turn on their red flashing lights and insist on giving you a warning! (Your recollection rear tail light may be out, but no big deal.) I think most of those who weren't entralled with "Blade Runner" changed their minds after the awkward Ford narration was taken out and the final scene borrowed from footage from "The Shining" was taken out in lieu of the more mysterious ending.

I vacilate between "Strangelove" or "2001" being the best Kubrick and on my top ten list ("Paths of Glory" being very close also). Depends on which one I've seen lately! "2001" is due for an IMAX refurbishing so I'm waiting with baited breath. I did buy the Alex North score to "2001" and it's quite good but not for the film -- I understand why it wouldn't have worked in the final product and who can not understand Kubrick's choices in classical music to underline the effect of the film?

My other favorite Vangelis score is for "Antartica." The electronic Presto of the dogs running over the ice thrills me as much as the "Fire Horses" music from "Krull."

I quite liked the movie score for "Wild Things". Not sure if this was in theatres since I caught it on HBO last year sometime and have rented it since. The original score for Wild Things was composed by George S. Clinton. Not an excellent movie like those mentioned above, but the score did capture my attention and make it more interesting to watch.

There's a store near me called Super Collector. They specialize in Anime and soundtracks including older issues you can't find at any other outlet. They are online:

www.supercollector.com

I found a recording, albeit mono of the complete soundtrack of Steiner's "Helen of Troy." The film was bare passable as epic entertainment (Rosana Podesta would have made better pedestal than a Helen except she did look the part -- always called her "Rosana Podestal" after that).

LOCAL HERO
Loved the film & loved the music. A perfect fit!

I think the word 'prolific', could certainly be used to describe Max Steiner. A quick glance at the contents of the following link will verify this.

Max Steiner
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Steiner,%20Max

Steiner also did the music for one of my favourite films, 'Casablanca', which of course contains one of the most famous songs in a film, 'As Time Goes By'. Even the thoughts of Ingrid Bergman, encouraging Dooley Wilson (Sam the piano player), to sing this song, provokes me into humming several bars!

But just to ensure some fairness into this post, I have to give credit to the source of this famous song. Step forward into the spotlight and take a bow, Mr. Herman Hupfeld.......

Herman Hupfeld - 'As Time Goes By'
http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/Casablanca/astimegoesby-lyrics.htm

Max Steiner home page:

http://maxsteinerhomepage.tripod.com/index.htm

They are working of turning some vintage scores from LP's into CD's. There is a two CD album of scores taken directly from film optical soundtracks including such gems as "Ivanhoe" and a stereo "Green Fire,"
which also has some of the most melodic thematic material Steiner ever composed for a not too bad Stewart Grainger Cinemascope film. I believe it's on the Silva label (their project to pull soundtracks directly off of film optical tracks). I have it but would have to look for it -- I'm sure Super Collector has it.

Unless, I glanced over them, I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Miklos Rozsa's eerie scores for "Lost Weekend" and "Spellbound".

Rozsa's score for "Quo Vadis" is possibly my favorite -- he incorporated ancient instruments close to what have been used at the time (flutes, in particular).

Steiner is well represented on another Silva CD, "Gone With the Wind: The Essential Max Steiner Film Music Collection." It has such gems that weren't on the Charles Gerhardt RCA cycle as "Parrish,"
"Mildred Pierce," and "Johnny Belinda." These are rerecordings in Dolby Surround and the sound fantastic on my system. Unfortunately, the "Helen of Troy" achingly romantic love theme is omitted -- it used to be on another RCA CD that is now out of print so I'm still stuck with the mono.

LAST TANGO IN PARIS has an outstanding jazz score by Gato Barbieri that is, alas, unavailable on compact disc. It greatly enhances the movie with its passionate and melnacholy melodies.

LAST TANGO IN PARIS has an outstanding jazz score by Gato Barbieri that is, alas, unavailable on compact disc. It greatly enhances the movie with its passionate and melancholy melodies.

Yo-Yo Ma(did I spell that right?): Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.