10 (More) Film Scores That Belong Among Cinema's Greatest

You want the best sounds of the cinema? I've got lots!

This newsletter is a fan of sequels.

Whether it’s a highly-anticipated follow-up to an adored classic or expanding on popular themes, I’m all for continuing education, especially if the topics are popular with you, the readers.

In this post, I’ll build on the BMCU (Best Music Cinematic Universe) by sharing my thoughts on 10 additional film scores that I believe are among the greatest ever recorded. I previously shared a starter pack of 10 film scores every music fan should hear at least once in their lifetime and a list of 10 exceptional film soundtracks you should explore if you haven’t already.

If you didn’t read those when they were first published, they serve as great companion pieces to the following picks.

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In alphabetical order, let’s proceed to give the audio and cinephiles what they need:

1. “American Gigolo” by Giorgio Moroder (1980)

Though this 1980 Richard Gere-Paul Schrader collaboration is primarily known for the opening Blondie needle drop (and rightfully so—it’s exquisite), not enough people give Giorgio Moroder his flowers for the voluptuous, haunting score for American Gigolo. The spacey synths ooze sleaze and frequently heighten a sense of danger, reflecting the glossy, unforgiving world Gere’s character descends into.

If you’re a fan of Moroder’s, his film score work from the 1980s is underappreciated. With credits that include Scarface, Flashdance, and a 1984 restoration of the silent film Metropolis, which initially debuted in 1927, the electronic music pioneer certainly left his mark on one of cinema’s most enduring and sonically exciting periods.

2. “Atonement” by Dario Marianelli

The Atonement score is one of those rare artistic accomplishments that pushes a traditional form forward. Composed by Dario Marianelli in his second time working with British director Joe Wright, it updates the tropes of a big, sweeping orchestral score with found sound elements that aren’t simply dialogue overlays—they become part of the melody or rhythm.

Consider the example embedded in this section, “Briony.” The excerpt starts in a dissonant back-and-forth with the clicking sound of typewriter keys. Then, at a critical moment in the composition, the typewriter element suddenly quantizes with the rest of the instruments, blending in seamlessly with the rest of the percussion. From ideation to editing, it’s one of several impressive moments.

3. “Braveheart” by James Horner (1995)

James Horner is, in so many words, a true Hollywood music icon. Before his passing in 2015, he worked on over 150 films, many of which became global box-office behemoths. Avatar, Titanic, Field of Dreams, Apollo 13, the list goes on and on. But, if I had to pick one of his scores as representative of what made his work so special, it would be his music from 1995’s Braveheart.

No stranger to historical epics, Horner does majestic grandeur better than everyone except maybe John Williams. His compositions sound like they belong on a big screen. What’s less heralded but no less compelling are the more intimate, tender moments he adds depth to with beautiful, often deceptively simple musical ideas. He was a true master of his craft.

4. “Dunkirk” by Hans Zimmer

When I shared the first collection of must-hear film scores with a handful of my close friends, the biggest question I got back was, “Where’s Hans Zimmer?” It’s a fair question—he is one of the titans of modern classical music in film. His intense, low-end bass sound has become a meme unto itself. But, for this pick, I’m going against the grain.

I appreciate his beloved scores for Inception, Dune, Gladiator, The Lion King, and other classics. However, his sonic masterpiece in my eyes is Dunkirk, a ticking timebomb of a score that is so calculating in its technique, so uncompromising in its approach, that it takes the emotional intensity to almost unbearable heights. His use of the Shepard tone only adds to its unrelenting nature.

5. “Good Time” by Oneohtrix Point Never (2017)

Massachusetts native Daniel Lopatin, working under various pseudonyms including Oneohtrix Point Never, has quietly put together one of the most impressive experimental electronic discographies of the past decade or so. He’s had a massive influence on vaporwave and ambient but is probably best known for scoring the Safdie Brothers’ films Uncut Gems and Good Time.

For such a small-scale gritty movie, Oneohtrix Point Never’s work raises the stakes in much the same way that Tangerine Dream did on Thief, bringing menacing basslines and pulsing synths to the forefront at every turn. As publications like Q noted, this score "[is] perfect for anyone wanting a visual-free sensation of mounting suspense in the comfort of their own home.”

6. “The Godfather” by Nino Rota (1972)

I don’t have to tell you how great The Godfather is, do I?

Like Stars Wars and Indiana Jones after it, you’re probably already humming the iconic opening waltz theme to yourself as you read this. Ditto for the “Love Theme,” which apparently disqualified Rota from getting an Oscar most assumed he’d win. But, like many transcendent pieces of art, the more you listen, the more impressed you’ll be if you’ve never heard it in its entirety.

Listen for how the sense of dread slowly creeps into “The New Godfather” or how the ominous organs on “The Baptism” sound like they’re introducing the listener to Satan himself—which, if you remember the famous montage from the film’s stunning climax, they probably are. Just sheer greatness, top to bottom.

7. “Planet of the Apes” by Jerry Goldsmith (1968)

Say what you want about the music for films like Alien and Jaws, but Jerry Goldsmith’s Oscar-nominated work on 1968’s Planet of the Apes is my pick for the unsettling score of the 20th century. Goldsmith, nominated for 18 Academy Awards throughout his career, achieves a deeply eerie tone through avant-garde, technologically innovative creative choices.

Sequences like “The Hunt” and “No Escape” exemplify how effective some of Goldsmith’s techniques are. He uses drum loops, found objects like steel mixing bowls, and other orchestral maneuvering at various points to give his compositions an off-kilter percussive feel. If you listen closely, you can also hear moments where the orchestra imitates primate grunts. As non-visual film score listening experiences go, this record ranks up there.

8. “There Will Be Blood” by Jonny Greenwood

I remember seeing this film in the theater and being blown away by the score. The melancholic keys, the insistent bass, the string arrangements that loom large like monsters lurking in the shadows. To hear this music, unprepared for how visceral it would be, out of a beefy sound system was an all-time moviegoing experience.

I was even more blown away to learn that the score was composed by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, his first-ever foray into the art form. His work here earned him a Grammy nod and paved the way for him to become one of the most respected film composers of the 21st century. As supplemental listening, I highly recommend trying his scores for Phantom Thread and The Power of the Dog.

9. “1917” by Thomas Newman (2019)

In an illustrious career that includes scores for beloved films like The Shawshank Redemption and WALL-E, his recent collaboration with Sam Mendes on the Oscar-nominated 1917 may be his most affecting work to date. Recorded with an 87-piece orchestra at Abbey Road Studios over a nine-week period. Newman has said he considers this soundtrack the most challenging he’s ever undertaken.

Among the many details he had to consider was the film’s structural conceit in that it (mild spoiler) ostensibly takes place in real-time in one unbroken shot. Newman commented that the composing process unfolded more or less in step with the production, adding: “Mostly, I wanted the music to propel action without complicating it, to hover passively at one moment, and land and propel at another.”

To say he accomplishes that with style understates how terrific this score is.

10. “Under the Skin” by Mica Levi (2013)

To round out this list, let’s pare down the approach with Mica Levi’s minimalist masterclass, the Under the Skin score. Relying on dark, ambient textures and pitch-altered instruments to communicate a deep sense of dread, Levi’s work on this film proves that you don’t need an outsized orchestra or a certain level of classical background to make an impact.

"A lot of the sound is a mixture of bad recording technique, on my part, and not-fine playing, she explained to IndieWire. “Violas are so harmonic because they contain a lot of air. A viola is not solid, the sound it produces is like a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of something […] The vibrato doesn’t ring out. It’s dead. A lot of the score uses microphones, and any sort of difference of expression there is created by the clashing of microphones. I find that I love that.”

For anyone who’s into the creepier side of the cinematic aesthetic, Under the Skin, both the movie and score, are not to be missed.

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Which of the scores on this list is your favorite? Any composers and specific works you feel should’ve made it into this post? Sound off in the comments.