The Last of the Mohicans
Gettysburg

For me it's less about the individual films and more about the composers of the scores: Morricone, Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, John Powell, Michel Legrand and many others. I'll even listen to John Williams...sometimes. I'll listen to the soundtracks even without ever having watched the associated movies. I do tend to favor scores from the 1960s and 70s over other eras. Nothing like a little Mancini to wake up to.

But if there's one film "soundtrack" that I listen to more than any other, it's Platoon by default, primarily because I've come to adore the melancholy classical work Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber which served as the main theme for the film. Here it was the film that introduced me to the music and I'm forever grateful. I also like listening to Mozart and classical music in general a lot these days so I suppose Amadeus is high up there as well. And of course a host of Looney Tunes soundtracks. Thank you Bugs Bunny.

Lawrence of Arabia (Maurice Jarre) took my breath away at 12, and it still does.

I love the melody of the Overture from Prince of Thieves and I also love the theme of Band of Brothers. Both Michael Kamen, I believe. Morgan Creek used the PoT overture for their title music at the beginning of other films, as well.

Listen to PoT and BoB and you'll hear similarities.

My hand's down favorite is "Conan the Barbarian", composed by Basil Poledouris.

Other honorable mentions:

"Thief" by Tangerine Dream
"Top Gun"
"Excalibur"
"Heavy Metal" (I know, this one's cheating a bit)

You all have named some of the best. I'd like to be a bit more contemporary...

Tron Legacy composed by Daft Punk. Whether you respect electronic music or not, this holds up against the best.

I think I'll probably be in the minority here, but as far as scores go, my favorite is probably Danny Elfman's score from Batman, the 1989 Tim Burton movie. I believe it's the only CD I got specifically for the score (I also got the soundtrack CD with Prince's songs).

One of my favorites.

quote:

Originally posted by soggy_spinout:
But if there's one film "soundtrack" that I listen to more than any other, it's Platoon by default, primarily because I've come to adore the melancholy classical work Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber which served as the main theme for the film.

Ooooh, I forgot about that one. A roommate in college had it on cassette. I always liked it.

Conan the Barbarian
Repo Man
True Grit, Coen brothers
Seven Samurai
O' Brother, Where Art Thou
Dentist on the Job

And if musicals are included

Stormy Weather
Cabin in the Sky

I am surprised that Star Wars is not mentioned. I have heard the music so much that I have become indifferent but the score is excellent. Also Godfather, and Dr Zhivago.

Lalo Schifrin - wrote the soundtrack for Bullitt, Dirty Harry, Mission Impossible (many more)

quote:

Adagio for Strings

Good one! Another Adagio I like is from the movie Sunshine.

I'm a music lover, not a movie lover. So, I have some "visual soundtracks" I particularly like.

Baraka (score by Michael Stearns)



Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (score by Philip Glass)



1492 - Conquest of Paradise
and
Antarctica (soundtracks by Vangelis)

The Commitments
the Blues Brothers

"Magnificent Seven"; the original with Elmer Bernstein's magnificient score!
"Big Country" with Jerome Moross's wonderful score.
"Hatari!"by Mancini!

I don’t know how to embed this video, but I’ve always loved the score to The Right Stuff.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tCblQ_fnPpc

Country - The Auction




Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7F6kvEwaZc

Turn it up. (You'll miss a lot of your sound system doesn't have some bottom.)

The entire soundtrack album is quite good. One of my favourites.

On the humor side - Pink Panther


Jaws

As a kid in the early 1960's we had a Saturday matinee that played a lot of the Errol Flynn Swashbucklers; Captain Blood, The Sea Hawks, Adventures of Robin Hood, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-RPzAbW7No

Then of course my Dad and my Uncles, all WW2 Veterans, would watch "Victory at Sea" every Sunday.

The music in that series really made the series.

Someone already posted "The Pink Panther" series, another favorite.

What about James Bond? The James Bond theme is a Classic. As well as the scores from the various early Bond movies.

Jaws, Star Wars, Magnificent Seven, Patton, Grand Prix, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, also come to mind.