Hello everyone!
I was recently asked what are some good film scores to study, so I thought I would post everything here so everyone can benefit from it. 
This post is primarily for musicians and filmmakers, but of course film music enthusiasts and hobbyists might enjoy it as well!
The scores listed are sorted by genre, and I’ve given a brief description of why I think these scores are worth study.
This is kind of a companion score to the “Favorite film scores?” thread:
http://www.christianfilmmakers.org/forums/viewthread/3218/
Except, that thread is exclusively a “favorite scores to listen to on their own” thread, and this is a reference of scores that I consider to be truly great and worth study, whether they fall into my personal favorites list or not. The idea with this thread is to list films that have especially effective scores from which we all can learn, and to list scores that are particularly inventive on a musical level and not your “average movie score.”
And note, there are spoilers! If you haven’t seen these films, I’m sorry if I ruin anything for you ... but it’s your choice to read! 
ACTION:
Air Force One (Jerry Goldsmith and Joel McNeely): An exhilarating listen, and incredible with the film! The hijacking sequence is one of the pinnacle achievements in film scoring, in my opinion. It’s incredible how precisely the score matches the action on screen. Excellent orchestration, and these guys wonderfully captured the “American” sound. The main title and end credits make me want to stand up and say the pledge of allegiance every time I hear it!
Eagle Eye (Brian Tyler): I can’t imagine the movie’s pacing and forward motion being anything close to what it was without Tyler’s score. He was dead on the mark every single moment of the film. I haven’t heard the score on its own, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t very coherent or enjoyable. In the film, though, it made a world of difference. His action cues lined up very well, and in the more dramatic moments, he nailed it in terms of emotion and implication (for instance, someone says a line, and a moment later, there’s a deep, quiet drum hit as it sinks in). Extremely well-scored.
ADVENTURE:
The Incredibles (Michael Giacchino): If any words can describe this score, it would be, “WOW!” Like the film, this score is an incredible (haha 
) amount of fun. The orchestration is brilliant, and the sheer energy of everything is impressive. It has a jazzy, “spy-movie” feel to it (like the James Bond) films, but while not taking itself to seriously, it is pure brilliance from beginning to end.
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (John Williams): This score is a classic. Even children today, whose parents were their age when the film came out, know Indy’s iconic theme! In this core, Williams simultaneously captures the sheer fun and adventure of the film, and the power of the Ark of the Covenant through God. There are several themes in this score, most notably Indy’s, the Ark’s, the medallion’s, Marion’s, and the Nazis’. Something interesting about all of the Indiana Jones movies is how sparingly his theme is actually used. It’s only used about half a dozen times in each film, except the fourth (it’s used more, perhaps a little less effectively in places). Take note of how Williams develops the Ark’s theme as the film progresses. The first few notes are introduced when the government agents recruit Indy and he shows them a picture of the Ark. The medallion’s theme is introduced when Marion pulls it out and the audience sees it for the first time. The ark’s theme is again heard in part in the map room, and later when Indy and Sallah carry it through the chamber. A kind of dark march using both the Ark’s theme and the medallion’s theme is heard when the Nazis march with the Ark through the desert with Indy in disguise, and later when the Nazis open it at the climax of the film. But, what’s interesting is that Williams only presents the Ark’s theme in its entirety at the climax of the film! Every other time, it’s just snippets, fragments, and hints, as the audience is getting hints as to the nature and power of the Ark and God ... pure brilliance
The Mummy Returns (Alan Silvestri): This is perhaps the only score I know of that can rival Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark in terms of fun and adventure. In fact, for some reason, whenever I play Rick’s theme for people, they nearly always think it’s from Indiana Jones! The two things have next to nothing in common musically except they’re primarily brassy and they’re a lot of fun. They make you want to go save the world or something. Silvestri’s score is huge and brilliantly orchestrated. The action music especially is intense and brilliant. Something else impressive about this film is the sheer amount of music! 110 minutes of music in a 130-minute film, minus a lame 5-minute song in the credits. And, not a single cue is bad or boring. The whole score is awesome in the film and on its own! (Van Helsing and Beowulf are what I call “sister scores,” because they’re very similar in style, even having similar action passages, but in my opinion, they don’t top The Mummy Returns.)
Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (Hans Zimmer & co.): These are enormously controversial scores, and with good reason. Hans Zimmer already had an army of critics against him, and his approach to scoring this trilogy riled them up even more. I mean, each score has at least half a dozen composers (with Zimmer getting credit), another half dozen orchestrators, and at least a couple conductors. Add to that that he scored the films as if each group of characters (pirates, British army, main characters, etc.) were motorcycle gangs (he said this himself), and it’s easy to understand why many might be outraged at these scores. I mean, for films that apparently take place in the 1700s or so, having a hardcore rock-ish score (electric guitars, pounding rock drums, and everything) that tops even Gladiator in terms of testosterone and steroids seems to be an absolutely ridiculous approach. The controversy really is about this style breaking with the precedent adventure scores (such as those by Korngold, Steiner, and later Williams, and even Debney and Silvestri). Listen to John Debney’s score to Cutthroat Island (which is an incredible score) and then Zimmer’s Pirates scores, and it’s obvious why people get riled up over this. But, he produced what are arguably some very enjoyable and highly impressive (and undeniably very well-mixed and mastered) scores that are thrilling to listen to on their own. Audiences also largely seem to accept this odd approach without question.
“COMIC BOOK” films:
Batman (Danny Elfman): The score to this Tim Burton film is arguably one of his finest. It goes wonderfully with the film, which is dark and yet still wacky. Elfman’s music is as well. You can hear some Bernard Herrmann influences in parts (Elfman loves Herrmann’s music!). Burton and Elfman had a fairly unpredictable approach to several scenes: a wacky waltz for the Joker when he shoots Carl Grisssom, and a reprise of that waltz during the final fight at the top of the cathedral. Interesting juxtaposition! But it works well. Burton and Elfman can do very creative things together ... as a team, they produce great stuff. Especially with weirdo actors like Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Johnny Depp.
The Dark Knight (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard): This score works wonders in the film, even though most of the score isn’t very engaging to listen to on its own. The film is dark and nitty-gritty, and the music is appropriately mostly dark and moody. Of course, there’s pounding action music when appropriate, and Zimmer bumps his already intense action music up to the next level at times. Interestingly enough, the music for the Joker in this film is very unconventional as well! His theme is only a single note, a scratchy, sustained D on a solo cello. It evolves in different scenes and in a different direction each time. But, at apparently odd times, there’s just this airy and scratchy note, and the audience knows that the Joker is lurking around. Zimmer said that he wanted the character to be free of any associations with what we might have with a “bad guy theme.”
Superman (John Williams): Classic and brilliant, and many would call this their all-time favorite score. Along with Indiana Jones and Luke Skywalker, Superman has his own iconic, heroic theme. I don’t read comic books, but if I did, I can’t imagine reading the Superman comic books and hearing anything but this music. It’s perfect for the film. Perfect.
Superman Returns (John Ottman): This is a companion study to Williams’ score to Superman. Listen to how another composer keeps Williams’ themes and draws from his original score, and yet still presents something original and interesting (similar to Don Davis and Jurassic Park 3). Ottman uses a similar but different palette (including the use of a choir), and hints at Williams’ love theme several times in reference to his own, new love theme.
DRAMA:
August Rush (Mark Mancina): There are several themes, and they’re developed over the course of the film in a way that parallels August’s search for his parents. The music is literally a character in this film. One theme, apparently the “main theme,” is introduced airily in the beginning, the social worker whistles it (and it catches August’s attention), August plays a variation of it on guitar, and it’s used a few other times. Another of the themes is a 4-note repeated descent, which seems to represent August’s longing for his parents. There are a couple other themes, as well as the tune Wizard sings the night of August’s conception. And, at the end of the film, during August’s Rhapsody, all of the themes are presented beautifully, and his actual piece goes along with (or perhaps determines?) the action on screen.
Cast Away (Alan Silvestri): I’m not sure what genre of film this actually is, so I just put it under drama. The most intriguing thing about this score is actually when there’s music, and when there isn’t! In this full-length feature film, the score is a grand total of 17 minutes long. There is no music for the entire time Chuck is on the island, and this greatly amplifies the loneliness he feels. There’s only music during the “normal” beginning and end of the film. The score itself is comprised only of a single sad and beautiful theme.
E.T.-Extra Terrestrial (John Williams): This is also a sci-fi film, but I categorized it as drama because of the familial nature of the film. This score is one of the scores from what I consider to be John Williams’ peak years (1977 to mid 1980s). The music at the beginning of the film is almost religious-sounding as E.T. is left behind, and the music goes from eerie to curious to warm as E.T. and Elliot’s friendship grows. I consider the bicycle chase towards the end of the film to be another of the pinnacle sequences in film, and Williams’ music is phenomenal.
FANTASY:
Edward Scissorhands (Danny Elfman): This is another of Elfman’s finest scores. Elfman delivered a very fairy-tailish kind of score to this peculiar film. This is another score that’s wonderful to listen to on its own, but it enhances the film enormously. The music to the scene when Kim dances in the ice shavings/snow is amazing! Another interesting decision that Elfman made was to score the hair cutting montage with gypsy music. It has nothing to do with anything, but he suggested it to Burton, and they went with it. It works very well, and the audience accepts it, but if you try to analyze it, it really makes no sense.
Hook (John Williams): This is a wonderfully magical score, and one of John Williams’ finest ever in my opinion. There are many, many memorable themes in this score (perhaps more than any other single film, including Star Wars). This score has some huge swells for a full orchestra and chorus, and has some equally powerful quiet moments with solo piano or violin. This score is fun and magical both in the film and on its own. Absolutely amazing music.
Lord of the Rings trilogy (Howard Shore): I could write pages and pages and not do these scores justice. Just like when you watch the film, you can see how much labor and love must have been put into making EVERYTHING, so one can hear when listening to the music how much Shore slaved over every single note, phrase, and orchestration. Every last minor detail seems to have been thought out, planned for, and executed masterfully. The thoroughness of the scoring and orchestration is astounding. These movies are long, but there’s an enormous amount of music in these films, even adjusting the length proportionately. Pay special attention to how Shore uses dynamics in these scores. His themes and harmony often seem simple (and often are), but listen to how he presents them ... so many dynamic curves, swells, waves, builds, breaths, and flexes. My only complaint is that the percussion is often mixed way down, especially in Return of the King ...
HORROR/THRILLER:
The Sixth Sense (James Newton Howard): Amazingly well-written and well-orchestrated score. Like the film, it’s mostly quiet, restrained, and tense, with a few “stingers” that jump out here and there. The cue at the very end of the film, when Malcolm realizes he’s dead, is another example of a scene I consider one of the pinnacles of filmmaking, and the music plays a huge role. This music is very engaging to listen to on its own and works wonders in the film.
Vertigo (Bernard Herrmann): This is, in my opinion, Herrmann’s best score, both for its effectiveness in the film and its musicality. The uneasy harmonies of the arpeggios in the opening sequence, and the subsequent hideous punctuating chords perfectly convey Ferguson’s fear. I think the quiet and eerie ostinato with moving parallel major thirds unsettles the audience more than Madeleine’s strangeness. The 4-note descending theme is perfect for their mutual love, and he presents it softly on muted strings in some scenes, and in others with the full orchestra playing loudly (you’ll have to watch to find out which ones ). Herrmann was arguably the best orchestrator to ever work in Hollywood. There’s a certain color and vibrancy to his music that is often lacking in others’.
MUSICALS:
Aladdin (Alan Menken): Alan Menken’s scores from the late 80s through early/mid 90s are consistently high quality and impressive. This particular score is one of the more energetic scores (due to elements like a flying carpet, a hyper genie performed by Robin Williams, and more). It’s to this score to that classic song “A Whole New World” belongs.
The Little Mermaid (Alan Menken): This is less of a magical and adventurous score like Aladdin, and more of a intimate and personal score about the young Ariel. And, like Aladdin, the themes are wonderful and memorable, and the score itself is very colorful and enjoyable.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman): This score is, well, uh, unique. Like the film, it’s not much at all like what you’d expect after a history of stuff like Bambi, 101 Dalmations, Pocahontas. As for as animation goes, it’s not at all like the Rudolph movie many love. It’s wacky, weird, off the wall, strange, and fun! Elfman’s music goes with the film perfectly. (He also actually performed the songs that Jack sings, in case you’re interested in trivia.) Elfman perfectly fused stereotypical macabre, dark, creepy “Halloween music” and stereotypical magical, beautiful “Christmas music,” although he leans towards the former (as does the film, since it’s told from a Halloween village’s perspective). The songs are creative, inventive, peculiar, and often absurd and hilarious, and of course lots of fun.
PERIOD FILMS:
Ben-Hur (Miklos Rosza): This score is half a century old, but like the film, it’s still enjoyable and definitely worth some study. There’s a ton of themes, and Rosza uses them very effectively. Numerous famous scores from the last half century have been at least partly based on this, not the least of which was John Williams’ Star Wars! One interesting thing about this score from a musical standpoint is that it is almost completely modal, rather than what most would call “tonal” or “normal.”
Braveheart (James Horner): Wonderful score, and highly enjoyable to listen to on its own. But, I mention this score because Horner managed to use a modern orchestra and still achieve a largely “primitive” sounding score. When listening to the score, it’s enjoyable and somewhat modern-sounding. But in the film, it sounds raw and primitive, fitting in wonderfully with the medieval-esque story.
Gladiator (Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard): This is a controversial score. Although the film obviously takes place in ancient Rome, Zimmer’s score is a huge modern orchestra, “enhanced” electronically, with the occasional “ethnic”-sounding instruments. He obviously didn’t even try to go for an authentic “Roman” feel to the score. Not even a Hollywood “fake” ethnic score (Horner did this for Braveheart and The Mask of Zorro, Goldsmith and Silvestri did this for the Mummy films, etc.). But, it’s an exhilarating score to listen to, and audiences seem to accept the unconventional (some might call it stubborn or ignorant) musical approach to the film.
The Passion of the Christ (John Debney): Along with the film, this score was immediately labeled as “controversial,” and some fierce hatred and opposition arose towards it. I don’t know why. I think the score works extremely well. There are (at least) a couple things notable about this score. First, Debney uses a choir, and the lyrics are in the original Hebrew and Aramaic. (We discussed this in the “film scores with hidden messages” thread.) Secondly, he brought in numerous “ethnic” (i.e. ancient and/or foreign) instruments from around the world, such as the duduk, erhu, bamboo flute, oud, etc. He also uses an electric cello and solo vocals in some places. The score itself definitely doesn’t have a “contemporary film score” kind of feel, and like Braveheart, it sounds primitive (and in this case, barbaric in places). But, it’s not so “primitive,” foreign, or ancient-sounding that it causes an audience to lose interest. On the contrary, much of the score is moving and powerful.
The Three Muskateers (Michael Kamen): Along with Williams’ score to Schindler’s List, this is probably the most “classical”-sounding score I’ve ever heard. You can listen to the score from start to finish as if it was a concert piece, and it lacks little to nothing. It’s adventurous and modern, but Kamen still maintains the “old-fashioned” sound somehow. The opening cue is like a requiem, some of the action pieces have dance rhythms from the time yet a contemporary action feel. And, of course, there’s a theme song performed by Brian Adams.
SCI-FI:
Independence Day (David Arnold): A huge, high-powered score from Arnold for an equally huge film. The music is fun in parts (the canyon chase) and heartbreaking in others (as the First Lady dies). The music gives the mysterious ships their powerful and threatening persona immediately, before a shot is ever fired.
The Matrix (Don Davis): This score is NOT your typical film music. There’s music in this film that wouldn’t work with any other film. Davis pulled out all the stops and let loose an incredible, unique score. He blends the “traditional film score” sound with sounds heard in crazy, contemporary concert music (he references Witold Lutoslawski and John Adams in the commentary), and techno of all things. There are also very few recurring themes in this film; there’s the “bullet time” theme (2 chords fading in and out of each other), a sparingly-used love theme for Neo and Trinity (which is developed more in the sequels), and 4-note threatening idea for the agents. Like the film, this score has elements of sci-fi and action, while simultaneously carrying religious undertones that are really brought to the forefront in the film’s climax. He created a truly unique sound for this film.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Jerry Goldsmith): I consider this to be one of the finest film scores in movie history. Many consider the film itself to be rather dull and lifeless, but the music is engaging on so many levels I can’t fit it here. The orchestration was brilliantly done. Goldsmith introduces a new heroic theme for the crew and franchise, which he blends perfectly with Alexander Courage’s original fanfare. Everyone now knows this as “the Star Trek theme” (singular). The other primary theme is for Lieutenant Ilia, which is shared with V’Ger for obvious reasons. But, he presents Ilia’s version of it with feminine grace and beauty, and V’Ger’s version of it with a dark and threatening orchestration. He also invented a new instrument for this score, “the blaster beam,” which is hollowed-out shell casings with a motor inside. This is a metallic, mechanical-sounding instrument that he uses for V’Ger. In the scenes when Ilia and V’Ger share the same body, his score tells the audience exactly which character is dominant. It’s subtle yet obvious, quiet yet clear, and completely brilliant. This is an incredibly effective score. It’s even more impressive when you consider that Goldsmith was scoring more or less in John Williams’ shadow (the original Star Wars was in 1977, and this film was released at the end of 1979). He came up with a great sci-fi score, and his own heroic theme, that bears little no resemblance to Williams’ score!
Star Wars 4: A New Hope (John Williams): It was tough decision between categorizing this score as “sci-fi” or “adventure,” but I put it here just for convenience and not creating a “space opera” section as George Lucas might prefer. This score is one of the landmarks, perhaps the greatest, in film history. In a time when the “classical” film score was dying, Williams pretty much single-handedly saved it, and brought it back, with this score. He’s been under fire for over 30 years now by critics, especially academics, for having “ripped off” so many classical composers for this score, but that was what Lucas hired him to do. And, Williams delivered not just a boring ripoff score, but a fun, adventurous, and compelling score that is still incredibly famous today! If you’re into “classical” music, you’ll get a kick out of studying his influences to this film (which also include previous film music, such as the aforementioned Ben-Hur). Either way, though, it’s highly enjoyable on its own, and without this score, the first Star Wars film would have died a quiet death a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ...
Star Wars 5: The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams): Williams’ score to this sequel is much more original than his score to the original. This score is bigger, lengthier, and more operatic. He introduces several new themes (most notably “The Imperial March/Darth Vader’s Theme,” but also “Yoda’s Theme” and the love theme for Han and Leia). With the success of the first film, and the first score, behind him, he was able to get more creative and do more with this score.
Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi (John Williams): Williams yet again adds more themes to the mix while simultaneously using the dozens of others he’s already written in this score. The final battle has about 30 straight minutes (!) of music! He references several cues from the previous two films and yet again provides excellent new material. The actual running length of the score is actually longer than the film! He rescored a couple scenes, and he also scored a couple scenes that were cut from the film.
WHEW! I think that’s the lengthiest post I’ve ever made on any forum in my entire life. But, I hope that you all find it useful and interesting! If anyone else has any scores they think are worth study, please feel free to share them (and of course why you think they are)!
Alex Beard, composer
http://www.composeralex.com
http://www.myspace.com/composeralex
