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Edited By: ManPerson
Last Updated: 2025-11-24

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1. Star Wars (1977) - John Williams
2. Psycho (1960) - Bernard Herrmann
3. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) - Ennio Morricone
4. Gone With The Wind (1939) - Max Steiner
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - Maurice Jarre
6. The Godfather (1972) - Nino Rota
7. Jaws (1975) - John Williams
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - Howard Shore
9. King Kong (1933) - Max Steiner
10. The Magnificent Seven (1960) - Elmer Bernstein
11. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
12. High Noon (1952) - Dimitri Tiomkin
13. Laura (1944) - David Raksin
14. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Herbert Stothart
15. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) - John Williams
16. The Pink Panther (1963) - Henry Mancini
17. Blade Runner (1982) - Vangelis
18. Vertigo (1958) - Bernard Herrmann
19. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - John Williams
20. Chinatown (1974) - Jerry Goldsmith
21. Alexander Nevsky (1938) - Sergei Prokofiev
22. Goldfinger (1964) - John Barry
23. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) - Elmer Bernstein
24. Ben-Hur (1959) - Miklos Rozsa
25. Sunset Boulevard (1950) - Franz Waxman
26. Jurassic Park (1993) - John Williams
27. Rocky (1976) - Bill Conti
28. Planet of the Apes (1968) - Jerry Goldsmith
29. Batman (1989) - Danny Elfman
30. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) - Ennio Morricone
31. How The West Was Won (1962) - Alfred Newman
32. Taxi Driver (1976) - Bernard Herrmann
33. Pather Panchali (1955) - Ravi Shankar
34. Elevator to the Gallows (1958) - Miles Davis
35. Shaft (1971) - Isaac Hayes
36. Superman (1978) - John Williams
37. The Mission (1986) - Ennio Morricone
38. Out of Africa (1985) - John Barry
39. American Beauty (1999) - Thomas Newman
40. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - Alex North
41. The Social Network (2010) - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
42. Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Maurice Jarre
43. Schindler's List (1993) - John Williams
44. The Omen (1976) - Jerry Goldsmith
45. On The Waterfront (1954) - Leonard Bernstein
46. Contempt (1963) - Georges Delerue
47. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1963) - Michel Legrand
48. Godzilla (1954) - Akira Ifukube
49. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - John Williams
50. Saagara Sangamam (1983) - Ilaiyaraaja
51. Toy Story (1995) - Randy Newman
52. Chariots of Fire (1981) - Vangelis
53. The Third Man (1949) - Anton Karas
54. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Wendy Carlos
55. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) - John Williams
56. Paris, Texas (1984) - Ry Cooder
57. 8½ (1963) - Nino Rota
58. Titanic (1997) - James Horner
59. Interstellar (2014) - Hans Zimmer
60. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - Jerry Goldsmith
61. Casablanca (1942) - Max Steiner
62. North By Northwest (1959) - Bernard Herrmann
63. The Lion King (1994) - Hans Zimmer
64. Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961) - Henry Mancini
65. Braveheart (1995) - James Horner
66. Dances With Wolves (1990) - John Barry
67. Conan the Barbarian (1982) - Basil Poledouris
68. The Lion In Winter (1968) - John Barry
69. On Golden Pond (1981) - Dave Grusin
70. Koyaanisqatsi (1982) - Philip Glass
71. Singin' in the Rain (1952) - Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown
72. Once Upon A Time In America (1984) - Ennio Morricone
73. The Great Escape (1963) - Elmer Bernstein
74. Inception (2010) - Hans Zimmer
75. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - Alexandre Desplat
76. Around The World In 80 Days (1956) - Victor Young
77. Cinema Paradiso (1988) - Ennio Morricone
78. A Place In The Sun (1951) - Franz Waxman
79. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - Duke Ellington
80. Suspiria (1977) - Goblin
81. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) - Angelo Badalamenti
82. La La Land (2016) - Justin Hurwitz
83. Up (2009) - Michael Giacchino
84. Back To The Future (1985) - Alan Silvestri
85. Under the Skin (2013) - Mica Levi
86. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) - Hugo Friedhofer
87. Bullitt (1968) - Lalo Schifrin
88. Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter
89. Spirited Away (2001) - Joe Hisaishi
90. Seven Samurai (1954) - Fumio Hayasaka
91. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Alessandro Cicognini
92. Midnight Express (1978) - Giorgio Moroder
93. Princess Mononoke (1997) - Joe Hisaishi
94. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) - Philip Glass
95. There Will Be Blood (2007) - Jonny Greenwood
96. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Jack Nitzsche
97. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - Krzyzstof Komeda
98. The Sea Hawk (1940) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
99. Amarcord (1973) - Nino Rota
100. Now, Voyager (1942) - Max Steiner
101. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A.R. Rahman
102. Romeo and Juliet (1968) - Nino Rota
103. Spartacus (1960) - Alex North
104. Spellbound (1945) - Miklos Rozsa
105. All About Eve (1950) - Alfred Newman
106. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - Peter Gabriel
107. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - Franz Waxman
108. Round Midnight (1986) - Herbie Hancock
109. The Italian Job (1969) - Quincy Jones
110. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Louis F. Gottschalk
111. Modern Times (1936) - Charles Chaplin
112. Don't Look Now (1973) - Pino Donaggio
113. Kings Row (1942) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
114. Emma (1996) - Rachel Portman
115. The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) - Michel Legrand
116. Gladiator (2000) - Hans Zimmer
117. Drive (2011) - Cliff Martinez
118. Requiem For A Dream (2000) - Clint Mansell
119. A Star is Born (1954) - Ray Heindorf
120. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) - Malcolm Arnold
121. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Tan Dun
122. Alien (1979) - Jerry Goldsmith
123. A Man and a Woman (1966) - Francis Lai
124. Beauty and the Beast (1991) - Alan Menken
125. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - Klaus Badelt
126. The Guns of Navarone (1961) - Dimitri Tiomkin
127. Sorcerer (1977) - Tangerine Dream
128. Ran (1985) - Toru Takemitsu
129. The Beauty and the Beast (1946) - Georges Auric
130. Jules and Jim (1962) - Georges Delerue
131. Trouble Man (1972) - Marvin Gaye
132. Alfie (1966) - Sonny Rollins
133. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) - RZA
134. Dirty Harry (1971) - Lalo Schifrin
135. Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) - James Newton Howard
136. Do the Right Thing (1989) - Bill Lee
137. Deliverance (1972) - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandel
138. The Wicker Man (1973) - Paul Giovanni
139. The Devil in Miss Jones (1971) - Alden Shuman
140. Exodus (1960) - Ernest Gold
141. Ivan the Terrible (1944) - Sergei Prokofiev
142. Stalker (1979) - Eduard Artemiev
143. The Red Violin (1999) - John Corigliano
144. Sindhu Bairavi (1985) - Ilaiyaraaja
145. The Red Shoes (1948) - Brian Easdale
146. Gandhi (1982) - George Fenton
147. Citizen Kane (1941) - Bernard Herrmann
148. Sunrise (1927) - Hugo Riesenfeld
149. The Ten Commandments (1956) - Elmer Bernstein
150. Akira (1988) - Tsutomu Oshii
151. Cat People (1942) - Roy Webb
152. The Natural (1984) - Randy Newman
153. Legends of the Fall (1994) - James Horner
154. Henry V (1989) - Patrick Doyle
155. The Robe (1953) - Alfred Newman
156. The Thin Red Line (1998) - Hans Zimmer
157. Oppenheimer (2023) - Ludwig Goransson
158. Mulholland Drive (2001) - Angelo Badalamenti
159. Zorba the Greek (1964) - Mikis Theodorakis
160. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - Dimitri Tiomkin
161. Agni Nakshatraam (1988) - Ilaiyaraaja
162. Hana-Bi (1997) - Joe Hisaishi
163. The Village (2004) - James Newton Howard
164. Dil Se... (1998) - A.R. Rahman
165. The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) - Elmer Bernstein
166. Carol (2015) - Carter Burwell
167. The Heiress (1949) - Aaron Copland
168. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Danny Elfman
169. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - Joe Hisaishi
170. The Fountain (2005) - Clint Mansell
171. The Incredibles (2004) - Michael Giacchino
172. The Last Emperor (1987) - Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne & Cong Su
173. The Most Dangerous Game (1932) - Max Steiner
174. The Shape of Water (2017) - Alexandre Desplat
175. 28 Days Later (2002) - John Murphy
176. Glory (1989) - James Horner
177. Awaara (1951) - Shankar-Jaikishan
178. The Big Country (1958) - Jerome Moross
179. Road to Perdition (2002) - Thomas Newman
180. Cool Hand Luke (1967) - Lalo Schifrin
181. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - Burt Bacharach
182. The Fugitive (1993) - James Newton Howard
183. Atonement (2007) - Dario Marinelli
184. Forrest Gump (1994) - Alan Silvestri
185. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - John Williams
186. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - John Powell
187. The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) - Louis F. Gottschalk
188. The Thing (1982) - Ennio Morricone
189. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) - Popol Vuh
190. The Petrified Forest (1973) - Toru Takemitsu
191. Dunkirk (2017) - Hans Zimmer
192. The Virgin Suicides (1999) - Air
193. The Shining (1980) - Wendy Carlos
194. Sicario (2015) - Johann Johannsson
195. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Thomas Newman
196. Rashomon (1950) - Fumio Hayasaka
197. The Cobweb (1955) - Leonard Rosenman
198. Solaris (1972) - Eduard Artemiev
199. The Hateful Eight (2015) - Ennio Morricone
200. Poltergeist (1982) - Jerry Goldsmith

Didn't this list get updated yet?

OHHH Never mind, was confusing this with the composers list. This list needs a mega overhaul though....

I've been thinking about this recently and here's a revision I came up with
1. Star Wars (1977) - John Williams
2. Psycho (1960) - Bernard Herrmann
3. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) - Ennio Morricone
4. Gone With The Wind (1939) - Max Steiner
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - Maurice Jarre
6. The Godfather (1972) - Nino Rota
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - Howard Shore
8. Jaws (1975) - John Williams
9. King Kong (1933) - Max Steiner
10. The Magnificent Seven (1960) - Elmer Bernstein
11. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
12. High Noon (1952) - Dimitri Tiomkin
13. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) - John Williams
14. Laura (1944) - David Raksin
15. Dr. No (1962) - John Barry
16. The Pink Panther (1963) - Henry Mancini
17. Vertigo (1958) - Bernard Herrmann
18. How The West Was Won (1962) - Alfred Newman
19. Chinatown (1974) - Jerry Goldsmith
20. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) - Elmer Bernstein
21. Jurassic Park (1993) - John Williams
22. Ben-Hur (1959) - Miklos Rozsa
23. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - John Williams
24. Planet of the Apes (1968) - Jerry Goldsmith
25. Batman (1989) - Danny Elfman
26. Rocky (1976) - Bill Conti
27. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) - Ennio Morricone
28. Sunset Boulevard (1950) - Franz Waxman
29. Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Maurice Jarre
30. Schindler's List (1993) - John Williams
31. Blade Runner (1982) - Vangelis
32. The Mission (1986) - Ennio Morricone
33. The Omen (1976) - Jerry Goldsmith
34. Superman (1978) - John Williams
35. The Social Network (2010) - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
36. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Herbert Stothart
37. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - Jerry Goldsmith
38. Dances With Wolves (1990) - John Barry
39. Interstellar (2014) - Hans Zimmer
40. Alexander Nevsky (1938) - Sergei Prokofiev
41. The Lion In Winter (1968) - John Barry
42. Contempt (1963) - Georges Delerue
43. Out of Africa (1985) - John Barry
44. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1963) - Michel Legrand
45. Taxi Driver (1976) - Bernard Herrmann
46. American Beauty (1999) - Thomas Newman
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - Alex North
48. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - John Williams
49. Saagara Sangamam (1983) - Ilaiyaraaja
50. On The Waterfront (1954) - Leonard Bernstein
51. Chariots of Fire (1981) - Vangelis
52. 8½ (1963) - Nino Rota
53. The Third Man (1949) - Anton Karas
54. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) - John Williams
55. Conan the Barbarian (1982) - Basil Poledouris
56. Godzilla (1954) - Akira Ifukube
57. Elevator to the Gallows (1958) - Miles Davis
58. Braveheart (1995) - James Horner
59. On Golden Pond (1981) - Dave Grusin
60. Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961) - Henry Mancini
Davis
61. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - Alexandre Desplat
62. Around The World In 80 Days (1956) - Victor Young
63. Cinema Paradiso (1988) - Ennio Morricone
64. Toy Story (1995) - Randy Newman
65. The Lion King (1994) - Hans Zimmer
66. A Place In The Sun (1951) - Franz Waxman
67. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - Franz Waxman
68. Titanic (1997) - James Horner
69. La La Land (2016) - Justin Hurwitz
70. Up (2009) - Michael Giacchino
71. Casablanca (1942) - Max Steiner
72. Once Upon A Time In America (1984) - Ennio Morricone
73. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) - Hugo Friedhofer
74. Inception (2010) - Hans Zimmer
75. Bullitt (1968) - Lalo Schifrin
76. Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter
77. Koyaanisqatsi (1982) - Philip Glass
78. Spirited Away (2001) - Joe Hisaishi
79. Amarcord (1973) - Nino Rota
80. North By Northwest (1959) - Bernard Herrmann
81. Seven Samurai (1954) - Fumio Hayasaka
82. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Alessandro Cicognini
83. Midnight Express (1978) - Giorgio Moroder
84. Princess Mononoke (1997) - Joe Hisaishi
85. There Will Be Blood (2007) - Jonny Greenwood
86. The Sea Hawk (1940) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
87. The Great Escape (1963) - Elmer Bernstein
88. Now, Voyager (1942) - Max Steiner
89. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A.R. Rahman
90. Romeo and Juliet (1968) - Nino Rota
91. Spartacus (1960) - Alex North
92. Spellbound (1945) - Miklos Rozsa
93. All About Eve (1950) - Alfred Newman
94. Back To The Future (1985) - Alan Silvestri
95. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Louis F. Gottschalk
96. Modern Times (1936) - Charles Chaplin
97. Kings Row (1942) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
98. Emma (1996) - Rachel Portman
99. The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) - Michel Legrand
100. Gladiator (2000) - Hans Zimmer
101. A Star is Born (1954) - Ray Heindorf
102. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) - Malcolm Arnold
103. Alien (1979) - Jerry Goldsmith
104. A Man and a Woman (1966) - Francis Lai
105. Beauty and the Beast (1991) - Alan Menken
106. Ran (1985) - Toru Takemitsu
107. The Beauty and the Beast (1946) - Georges Auric
108. Jules and Jim (1962) - Georges Delerue
109. Exodus (1960) - Ernest Gold
110. Shaft (1971) - Isaac Hayes
111. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Wendy Carlos
112. Ivan the Terrible (1944) - Sergei Prokofiev
113. Stalker (1979) - Eduard Artemiev
114. The Red Violin (1999) - John Corigliano
115. Sindhu Bairavi (1985) - Ilaiyaraaja
116. The Red Shoes (1948) - Brian Easdale
117. Gandhi (1982) - George Fenton
118. Citizen Kane (1941) - Bernard Herrmann
119. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - Duke Ellington
120. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - Klaus Badelt
121. Sunrise (1927) - Hugo Riesenfeld
122. Cat People (1942) - Roy Webb
123. Legends of the Fall (1994) - James Horner
124. Henry V (1989) - Patrick Doyle
125. The Robe (1953) - Alfred Newman
126. The Thin Red Line (1998) - Hans Zimmer
127. Oppenheimer (2023) - Ludwig Goransson
128. Under the Skin (2013) - Mica Levi
129. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Tan Dun
130. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - Dimitri Tiomkin
131. Agni Nakshatraam (1988) - Ilaiyaraaja
132. A Summer Place (1959) - Max Steiner
133. Hana-Bi (1997) - Joe Hisaishi
134. The Village (2004) - James Newton Howard
135. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) - Michael Kamen
136. Dil Se… (1998) - A.R. Rahman
137. The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) - Elmer Bernstein
138. Quo Vadis (1951) - Miklos Rozsa
139. The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - Alfred Newman
140. Hatari! (1962) - Henry Mancini
141. The Heiress (1949) - Aaron Copland
142. Suspiria (1977) - Goblin
143. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) - Angelo Badalamenti
144. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Danny Elfman
145. Requiem For A Dream (2000) - Clint Mansell
146. The Incredibles (2004) - Michael Giacchino
147. The Informer (1935) - Max Steiner
148. The Shape of Water (2017) - Alexandre Desplat
149. Adventures of Don Juan (1948) - Max Steiner
150. Glory (1989) - James Horner
151. Awaara (1951) - Shankar-Jaikishan
152. The Big Country (1958) - Jerome Moross
153. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) - Bernard Herrmann
154. Road to Perdition (2002) - Thomas Newman
155. Cool Hand Luke (1967) - Lalo Schifrin
156. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - Burt Bacharach
157. The Red Pony (1949) - Aaron Copland
158. The Fugitive (1993) - James Newton Howard
159. Atonement (2007) - Dario Marinelli
160. Woman in the Dunes (1964) - Toru Takemitsu
161. Random Harvest (1942) - Herbert Stothart
162. Forrest Gump (1994) - Alan Silvestri
163. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - John Powell
164. The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) - Louis F. Gottschalk
165. Rashomon (1950) - Fumio Hayasaka
166. Paris, Texas (1984) - Ry Cooder
167. The Cobweb (1955) - Leonard Rosenman
168. Solaris (1972) - Eduard Artemiev
169. The Hateful Eight (2015) - Ennio Morricone
170. Captain From Castile (1947) - Alfred Newman
171. The Ten Commandments (1956) - Elmer Bernstein
172. Poltergeist (1982) - Jerry Goldsmith
173. Aladdin (1992) - Alan Menken
174. A Passage To India (1984) - Maurice Jarre
175. Hans Christian Andersen (1952) - Walter Scharf
176. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) - Ryuichi Sakamoto
177. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - John Williams
178. The Thing (1982) - Ennio Morricone
179. Edward Scissorhands (1990) - Danny Elfman
180. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) - Popol Vuh
181. Pather Panchali (1955) - Ravi Shankar
182. Metropolis (1927) - Gottfried Huppertz
183. The Little Mermaid (1989) - Alan Menken
184. The Harvey Girls (1946) - Lennie Hayton
185. Summer of ‘42 (1971) - Michel Legrand
186. Barsaat (1949) - Shankar-Jaikishan
187. Dragonslayer (1981) - Alex North
188. Taras Bulba (1962) - Franz Waxman
189. Patton (1970) - Jerry Goldsmith
190. Phantom Thread (2017) - Jonny Greenwood
191. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) - Nicholas Britell
192. Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) - Bronislaw Kaper
193. La Strada (1954) - Nino Rota
194. Dunkirk (2017) - Hans Zimmer
195. From Here to Eternity (1953) - Morris Stoloff
196. The Shining (1980) - Wendy Carlos
197. Sicario (2015) - Johann Johannsson
198. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) - Philip Glass
199. Dune (2021) - Hans Zimmer
200. Drive (2011) - Cliff Martinez

Nice list, Mano. Here's a top 50 film scores/soundtracks list I came up a while ago in comparison:

1. Star Wars - John Williams (1977)
2. Gone with the Wind - Max Steiner (1939)
3. Lawrence of Arabia - Maurice Jarre (1962)
4. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Ennio Morricone (1966)
5. The Godfather - Nino Rota (1972)
6. Psycho - Bernard Herrmann (1960)
7. Jaws - John Williams (1975)
8. King Kong - Max Steiner (1933)
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Howard Shore (2001)
10. The Magnificent Seven - Elmer Bernstein (1960)
11. The Wizard of Oz - Herbert Stothart (1939)
12. Chinatown - Jerry Goldsmith (1974)
13. Alexander Nevsky - Sergei Prokofiev (1938)
14. High Noon - Dimitri Tiomkin (1952)
15. The Adventures of Robin Hood - Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1938)
16. Vertigo - Bernard Herrmann (1958)
17. Pather Panchali - Ravi Shankar (1955)
18. Laura - David Raksin (1944)
19. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial - John Williams (1982)
20. Blade Runner - Vangelis (1982)
21. Out of Africa - John Barry (1985)
22. Sunset Boulevard - Franz Waxman (1950)
23. To Kill a Mockingbird - Elmer Bernstein (1962)
24. Planet of the Apes - Jerry Goldsmith (1968)
25. A Streetcar Named Desire - Alex North (1951)
26. The Pink Panther - Henry Mancini (1963)
27. Ben-Hur - Miklos Rozsa (1959)
28. On the Waterfron - Leonard Bernstein (1954)
29. The Mission - Ennio Morricone (1986)
30. Taxi Driver - Bernard Herrmann (1976)
31. A Fistful Of Dollars - Ennio Morricone (1964)
32. Shaft - Isaac Hayes (1971)
33. Elevator to the Gallows - Miles Davis (1958)
34. Singin' In The Rain - Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown (1952)
35. American Beauty - Thomas Newman (1999)
36. Fire Walk With Me - Angelo Badalamenti (1992)
37. A Clockwork Orange - Wendy Carlos (1971)
38. Paris, Texas - Ry Cooder (1984)
39. Goldfinger - John Barry (1964)
40. On Golden Pound - Dave Grusin (1981)
41. How the West Was Won - Alfred Newman (1962)
42. The Third Man - Anton Karas (1949)
43. Toy Story - Randy Newman (1995)
44. Round Midnight - Herbie Hancock (1986)
45. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - The Rza (1999)
46. Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye (1972)
47. Rosemary's Baby - Krzysztof Komeda (1968)
48. Alfie - Sonny Rollins (1966)
49. The Italian Job - Quincy Jones (1969)
50. Once Upon A TIme In America - Ennio Morricone (1984)

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Jack Nitzsche (1975)
North By Northwest - Bernard Herrmann (1959)
Deliverance - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandel (1972)
Don't Look Now - Pino Donaggio (1973)
Casablanca - Max Steiner & Hugo W. Friedhofer (1942)
Snow Falling On Cedars - James Newton Howard (1999)
The Wicker Man - Paul Giovanni (1973)
Dirty Harry - Lalo Schifrin (1971)
The Devil In Miss Jones - Alden Shuman (1973)

Taking your list into account a bit. I probably did too much to make my original list 'line up' with the composers list (i.e. having Paris, Texas lower due to Ry Cooder only being an honorable mention on that list)

1. Star Wars (1977) - John Williams
2. Psycho (1960) - Bernard Herrmann
3. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) - Ennio Morricone
4. Gone With The Wind (1939) - Max Steiner
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - Maurice Jarre
6. The Godfather (1972) - Nino Rota
7. Jaws (1975) - John Williams
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - Howard Shore
9. King Kong (1933) - Max Steiner
10. The Magnificent Seven (1960) - Elmer Bernstein
11. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
12. High Noon (1952) - Dimitri Tiomkin
13. Laura (1944) - David Raksin
14. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Herbert Stothart
15. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) - John Williams
16. The Pink Panther (1963) - Henry Mancini
17. Blade Runner (1982) - Vangelis
18. Vertigo (1958) - Bernard Herrmann
19. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - John Williams
20. Chinatown (1974) - Jerry Goldsmith
21. Alexander Nevsky (1938) - Sergei Prokofiev
22. Goldfinger (1964) - John Barry
23. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) - Elmer Bernstein
24. Ben-Hur (1959) - Miklos Rozsa
25. Sunset Boulevard (1950) - Franz Waxman
26. Jurassic Park (1993) - John Williams
27. Rocky (1976) - Bill Conti
28. Planet of the Apes (1968) - Jerry Goldsmith
29. Batman (1989) - Danny Elfman
30. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) - Ennio Morricone
31. How The West Was Won (1962) - Alfred Newman
32. Taxi Driver (1976) - Bernard Herrmann
33. Pather Panchali (1955) - Ravi Shankar
34. Elevator to the Gallows (1958) - Miles Davis
35. Shaft (1971) - Isaac Hayes
36. Superman (1978) - John Williams
37. The Mission (1986) - Ennio Morricone
38. Out of Africa (1985) - John Barry
39. American Beauty (1999) - Thomas Newman
40. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - Alex North
41. The Social Network (2010) - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
42. Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Maurice Jarre
43. Schindler's List (1993) - John Williams
44. The Omen (1976) - Jerry Goldsmith
45. On The Waterfront (1954) - Leonard Bernstein
46. Contempt (1963) - Georges Delerue
47. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1963) - Michel Legrand
48. Godzilla (1954) - Akira Ifukube
49. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - John Williams
50. Saagara Sangamam (1983) - Ilaiyaraaja
51. Toy Story (1995) - Randy Newman
52. Chariots of Fire (1981) - Vangelis
53. The Third Man (1949) - Anton Karas
54. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Wendy Carlos
55. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) - John Williams
56. Paris, Texas (1984) - Ry Cooder
57. 8½ (1963) - Nino Rota
58. Titanic (1997) - James Horner
59. Interstellar (2014) - Hans Zimmer
60. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - Jerry Goldsmith
61. Casablanca (1942) - Max Steiner
62. North By Northwest (1959) - Bernard Herrmann
63. The Lion King (1994) - Hans Zimmer
64. Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961) - Henry Mancini
65. Braveheart (1995) - James Horner
66. Dances With Wolves (1990) - John Barry
67. Conan the Barbarian (1982) - Basil Poledouris
68. The Lion In Winter (1968) - John Barry
69. On Golden Pond (1981) - Dave Grusin
70. Koyaanisqatsi (1982) - Philip Glass
71. Singin' in the Rain (1952) - Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown
72. Once Upon A Time In America (1984) - Ennio Morricone
73. The Great Escape (1963) - Elmer Bernstein
74. Inception (2010) - Hans Zimmer
75. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - Alexandre Desplat
76. Around The World In 80 Days (1956) - Victor Young
77. Cinema Paradiso (1988) - Ennio Morricone
78. A Place In The Sun (1951) - Franz Waxman
79. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - Duke Ellington
80. Suspiria (1977) - Goblin
81. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) - Angelo Badalamenti
82. La La Land (2016) - Justin Hurwitz
83. Up (2009) - Michael Giacchino
84. Back To The Future (1985) - Alan Silvestri
85. Under the Skin (2013) - Mica Levi
86. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) - Hugo Friedhofer
87. Bullitt (1968) - Lalo Schifrin
88. Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter
89. Spirited Away (2001) - Joe Hisaishi
90. Seven Samurai (1954) - Fumio Hayasaka
91. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Alessandro Cicognini
92. Midnight Express (1978) - Giorgio Moroder
93. Princess Mononoke (1997) - Joe Hisaishi
94. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) - Philip Glass
95. There Will Be Blood (2007) - Jonny Greenwood
96. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Jack Nitzsche
97. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - Krzyzstof Komeda
98. The Sea Hawk (1940) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
99. Amarcord (1973) - Nino Rota
100. Now, Voyager (1942) - Max Steiner
101. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A.R. Rahman
102. Romeo and Juliet (1968) - Nino Rota
103. Spartacus (1960) - Alex North
104. Spellbound (1945) - Miklos Rozsa
105. All About Eve (1950) - Alfred Newman
106. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - Peter Gabriel
107. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - Franz Waxman
108. Round Midnight (1986) - Herbie Hancock
109. The Italian Job (1969) - Quincy Jones
110. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Louis F. Gottschalk
111. Modern Times (1936) - Charles Chaplin
112. Don't Look Now (1973) - Pino Donaggio
113. Kings Row (1942) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
114. Emma (1996) - Rachel Portman
115. The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) - Michel Legrand
116. Gladiator (2000) - Hans Zimmer
117. Drive (2011) - Cliff Martinez
118. Requiem For A Dream (2000) - Clint Mansell
119. A Star is Born (1954) - Ray Heindorf
120. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) - Malcolm Arnold
121. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Tan Dun
122. Alien (1979) - Jerry Goldsmith
123. A Man and a Woman (1966) - Francis Lai
124. Beauty and the Beast (1991) - Alan Menken
125. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - Klaus Badelt
126. The Guns of Navarone (1961) - Dimitri Tiomkin
127. Sorcerer (1977) - Tangerine Dream
128. Ran (1985) - Toru Takemitsu
129. The Beauty and the Beast (1946) - Georges Auric
130. Jules and Jim (1962) - Georges Delerue
131. Trouble Man (1972) - Marvin Gaye
132. Alfie (1966) - Sonny Rollins
133. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) - RZA
134. Dirty Harry (1971) - Lalo Schifrin
135. Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) - James Newton Howard
136. Do the Right Thing (1989) - Bill Lee
137. Deliverance (1972) - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandel
138. The Wicker Man (1973) - Paul Giovanni
139. The Devil in Miss Jones (1971) - Alden Shuman
140. Exodus (1960) - Ernest Gold
141. Ivan the Terrible (1944) - Sergei Prokofiev
142. Stalker (1979) - Eduard Artemiev
143. The Red Violin (1999) - John Corigliano
144. Sindhu Bairavi (1985) - Ilaiyaraaja
145. The Red Shoes (1948) - Brian Easdale
146. Gandhi (1982) - George Fenton
147. Citizen Kane (1941) - Bernard Herrmann
148. Sunrise (1927) - Hugo Riesenfeld
149. The Ten Commandments (1956) - Elmer Bernstein
150. Akira (1988) - Tsutomu Oshii
151. Cat People (1942) - Roy Webb
152. The Natural (1984) - Randy Newman
153. Legends of the Fall (1994) - James Horner
154. Henry V (1989) - Patrick Doyle
155. The Robe (1953) - Alfred Newman
156. The Thin Red Line (1998) - Hans Zimmer
157. Oppenheimer (2023) - Ludwig Goransson
158. Mulholland Drive (2001) - Angelo Badalamenti
159. Zorba the Greek (1964) - Mikis Theodorakis
160. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - Dimitri Tiomkin
161. Agni Nakshatraam (1988) - Ilaiyaraaja
162. Hana-Bi (1997) - Joe Hisaishi
163. The Village (2004) - James Newton Howard
164. Dil Se… (1998) - A.R. Rahman
165. The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) - Elmer Bernstein
166. Carol (2015) - Carter Burwell
167. The Heiress (1949) - Aaron Copland
168. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Danny Elfman
169. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - Joe Hisaishi
170. The Fountain (2005) - Clint Mansell
171. The Incredibles (2004) - Michael Giacchino
172. The Last Emperor (1987) - Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne & Cong Su
173. The Most Dangerous Game (1932) - Max Steiner
174. The Shape of Water (2017) - Alexandre Desplat
175. 28 Days Later (2002) - John Murphy
176. Glory (1989) - James Horner
177. Awaara (1951) - Shankar-Jaikishan
178. The Big Country (1958) - Jerome Moross
179. Road to Perdition (2002) - Thomas Newman
180. Cool Hand Luke (1967) - Lalo Schifrin
181. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - Burt Bacharach
182. The Fugitive (1993) - James Newton Howard
183. Atonement (2007) - Dario Marinelli
184. Forrest Gump (1994) - Alan Silvestri
185. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - John Williams
186. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - John Powell
187. The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) - Louis F. Gottschalk
188. The Thing (1982) - Ennio Morricone
189. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) - Popol Vuh
190. The Petrified Forest (1973) - Toru Takemitsu
191. Dunkirk (2017) - Hans Zimmer
192. The Virgin Suicides (1999) - Air
193. The Shining (1980) - Wendy Carlos
194. Sicario (2015) - Johann Johannsson
195. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Thomas Newman
196. Rashomon (1950) - Fumio Hayasaka
197. The Cobweb (1955) - Leonard Rosenman
198. Solaris (1972) - Eduard Artemiev
199. The Hateful Eight (2015) - Ennio Morricone
200. Poltergeist (1982) - Jerry Goldsmith

Is the criteria for the new list the same as the old one? Anyway, I like this list, and am happy to see The Magnificent Seven in the top ten and High Noon just outside it.

Some other things:

-the score for Dr. No is credited to Monty Norman, not John Barry.

-I could easily see this being a top 250 (or so), but maybe I'm just bitter that Jerry Goldsmith's The Wind and the Lion and Ennio Morricone's The Untouchables were knocked off the list.

-Depending on criteria and whatnot, I could see Vangelis' Blade Runner score being as high as #13 (or so), as Pitchfork named it the greatest film score of all time and Wikipedia currently saying that the "dialogue and music in Blade Runner has been sampled in music more than any other film of the 20th century."

-I know that the list doesn't want to frontload John Williams scores, but I could see his score for Raiders of the Lost Ark being as high as #11-#16 or so. I mean, everybody knows "The Raiders March."

-Elmer Bernstein's The Great Escape seems far too low (to me, anyway) at #93. Isn't it a smash hit with fans of the England football team (I'm an Am*r*c*n, so I'm no expert on the subject)? It's pretty iconic, so I could potentially see it as high as #31-#40, depending on criteria.

-On another Elmer Bernstein-related note, I see that his The Ten Commandments score is missing from the latest list posted. I would've thought that that would've been a lock for the top 150 or so.

-I think Dimitri Tiomkin's The Guns of Navarone score (which was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe and a Grammy) would be a good fit for around #91-#100, as the main theme tune has become a bit of a standard, being covered by the likes of The Skatalites, Johnny Griffin, Al Caiola, and the Hollyridge Strings.

-This is a long shot, but Max Steiner's musical score for King Kong (1933) was preceded as an original score to play frequently throughout the runtime of a sound movie by his own score to The Most Dangerous Game (1932). However, I'm not really sure how "significant" the Steiner score for TMDG is in comparison to KK's. If the TMDG score was included, it would probably be towards the bottom.

-I'm not sure if this technically part of the criteria, but the reverent Saving Private Ryan score from John Williams had enough of an influence on World War II movies and video games to come to make the list (maybe #141-#150?).

-Assuming that the "one entry per franchise" rule is still in place, would Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy be considered a different series from the Tim Burton one?

-Would a sidelist of movies with scores/soundtracks famous for using pre-existing musical pieces be a good idea or not? It could include the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Un Chien Andalou, one of the Mission: Impossible films, The Exorcist (maybe?), and possibly Casablanca.

Anyway, I would consider this an improvement over the old list. The suggestions above are just that: suggestions (not demands), so don't take them too seriously.

No Mikis Theodorakis in your top 200, Man? I'd say either Z or Zorba the Greek could be on here.

An impressive list for sure, well done gentleman. A few thoughts:

-I also could see Raiders of the Lost Ark slightly higher

-Requiem for a Dream is a pretty influential score that has been used in a lot of trailers/pop culture so I could see that a lot higher

-28 Days Later has an influential/iconic score that should probably be here somewhere

-Would be nice to see more Angelo Badalamenti scores on this list (I'm thrilled that TPFWWM is on the list, but I also feel like it's weirdly singled out for some reason), so would be nice to see Blue Velvet + Mulholland Dr. on here as well.

-A couple of other of potential scores that could make the list include: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Arrival, Brokeback Mountain, Challengers, The Zone of Interest, Babylon, The Batman, Fargo, First Man, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, The Brutalist, My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle, Avatar, Us, Poor Things, Joker, Her, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Soul, Monsters, Inc., Good Time, Uncut Gems, Spencer, The Avengers, Deep Red, Punch Drunk Love, Mad Max: Fury Road, Catch Me If You Can, Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth

Oh, and be sure to credit both David Byrne + Cong Su for the "The Last Emperor" score.

I made some changes based on your suggestions

Man, have you thought about expanding the list to 250?

I kind of like it at 200.

The new list is awesome. I dig it! This is sort of a weird thing to say, but I would love, if some day, a YouTube video was made with a collage/suite sampling all of these picks as a countdown.

R.I.P., The Wind and the Lion and The Untouchables being on the list, though.

Area Man wrote: Sun Nov 16, 2025 7:40 pm The new list is awesome. I dig it! This is sort of a weird thing to say, but I would love, if some day, a YouTube video was made with a collage/suite sampling all of these picks as a countdown.

R.I.P., The Wind and the Lion and The Untouchables being on the list, though.

I feel the same way about "Krull" (bad movie, but GREAT score!)