Music is one of the most crucial aspects of a movie. A good, powerful, memorable musical score can greatly amplify the atmosphere of a film, as well as expand on its themes and characters. Over the course of the history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Best Original Score category has seen multiple shifts and modifications, until becoming what it is today.
Throughout the decades, many outstanding scores from iconic movies have been recognized with anOscar. From the legendary works ofJohn Williamsto classics likeMaurice Jarre’s music forLawrence of Arabia,Best Original Score winners have proved time and time again that cinema without great music just wouldn’t be the same.
10’The Lion King' (1994)
By Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmeris the godfather of modern movie score composing, as well asthe highest-grossing composerat the international box office. It is then tough to believe that he has only won two Oscars, but it’s no surprise that the first came for one of his greatest works:The Lion King, Disney’s animated classic about a lion prince who’s exiled by his deceiving uncle and has to return home to reclaim his throne.
While the songs were composed byElton Johnwith lyrics byTim Rice,Zimmer was behind the rousing score of this beautiful tale of growth, maturity, and rebirth. As moving as it is exciting and as deep as it is catchy, the score ofThe Lion Kingis a large part of why its story is so compelling.
The Lion King
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9’Black Panther' (2018)
By Ludwig Göransson
Still thehighest-rated entry in the MCU on Rotten Tomatoes,Ryan Coogler’sBlack Pantherfinds T’Challa, heir to the hidden but highly advanced African kingdom of Wakanda, having to step forward as its leader right as the nation sees itself having to confront its challenging past.Ludwig Göransson, who has quickly cemented himself as one of the most exciting new voices in film scoring, was the mind behind the movie’s outstanding score.
Though some think thatBlack Pantherreceived much more Oscar love in 2019 than it deserved (including a Best Picture nomination), no one would argue that its Original Score win was undeserved.Göransson mixes authentic African instrumentations(including the iconic sound of the talking drum that gives the film much of its personality)with more modern elements of hip-hop, to incredible effect.
Black Panther
8’West Side Story' (1961)
By Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, and Irwin Kostal
Over the years, many of the songs fromLeonard BernsteinandStephen Sondheim’sWest Side Storyhave become some of the signature sounds of not only Broadway but musical cinema as well. For the score of this modern take onRomeo and Juliet, it was music supervisorsSaul ChaplinandJohnny Green, along with orchestratorsSid RaminandIrwin Kostal, who received the coveted Scoring of a Musical Picture Oscar.
IfWest Side Storyis considered by many one ofthe best musical movies of all time, it’s in no small measure thanks to its exceptionally powerful and catchy music.It’s about as grand, elegant, and complex as one would expect the score of such a narratively intricate movie to be, offering lots of moments of romance, suspense, and unrestrained emotion.
West Side Story
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7’Up' (2009)
By Michael Giacchino
From its first few opening minutes alone,Upis easily one ofthe saddest moviesof the past few years. Largely, these opening scenes are as moving as they are thanks to the exceptional score ofMichael Giacchino, who turns this story about a 78-year-old traveling with a young stowaway to Paradise Falls in his flying house into an exciting, sweet, deeply emotional adventure comedy.
Giacchino finds a core leitmotif that’s more than enough to serve as the backbone of the entire movie, and on that basis, he expands to different musical areas that amplify the emotional power of every single scene they accompany perfectly. Not many scores are just as delightful to listen to by themselves as they are along with the movies they come from, but this is definitely one of them.
6’E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982)
By John Williams
Everyone, even if they’ve never seenSteven Spielberg’s iconic sci-fi family filmE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, has listened to its main theme at least once in their lives. Inthis tender little coming-of-ageabout a troubled child who has to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet, John Williams’s music is as much of a character as E.T. himself.
Williams perfectly captures the emotional atmosphere of the whole film,offering several different tracks that are equally well-written and beautifully orchestrated. More than anything, though, Williams succeeded at conveying the magic of childhood innocence and of kids' courage, a sentiment that’s printed on every song.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Rent on Amazon
5’Schindler’s List' (1993)
As if there was any doubt back in 1993 that he was one of the greatest film composers to ever live,John Williamsproved his versatility with one of his most distinct and harrowing pieces of work inSchindler’s List, a WWIIdrama about the controversial German industrialistwho leveraged his position to save his Jewish workers from Nazi persecution.
With the soul-crushing violin ofItzhak Perlman,Williams’s score helps director Steven Spielberg build a highly effective atmosphere of uncertainty and pain, with just a hint of hope constantly detectable under the surface. It’s without a doubt the most emotionally stirring work of John Williams’s career, and it deservedly earned him his fifth (and latest) Academy Award.
Schindler’s List (1995)
4’Lawrence of Arabia' (1962)
By Maurice Jarre
Chief among historical epics,Lawrence of Arabiais a nearly four-hour desert adventure that tells the story ofT.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the warring Arab tribes during WWI in order to fight the Turks. Winner of a whopping seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Original Score, it’s worthy of being considered one of the best films of all time.
The incredible Maurice Jarre, undoubtedly one of the greatest film composers to ever grace the silver screen, was behind the rousing score ofLawrence of Arabia.His work on this film influenced the music of all cinematic epics that would follow, and the reasons why are obvious. Brimming with emotion, pathos, and creativity, it’s a score as full of grandeur as the movie it upholds.
Lawrence of Arabia
3’The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
By Howard Shore
For many decades,Howard Shorehas proved to be as versatile and admirable a film score composer as any, from his work on the horror films ofDavid Cronenbergto his more restrained work on films likeSpotlight. However, no one can deny that his best work is onPeter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy. His conclusion of the series inReturn of the Kingin particular is one of the most jaw-dropping musical pieces ever seen in a threequel.
With some of the best character arcsand riveting action sequencesin the history of fantasy cinema to bolster his artistic voice, Shore is able to create a gorgeous soundscape that, while building on the leitmotifs of the previous two films,also somehow finds a number of ways to build on top of them and bring new things to the table. It’s thrilling, moving, and effortlessly tear-inducing when it needs to be.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
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2’Star Wars' (1977)
What more needs to be said about the score that has served as the signature sound of the sci-fi movie genre for decades? John Williams has composed multiple ofcinema’s most iconic scores, but none are more exciting and instantly recognizable than his score forStar Wars.
With numerous catchy tunes, an astonishing depth of instrumentation and creativity,and leitmotifs that flawlessly capture the spirit of the characters and storylines, Williams made what is at once one of the most entertaining and most artistically admirable works of film music ever created. Time has been nothing if not kind to the master’s music, and this is his magnum opus.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
1’The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001)
Howard Shore’s work on the wholeLord of the Ringstrilogy has the strength of feeling like one unified, epic whole, but if there had to be only one that could be called the best, the choice is easy:The Fellowship of the Ringhas what is not the best Oscar-winning original score, but perhaps one of the best movie scores of all time.
Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth is one ofthe most enveloping fictional worldsin the history of movies, and Shore’s score inFellowshipplays a massive role in that fact that cannot be overstated. From the nostalgia and charm of “Concerning Hobbits” to the sheer tension and thrill of “The Bridge of Khazad-dûm”,the score is full of powerful and memorable tracks that are a delight to listen to on their ownbut gain even more tremendous potency when anchoring the scenes of the movie.
