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Favorite Movie Soundtrack?

So... I'm not saying this is the best score ever, but I've always had a particular soft spot for Ladyhawke by Andrew Powell (and produced by Alan Parsons). It's a product of its time and gets a bit hokey sometimes, but it's energetic and joyous and inventive and not a little rebellious - it taught me at a young age that film music doesn't have to fit into any particular box. And it's absolutely beautiful at its most delicate.

But I can't resist a long list of honorable mentions: Star Trek II, Batman, Jaws, King Kong (John Barry), Pleasantville, Starship Troopers, The Rock, The Fifth Element, Independence Day, The Land Before Time, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (seriously, John Du Prez is one of the most criminally forgotten composers of all time - see also A Fish Called Wanda). Can you tell I'm an 80s kid? :laugh:

Oh and Star Wars of course, but since so many people have mentioned New Hope, let me toss my coin in for the fearsome brass and chilly, mechanical textures of Empire.
 
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I love soundtracks that become another character in the movie, even if they don't stand up alone without the pictures. For me, it is Spy Game by Harry Gregson Williams. So many different styles to match the different locations and times of the movie. His work with Tony Scott was the perfect thriller partnership.

An honourable mention goes to John Powell for the Bourne movies.
It's rare for me to see someone talking about those scores these days, which are two of my favourites ever, so it's always cool to see that other people feel the same. I only disagree with you in the sense that I believe both of those scores stand up perfectly when apart from the picture. I know a lot of people don't feel the same, but I'm one of those weirdos that just love to hear good thriller/tension scores apart from the respective movies, don't ask me why... Sometimes I'm just in a thriller mood. And Spy Game pretty much has it all, from gritty techno stuff to absolutely beautiful lyrical passages. Might very well be Harry's best work in the genre.

HG-W's work with Tony Scott is the stuff of legend for me, I pretty much grew up listening closely to those scores, ever since I saw Spy Game, which is also one of my favorite movies of all time. So I guess that score would be up there for my favourite, even though I can't choose only one.
 
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It's a perfect score for a perfect / near-perfect movie.
Have you heard the 2cd version with the original score - I mean the unused version before they realized it was a comedy? Absolutely fascinating comparison. Of course the final version is best, but I think there's a lot to learn from hearing the same cues with the same themes but a different emotional intent.
 
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I have to choose The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Just because of the style, the way it's composed and orchestrated just fits my tastes and it's what brought me into orchestral music and the 'classical' world ; and why I have so much love for woodwinds.
 
If we're talking favourite, it's a bit of a toss-up between The Fountain (Clint Mansell), Aguirre (Popol Vuh) and the Taking of Pelham 123 (David Shire).

However, if it needs to be a classic favourite in terms of influence, originality etc, I'd vote for Planet of the Apes over those. Or Alexander Nevsky.
 
Bernard Hermann's score for Hitchcock's North by Northwest. I had the pleasure of playing the harp part in a concert orchestral version of that once, with specially procured score and parts. Sent shivers down my spine.
 
Steve Jablonsky - Your Highness.
I love LOTR ost, Zimmer's work (Pirates, Inception, Dark Knight etc.) Williams' soundtracks are also exceptional most of the time but not enough people know about Your Highness OST (probalby because the movie was... not so good for most people).
 
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