Great Film Composers

[MacNimon]

John Barry (007 films, The Ipcress File, Company Of Wolves etc)
Elmer Bernstein (The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven etc)
John Williams (Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones etc)
Jerry Goldsmith (Alien, Star Trek TMP, First Blood etc)
Basil Poledouris (Conan, Starship Troopers, Lonesome Dove (tv)etc)
Ron Goodwin (Battle Of Britain, 633 Squadron, Where Eagles Dare etc)
Danny Elfman (Batman, Beetlejuice, Planet Of The Apes etc)
James Horner (Aliens, Patriot Games, Titanic etc)
Burt Bacharach (Casino Royale, Butch Cassidy, Arthur etc)


Like musicians in every other field of recording, movie composers have their own recognisable style and much of their work can be enjoyed as great pieces of music in their own right. Above is a list of some of my own favourite composers from the past 50 years or so, alongside only a few of the films they scored.

Who do you rate among your favourite film composers?

[Pip Madeley]

Where's Bernard Hermann? His scores for Psycho, Vertigo and Taxi Driver were masterpieces.

[Jon Masters]

Ennio Morricone - the man never wrote a bad score.

[MacNimon]

I'm surprised I didn't put Morricone's name in the list, as he's one of my favourites , but there's a limit to these polls...(that's why the final option is A.N.Other! ) Hermann, of course, is another notable not listed, as is Henry Mancini...and I've no doubt there are loads more.

But it just shows how many great film scores there have been over the years. I find it hard to pick a favourite from the many names and the great music they've given us, and with hindsight this would have been better as an open poll where you could choose several options. It's too late now, though!

[cyberchris35]

I voted for John Williams because the Star Wars soundtrack is just fantastic, from the first bars of the theme to the end it just compliments the movies. I think his soundtracks are some of the best.

[SiHart]

I've gone for John Barry. His Bond scores are absolutely iconic- all different and yet feeling the same and his sounds still dominate the scores for the films today. That's a major achievement I think.

Si xx

[Antony Cox]

I've voted for John Barry too, purely for his score on Raise the Titanic, a film which was a complete flop but has absolutely fantastic music!

[Wayne]

Can i have James Bernard please?

Tough one. My fave John Williams score is 'Jaws', which is great, but i think i prefer James Horner overall. His work on the Trek films is superb.

No, sod it John Barry! Iconic Bond music!