THE TOP 10 MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS OF ALL TIME

January 19, 2001

First, a disclaimer. I am, as you know, The Hugh Hewitt Show's resident movie critic; I am not a music authority, nor do I claim to be. Although I recognize the importance of a soundtrack to a movie, I generally choose to ignore them. Therefore, the following list may be subject to more criticism than even I am used to.

You will notice that one element is missing from all of the following soundtracks: words. In my view, it is not possible to compare song-intensive movie soundtracks (for example, The Big Chill, American Graffiti, The Harder They Come) or pure movie musicals soundtracks (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and their ilk) with the purer, truer and -- in my humble opinion -- better film scores that are specifically designed to enhance a movie. So, I've omitted them. Maybe another time, in another list....

A good soundtrack adds to the movie experience; a bad soundtrack can destroy it. None of the following fall into the latter category.

  1. Braveheart (James Horner) -- Manly music for a manly movie.
  2. The Mission (Ennio Morricone) -- Sometimes the music is much better than the movie.
  3. The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein) -- Elmer Bernstein defined Western movie music in this magnificent film.
  4. Conan the Barbarian (Basil Poledouris) -- Forget the movie; listen to the music. Absolutely breathtaking
  5. Last of the Mohicans (Trevor Jones, Randy Edelman) -- Its insert allows me to keep my job.
  6. Star Wars (John Williams) -- Well, it had to be on the list somewhere.
  7. Gone with the Wind (Max Steiner) -- Still majestic after all these years.
  8. Halloween (John Carpenter) -- The definitive horror movie score by the best director/composer in movies. Well, maybe the only director/composer in movies.
  9. Jaws (John Williams) -- If there was ever a soundtrack that defined a movie, this is it. Still keeps more people out of the water than anything else.
  10. Godfather (Nino Rota) -- An absolutely haunting theme. Wonderful music for the best movie ever made.

Close, But No Cigar (in alphabetical order)