Soundtracks The Greatest Film Scores of All Time  

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Originally by Ranker Community
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List Rules "Film score" refers to the instrumental background music that plays throughout the movie, not the soundtrack

This list contains greatest movie themes and scores ever recorded, chosen by the Ranker community. (NOTE: This list is for film SCORES, the instrumental music from movies. We also have a list of The Greatest Movie Soundtracks, designed for collections of songs taken from films.) These are the most iconic, memorable themes and collections of background music ever.

Film scores also include dialogue and special effects. This means you should rank the film scores on how important you think they were in delivering the atmosphere the film was trying to achieve?
 
list ordered by

1
4,822 2,901
Star Wars is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill Star Wars is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. The first release in the Star Wars franchise, it stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter ...more

2
2,979 2,276
Indiana Jones and the Raiders ... is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Harrison Ford, Alfred Molina, Karen Allen Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan was from a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It was produced by ...more

3
2,494 1,992
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Clint Eastwood, Viggo Mortensen, Mark Strong The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles respectively. ...more

4
2,301 1,894
The Godfather is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Albert S. Ruddy from a screenplay by Mario Puzo and Coppola. Starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as ...more

5
2,067 1,579
Jaws is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The prototypical summer blockbuster, its release is regarded as a ...more

6
2,912 1,397
Jurassic Park is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
CraigAlarm added Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the first installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. It is based on the 1990 novel of the ...more

7
1,635 1,217
Back to the Future is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
CraigAlarm added Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson Back to the Future is a 1985 American comic science fiction film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and stars Michael J. Fox, ...more

8
1,799 1,260
Rocky is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Sylvester Stallone, Joe Frazier, Burgess Meredith Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an ...more

9
1,596 1,578
Superman is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve Superman is a 1978 superhero film directed by Richard Donner. It is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and stars Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, ...more

10
1,409 849
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Drew Barrymore, Erika Eleniak, Debra Winger E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction-family film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison, featuring special effects by Carlo ...more

11
2,262 1,218
The Lion King is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons, Matthew Broderick The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical epic film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd animated feature in the Walt Disney ...more

12
2,743 1,321
Forrest Gump is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Tom Hanks, Kurt Russell, Sally Field Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic-comedy-drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and stars Tom Hanks, Robin ...more

13
2,402 1,646
Inception is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard Inception is a 2010 science fiction thriller film written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars a large ensemble cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph ...more

14
2,012 1,142
Gladiator is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Sheen Gladiator is a 2000 American-British epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, ...more

15
2,011 886
Pirates of the Caribbean: The ... is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Zoe Saldana Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 American fantasy swashbuckler film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks. It was directed by Gore ...more

16
1,902 894
Harry Potter and the Philosoph... is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Julianne Hough Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. ...more

17
1,556 758
Braveheart is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Brendan Gleeson Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical medieval war drama film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First ...more

18
1,895 1,116
The Dark Knight is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, based on the DC Comics character, Batman. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), Police Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and ...more

19
1,447 746
Schindler's List is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical period drama, directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg and scripted by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas ...more

20
1,080 965
Lawrence of Arabia is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British epic adventure drama film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon ...more

21
1,619 400
Star Wars Episode V: The Empir... is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay, with George Lucas writing the film's story ...more

22
1,453 894
Indiana Jones and the Last Cru... is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, River Phoenix Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third installment in the ...more

23
1,519 889
Titanic is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates Titanic is a 1997 American epic romantic disaster drama film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of what happened to the RMS Titanic, it stars ...more

24
1,251 625
The Last of the Mohicans is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Kosh105 added Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Pete Postlethwaite Randy Eldermann The Last of the Mohicans is a 1992 historical epic film set in 1757 during the French and Indian War and produced by Morgan Creek Pictures. It was directed by Michael Mann and based on James ...more

25
931 714
Psycho is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins Psycho is a 1960 American horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film centers on an encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane, who ends up at a secluded motel after stealing money from ...more

26
988 714
The Pink Panther is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
CraigAlarm added Peter Sellers, Claudia Cardinale, David Niven The Pink Panther is a 1963 Technicolor American comedy film filmed in 70mm Super Technirama directed by Blake Edwards and co-written by Edwards and Maurice Richlin, starring David Niven, Peter ...more

27
1,138 954
Batman is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Michael Keaton Batman is a 1989 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and produced by Jon Peters, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is the first installment of Warner Bros.' ...more

28
997 574
2001: A Space Odyssey is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Arthur C. Clarke, Leonard Rossiter, Ed Bishop 2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. The screenplay was written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, and was partially inspired by ...more

29
844 563
Chariots of Fire is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Stephen Fry, Kenneth Branagh, Ian Holm Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British historical drama film. It tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of ...more

30
1,114 539
Interstellar is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
DuckNation added Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey, Matt Damon Interstellar is a British-American 2014 science fiction epic film directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine. The film ...more

31
667 647
Once Upon a Time in the West is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
sid_cassal added Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson Once Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 Italian/American epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone for Paramount Pictures. It stars Henry Fonda cast against type as the villain, ...more

32
778 648
Blade Runner is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Harrison Ford, Daryl Hannah, Sean Young Blade Runner is a 1982 American neo-noir dystopian science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. The screenplay, ...more

33
689 637
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 American science fiction action thriller film written, produced and directed by James Cameron. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert ...more

34
665 590
The Phantom of the Opera is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, Minnie Driver The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 British film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra ...more

35
571 576
Goldfinger is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Garry Marshall Goldfinger is the third film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film ...more

36
676 551
Dances with Wolves is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Charles Rocket Dances with Wolves is a 1990 American epic western film directed, produced by, and starring Kevin Costner. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 book of the same name by Michael Blake and tells ...more

37
559 709
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
CraigAlarm added William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on Star Trek, the first Star Trek film to star the original cast ...more

38
464 556
Vertigo is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
James Stewart, Kim Novak, Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo is a 1958 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. The story was based on the 1954 novel D'entre les morts by Boileau-Narcejac. The screenplay was ...more

39
546 460
Gone with the Wind is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American epic historical romance film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel. It was produced by David O. Selznick of Selznick International ...more

40
256 65
The Lord of the Rings: The Fel... is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
TobuscusHolmes added Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 epic fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson based on the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is the first ...more

41
621 579
The Shawshank Redemption is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Morgan Freeman, Rita Hayworth, Tim Robbins The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Adapted from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and ...more

42
587 613
The Magnificent Seven is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn The Magnificent Seven is an American western film directed by John Sturges and starring Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach and Steve McQueen. The picture is an Old West-style remake of Akira Kurosawa's ...more

43
607 748
Conan the Barbarian is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Max von Sydow Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 sword and sorcery/adventure film directed and co-written by John Milius. It is based on stories by Robert E. Howard, a pulp fiction writer of the 1930s, about the ...more

44
565 658
The Nightmare Before Christmas is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Paul Reubens, Catherine O'Hara, Danny Elfman Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D is a 2006 3D version of the 1993 film of the same title directed by Henry Selick and written by Caroline Thompson.

45
734 664
Batman Begins is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, based on the DC Comics character. After training with his mentor (Liam Neeson), Batman (Christian Bale) begins his fight to ...more

46
764 741
Requiem for a Dream is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn Requiem for a Dream is a 2000 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans. The film is based on ...more

47
800 484
The Lord of the Rings: The Ret... is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
DeannaChurch added Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy drama film directed by Peter Jackson based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is ...more

48
778 709
Up is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Christopher Plummer, Ed Asner, Laraine Newman Up is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Pete Docter, the film centers on an ...more

49
518 803
The Matrix is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
Keanu Reeves, Hugo Weaving, Carrie-Anne Moss The Matrix is a 1999 American-Australian science fiction action film written and directed by The Wachowskis, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe ...more

50
567 437
The Sound of Music is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Greatest Film Scores of All Time
iplay2 added Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 Broadway ...more