1) Pulp Fiction - Soundtrack compiled by Quentin Tarantino - 'Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon', Written by Neil Diamond, Performed by Urge Overkill
Film director Quentin Tarantino has always used soundtracks of existing music in his films. He once mentioned that the reason he wouldn't use an original score in a film is that he wouldn't want to give a composer that much power over his movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flTCf9NAV7g), and that basically he wants to remain the main creative driving force behind the film.
Pulp Fiction, the director's second work, uses a wide range of American Rock and Pop music to dramatic effect. In the scene below, Urge Overkill's cover of the Neil Diamond song 'Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon' provides a perfect backdrop to a scene that highlights a dangerous chemistry between two of the main characters. But also, the main lyric and title of the song is perhaps a warning of the impending drama that is about to unfold.
2) A Beautiful Mind - James Horner
James Horner, known for the music on films such as Braveheart, Apollo 13 and Titanic, created an elegant score for this film. The memorable main theme can be heard below.
The purity of the female solo voice perhaps highlights the innocence of Russell Crowe's character; however the complexities and multiple layers of the musical score could reflect the brilliance of the protagonist's mind.
The music was nominated for Best Original Score at the Oscars.
3) American Beauty - Thomas Newman
Much like A Beautiful Mind, this score is one of elegance. For this film however, the music focuses more on a minimalist simplicity that helps to emphasize the themes of the movie, which focus on human emotion and the perceptions of what is truly beautiful. The sparse piano melody/harmony highlights the fragility of the main characters' personalities and the way in which they see themselves.
This particular track is a popular one and has been used for other purposes such as on Jakatta's House Track 'American Dream' (2000).
4) Inception - Hans Zimmer
With this film, Hans Zimmer set out to compose a score that included many electronic elements, but also that made use of the traditional sounds of the orchestra. The electronic components of the score, such as the heavy use of an electric guitar and the general over-production of the soundtrack, really help to convey the science-fiction/futuristic elements of the films plot. The more human/emotional side of the narrative is perhaps covered by the expressive strings and powerful brass harmonies.
Some of the score is made up of small excerpts that Zimmer extracted from the song used within the story of the film, 'Non, je ne regrette rien', which helps this song become more connected with the overall score, but also links the score more strongly to the plot of the movie.
5) The Lord of the Rings - Howard Shore
The score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the finest modern examples of cinematic motivic composition. Perhaps inspired by the operas of Richard Wagner, or even by the thematic techniques of John Williams, Howard Shore composed a score that includes many different motifs and themes, each one relating to one of the many characters, cultures or ideas that originated in the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the epic fantasy saga. The films were incredibly successful, as was the original score (receiving two academy awards in 2001 and 2003 respectively), and is considered one of the best fantasy films ever made.
The theme for the Hobbits and the Shire can be heard below. The theme occurs frequently within the first film, usually when the story is focused on the Hobbits or their longing to return back home.
6) The Social Network - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Much like Inception, the score for this film is constructed using elements of electronic music. This soundtrack however is almost entirely electronic with only a piano that seems to provide any acoustic input. There are also various different urban and dance drum beats that feature within the music. All of this could be to make the film appeal to the younger audience that 'the social network' of the title has itself attracted.
Some parts of the score are quite minimalist and bare, such as the track below; however there are more chaotic moments, such as the electronic remix of the lively classical piece 'In the Hall of the Mountain King', heard later in the soundtrack.
7) Jurassic Park - John Williams
John Williams is one of the all time greats of film music composition. His collaboration with legendary film director Steven Spielberg has seen him create unforgettable scores for some of the most iconic films of recent times, including Jaws, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. He has also composed memorable themes for other directors' films including Star Wars and the Harry Potter series.
Jurassic Park was a breakthrough in cinematic CGI and it needed an equally impressive musical score to match the extraordinary imagery.
One of the main themes of the movie can be heard below. The rich orchestration, thick textural harmonies and memorable melodies are all typical traits of Williams' work, and they are a perfect aural accompaniment to the film's stunning visuals.
8) The Godfather - Nino Rota
The Italian composer Nino Rota is well known for his collaboration with Italian director Federico Fellini and has composed a great number of film scores. However he is probably best known in America and the UK as the composer of The Godfather film score. The haunting melody (heard below) establishes the perfect mood for a film about gangsters, crime and questionable motives and captures completely the Italian roots of the main characters, something Rota's own nationality would have helped him create.
9) The Incredibles - Michael Giacchino
The Incredibles was one of the first films Giacchino scored and the first Pixar film of the four he has provided music for so far. The score is mainly influenced by elements of jazz and funk and shares some qualities with music from 60's and 70's cop shows. This is a perfect style of music for a film about superheroes and criminals and has the right amount of seriousness and charm to be enjoyed by adults and children alike.
Director Brad Bird stated that he wanted the score to have a 'very old feel' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredibles#Music) and so the music was recorded on analogue tapes, creating a unique sound that relates back to the dated cop shows that the music seems to imitate.
10) Pan's Labyrinth - Javier Navarrete
Widely regarded as one of the most popular foreign language films of all time, Guillermo del Toro's dark fantasy masterpiece also has a particularly memorable score. The music is dominated by a recurring theme that appears throughout the film known as the 'Pan's Labyrinth Lullaby'. This, like the Godfather theme, is a haunting and beautiful melody that captures the mood of the film brilliantly. The simplicity of the melodic line reflects the child-like/fairy-tale aspects of the film, yet the melancholy mood it creates mirrors the horrific real-world drama that takes place in the story.
