Composed and conducted by James Horner and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, this was Horner's second of three collaborations with Gibson as director. The score itself is one of our favorites, and has gone on to be one of the most commercially successful soundtracks of all time. It was ...

After working with filmmakers Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh on their successful 186 film 'Hoosiers' which garnered the film an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score, Jerry Goldsmith was again a part of their team for the 1993 biographical film, 'Rudy'. Considered to be one of the best and mo...

We absolutely love this classic James Newton Howard score, which is filled with beautiful orchestral swells and adventure motifs. "The Wagon Chase" is wonderful in that it goes from a poignant moment between young Wyatt and his father (the great Gene Hackman) to a present day wagon chase getaway....

The 1994 biographical film about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman) is one of our favorites. Directed by Bernard Rose, the music was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Georg Solti. This section features a masterful excerpt from Beethoven's S...

There is little doubt that James Horner's music to the 1989 film 'Glory' is one of the best scores he ever composed. Featuring the Boys Choir of Harlem, Glory tells the tragic story of the first black regiment (the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment) in America during the Civil War. The soundtr...

There is no question that many believe this score by Jarre to be one of his finest compositions. Jarre was given just six weeks to compose over two hours of orchestral music. Performed by the London Philharmonic, many consider this to be one of the greatest scores of all time, ranking number thre...

Composed by George Fenton, the score for 'Memphis Belle' was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Original Film Score in 1991. This scene in particular comes at the end of the film, when the famous B-17 is on its way back to home base with without the ability to lower its wheels. The only way the...

Thomas Newman, again, is the master of sound and color. He is able to uniquely express moments within a scene, or within characters, that are completely invisible yet so poignant and emotional. '1917' is a masterpiece on a variety of levels, and Newman's score is truly an experience to behold.

T...

There are very few directors that are marked by broad philosophical and spiritual overtones, but Terrence Malick has truly stood out from the crowd and become one of the most well known directors alive as a result.

Featuring a score by James Newton Howard that he considered a 'spiritual' explora...

Considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, "Schindler's List" was nominated for twelve Academy Awards including Best Original Score. Williams ended up winning the Academy Award, in addition to a BAFTA, Grammy, and Golden Globe. The film won numerous other awards including seven BAFTAs,...

Alan Parker's incredible 1991 film and its music have stood the test of time, and watching it recently, 'The Commitments' still has heart, humor, and so much soul. The cast was plucked from obscurity, with Parker putting musical talent over acting experience. The lead singer, Andrew Strong, was o...

Carroll Ballard's 'Never Cry Wolf' from 1983 is one of our favorite films, and the score is especially wonderful. An early score by Isham, he brought something unique to the opening credits. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine the epic scenes unfolding in your imagination. You also get...

Enjoy this incredible thematic cue composed by Thomas Newman from Robert Redford's 'The Horse Whisperer'. This score follows the emotional journey of the film, where a girl and her horse undergo a personal voyage towards recovery and trust. In this scene, mother Annie MacLean (Kristin Scott Thoma...

Justin Freer talks about Thomas Newman’s Academy Award-nominated score to 1917, a British war film directed, co-written, and produced by Sam Mendes.

Newman has been nominated for fifteen Academy Awards, tying him with fellow composer Alex North for the most nominations without a win. He has als...

Justin Freer talks about A.R. Rahman’s incredible work for the widely acclaimed hit, Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle. This was nominated for a stunning ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight, including Best Picture. A.R. Rahman won the 2009 Golden Globe for Best Orig. Score and won...

Justin Freer discusses Maurice Jarre’s incredible score to the epic 1965 romantic drama film Dr. Zhivago, directed by the great David Lean. In this week’s episode, Justin breaks down two scenes that are linked with one another through a singular emotional thread: loss. In what is considered to be...

Justin discusses maestro Ennio Morricone’s dynamic, jazzy and complex score to Brian De Palma’s 1987 American gangster film, The Untouchables. Morricone is one of the most prolific film composers alive and has composed over 400 scores for cinema/television, as wall as over 100 classical works. Hi...