Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores is a list of the top 25 film scores in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute in 2005.
John Williams has the most scores in the top 25, with three: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, and the top choice, Star Wars. Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, and Max Steiner each have two scores listed.
#
|
Film Title
|
Year
|
Studio
|
Composer
|
1
|
Star Wars
|
1977
|
20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm Ltd.
|
John Williams
|
2
|
Gone with the Wind
|
1939
|
MGM, Selznick International
|
Max Steiner
|
3
|
Lawrence of Arabia
|
1962
|
Columbia, Horizon Pictures
|
Maurice Jarre
|
4
|
Psycho
|
1960
|
Paramount
|
Bernard Herrmann
|
5
|
The Godfather
|
1972
|
Paramount
|
Nino Rota
|
6
|
Jaws
|
1975
|
Universal, Zanuck/Brown Company
|
John Williams
|
7
|
Laura
|
1944
|
20th Century Fox
|
David Raksin
|
8
|
The Magnificent Seven
|
1960
|
United Artists, Mirisch Company
|
Elmer Bernstein
|
9
|
Chinatown
|
1974
|
Paramount
|
Jerry Goldsmith
|
10
|
High Noon
|
1952
|
United Artists, Stanley Kramer Productions
|
Dimitri Tiomkin
|
11
|
The Adventures of Robin Hood
|
1938
|
Warner Bros.
|
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
|
12
|
Vertigo
|
1958
|
Paramount
|
Bernard Herrmann
|
13
|
King Kong
|
1933
|
RKO
|
Max Steiner
|
14
|
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
|
1982
|
Universal
|
John Williams
|
15
|
Out of Africa
|
1985
|
Universal, Mirage Enterprises
|
John Barry
|
16
|
Sunset Boulevard
|
1950
|
Paramount
|
Franz Waxman
|
17
|
To Kill a Mockingbird
|
1962
|
Universal
|
Elmer Bernstein
|
18
|
Planet of the Apes
|
1968
|
20th Century Fox
|
Jerry Goldsmith
|
19
|
A Streetcar Named Desire
|
1951
|
Warner Bros.
|
Alex North
|
20
|
The Pink Panther
|
1964
|
United Artists, Mirisch Company
|
Henry Mancini
|
21
|
Ben-Hur
|
1959
|
MGM
|
Miklós Rózsa
|
22
|
On the Waterfront
|
1954
|
Columbia, Horizon Pictures
|
Leonard Bernstein
|
23
|
The Mission
|
1986
|
Warner Bros., Goldcrest Films
|
Ennio Morricone
|
24
|
On Golden Pond
|
1981
|
Universal, ITC Entertainment
|
Dave Grusin
|
25
|
How the West Was Won
|
1962
|
MGM, Cinerama Releasing
|
Alfred Newman
|