Joey Magidson
More lists! Yes, I’m still ranking the newest crop of Academy Award winners, with the column well past the midway point now here in 2024. For nearly all of the Oscar categories, you’ll see me list the top 25 recipients of that prize. Sometimes, our newest winner will appear. Other times, they’ll be relegated to the Honorable Mention category. Who knows, maybe one or two won’t even make the cut? It’s a list series that I’ll do each and every single year, in the weeks after the ceremony concludes. So, while this is a fun way to think about the Oscars in the aftermath of the latest telecast, it’s also a beginning for another column here on the site. Of course, definitely show us your own lists as well, in the comments section below. We’re definitely keen to know what you think!
This time around, I’m taking another crack at a Best Original Score ranking. In years past, I’ve done this ranking, though in other years, I’ve skipped (or forgotten) it. So, I’m once againgiving it a shot today! This category is as filled with classics as any, so picking a number one is completely a matter of taste. Where does our most recent winner in Oppenheimer fall amongst my picks? What about last year’s winner All Quiet on the Western Front? Does it even crack the list this time? Find out below…
Here now are what I consider to be the 25 best winners of the Oscar for Best Original Score, to date:
25. Gravity
24. Brokeback Mountain
23. The Hateful Eight
22. The Sting
21. Titanic
20. High Noon
19. Aladdin
18. Fiddler on the Roof
17. The Omen
16. Camelot
15. Let it Be
14. Oppenheimer
13. Schindler’s List
12. The Lion King
11. West Side Story
10. Beauty and the Beast
9. Mary Poppins
8. Ben-Hur
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
6. Lawrence of Arabia
5. Chariots of Fire
4. Purple Rain
3. Star Wars
2. The Social Network
1. Jaws
Honorable Mentions: Dune, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, La La Land, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, and Slumdog Millionaire
Stay tuned for the next category early on next week!
Hi Joey, I presume you mean Jaws by John Williams at no.1 not his Jurassic Park score which shamefully IMO wasn’t even nominated.
Yes, a typo from consulting the wrong list. Was updated.
The right score makes a big difference
25.Brokebackback Mountain
24.The Godfather Part ll
23.Jaws
22.Gravity
21.Shindler’s List
20.The Little Meremaid
19.A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to The Fourum
18.Oppenheimer
17.The Grand Budapest Hotel
16.Oliver!
15.Star Wars
14.Aladdin
13.Frida
12.Fame
11.Cabaret
10.All That Jazz
9.The Sting
8.Let It Be
7.The Artist
6.The Wizard of Oz
5.Pinocchio
4.Mary Poppins
3.The Sound of Music
2.Beauty and The Beast
1.Up
HM e.t.Extra Terrestrial
Doctor Zhvago
Midnight Express
Joker
Soul
Black Panther
Lili
Fiddler on The Roof
100%
My Top 42 from live action movies:
1. Titanic
2. A Beautiful Mind
3. Gladiator
4. Shawshank Redemption
5. Star Wars 4, 5, 6
6. E.T. The Extraterrestrial
7. Indiana Jones 1, 2, 3
8. Jurassic Park 1, 2
9. Schindler’s List
10. Empire of the Sun
11. The Color Purple (1985)
12. Forrest Gump
13. Brokeback Mountain
14. Harry Potter 1, 2, 3
15. The Lord of the Rings 1, 2, 3
16. Out of Africa
17. Lawrence of Arabia
18. Doctor Zhivago
19. Chinatown
20. Taxi Driver
21. Sunset Boulevard
22. Streetcar Named Desire
23. The Sting
24. The Wizard of Oz
25. Mary Poppins
26. Jaws
27. On Golden Pond
28. Saving Private Ryan
29. Hook
30. Star Wars 1, 2, 3
31. Catch Me if You Can
32. Star Trek 2, 3
33. Star Trek 1, 8
34. The Hours
35. Munich
36. Lincoln
37. Apollo 13
38. Godfather 1, 2
39. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
40. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
41. Amistad
42. Dances with Wolves
Not all are winners, but interesting favorites, nonetheless.