10 Best Movies Scored by Ennio Morricone, According to IMDb (original) (raw)
A custom image of Clint Eastwood in A Few Dollars More in front of a saloon
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Published Jan 9, 2024, 8:00 AM EST
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With over 400 film and television credits to his name, Italian composer Ennio Morricone left behind a vast body of work when he died in 2020. The prolific and highly regarded composer was skilled at creating a score which served as the perfect accompaniment to its films, often with an atmospheric feel and expertly created tension. To film lovers and fans of Morricone's music, his touch is instantly recognizable, with scores among the most famous in film that didn't fade into the background of films but rather stood out as a crucial piece all their own. He was nominated for six Academy Awards and was presented with an honorary award in 2007, before winning for his score to Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight in 2016. Morricone died in 2020 in Rome at the age of 91.
Morricone's music was also reused often, appearing in films in which he didn't provide an original score, adding to his massive body of work and putting his touch on films he didn't personally work on. But when it comes to the films he did score, some stand above the rest, with a few still highly regarded as among the best Westerns ever made. And although Western scores are what made him famous and are among his most iconic work, he also worked in other genres, from dark satire to horror, spanning the decades from the early 1960s to the late 2010s, often making use of elements like gunshots and cracking whips as part of the music.
10 'A Fistful of Dollars' (1964)
IMDb Score: 7.9
Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name on a Western street in A Fistful of Dollars.
Image via United Artists
A Fistful of Dollars was released in 1964 and starred Clint Eastwood, a gunfighter who seeks to make himself some money by working as a hired gun for two feuding families. The movie was directed by Sergio Leone and is considered a remake of sorts of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. It is also the first film in the Dollars trilogy.
A Fistful of Dollars was the first time Leone and Morricone worked together, and it was the start of a famous, prolific and brilliant partnership. The main theme’s whistled motif is instantly recognizable, and paired with the guitar, the two are practically synonymous with Westerns. Other atmospheric touches, like a bell tolling in the background, set the tone for the film. The film is also notable for being Eastwood’s first starring role.
Release Date
January 18, 1964
Runtime
99minutes
Director
Sergio Leone, Monte Hellman
Writers
Ryûzô Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, A. Bonzzoni, Víctor Andrés Catena, Sergio Leone, Jaime Comas Gil
9 'Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion' (1970)
IMDb Score: 8.0
A still from Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion.
Credit: Columbia Pictures
1970's Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion satirizes police corruption with the story of an Italian homicide investigator who, on his last day before taking on a promotion, murders his mistress, leaving incriminating clues all over her apartment, including a taped confession. Naturally, because of the nature of his job, he becomes part of the investigation, and despite the evidence, his colleagues are reluctant to accuse him. The film was directed by Elio Petri and won an Academy Award.
Morricone’s score perfectly sets the tone for the film, with whimsical, almost silly touches which underscore the satirical elements and deep, brooding strings which contribute to the dark, murderous plot and its commentary on corruption. It’s deployed expertly, accompanying moments like the inspector’s staging of the crime scene and pulling back into silence at just the right moments. The score is a quintessential murder mystery, and it’s easy to see, or rather, hear, the influence it had on similar films and scores which came after it.
8 'The Legend of 1900' (1998)
IMDb Score: 8.0
Image via Fine Line Features
In The Legend of 1900, on New Year’s Day in 1900, a crew member aboard an ocean liner finds an abandoned infant and adopts him, naming him after the year—1900. The boy grows up to be a skilled pianist, played by Tim Roth, but lives his life entirely aboard the ship, not once setting foot on land. The movie was directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, who worked with Morricone on all of his movies after 1988’s Cinema Paradiso.
Morricone’s score for The Legend of 1900 feels more cinematic than some of his other works, which was often marked by more unique instrumentation and sounds. Naturally, as a film about a pianist, the score includes lovely piano flourishes, paired with sweeping strings. The film also includes the song “Lost Boys Calling,” which was composed by Morricone and features vocals by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, who also wrote the lyrics.
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7 'The Battle of Algiers' (1966)
IMDb Score: 8.1
A soldier walking in front of several other soldiers while bystanders look in The Battle of Algiers
Image via Allied Artists
In Battle of Algiers, a former World War II French Resistance fighter is sent to Algeria in the 1950s to squash an attempted uprising as the Algerian people fought for independence from the French. The film is based on actual events and has been praised for its realistic, documentary-like feel and historical accuracy. It still remains relevant decades after its release and is highly regarded as one of the best political films ever made.
Morricone’s score for Battle of Algiers centers around two themes, each representing one side of the battle; drums and horns for the French, a flute for the Algerians. As a result, the score has a very militaristic feel overall, and it also reflects the film’s tension, with some elements which feel like a ticking bomb, which was fitting for the film’s themes and violent nature, and others, like intense strings, which convey the high stakes for everyone involved.
6 'The Thing' (1982)
IMDb Score: 8.2
R.J. MacReady looking around with a lantern in The Thing.
Image via Universal Pictures
Set in Antarctica, classic horror film The Thing tells the story of a research team forced to battle a shapeshifting alien capable of posing as anyone, leading the crew to become increasingly paranoid and turn on each other, unable to be sure if anyone was who they claimed to be. The Thing was directed by John Carpenter and starred Kurt Russell, and it was based on the novella Who Goes There?
Morricone’s atmospheric music was the perfect choice for The Thing, with its brutal setting and themes of isolation and distrust, which Morricone expertly evokes through his score. The tension is palpable from the first notes of the main theme, with deep sounds fitting for a horror score which evoke a sense of dread. The main theme is simple and repetitive, with each musical element slowly building on the one before it; but here, less is more.
Release Date
June 25, 1982
Runtime
109 minutes
Director
John Carpenter
A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter's 1982 film is a remake of 1951's The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.
Writers
Bill Lancaster, John W. Campbell Jr.
Main Genre
5 'For a Few Dollars More' (1965)
IMDb Score: 8.2
Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef stand side by side outside in a Western setting in For a Few Dollars More.
Image via United Artists
In For a Few Dollars More, as outlaw El Indio terrorizes the residents of the west, two bounty hunters decide to team up to take him down and collect the reward for doing so. The bounty hunters are opposites, in some ways, with different approaches to finding and capturing their bounty. The film was the second of the Dollars Trilogy. Eastwood returned as The Man with No Name, one of the bounty hunters.
Morricone’s score, understandably, has a lot of similarities to that of the first film in the Dollars Trilogy, A Fistful of Dollars, with motifs that are just as recognizable. Whistles and twangs give it the feel of a classic Western, with drumbeats akin to the stomping of horses’ hooves and deep, bold vocalizations to complement them. Taken together, all of these elements work to build into a big, grandiose sound.
Runtime
132 minutes
Director
Writers
Fulvio Morsella, Sergio Leone, Luciano Vincenzoni, Fernando Di Leo, Sergio Donati
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4 'Once Upon a Time in America' (1984)
IMDb Score: 8.3
Elizabeth McGovern as Deborah and Robert De Niro as Noodles in Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Image via Warner Bros.
Through flashbacks, crime film Once Upon a Time in America follows the life of David "Noodles" Aaronson, from his childhood as. Jewish boy in New York to his rise as a Prohibition-era Mafia boss. With a run time of nearly four hours, the film’s complete cut covers much of Noodles’ life and is truly an epic. Although best-known for his work on Westerns, Once Upon a Time in America was directed by Leone, and it was his final film.
In Once Upon a Time in America, Morricone’s score feels more cinematic, with bittersweet, even wistful elements to underscore Noodles’ experiences. The score moves through time along with the narrative, from upbeat, saccharine sounds of Noodles’ childhood to a feeling of melancholy as Noodles’ life takes a darker turn, even haunting elements paired with Noodles’ mistakes and regret. Some of the score’s most beautiful moments are in “Deborah’s Theme,” a sweet, soft motif dedicated to Noodles’ childhood sweetheart.
Release Date
June 1, 1984
Runtime
229 Minutes
Director
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
3 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968)
IMDb Score: 8.5
Harmonica (Charles Bronson) sitting on a split-rail fence in Once Upon a Time in the West
Image via Paramount Pictures
In Once Upon a Time in the West, a railroad baron sets his sights on the only piece of land in town with water on it, as he knows a planned railroad would need to stop there. Morton hires a ruthless gunman, Frank (Henry Fonda), to kill the land’s owner, a man and his young child, only to find his new mail-order bride inherited the land. The film is the first in Leone’s Once Upon a Time Trilogy, although the three films do not share any characters and tell very different stories.
Similar to some of his other work, for Once Upon a Time in the West, Morricone turns to recurring motifs for each main character, each with a different instrument as the focus, and each capturing that character perfectly. Guitars and harmonicas also give the score a distinct Western sound, this time with darker undertones. But it also has some truly beautiful moments, too, with a variety of sounds and instrumentation which make it stand out as one of Morricone’s best works.
Release Date
December 20, 1968
Runtime
166 Minutes
Director
A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.
Writers
Sergio Leone, Sergio Donati, Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci
Main Genre
Western
2 'Cinema Paradiso' (1990)
IMDb Score: 8.5
Image via Titanus
Cinema Paradiso is a beautiful love letter to movies and theaters. In the coming-of-age film, a young boy spends much of his time in his local theater, where he uses film as an escape and befriends the theater’s projectionist. As an adult, he becomes a filmmaker himself, and the majority of the story is told as a flashback as he reflects on his time in the theater after receiving news of the projectionist’s death.
Morricone provides a lush, beautiful score for Cinema Paradiso, perfectly touching on its themes of romance and nostalgia. Like Morricone’s other iconic work, the notes of Cinema Paradiso might sound very familiar, even if you’ve never seen the movie. It’s also simpler, especially compared to some of Morricone’s bolder work, and holds its own without overpowering what’s happening onscreen. But above all, it’s sweet and sentimental, just like the film itself.
Release Date
February 23, 1990
Cast
Enzo Cannavale
Spaccafico
Antonella Attili
Maria Di Vita - Younger
Runtime
174 Minutes
Director
Giuseppe Tornatore
Main Genre
1 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' (1967)
IMDb Score: 8.8
The Man with No Name looking ahead while standing in the desert in 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'
Image via United Artists
Eastwood’s Man with No Name is back in the final film of the Dollars trilogy, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, set during the Civil War. The mysterious man, nicknamed Blondie, plots with a Mexican outlaw, Tuco, to turn Tuco in for the reward money, then free him, but Blondie betrays Tuco and leaves him in the desert. Tuco seeks revenge, but instead, the two men team up to find a stash of buried gold.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is one of the most famous Westerns and is also regarded as one of the best, and the same goes for Morricone’s score. It’s iconic and beloved, with Morricone at his best. It's almost impossible to imagine any of the Dollars trilogy without Morricone’s music, but especially this one. It uses many of the same elements of the scores of the previous films, such as whistles, guitars, and vocals, but Morricone’s just about perfect the Western sound here.
Release Date
December 22, 1966
Runtime
161 minutes
Director
Cast
NEXT: 10 Underrated Ennio Morricone Scores That Deserve More Love