The 13 Best Ennio Morricone Film Scores

From dusty spaghetti-western whistles to aching arthouse melodies, the maestro's range stretches across every genre imaginable. Where do you stand?

1. 1
   Cinema Paradiso

   The 1988 score featuring a love theme of such beauty it became an independent concert piece worldwide.
   1000pts
2. 2
   The Untouchables

   The 1987 Brian De Palma gangster film score featuring the rousing 'The Man with the Harmonica'-influenced themes.
   833pts
3. 3
   The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

   The iconic 1966 Spaghetti Western score whose whistling theme became one of the most recognizable in film history.
   833pts
4. 4
   1900

   The sprawling 1976 Bernardo Bertolucci epic scored with Morricone's most ambitious orchestral writing.
   750pts
5. 5
   The Hateful Eight

   The 2015 score that won Morricone his long-overdue Oscar, drawing on unused Western cues from his archive.
   643pts
6. 6
   The Thing

   John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic with Morricone's minimalist, deeply unsettling score.
   500pts
7. 7
   Duck, You Sucker

   The 1971 Leone Western score featuring the mournful 'Sean, Sean, Sean' theme.
   500pts
8. 8
   Once Upon a Time in the West

   The 1968 epic Western score, notably recorded before filming began, featuring character-specific themes.
   300pts
9. 9
   The Mission

   The 1986 score featuring the beloved 'Gabriel's Oboe' melody that became one of Morricone's most enduring compositions.
   300pts
10. 10
    Once Upon a Time in America

    The haunting 1984 gangster epic score featuring the melancholic pan flute of 'Deborah's Theme'.
    300pts
11. 11
    For a Few Dollars More

    The 1965 Spaghetti Western score featuring Morricone's innovative use of a pocket watch motif.
    1pts
12. 12
    Malena

    The 2000 Giuseppe Tornatore drama score whose sweeping romanticism became instantly iconic.
    1pts
13. 13
    Days of Heaven

    Terrence Malick's 1978 lyrical drama with a Morricone score of extraordinary beauty and restraint.
    1pts