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

Cinema Paradiso

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

1000pts

2

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.

888pts

3

The Untouchables

The 1987 Brian De Palma gangster film score featuring the rousing 'The Man with the Harmonica'-influenced themes.

888pts

4

1900

The sprawling 1976 Bernardo Bertolucci epic scored with Morricone's most ambitious orchestral writing.

833pts

5

The Hateful Eight

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

761pts

6

The Thing

John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic with Morricone's minimalist, deeply unsettling score.

666pts

7

Duck, You Sucker

The 1971 Leone Western score featuring the mournful 'Sean, Sean, Sean' theme.

666pts

8

Once Upon a Time in the West

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

533pts

9

The Mission

The 1986 score featuring the beloved 'Gabriel's Oboe' melody that became one of Morricone's most enduring compositions.

533pts

10

Once Upon a Time in America

The haunting 1984 gangster epic score featuring the melancholic pan flute of 'Deborah's Theme'.

533pts

11

For a Few Dollars More

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

333pts

12

Malena

The 2000 Giuseppe Tornatore drama score whose sweeping romanticism became instantly iconic.

0pts

13

Days of Heaven

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

0pts