Film Scores: From John Williams to Potential 1959 Plagiarism

Film Scores: From John Williams to Potential 1959 Plagiarism

There's film music that's hummed more than half a symphony, yet its composer doesn't appear on any poster. Cinema uses it to sell emotion, hides it in the credits, and then recycles it in trailers and commercials for decades. An entire canon has been built on this contradiction: a thread of recommendations that starts with John Williams and goes on to discuss the similarity between a 1960 theme and one from 1959. The film score, that work no one sees, underpins much of what we remember about a movie. And it's almost always judged by what it makes you feel, not by the cost of making it.

It begins with a premise from the thread's initiator: these pieces are "small works of art," enduring gems without which many successful films would be incomprehensible. From there, the first hierarchy emerges. Williams, according to that same post, is presented as one of the great composers, if not the greatest, and one who has amassed the most successful film scores.

John Williams and Hans Zimmer: Two Central Figures in the Thread

For Williams, a few bars are enough to bring a specific scene back to memory. Just seeing someone running upstairs at full estimulante ilegal, fists raised, is enough for the mind to play the entire theme.

Among contemporaries, Hans Zimmer is highlighted as one of today's greats. His themes appear in the selection, including the one accompanying The Da Vinci Code.

Morricone, Barry, and Bernstein: The Timeless Classics

The counterbalance comes from the classics. Ennio Morricone is antiestéticatured with "The Ecstasy of Gold," pointed out by a participant as the best work by one of the best. The reference serves to champion an alternative edit, with flashbacks pogre just like in the original, because some music is best enjoyed without the usual additions.

John Barry also makes an appearance with "Body Heat" and a comment that summarizes his status: a consistent contender. Elmer Bernstein is included on his own merit, needing no justification. And some users bring up Basil Poledouris, composer of the music for several Paul Verhoeven films, the kind that sounds epic and just and never goes out of style.

Plagiarism Between 1959 and 1960? The Unresolved Case

Amidst the enthusiasm, an uncomfortable suspicion creeps in. Two themes separated by barely a year—one by Miklos Rozsa in 1959 and another by Ernest Gold in 1960—share a striking resemblance. The question hangs unresolved: the possibility of plagiarism is raised, but no one provides conclusive proof.

It's worth pausing here. If two established names in the profession could coincide to that extent, what separates a masterpiece from a copy? The order of release? The name on the credit? There's no definitive answer, and it should be stated: it's a suspicion, not a proven fact.

Underrated Film Scores That Deserve Recognition

The selection includes many titles that rarely appear on official lists. The key, as argued, isn't just the melody: some pieces manage to convey the film's entire tension without losing musical quality, making them more than mere accompaniment. They are few, and that's why they stand out.

The list is long and varied. "1917," with its anthem within the film itself; "Rush" as a forgotten work; "Calvary" and its "Beatitudes" by Patrick Cassidy; the new version of "3:10 to Yuma"; Yann Tiersen in "Goodbye Lenin"; James Newton Howard in "The Village" and "The Others." Gattaca. Barry Lyndon. Death in Venice. Gravity. Even a Spanish series makes it onto the selection. The cross-referencing of titles, composers, and films forms a catalog not found gathered elsewhere.

What Makes a Film Score a Masterpiece

With a substantial selection already gathered, the disagreement remains intact. No one has managed to define what separates a film score that endures from one that's forgotten after three months. Perhaps the answer lies in the next film that no one remembers, but whose music everyone hums without knowing who wrote it.