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25 Alan Silvestri Film Scores To Boost Your Love of Music, Movies, and More

Musicnotes

• 12 min read
25 Alan Silvestri Film Scores To Boost Your Love of Music, Movies, and More

When you think of the world’s most popular movies, you tend to think about the strength of the acting performances, the direction, the cinematography, and, in some cases, the incredible special effects. From dramas to comedies to action-packed thrillers, the best films inspire a strong emotional response from audiences. Film music plays an important role in how films land to audiences. A legendary composer and conductor, Alan Silvestri has created the scores for over 100 films, including megahits such as Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, and The Avengers: Endgame. Let’s dive into 25 of the best Alan Silvestri film scores to inspire you as a musician, music lover, and movie fan.

The Importance of Film Scores and Soundtracks

Film scores and soundtracks are an essential part of filmmaking. They do the following for a movie:

  • Set the tone and atmosphere: A film’s music helps establish the mood of a scene or the genre of the movie. It can create a sense of suspense, excitement, or sadness. Think about how the music in a horror movie would differ from that of a romantic comedy.
  • Inspire emotions in the audience: The music can make an audience feel joy, fear, or excitement. The score can also create and cement a connection between the audience and a movie’s characters or themes.
  • Highlight big moments: A score often emphasizes a character’s feelings, a key moment, or a turning point in the film.
  • Create a sense of continuity: A score often connects different scenes and sequences in a film, creating flow and coherence. Sometimes musical elements connect different parts and themes in multiple films, especially as part of a trilogy or franchise.
  • Make a movie more memorable: The best film scores help make a film stand out from other films. Some themes transcend their original film and become associated with a genre or period of filmmaking, like the “Back to the Future Main Theme” by Alan Silvestri, which has come to be representative of iconic 1980s blockbusters.

Think about these benefits of a score or soundtrack as we explore 25 Alan Silvestri film scores.

1. ‘Back to the Future’

Perhaps one of the most iconic scores on Alan Silvestri’s resume is that of 1985’s Back to the Future. This was one of many collaborations between Silvestri and film director Robert Zemeckis. The two had first collaborated on 1984’s Romancing the Stone. For this film, Zemeckis told Silvestri that the score “needed to be big.” Silvestri used a large orchestral instrumentation to create a heroic and recognizable theme song, which contrasted with the small-town setting of the film. The main theme of “Back to the Future” is one of the most recognizable theme songs of 80’s action films. It conveys a sense of grand adventure peppered with adrenaline and action, capturing the ticking-clock tension of this classic film based on time travel. Silvestri also composed the scores for the second and third films of the trilogy.

2. ‘Romancing the Stone’

1984’s Romancing the Stone marked the first collaboration between Alan Silvestri and Robert Zemeckis. This film was a combination of action-adventure and romantic comedy. While a dramatic, action-packed score would’ve been appropriate for this film, Silvestri opted for a jazz-influenced lighter sound, playing up the movie’s romantic comedy side. This score would grow to be a shining example of Silvestri’s ability to come up with scores that complement the film, regardless of genre or style.

3. ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’

Who Framed Roger Rabbit may be best remembered for its combination of live-action and animation. This 1988 film’s plot surrounded the titular cartoon character being framed for murder. For this score, Silvestri collaborated with the London Symphony Orchestra, who provided all the music. Silvestri was praised for his light-hearted and playful sound that was inspired by the music of composer Carl Stalling and based on jazz improvisation. In fact, the music themes for the Jessica Rabbit character were entirely improvisational. Director Zemeckis joked that the musicians of the LSO “could not keep up with Silvestri's jazz tempo.”

4. ‘Forrest Gump’

Forrest Gump was a 1994 epic comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis that starred Tom Hanks in the titular role. The film was enormously successful, grossing over $670 million globally during its theatrical run. The soundtrack album was also a success, selling over 12 million copies. Forrest Gump was a critically acclaimed movie, earning praise for Zemeckis’ direction, Hanks’ performance, and the music. The soundtrack featured songs previously released by American artists such as Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, among others. It was led by a piano version of Silvestri’s beautiful and heartwarming main theme. Here Silvestri’s score captured the innocence and earnestness of the Forrest Gump character.

5. ‘The Polar Express’

When it comes to the best Alan Silvestri Film Scores, 2004’s The Polar Express should be part of the conversation. Directed by Zemeckis, this holiday film was based on Chris Van Allsburg’s children's book of the same name. Popular film scores and soundtracks are often able to capture the spirit of a holiday, whether as original music or themes based on classic works. For this film, Silvestri co-wrote the song “Believe” with Glen Ballard. Popularly recorded by Josh Groban, “Believe” is considered a modern Christmas classic. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards and won a Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media in 2006.

6. ‘FernGully: The Last Rainforest’

Released in 1992, FernGully: The Last Rainforest was an independent animated film about an Australian rainforest protected by animals, fairies, and other mythical creatures. Alan Silvestri worked with director Bill Kroyer in his film debut, delivering a score that featured complex electronic sounds and instruments, often mimicking sound effects that might be heard in nature, such as dripping water.

7. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a media franchise made of movies and TV shows featuring superheroes from Marvel Comics. To date, the franchise includes over 32 films connected through shared plots and characters. 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger is one of the tentpole works in the MCU, and Alan Silvestri provided the score. The film’s plot was set in the 1940s and as a result, Silvestri delivered an old-school symphonic sound. Composed by Silvestri, “Captain America March” was the main theme of the song, capturing the epic sense of justice and righteousness of the titular superhero. This movie isn’t the only Marvel superhero film on Silvestri’s resume, and the Captain America theme appears in other MCU works.

8. ‘Ready Player One’

Ready Player One was a 2018 science fiction movie directed by Steven Spielberg. Set in 2045, the story involves human characters using virtual reality simulation to escape the real world. Originally, John Williams was going to do the music for this film, but he opted to do another Spielberg project. Silvestri took over the scoring duties. Because the film references popular culture from various eras, Spielberg asked Silvestri to create a score that makes references to other film works. It is one of the most interesting Alan Silvestri film scores, alluding to his music from Back to the Future as well as music from King Kong, The Shining, and Godzilla, among others.

9. ‘What Lies Beneath’

Film scores are essential to creating a mood that helps viewers immerse themselves in the story and the setting. This was certainly the case with the 2000 psychological supernatural horror film, What Lies Beneath. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and scored by Alan Silvestri, this film starred Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a married couple who find themselves in the middle of supernatural events in their home. Silvestri composed a chilling score to amp up the terror with creepy strings, ghostly vocals, undulating harp segments, and full-voiced brass sections to attack the senses. Imagine watching a thriller like What Lies Beneath without a score to match.

10. ‘Van Helsing’

Van Helsing was a 2004 action horror film based on a character who was a foe of Dracula in Bram Stoker’s classic novel. The movie featured Dracula, Frankenstein, and several other classic monsters as foes of the title character, portrayed by Hugh Jackman. The Van Helsing score was noted for being one of Silvestri’s loudest and most bombastic film scores, making use of a full orchestra with grand instrumentation and tense musical passages. Many of the pieces heard were based on individual characters with motifs introduced and reintroduced based on the story.

11. ‘The Avengers (2012 Film)’

The Avengers was a 2012 film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that brought together several superheroes from previous films to defeat a common foe, including Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Alan Silvestri, who composed the score for Captain America: The First Avenger, also composed the score for this film. Silvestri commented on the challenge of creating a score that would represent the characters as individuals and as a united team. He introduced a new theme for the Avengers and new characters, while also building on the theme he created for Captain America.

12. ‘Cast Away’

Cast Away was a 2000 drama that reunited Alan Silvestri, Robert Zemeckis, and Tom Hanks as composer, director, and lead actor, respectively. Hanks played a man named Chuck Noland who finds himself stranded on an uninhabited South Pacific island after a plane crash. Cast Away is notable for lacking a score for two-thirds of the film, when Noland is stranded on the island. The only sounds heard are birds, insects, and other creatures from the island. Once Noland leaves the island, the film offers a somber score, including the Cast Away Main Theme with its mournful oboe and melancholy strings.

13. ‘Death Becomes Her’

Robert Zemeckis and Alan Silvestri teamed up to deliver this early 1990s black comedy fantasy film. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn starred as rivals competing for the affection of a plastic surgeon played by Bruce Willis. Death Becomes Her featured dark humor and was noted as one of the first films to use computer-generated special effects. For this film, Silvestri delivered a score that featured intense, staccato strings, jazzy interludes, and fully orchestrated dramatic segments, reflecting the dramatic, romantic, and thrilling nature of this movie.

14. ‘Soapdish’

Soapdish is a comedy about the behind-the-scenes drama of a fictional cast and crew of a soap opera, starring Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Downey Jr., and an ensemble cast that included soap opera actors and television personalities. For this film, Alan Silvestri created a lighter soundtrack that featured rhythms and sounds of mambo and other musical styles from the Caribbean and Central America. Silvestri’s score perfectly complemented the comedic sass of Soapdish.

15. ‘A Christmas Carol (2009)’

In 2009, Disney released this computer-animated version of the classic tale by Charles Dickens. Directed and written by Robert Zemeckis, this remake starred Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge. Silvestri composed the score for this film, which was built on classic Christmas carols such as “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Joy to the World.” Silvestri also conducted the musicians and singers that lent their talents to the score and soundtrack. In addition to the score, Silvestri partnered with Glen Ballard to write an original tune, “God Bless Us Everyone,” which featured tenor vocalist, Andrea Bocelli.

16. ‘The Mummy Returns’

Alan Silvestri took on score composition duties for 2001’s The Mummy Returns, which was a follow-up to 1999’s The Mummy, both of which were directed by Stephen Sommers. An action-adventure-horror film, The Mummy Returns featured some of Silvestri’s most epic work, including a grandiose theme that featured Egyptian rhythms and instrumentations, a wall of voices, and epic battle scene orchestrations. The Mummy Returns featured some of Silvestri’s most over-the-top, earth-shattering compositions in scale and intensity.

17. ‘Contact (1997)’

Contact was a 1997 science fiction-drama film starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. Another Zemeckis and Silvestri collaboration, the movie was based on the Carl Sagan novel of the same name. Foster portrayed a scientist who finds evidence of extraterrestrial life and is commissioned to make first contact. Upon its initial release, some critics thought the score for Contact sounded very similar to that of Forrest Gump; however, with time this score is now considered one of Alan Silvestri’s best film scores. It’s noted for covering and conveying a wide range of moods, going from soaring strings, to punctuated brass sections to soft, intimate woodwinds. Silvestri’s “Main Title Theme” captures the high dramatic moments and the low pensive sections that characterize the film.

18. ‘The Abyss’

Alan Silvestri wrote the score and soundtrack to this 1989 science-fiction movie, written and directed by James Cameron. To date, it stands as their only collaboration as composer and director. In this film, an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean Sea, prompting a race between an American search and rescue team and Russian vessels to recover the boat. While attempting rescue, the humans encounter a surprise in the ocean’s depths. Silvestri delivers a score that includes synth instruments, majestic chorale sections, and lush orchestrations, capturing the mystery, the wonder, and the splendor of the ocean as a new type of frontier.

19. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

Alan Silvestri was called on to bring his compositional talents to this 2018 follow-up to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron. This 19th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is on record as the highest-grossing MCU film of all time and the first superhero movie to gross over $2 billion. Silvestri described scoring this film as a new experience, having to “balance quick shifts in tone.” This movie was released shortly after fellow MCU film Black Panther, and Silvestri incorporated elements of that film’s theme, which was composed by Ludwig Göransson.

20. ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Alan Silvestri also provided the score for the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame, which not only was a sequel to the previous Avengers films but also closed the chapter on several of the other MCU films up to that point, including the Captain America stories. Avengers: Endgame stands as one of the best Alan Silvestri scores, as he felt it was the most versatile one he’d composed for the entire franchise. It included roaring brass and percussion for action scenes, as well as light and jazzy music for scenes involving the Ant-Man character.

21. ‘Predator’

Coming on the heels of success with the first Back to the Future film, Alan Silvestri was hired to write the score for 1987’s Predator, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Predator is widely regarded as one of the most important Alan Silvestri film scores as it set the tone for many of the action and thriller movies he would later do. The score includes a four-note motif for the titular Predator character, as well as an intense, percussive theme for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character and his cohorts. Predator featured everything there is to love about an action score by Silvestri: aggressive percussion, high-volume brass, and intense strings. Silvestri was also hired to do the score for Predator II.

22. ‘Father of the Bride’

Father of the Bride was a 1991 movie starring Steve Martin that was a remake of a 1950 film. This romantic comedy involves a businessman (Martin) who freaks out when he learns that his daughter is getting married. Silvestri put together a jazzy score inspired by Christmas music. The main theme features an interpolation of Richard Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus,” better known as “Here Comes the Bride.”

23. ‘Lilo & Stitch’

Lilo & Stitch was the 42nd animated feature film from Walt Disney Pictures. Released in 2002, it represented a departure from other Disney classics like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Pocahontas, which were based on existing stories. Director Chris Sanders wanted to try something new and reached out to Alan Silvestri to compose the score. Mindful of past misrepresentations of Hawaiian people and culture, Silvestri worked with local Hawaiian artist, Mark Keali`i Ho`omalu. They co-wrote two original songs for the film, including “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride.”

24. ‘Judge Dredd’

The 1995 film Judge Dredd was a science fiction action film starring Sylvester Stallone in the titular role. Alan Silvestri was brought in to replace not one, but two composers who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Judge Dredd was not a well-received film, but the score was praised for its intensity. Silvestri turbocharges the action scenes with a thundering track that features galloping beats and fully orchestrated segments blistering with booming brass. “Judge Dredd” is a prime example of how Silvestri uses rhythm to create a sense of excitement and anticipation, build tension, and release it at the right time.

25. ‘Flight of the Navigator’

Flight of the Navigator was a 1986 science fiction-adventure film released by Walt Disney Pictures. Considered a cult classic among Disney fans and science fiction enthusiasts, it was one of the first films to feature significant use of computer-generated imagery. Appropriately, its score stands out from Silvestri’s body of work as one that was composed entirely on the Synclavier, one of the earliest digital multi-track recorders and samplers. Silvestri manages to capture the camaraderie and warmth between the film’s lead character, David, and his alien best friend in the movie’s theme.

The Legend of Silvestri

With a resume like that of Alan Silvestri, it’s not hard to see why he remains one of Hollywood’s most prolific and in-demand composers. Examining just a fraction of the over 100 projects he’s worked on reveals these commonalities:

  • Instantly recognizable: Many of Silvestri’s works are easily recognized by viewers of all ages. They capture the spirit of the movies they’re associated with perfectly.
  • Versatile compositions: Silvestri’s scores run the gamut of styles and genres. From bombastic, fully orchestrated themes to upbeat, jazzy numbers, Silvestri’s music makes movie scenes come alive.
  • Masterful rhythms: Silvestri truly understands how to use rhythm to create excitement and heighten the tension in his film projects.

Whether you’re a film buff, a budding musician, or a seasoned professional, having sheet music from Alan Silvestri’s best film scores enhances your appreciation for music. Musicnotes offers an extensive library of music from many of the world’s most popular movies and soundtracks in various arrangements. From solo piano arrangements to charts scored for voices with accompanying guitar or piano, we offer easy-to-read, transposable digital music to build and expand your repertoire.

Sources:

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_scored_by_Alan_Silvestri
  • https://movieweb.com/most-recognizable-movie-scores/
  • https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a35559/back-to-the-future-production/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Gump
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Polar_Express_(film)#Soundtrack
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Avengers_(2012_film)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Becomes_Her
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soapdish
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(2009_film)#Music
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_(1997_American_film)#Music
  • https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/film-tv/best-alan-silvestri-soundtracks/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers:_Endgame#Music
  • https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/lilo-and-stitch-soundtrack-review/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Dredd_(film)#Music
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Navigator#Soundtrack