Weekly Pick: Ennio Morricone

Keep this energy up, we need Morricone Volume 3 in two weeks... 👍

The way he handled the score for Once Upon a Time in the West was just next level. Raymond Walker5 actually pointed out some of those key scenes where his genius really shines through. Honestly, I can't even imagine the movie without his music. Like, would these scenes even hit the same with some generic, dry orchestral track? Probably not...
It’s kind of wild how Americans used to look down on Morricone by grouping him in with those cheap spaghetti westerns—which always felt like a bit of a dig at the genre. Taking a swing at the classic American Western identity like that was pretty gutsy. But over time, the perception here in the States shifted, partly because he scored so many iconic American films, like Once Upon a Time in America, and partly because directors like Tarantino constantly pull from his playbook...
There isn't anyone close to his caliber who has impacted cinema this much, especially since he's still with us 😁

My top pick has to be the theme from "The Great Silence." If I'm being honest, that's become my favorite flick in the genre. Highly recommend watching it for Klaus Kinski's performance, though the score is just as killer as the stuff in the Leone film mentioned earlier...
I was hoping to see more tracks from the film.
Some of you might recognize that melody. You're right 😉. Those elements actually inspired the famous Chi Mai score a year later. I bet Raymond Walker5 knows that one too...

Btw, in the last poll I mentioned a track sexier than Gainsbourg's "Je t'aime," referring to the score for Forza G. No, I wasn't talking about the one in this current poll... I meant Quella Donna🙂... if we ever get a Volume 3, I'm definitely looking for two more tracks from Forza G...

Another favorite that deserved a spot was the theme from Tepepa
What's cool about it? On the soundtrack for that legendary Zapata-style western, this melody isn't just an instrumental; it features vocals and is titled Al Messico che vorrei
The track listed as "Tepepa" in this poll is actually Viva la Revolucion...

Like vivideagle7 said, no voting until everything is on the table 😉. Nice work, Raymond Walker5!

Vol. 3
...and honestly, we could go on until Volume 1000 🤣
If we actually see a third volume, I’d say we’re looking at a few months of waiting at least. To be fair, I don't think everyone is going to be thrilled about having such an endless series of volumes to get through.
For a first installment, this is more than enough Ennio Morricone to satisfy me. There’s plenty of other great music out there waiting to be discovered.

I seem to recall reading somewhere—though my memory is a bit fuzzy on the details—that this particular love theme actually served as inspiration for Chi Mai.

Now, "Quella Donna" is basically pure smut, but if I remember correctly, there was quite a bit of complaining about his work during that specific era.
On another note, I’d really love to catch a screening of *The Great Silence* if I can track down a way to watch the film.

I mean, I could’ve easily voted for every single track on this thing, no question. But look, I just picked the ones that hit hardest when you imagine them playing over a movie scene. That’s the whole point of film scoring, right? It’s all about that perfect symbiosis between the sound and the screen. Honestly, the guy is a straight-up genius. We’re talking top-tier stuff here—he’s right up there with the greatest composers in human history.

Patrick Martin said:I honestly could have voted for every single track on this list, but I decided to narrow it down to the ones that hit hardest when paired with their respective films. That’s really the whole point of a movie score, isn't it? That perfect symbiosis between sound and screen. The man is a pure genius; he belongs right up there with the greatest composers in human history.

He’s at the top of my list, too. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for the classics—the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, and all those legends. But Morricone’s work just hits me on a level they can't reach. Instead of getting bogged down in technical perfection or mathematical precision with notes, he focuses entirely on atmosphere and raw emotion. In my book, he is hands down the greatest film composer to ever live. It’s hard to find anyone who even comes close, not even someone as massive as John Williams. And don't even get me started on Hans Zimmer; the more I listen to him lately, the more repetitive and uninspired he sounds to me. Honestly, it feels like he's just recycling old ideas at this point.

I have to admit, I was quite taken by surprise when I finally stumbled upon the "Harry's Ranch - Main Theme" from the film *A Sky Full of Stars*. It actually took me a while to find it—it wasn't until I was halfway through the remastered soundtrack that it popped up. There’s just something about that flute melody... it’s incredibly beautiful. It manages to feel both melancholically relaxing and strangely lonely at the same time.

Raymond Walker5 said:And I’d honestly love to catch a screening of The Great Silence if I can actually track down a way to watch it.

The Great Silence

goldenscout14 said:
The Great Silence

Thanks so much for the tip... I'll definitely have to check that out. 👍

Raymond Walker5 said:I appreciate it... I'll definitely have to check that out. 👍

It’s one of those better spaghetti westerns with a truly unconventional twist; honestly, it's well worth your time regardless.

Here is the latest update from Morricone to his fans. Next year, he’ll be performing live pieces from Tarantino's *The Hateful Eight*.
I suppose you actually have to be logged into Facebook to see the full thing:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...type=2&theater

No need to sign in. Big Ennio 🙏 I’m really crossing my fingers that we get an absolutely legendary soundtrack for Hateful Eight.

I can't help but wonder how Western music will even sound after fifty years without any authentic Western movies to provide that iconic soundtrack.

Maybe the whole Western genre just lost its soul because Ennio stopped scoring movies for them 🤔 😬

vivideagle7 said:Maybe the whole Western genre just lost its spark because Ennio stopped scoring those films... 🤔 😬

I honestly think we might see a massive resurgence in Westerns now that Ennio is back in the game. He’s still in his prime, after all. 😁

I went through quite a few filter loops before finally settling on these 16 or 17 tracks that actually earned my vote. For instance, "Marco Polo" would’ve made the cut if it weren't just a little too unpolished—honestly, I spent the whole time waiting for that central climax to hit, which is admittedly brilliant, but you can't really justify a vote when only about a seventh of a three-and-a-half-minute track actually grabs your attention.
It’s the same story with "Alla Luce Del Giorno"—that main funky groove is independently fantastic, but that weird yodeling side effect ruins the whole vibe for me.

"Laringomania" just absolutely obliterates everything else in its path 😁
It reminds me of wasps, or those wet, slippery bridges in Seattle when it starts pouring.
My brain is basically turned to mush at this point.

Now, "Cosa Buffa," despite being built entirely around one single repeating sample, didn't feel repetitive to me at all. It’s got that Morricone-style flair where they shift the sample up or down by two or three tones—it even handles the light humming surprisingly well. You take a simple idea and play with it until it becomes something great.

"Questa Pazza" is just pure, sugary, upbeat carnival energy.

As for "Orca"... what can I even say?
An elegy. Soulful. Haunting. Intense.

I found myself totally mesmerized by "Forse Basta" 😬.
It’s so mellow it could easily pass for a lullaby.

I really enjoyed the whole Marco Polo project. My only real gripe is that the intro and the outro feel a bit too quiet compared to the rest, but otherwise, it’s an excellent piece of work. They captured the vibe of the theme perfectly, and the entire soundtrack really lives within that specific soundscape.