Gone with the Wind

[PJMcK]

12. Thanks for the info!

Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, Elmer Bernstein, Henry Mancini and Ennio Morricone are among my favorites of the "classic" film composers.

John Williams, of course, is the monster of all time! But I still admire others in the transitional time from the classic to the modern. Composers such as David Shire, Dave Grusin, James Horner, Bill Conti, Nino Rota and Maurice Jarre.

In the modern era, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Howard Shore and John Corigliano stand out for me.

I'm sure I've left out some great talents inadvertently!

John Barry gets a special mention because of his iconic themes for the James Bond films as well as "Dances With Wolves," "Born Free" and "Out Of Africa." His melodies captured the aura of their eras.

Burt Bacharach gets a shout-out since he wrote (with lyricist Hal David) two huge hit songs for the films he scored, "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" from "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" and one of the greatest love songs ever, "The Look Of Love" for the James Bond spoof, "Casino Royale."

Damn, that went on too long! Sorry.