Please open notes for details. 

If there’s one non-human thing I love more than film, it’s music. This list is my attempt to recognise the many films I’ve seen that have used music to great effect. 

There’s no auditory cine-filler here. This is music that takes a film by the scruff of its neck and makes it a contender. Or gives an otherwise great film the lift-off towards something extraordinary.

Good use of music can give a film its emotional fascia. It can be its heartbeat and drive, its tension and release. Music can be an integral character or an ironic chorus. It can rub our noses in it, or carry us to the divine.

My criteria for this list is a bit fluid. I’ve generally excluded musicals and films about music or musicians. But otherwise, it’s really the list of films whose music has left an indelible impression on me. So, it’s very much a personal response with no claims to objectivity. One person’s music is another person’s screaming agony. And three cheers for that diversity. 

I’ll gradually be adding my personal thoughts about each choice. I’d be delighted if you agree with any, but also if you think I’ve overlooked some gems.