AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores
Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores is a list of the top 25 film scores in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute in 2005.
John Williams has the most scores in the top 25, with three: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, and the top choice, Star Wars. Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, and Max Steiner each have two scores listed.
The most scores by one composer nominated for the top 25 was 11; seven composers accomplished this: Steiner, Bernstein, Alfred Newman, Goldsmith, Franz Waxman, Miklós Rózsa, and Williams.
| # | Film Title | Year | Studio | Composer |
| 1 | Star Wars | 1977 | 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm Ltd. | |
| 2 | Gone with the Wind | 1939 | MGM, Selznick International | |
| 3 | Lawrence of Arabia | 1962 | Columbia, Horizon Pictures | |
| 4 | Psycho | 1960 | Paramount | |
| 5 | The Godfather | 1972 | Paramount | |
| 6 | Jaws | 1975 | Universal | |
| 7 | Laura | 1944 | 20th Century Fox | |
| 8 | ' | 1960 | United Artists, Mirisch Company | |
| 9 | Chinatown | 1974 | Paramount | |
| 10 | High Noon | 1952 | United Artists, Stanley Kramer Productions | |
| 11 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | 1938 | Warner Bros. | |
| 12 | Vertigo | 1958 | Paramount | |
| 13 | King Kong | 1933 | RKO | |
| 14 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 1982 | Universal, Amblin Entertainment | |
| 15 | Out of Africa | 1985 | Universal | |
| 16 | Sunset Boulevard | 1950 | Paramount | |
| 17 | To Kill a Mockingbird | 1962 | Universal | |
| 18 | Planet of the Apes | 1968 | 20th Century Fox | |
| 19 | ' | 1951 | Warner Bros. | |
| 20 | ' | 1964 | United Artists, Mirisch Company | |
| 21 | Ben-Hur | 1959 | MGM | |
| 22 | On the Waterfront | 1954 | Columbia, Horizon Pictures | |
| 23 | ' | 1986 | Warner Bros., Goldcrest Films | |
| 24 | On Golden Pond | 1981 | Universal, ITC Entertainment | |
| 25 | How the West Was Won | 1962 | MGM, Cinerama Releasing | , Ken Darby |