is a bit overrated compared to Basil Poledouris's score for Conan the Barbarian
Conan's score was great, but I think ET's score is widely regarded as one of the best ever.
He was my C.O. in Nam. CIA listed him as MIA but the V.A. ID'd his M.O. and put out an APB.
ET is a classic, but I see your point.
And let's admit it, when we think of the score, it's the same triumphant bit that comes to mind, and I'm not sure it lasts longer than 15 seconds, the rest is pure John Williams' orchestration.
Darth Vader is scary and I The Godfather
It deserved the Oscar. The music is what made E.T. so special. Try and imagine some of the iconic scenes without it.
"A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference." Eeyore
The score is great--perfectly orchestrated to the action. But it should have been brought down just a titch in the final sound mix (or the dialogue brought up, take your pick). I watch a lot of movies and have a decent home theater audio setup, and I found that for the dialogue to be audible in one scene, the score was thunderingly loud in the next. It could have been slightly lower and still be plenty loud.
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My top 250: http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?user=SlackerInc&perpage=250