Henry Mancini’s scores have long been staples of classic movies. His music has captured fun comedies, dramatic movies, and everything in between. Mancini won four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and multiple Grammys for his music. Throughout his career, he worked with some of the most iconic names in Hollywood, likeAudrey Hepburnand directorBlake Edwards, composing some of the most recognizable scores in movie history.
What sets Mancini’s movie scores apart is the fact that they capture the stories featured in the movies. Some scores feature iconic songs that have gained legacies of their own, such as that fromBreakfast at Tiffany’s. Other scores, such as those featured inDays of Wine and Roses, are much more intimate and tell a very heartfelt story of a movie’s protagonists.The best Mancini scores elevate the movies they’re featured in; this list will rank them based on how much they enhance their respective movies and how iconic they’ve become since.
10’Days of Wine and Roses' (1962)
Directed by Blake Edwards
Mancini’s score forDays of Wine and Rosesties in with the melancholiness that comes with the movie’s central themes. It follows protagonists Kirsten Arnesen (Lee Remick) and Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon) as they struggle with alcohol use disorder. The score underlines Kirsten and Joe’s dramatic journey; it is light at the beginning, with Kirsten and Joe’s first meeting and falling in love, before becoming frenzied when their lives get chaotic. Finally, it ends up at a slow tempo.
One of Mancini’s better-known scores,Days of Wine and Rosesis effective becauseit reinforces the movie’s narrative. The gradual progression of alcohol use disorder is underlined by the score, making the message more impactful. It emphasizes Mancini’s ability to use a movie’s score to create attachments to a story’s protagonists, matching the compassionate tone of the movie.
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9’The Night Visitor' (1971)
Directed by László Benedek
Mancini’s score forThe Night Visitorisa psychedelic, otherworldly musical journeythat matches the thrilling tone of the story about a wrongly convicted man, Salem (Max Von Sydow), who is confined to a psychiatric hospital. Just like the story, the score is tense, dramatic, and largely undefinable. Mancini included all kinds of musical styles as well as silence to emphasize the important moments of the story.
What setsThe Night Visitor’s score apart is that it renders the story effectively unnerving. The use of different styles creates a discombobulating feeling that makes the story that much more riveting. Further,The Night Visitoris an example of Mancini’s ability to underline the movie’s emotional journey. This score stands out as one of Mancini’s most memorable for many reasons, including the fact that it uses unevenness to bring the story together.
The Night Visitor
Directed by Stanley Donen
Two for the Roadis a romantic comedy, but its score sometimes indicates otherwise. Although the story is a sweet romance following married couple Joanna (Audrey Hepburn) and Mark Wallace (Albert Finney), the score has a bittersweet tone. The movie follows the Wallaces as they reflect on their relationship that has lasted just over a decade. The score highlights the sweet love story while providing space for the protagonists to consider the challenges they have faced.
What makesTwo for the Road’s score so unique is that it takes the movie’s romantic premise and gives it something deeper,adding a sadness that makes the love story easier to appreciate. Mancini uses his ability to tell a story with this score and captures the complexity that exists in all love stories, highlighting how all great love stories evolve over the years.
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7’Sometimes a Great Notion' (1971)
Directed by Paul Newman
The score ofSometimes a Great Notionis full of twang, playing to the movie’s plot which revolves around a working-class town. In thisPaul Newmanacted-and-directed movie, a family tries to keep their business alive. The upbeat score paints the picture of hard workers' constant struggles.Sometimes a Great Notion’s score is as dramatic as the story of loggers fighting over territory.
Mancini’s score inSometimes a Great Notionis as accessibleas the story itself. The fact that the score is so visual makes it that much easier to engage with the movie’s narrative. It’s upbeat but not happy, which is an effective way to highlight the movie’s overall tone.Sometimes a Great Notionis one of Mancini’s most distinctive scores because it is such a necessary part of the story.
Sometimes a Great Notion
6’The Great Race' (1965)
The score ofThe Great Racehighlights the movie’s slapstick and comedic plot. The light-hearted score fits the movie’s story about daredevils The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) and Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon).The Great Race’s score goes from upbeat and silly to slower and more romantic, heightening the story’s charm while emphasizing how sweet it is at its silliest.
What makes this score one ofMancini’s most notable is how versatile it is. Although the overall movie is comedic, the score adds such depth to the story that it almost becomes more dramatic. It’s another example of a score Mancini used to chart the trajectories of characters in a much-appreciated romantic way.The Great Race’s score is also effective in highlighting the thrilling parts of the movie, bringing to mind the image of a car chase, which fits the plot.
The Great Race
5’Sunflower' (1970)
Directed by Vittorio De Sica
Sunflower, orI girasoliin Italian, is a wartime epic starringSophia LorenandMarcello Mastroianni, who play a couple torn apart by World War II. The score ofSunflowerreflects the tragic love story that the movie revolves around while still having a hopeful tone. Ultimately, the score of this movie also highlights its epic scale since it is such a worldwide project.
What makesSunflowerone of Mancini’s notable projects is that it is as dramatic as the movie while never taking itself too seriously. This score’s expansiveness keeps the story grounded by being deeply emotional. The fact that itgoes from grand and dramatic to softer and more intimatealso makes it effective. It’s a tough trick to pull, but Mancini handles it with unsurprising ease.
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4’Gunn' (1967)
Gunnis a film noirthat follows the mystery of a gangster who gets murdered on his yacht.Craig Stevensstars as Peter Gunn, the private eye investigating the murder. The movie was based on the television series calledPeter Gunn. Mancini’s score for this movie captured the noir genre and highlighted the thrilling side of the story.Gunn’s score is fast, furious, and focused, making ita quintessential spy movie soundtrack.
What makes the score forGunnone of Mancini’s best works is its distinct sound: it is immediately recognizable with its rapid pace that makes the music more dramatic.Gunn’s score is just as fun and dramatic as the story itself. The theme song is cool and catchy in a way that just burrows into the minds of those who listen to it, setting the tone for the movie and making it iconic.
Gunn is not available to stream or purchase in the US and Canada.
3’Charade' (1963)
Charadeis a romantic comedythat starsAudrey HepburnandCary Grantas a couple who come together under wild circumstances. The theme song of this movie has become one of the most instantly recognizable pieces of movie music, and the score stands out asa timeless testimony to Mancini’s talent. Its smooth, jazzy feel underlines the movie’s love story in such a sophisticated manner.
Because of howCharade’s score uses its catchy tempo to ground the movie’s story, it is one of Mancini’s best. The score toCharadeis arranged in such a way that it demonstrates the movie’s timelessness—the music was just as iconic in the 1960s as it remains today.Charade’s score nowsymbolizes everything about the 1960s that audiences still love.
2’Breakfast at Tiffany’s' (1961)
One of the most iconic scores in history isBreakfast at Tiffany’s. The film tells the story of Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), a socialite who finds a struggling writer.The most famous song to come out of the movie’s score is “Moon River,“which has since been covered by many artists over the years. It’s another example of Mancini’s abilities withdeeply romantic and sorrowful music.
What really elevatesBreakfast at Tiffany’sscore, particularly “Moon River,” to icon status is that it is melancholy, loving, and hopeful all at once. Whimsy is also part of the score that fits well with the story of the movie. Mancini used his signature method of combining styles to create this memorable score, which remains one of the most well-known in movie history.Like the fashionBreakfast at Tiffany’s, the score defined an era in movies.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
1’The Pink Panther' (1963)
The Pink Pantheris an American comedythat launched the eponymous series featuring Inspector Jacques Clouseau, here played byPeter Sellers. The score toThe Pink Pantheris highly recognizable, especially its catchy, upbeat opening song. The score is playful and jazzy and points out how much of a fun character Clouseau is, showing yet another example of Mancini’s ability tocombine various styles to tell a story through music.
The opening theme forThe Pink Pantherisone of the most recognizable songs in movie history, inspiring many other scores over the years. It’s simple, playful, weirdly seductive, and fun to listen to, much like howThe Pink Pantheris a familiar story that’s easy to revisit. This score underlines the movie’s quirkiness, which is part of what makes it so beloved, approachable, and refined.
