Patrick Doyle - The Composer
by brijeshmarand | created - 31 Mar 2023 | updated - 11 months ago | PublicPatrick Doyle is a Scottish composer with over 50 years of experience in the film industry, having composed scores for more than 60 feature films. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Kenneth Branagh and his scores for films by acclaimed directors such as Robert Altman, Ang Lee, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and Brian De Palma. Most recently, he was honored with the royal commission to compose the Coronation March for the King and the Queen Consort's ceremony that took place at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023.
Which of these acclaimed and popular film scores do you think is his best?
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1. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
PG | 136 min | Drama, Romance
Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. The two eldest daughters are the title opposites.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 125,812 | Gross: $43.18M
Best Original Score (Academy Award) nomination
Best Film Music (BAFTA Award) nomination
Best Original Score (Golden Globe Awards) nomination
2. Hamlet (1996)
PG-13 | 242 min | Drama
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet
Votes: 40,067 | Gross: $4.41M
Best Original Score (Academy Award) nomination
Best Original Score (Satellite Award) nomination
3. Thor (2011)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Fantasy
The powerful but arrogant god Thor is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
Votes: 900,710 | Gross: $181.03M
Top Box Office Films (ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards) winner
Soundtrack Composer of the Year (World Soundtrack Awards) nomination - It includes other films of the year (Jig & La ligne droite)
4. Dead Again (1991)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A woman who has lost her memory is taken in by a Los Angeles orphanage, and a private eye is enlisted to track down her identity, but he soon finds that he might have a past life connection to her that endangers their lives.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia, Lois Hall
Votes: 30,392 | Gross: $38.02M
Best Original Score (Golden Globe Awards) nomination
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
PG-13 | 157 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Harry Potter finds himself competing in a hazardous tournament between rival schools of magic, but he is distracted by recurring nightmares.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Eric Sykes
Votes: 681,971 | Gross: $290.01M
Best Music (Saturn Awards) nomination
Top Box Office Films (ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards) winner
Best Original Song Written for Film (World Soundtrack Awards) nomination - For song "Magic Works"
6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising.
Director: Rupert Wyatt | Stars: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, Karin Konoval
Votes: 560,044 | Gross: $176.76M
Top Box Office Films (ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards) winner
7. Brave (2012)
PG | 93 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell | Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Votes: 442,588 | Gross: $237.28M
Top Box Office Films (ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards) winner
8. Henry V (1989)
PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin
Votes: 31,676 | Gross: $10.16M
Best Film Theme (Ivor Novello Awards) winner
9. Indochine (1992)
PG-13 | 160 min | Drama, Romance, War
Eliane adopts Camille, whose Vietnamese parents were friends. In 1930, a French navy officer is interested in Eliane (owns 60km2 plantation) and later in Camille. There's an uprising in Vietnam against French colonial power.
Director: Régis Wargnier | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Perez, Linh-Dan Pham, Jean Yanne
Votes: 10,945 | Gross: $5.73M
Best Music (César Awards) nomination
10. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
R | 123 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
When the brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein rejects the artificial man that he has created, the Creature escapes and later swears revenge.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Hulce
Votes: 59,363 | Gross: $22.01M
Best Music (Saturn Awards) nomination
11. A Little Princess (1995)
G | 97 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Sara is sent to a strict boarding school after her father enlists in WWI. When he is presumed dead, the headmistress, knowing she will not receive any more money, forces the girl to become a servant.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham, Rusty Schwimmer
Votes: 36,725 | Gross: $10.02M
Best Music (LA Film Critics Association Awards) winner
12. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Bridget Jones is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which she keeps a personal diary.
Director: Sharon Maguire | Stars: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones
Votes: 263,947 | Gross: $71.54M
Best Original Score of the Year Not Released on an Album (World Soundtrack Awards) winner
13. Gosford Park (2001)
R | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Set in the 1930s, a group of pretentious rich and famous get together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Maggie Smith, Ryan Phillippe, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas
Votes: 94,054 | Gross: $41.31M
Soundtrack Composer of the Year (World Soundtrack Awards) winner
14. Cinderella (I) (2015)
PG | 105 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
When her father unexpectedly dies, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her scheming stepsisters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter
Votes: 190,837 | Gross: $201.15M
Best Original Film Score of the Year (World Soundtrack Awards) nomination
15. Donnie Brasco (1997)
R | 127 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby
Votes: 332,460 | Gross: $41.91M
16. Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
PG-13 | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When a murder occurs on the train on which he's travelling, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench
Votes: 296,795 | Gross: $102.83M
17. Carlito's Way (1993)
R | 144 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo
Votes: 232,497 | Gross: $36.95M
18. Death on the Nile (2022)
PG-13 | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
While on vacation on the Nile, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Kenneth Branagh, Russell Brand
Votes: 188,803 | Gross: $45.63M
19. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Jack Ryan, as a young covert C.I.A. analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh
Votes: 138,274 | Gross: $50.58M
20. Eragon (2006)
PG | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Family
In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realizes he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.
Director: Stefen Fangmeier | Stars: Ed Speleers, Sienna Guillory, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich
Votes: 130,516 | Gross: $75.03M
21. Nanny McPhee (2005)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A governess uses magic to rein in the behavior of seven ne'er-do-well children in her charge.
Director: Kirk Jones | Stars: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Kelly Macdonald
Votes: 85,540 | Gross: $47.14M
22. Secondhand Lions (2003)
PG | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Fourteen-year-old Walter Caldwell's irresponsible mother Mae sends him to live with his bachelor uncles, Hub and Garth, so that she can go on yet another husband-hunting trip.
Director: Tim McCanlies | Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Kyra Sedgwick
Votes: 61,824 | Gross: $41.41M
23. Great Expectations (1998)
R | 111 min | Drama, Romance
Modernization of Charles Dickens' classic story finds the hapless Finn as a painter in New York City pursuing his unrequited and haughty childhood love.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper
Votes: 56,941 | Gross: $26.33M
24. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young lovers, and soon to wed, Hero and Claudio conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles, Benedick and Beatrice, to wed as well.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Kate Beckinsale
Votes: 52,031 | Gross: $22.55M
25. The Last Legion (2007)
PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, History
As the Roman empire crumbles, young Romulus Augustus flees the city and embarks on a perilous voyage to Britain to track down a legion of supporters.
Director: Doug Lefler | Stars: Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Peter Mullan
Votes: 37,110 | Gross: $5.93M
26. Nim's Island (2008)
PG | 96 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Imagination and reality collide when young Nim's father goes missing at sea. Fate brings to her the author of the Alex Rover series, her favorite books, and together they try to find Nim's father.
Directors: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin | Stars: Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Abigail Breslin, Michael Carman
Votes: 36,907 | Gross: $48.01M
27. Sleuth (2007)
R | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
On his sprawling country estate, an aging writer matches wits with the struggling actor who has stolen his wife's heart.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Michael Caine, Jude Law, Harold Pinter, Kenneth Branagh
Votes: 33,036 | Gross: $0.34M
28. Calendar Girls (2003)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Drama
A Women's Institute chapter's fundraising effort for a local hospital by posing nude for a calendar becomes a media sensation.
Director: Nigel Cole | Stars: Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, Penelope Wilton, John Alderton
Votes: 28,047 | Gross: $31.04M
29. Needful Things (1993)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.
Director: Fraser C. Heston | Stars: Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer
Votes: 27,523 | Gross: $15.19M
30. Igor (2008)
PG | 87 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
Animated fable about a cliché hunchbacked evil scientist's assistant who aspires to become a scientist himself, much to the displeasure of the rest of the evil science community.
Director: Tony Leondis | Stars: John Cusack, Molly Shannon, Steve Buscemi, Myleene Klass
Votes: 24,342 | Gross: $19.53M
31. Killing Me Softly (2002)
R | 100 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A young American woman living in London begins a passionate and kinky affair with a handsome stranger who may have a dark and dangerous past.
Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: Heather Graham, Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone, Ulrich Thomsen
Votes: 19,338
32. Quest for Camelot (1998)
G | 86 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
An adventurous girl, a young blind hermit, and a goofy two-headed dragon race to find the lost sword Excalibur to save King Arthur and Camelot from disaster.
Director: Frederik Du Chau | Stars: Jessalyn Gilsig, Cary Elwes, Andrea Corr, Bryan White
Votes: 18,081 | Gross: $22.72M
33. A United Kingdom (2016)
PG-13 | 111 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of King Seretse Khama of Botswana and how his loving but controversial marriage to a British white woman, Ruth Williams, put his kingdom into political and diplomatic turmoil.
Director: Amma Asante | Stars: David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Tom Felton, Jack Davenport
Votes: 16,989 | Gross: $3.90M
34. Blow Dry (2001)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 2000, a small town hosts The British Hairdressing Championship, where a former 2-time winner, his son, his run-away wife and his runaway wife's lady lover reside (not all on speaking terms).
Director: Paddy Breathnach | Stars: Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths, Rachael Leigh Cook
Votes: 9,042 | Gross: $0.64M
35. Mrs. Winterbourne (1996)
PG-13 | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Connie, unwed and pregnant, is heading to Boston by train when she meets wealthy newlyweds Hugh and Patricia. The train crashes, and when Connie comes to in the hospital, she is mistaken for Patricia, who died in the crash with Hugh.
Director: Richard Benjamin | Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Ricki Lake, Brendan Fraser, Miguel Sandoval
Votes: 8,476 | Gross: $10.07M
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