Nicholas Britell is an Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated film score composer. He has worked with director Barry Jenkins three times, on Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk, and The Underground Railroad — with the first two scores bringing in Oscar nominations for Britell. The two have clearly formed a strong and productive relationship. Speaking to Honeysuckle Magazine, Britell says that working with Jenkins “gives me joy and creative freedom. I love the way Barry will talk about the music, I love the way Barry talks about the projects.”
Britell has also worked on a variety of movies and TV shows across different genres. These include Cruella, Don’t Look Up, Succession, Italian Studies, and The King. The range demonstrated here cements him as one of the most prolific composers working in the current landscape. Even if you didn’t know you’d heard his work, it’s unlikely that you could have made it this far without encountering at least one piece of his music. This is a great place to start if you want to get to know his music better. Or, if you want to see where your favorite of his scores places, read on to see our top ten ranking of his best work.
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10 A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015)
Focus Features
At number ten, we have A Tale of Love and Darkness, Natalie Portman’s feature-length directorial debut. This score was also one of Britell’s first feature-length ventures and that’s relatively clear. It’s a confident and well-done piece of work, but there is nothing there to make it stand out. He either hadn’t yet developed some of his bolder motifs, or wasn’t ready to use them yet.
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 The King (2019)
Netflix
The King, starring Timothée Chalamet, is a retelling of King Henry V’s reign. Its score is traditional, exactly what you’d expect for a movie set in the 15th Century. Britell does an excellent job of building tension for political arguments and huge battles. Antiphon is a stand-out among the rest, with invigorating strings and repeated ominous horn sounds throughout. In the few years between The King and A Tale of Love and Darkness you can really see Britell’s distinct sound come into formation.
8 Don’t Look Up (2021)
Netflix’s star-studded Don’t Look Up featured Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, and more. Britell’s work on Don’t Look Up’s score is of great quality and does the job, but, once again, doesn’t do much to step outside the box. There is the usual mix of brass, piano, and strings working together to create a solid atmosphere for this tense movie.
7 The Underground Railroad (2021)
The first television entry in this list, The Underground Railroad is a miniseries based on Colson Whitehead’s novel of the same name. This is where Britell’s work begins to distinguish itself from his peers. In conversation with Variety, he reveals that director Barry Jenkins sent him an audio file of a drilling sound and immediately thought, “I’m going to start experimenting with this.” The drilling noise of course made it into the score of the show which is haunting and creative.
6 Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Searchlight Pictures
Based on the true story of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, Battle of the Sexes depicts a tennis match between the two. The romantic subplot is where the score shines the most. A scene in which King gets a haircut from her love interest is a standout moment in the movie. There are gentle woodwind instruments that create a really lovely, dreamy atmosphere between the two women. Throughout, the score fittingly provides strength and softness in a unique way.
5 Cruella (2021)
Disney
Another Emma Stone movie, Disney’s live-action Cruella de Vil origin story, Cruella, is also scored by Britell. This score is eclectic and fun, leaning on guitar sounds to build the atmosphere of 1970s London. “The Baroque Ball” and “Goodbye Estella” are both standouts on the album and bookend it nicely. The way motifs from the beginning are echoed at the end in “Goodbye Estella” is excellently crafted and thought out.
4 Moonlight (2016)
A24
Best Picture Oscar-winner Moonlight is a tender coming-of-age story about a young gay, Black man played by Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes at different stages of his life. Britell’s score is beautiful, it feels like the music itself cares for the characters it is supporting, particularly in “Little’s Theme.” Later, “Chef’s Special” is a standout in the third section of the movie that really drives the emotion of the story home.
3 Succession (2018-Present)
HBO
Succession is a TV series that tells the story of the Roy family, who are in charge of a media empire. It’s impossible to discuss the score without mentioning the main title song. Britell manages to perfectly encapsulate the themes of the show in this piece, it is incredibly dramatic without being over-the-top and sounds both messy and polished. The rest of the score for the show is equally effective, it remains timeless but surprising.
2 The Big Short (2015)
Paramount Pictures
Continuing the business-heavy theme, The Big Short is set in 2006-2007 as investors place bets against the US mortgage market. There are several elements to this score; it brings together electronic sounds and highly percussive songs with more traditional movie score music mixed in. Each of these elements feels distinct, but they all work together successfully. This mirrors the makeup of the movie which is composed of several different plot lines that combine to make a whole.
1 If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Annapurna Pictures
If Beale Street Could Talk is based on a novel of the same name by James Baldwin. This is another collaboration with Jenkins and by far Britell’s best work. The story is tragic but romantic and the beautiful score reflects that perfectly. Songs like “Agape” and “Eros” are fluttering and gorgeous, while others like “Keepers of the Keys and Seals” are more dark and mysterious. The motifs woven throughout the score add a rich texture and depth to the already very special movie.
