Film scores can be seen as inconsequential by some people. Film music can be seen as, by nature, populist and commercial, and therefore lacking in long-term artistic merit. Many people would hesitate before mentioning film composers in the same sentence as proper contemporary classical composers.
However, there is another argument. Film music is not alone in being written to accompany another medium. Think of Ballet, Opera, or incidental music for the theatre, for example. Much of the music for these genres has stood the test of time. Nobody would challenge the claim of Opera to be a medium which has produced many masterpieces. Mendelssohn's music to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is marvellous, so is Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite, as is Tchaikovsky's ballet music. These are examples of music that have lasted, and can stand as good music even when separated from their original context.
My argument is that the best film music is also capable of being good just as music for itself, even when not accompanied by the film. There is no doubt that much drivel has been written for cinema, and we can be comforted that it will not last. However, I would not be surprised if the best film music gradually grows in respectability over the next century, so that the music will be played long after the films themselves have been forgotten.
What do people think?