As long as humanity has been recording history, music has been immensely important in society. Not only can it be joyous and entertaining, but it can capture the mood and feel of a time and a place. Cinema has been no exception in this regard.
The creation of original music for a film is awarded by the Academy in the Best Original Score category. The composer has one of the most difficult and lonely jobs in filmmaking. Almost always arriving at the end of the editing stage, he or she has to fashion music appropriate to the mood of a film. But when a composer does a magnificent job, the result can be iconic.
This category tends to awards its favorites. It is notoriously one of AMPAS’s most insular branches (though it has warmed up to newbies slightly in recent years). It also tends to award music that features prominently in the films. From this vantage point, however, it is always hard to guess which films will find themselves in contention, largely because we have not heard the scores.
An exception in this regard is Michael Giacchino’s work on Pixar’s “Up.” Giacchino, who was nominated two years ago for “Ratatouille,” has once again composed a soundtrack which can be sad, joyous and suspenseful. The film is likely headed towards a Best Picture nomination, and I suspect a citation here will follow.
Another animated film which may very well end up in contention is “The Princess and the Frog.” The music is being handled by Randy Newman, clearly beloved by the music branch. I remain skeptical of how this film will be received and, in any event, think that Best Original Song may be the more likely spot to consider for this film. However, Newman’s name means a lot and there are few other favorites in the running this year.
Randy’s cousin, Thomas Newman, is one of those favorites. He seems to be in contention every year. A 10-time nominee, Newman is clearly respected by his colleagues. How Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers” will be received, however, is a matter of considerable uncertainty. That said, Newman does not need a respected film to put him into the game. See “The Good German.”
The multiple nominee who just might have the best chance to return is James Horner, tasked with capturing the fantastical world James Cameron has created in “Avatar.” Despite only having returned to the nominees once since winning two Oscars for “Titanic,” I suspect Horner will have one hell of a musical opportunity here.
Oscar winner Gabriel Yared will have the opportunity to capture the world of Amelia Earhart in Mira Nair’s “Amelia.” However, to date, Yared has only received Oscar attention when he has collaborated with the late Anthony Minghella. We’ll see if collaborating with Nair has the potential to imitate that success.
Alexandre Desplat has proven himself to be one of the best working composers today. With “The Tree of Life,” he has the opportunity to work with Terrence Malick, who has provided two of the greatest opportunities for composers to prove their talents: Ennio Morricone in “Days of Heaven” and Hans Zimmer in “The Thin Red Line.” Of course, predicting what a Malick film will deliver is never easy, and Desplat has so far only been nominated for his Best Picture nominees: “The Queen” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Alternatively, Desplat’s compositions for “Coco Before Chanel,” bringing him back to his French roots, could find him in the race or, even more likely, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” could emerge as his primary contender. Also responsible for “Julie and Julia” and “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” Desplat is in the midst of yet another very busy year.
Another composer who has finally broken through with American audiences in recent years is Alberto Iglesias. Though he has earned Oscar nominations for Fernando Meirelles’s “The Constant Gardener” and Marc Forster’s “The Kite Runner,” it is ultimately his relationship with Pedro Almodóvar that has defined Iglesias’s career. “Broken Embraces” is the latest entry in their long series of collaborations. It is said to be exquisite. We’ll see if the Academy finally embraces it.
Alan Silvestri has been one of the most prolific film composers over the past quarter century. Despite working on many high profile titles, however, he has only been nominated twice – for Best Original Score for “Forrest Gump” and Best Original Song for “The Polar Express.” Once again teaming up with Robert Zemeckis on an animated stop motion endeavor, “A Christmas Carol,” he could have another chance to show his considerable talent.
Every so often, a composer known for his work outside of films is given a magnificent cinematic opportunity and the Academy responds. Tan Dun and John Corigliano are excellent examples of this. And this year, Brian Eno has been tapped by Peter Jackson to score “The Lovely Bones.” Howard Shore’s compositions for “The Lord of the Rings” are, without a doubt, classic and the unique narrative of “The Lovely Bones” could present a great opportunity for music. We’ll see what Eno does but I feel he could find himself firmly in this race.
Finally, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis were ignored by the Academy for their work on “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” so it could be folly to anticipate much love for their minimalistic score in “The Road.” But they are in the mix nevertheless.
Last year, A. R. Rahman came from relative obscurity in America to win two Oscars. So there’s much to be said about not getting ahead of ourselves. As Venice and Toronto begin to settle in and shape the next several months, however, much more could change.
Given that a preview of the Original Song category at this point in the year would have numerous holes, next week’s look at Best Makeup will be our last “first glance” here at In Contention!
Comments
27 responses to “TECH SUPPORT: Best Original Score — Volume I”
I’m not sold on “The Princess and the Frog” in this category. Musicals almost never get nominated here anymore because so many of the musical themes are derived from the songs (remember Alan Menken’s disqualification for “Enchanted” two years ago?).
I’d count out Nick Cave and Warren Ellis as well. You know how tempermental the music branch is toward multiple composers.
It’s a good score, “The Road,” but probably too understated. I think they deserve to be at least mentioned, regardless.
It would be daylight robbery if Giacchino looses his Oscar for Up. The score is really memorable and has caught on with the public like few scores have in the past 2-3 years. You know this when you have about 50 amateur videos on youtube playing the film’s main theme 1 month after its release. Also he was totally robbed for Ratatouille by Atonement. He also had another superb score in Star Trek(itself worthy of a nomination) to back-up his cause.
Ponyo also has a very big sumptuous score and would be an absolute shoo-in if it were not in a foreign language film by a foreign language composer. Coraline too merits consideration. And Red Cliff, I don’t know if it has a US release date or not but it has a very good score, the kind that could get popular with the masses.
I’m excited about The Princess And The frog score and songs too but I hope there is a substantial amount of score to qualify for a nomination.
Bright Star may have a shot and I have hopes from Yared too as Amelia lends itself to an excellent scoring opportunity because the film will likely feature many landscape shots and flying sequences. But I suspect Up will only receive a nomination and The Lovely Bones or Avatar will take the prize.
Regarding Giacchino, I think that if he gets nominated, it should be for “Star Trek”. That remains my favorite score of the year thus far.
To be fair, red-wine, the robbery really occured when Jonny Greenwood’s score for There Will Be Blood was deemed ineligible.
But that’s history. Michael Giacchino is now a bigger contender than ever.
I think Horner has been nominated twice (A Beautiful Mind and House of Sand and Fog); and Desplat is so busy they may feel obligated to nominate him for his output (a la James Newton Howard’s not so great Michael Clayton representing a full year).
Good looking out on Newman’s WTF nod for THE GOOD GERMAN. The clearly love him…not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m rooting for Randy because I hope that film does well and for Desplat for whatever film. Whatever you though of BUTTON Desplat did great things in it
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, ive got a feeling this could be one of its better chances
The Informant! is also a very very good bet
Desplat is a shoe-in for any of his scores, he might even get two nods in total. Giacchino is a lock, Horner seems the be as well.
I saw Broken Embraces this weekend, Iglesias did an amazing job….I don’t how the film will be received but he should be nominated….
of course I say this having seen only Embraces and Up so…
but it was pretty amazing…
Yeah, The Informant score was hilarious. Works well with the film. Could be a dark horse.
Eno might be disqualified since he’s using reworked versions of some of his previous songs, such as “The Big Ship”. Not sure how much will be entirely new material. Bound to be brilliant either way.
Glad to see Cave and Ellis are on your list, I havent heard the score yet (thing it will be release the end of Sept) but after Jesse James (and the Proposition) I eagerly await it and hope it at least in the mix if it is warranted.
Excited for The Road, their score for Jesse James was phenomenal, one of the best of that year alongside There Will Be Blood, and Atonement. Michael Giacchino deserves a nomination, and while I consider Star Trek to have the better score, his work in UP is impeccable.
The score for Michael Clayton was perfect, giving to the movie his sense of constant danger, madness and making the movie more interesting to follow.
About Cave and Ellis, it’s a real shame that the Academy hadn’t nominated a years ago for his wonderful, lyrical, and beautiful score for TAOJJ, easily one of the best scores and movies of the decade.
I’m hoping the Newman’s Oscar, as I wait for the Winslet’s oscar last year. I feel so sad when Wall-e didn’t win last year or at least Alexander Desplat, but Slumdog Millionaire? An almost non-score, but a compilation of songs.
I love music and I hope that this year amazed us with great OST.
@ N8 Didnt The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Pocahontas all WIN best original score? The Princess and the Frog is the first Disney movie like those since them so I think it stands a very good chance indeed.
@ Mike,
Yeah they did, and most of them were deserved too. In fact, it prompted AMPAS to separate Original Score into two separate categories (Drama and Musical/Comedy).
But since they went back to just one Score category in 2000, not a single musical has been nominated there. I feel the trend has passed. This aint the 90’s.
I still wish they had an award for best soundtrack. Films like Scorcese’s and Tarantino’s are so good with that. It’s a skill.
Michael Giacchino’s score for “UP” is the fave as of now, and will probably remain so even when the rest of the year’s films are released.
There’s still that bitter taste in my mouth on Wall-E getting shut out of the score and sound awards from last Oscars.
I don’t get the Giacchino love. I thought both Star Trek and Up were ok scores at best. In regards to animated scores both Coraline and Ponyo were superior to Up. Especially Ponyo, at the moment I can’t see anything topping it for me it’s just an absolutely sublime score and I hope Hisaishi gets his first nom.
Newman probably should have won for “The Good German” so there ya go. Strange places.
Alexandre Desplat’s Oscar track record is so strange. Ignoring all his best work (“Birth” is the finest original score of the decade, plus “Painted Veil”, “Lust, Caution”) and nominating for stuff like “Button”, which I don’t remember a single note of. Maybe he’ll get a nomination for New Moon this year instead of all the prestige titles.
I see no one has mentioned Desplat’s score for “Cheri,” which I still think is wonderful work.
Seriously, when does the guy sleep?
***and nominating for stuff like “Button”, which I don’t remember a single note of.***
Says more about you than the actual score. Listen to it again and try telling me it’s not absolutely magical. Should have won, easily.
English: I agree 100% best score of the year…
Slumdog should have won best soundtrack, however not score.
Button or Wall-e but never Slumdog.
I actually think Nicholas Hooper’s musics in “HP and the HBP” was memorable…