Categories One-by-One: Original Score

[rolotomasi99]

I couldn't hum Frida, Finding Neverland or Atonement if you put a gun to my head

Maybe not hum it, but surely you remember the clack-clack-clackity-clack of the typewriter in the music. That is how the score won the Oscar. I thought it was clever, but I agree with the general consensus that the most memorable scores generally win this category. GRAVITY may not be humable, but it certainly left an impression with its power and volume. I also appreciated how it was used to supplement the sound design in the vacuum of space. I would be surprised if anything else wins.

[The Original BJ]

Most of the winners from the 40s through the 80s we could all hum on command. There's been some lapse in that tradition in recent years -- first the fluky "Alan Menken wins every year" stretch,

Well, I could hum THOSE scores in a coma.

Well, you could hum the SONGS...you wouldn't necessarily remember the background music, which is what the category is supposed to honor.

You underestimate me.

[Mister Tee]

Most of the winners from the 40s through the 80s we could all hum on command. There's been some lapse in that tradition in recent years -- first the fluky "Alan Menken wins every year" stretch,

Well, I could hum THOSE scores in a coma.

Well, you could hum the SONGS...you wouldn't necessarily remember the background music, which is what the category is supposed to honor. (The composers' branch evidently saw it that way, adding that "musical or comedy score" category to try and head Menken off at the pass -- in the perfect irony, probably winning him a award for Pocahontas that he might not have won in the regular category)

Thinking about FilmFan's theory, why Social Network won and why it DIDN'T represent a paradigm shift...I wonder if the Theme from Shaft win is a good analogy? Nothing like it had ever won prior to 1971, and a lot of us were very enthusiastic about what it might mean. Well, over the next six years -- with I'm Easy in '75 the sole exception -- the song Oscars went to some of the gloppiest, schmaltziest efforts ever honored (The Way We Were is obviously better than You Light Up My Life, but still stands firmly in the retro column).

Of course, you could make the case that Isaac Hayes opened the way for Last Dance, Fame, Flashdance and the like, which were to follow eventually.

[The Original BJ]

Most of the winners from the 40s through the 80s we could all hum on command. There's been some lapse in that tradition in recent years -- first the fluky "Alan Menken wins every year" stretch,

Well, I could hum THOSE scores in a coma.

[FilmFan720]

The Social Network win also was a little bit of a forced hand...after several years of casting aside some really innovative scores, and especially after the Johnny Greenwood fiasco in 2007, there was a real push to honor more non traditional scores. From what I remember, the talk began early that The Social Network being passed over would be disgraceful, and you have to wonder how many voted for it out of "I should be doing this" more than "I want to be doing this." I think that is a one time thing, and not a precedent setter.

[Mister Tee]

Both Her and Gravity have scores that feel like extensions of their sound design. Mister Tee writes that Arcade Fire's nomination is atypically hip but this is the same branch that honored Trent Reznor over Alexandre Desplat. They have an increasing tendency to reach overseas (A.R. Rahman, Ludovic Bource). Even Michael Giancchino, with his predominantly TV credits, is more aligned with the Academy's more recent taste than last year's winner Mychael Danna. I found Arcade Fire's contributions intertwined with the beautiful mood of the film and they would be my choice, but it's hard to imagine Gravity winning Sound Mixing and Sound Effects but not Original Score. That doesn't make much sense.

I think the Social Network score win remains the anomaly in this category. It may eventually be seen as signalling a turn (if her were to win this year, I'd be more inclined to think that), but, till shown otherwise, I continue to expect easily recognizable themes to be the default choice in the category. Most of the winners from the 40s through the 80s we could all hum on command. There's been some lapse in that tradition in recent years -- first the fluky "Alan Menken wins every year" stretch, then a series of non-entities (I couldn't hum Frida, Finding Neverland or Atonement if you put a gun to my head) -- but the past few winners, Social Network aside, have been very much in the classic tradition. The Pi's Lullaby theme was in my head all the way home from the theatre; Up has that lush "look at that balloon soar" music; The Artist's jaunty theme is maddeningly unforgettable; and Brokeback, while its score may be spare by some measures, has that insistent brief theme to stick with you.

It's the fact that the Gravity score, for all its omnipresence and power, didn't stay playing in my head that makes me find it vulnerable, despite its overall advantages.

[mlrg]

As much as I love Arcade Fire, my favourite of the bunch is Gravity. Yes, it's LOUD, but it's perfectly fit into the film. I find it very hard that it doesn't win here.

[Sabin]

Both Her and Gravity have scores that feel like extensions of their sound design. Mister Tee writes that Arcade Fire's nomination is atypically hip but this is the same branch that honored Trent Reznor over Alexandre Desplat. They have an increasing tendency to reach overseas (A.R. Rahman, Ludovic Bource). Even Michael Giancchino, with his predominantly TV credits, is more aligned with the Academy's more recent taste than last year's winner Mychael Danna. I found Arcade Fire's contributions intertwined with the beautiful mood of the film and they would be my choice, but it's hard to imagine Gravity winning Sound Mixing and Sound Effects but not Original Score. That doesn't make much sense.

My Choice - Her.

[The Original BJ]

This category is pretty pathetic, making the omission of 12 Years a Slave all that more galling.

As much as I've liked so much of John Williams's work over the years, I've been similarly annoyed by the Academy's willingness to slate him for ANYTHING. And The Book Thief is one of the worst examples of this -- a movie not remotely on the awards/critical radar, with a score no one thought was particularly singular, and yet its nomination never seemed in doubt simply because of the pedigree.

Given this branch's sometimes bizarre eligibility rulings, I thought it very well possible that Saving Mr. Banks might be disqualified here, as a good chunk of the movie features music from Mary Poppins. Newman's main theme is fine, but with so much of the score borrowing from songs most voters will know aren't original, I don't think it will get much support. (And, as dws says, there's the matter of the movie's near-collapse with Oscar, curious for me given the number of industry folks I know who flat out LOVED this.)

I found Philomena to be a pretty half-hearted effort across the board, from the lazy camerawork to the uneven tone to the oddly truncated writing in certain key scenes. And my feelings extend to the score as well -- Desplat has excited me a lot in the past, but this work felt more like the kind of turn-of-the-millennium Rachel Portman Miramax effort that all but evaporates in front of your eyes. (Or ears, I guess.)

The nomination for Her in this category was one of the most pleasing surprises of Oscar morning for me. I thought the contemporary sounds fit perfectly with the film's slightly futuristic vibe, as well as its charming but melancholy mood. Still, much as I liked the work, I find it hard to believe voters at large will single it out for this honor. I've read the "sweeping scores haven't won lately" argument elsewhere as well, but I'm not sure the recent winners necessarily provide much precedent for a Her victory either. For starters, I DO think Life of Pi fit the bill of a sweeping orchestral score, and though Slumdog Millionaire had a more modern feel, the music was pretty loud and prominent throughout. And both Brokeback and Social Network, while minimalist, did feature instantly memorable melodies. (Babel was a pretty odd choice; I think the only way to explain that selection is to just assume voters couldn't tell the difference between the original and recycled music.) As effective as the score to Her is, I just don't think it's hummable enough to snag the prize.

Which isn't to say that Gravity contains the kind of movie music that gets stuck in your head either. But the score itself is -- and I don't mean this as a pejorative -- just so LOUD. The film is filled from top to bottom with tense, throttling music that serves as a vital component to the movie's suspense. And it doesn't sound generic either -- there are some pretty beautiful passages alongside the more attention-getting score-as-sound-effects work. I don't think it's unbeatable -- when I saw the film, despite loving the music, I thought something more traditional would likely come along to snag the Oscar, and this factor could very well provide a fluky upset for one of the other candidates. (I thought 12 Years a Slave could have been that candidate, but...) But I feel like Gravity, given the movie's overall strength and most noticeable use of music, is the safest way to bet.

[Mister Tee]

I'm very glad you started this thread. I'm totally unable to see The Book Thief and Saving Mr. Banks -- both are gone from my neighborhood (maybe even city) -- so I'm glad to read the thoughts of someone who has.

I'd thought, prior to nominations, this category was going to be Gravity vs. 12 Years a Slave, with the wild card possibility that many people didn't find either score all that memorable and went for something unexpected (this has happened a few times -- The Milagro Beanfield War in '88, The Red Violin in '99 -- though not lately).

Then, of course, 12 Years was omitted from the nominations, so, as I see it, it's come down to Gravity vs. Not Gravity. By which I mean, the Gravity score is so omnipresent in the film, and the film is so much bigger an overall candidate (even compared to the two other best picture nominees), that it should run away with the race unless, as I said above, people just don't find the music all that memorable.

In which case, there'd be multiple alternatives: go uncharacteristically hip and honor Arcade Fire, or take the opportunity to pension off one of the category's frequent losers, Thomas Newman or Alexandre Desplat. (I agree that John Williams is the least likely to win -- unless he's attached to a best-picture-contending film, I doubt he'll ever win again, which makes his rote nominations even more irritating)

Thomas Newman has had the longer wait, and if there'd been any overall enthusiasm for Saving Mr. Banks (even a Thompson nomination), I'd like his chances better. But I think of the two overdue's, Desplat is more likely to win here -- both because Philomena is at least theoretically a "bigger" film, and because there are moments in the score (toward the end) where the music swells and works the audience over. My guess is, the people likely to be voting for one of these two guys would be won over by that.

But, I don't really have much idea here. Like I said, it's Gravity or Not Gravity. And, if the latter, it's hard to say which flavor of Not they'd be more likely to choose.

[dws1982]

The Book Thief is the annual John Williams nomination. It's hard to imagine that it would've been nominated if, for example, the name Patrick Doyle had been in the credits instead of Williams. That's frequently the case with the John Williams, especially if it isn't tied to a Best Picture nominee. I mean, even though I think the nominations were very well-deserved (and I would've given him the win in a couple of these cases), I seriously doubt that Nixon or Sleepers or Angela's Ashes or even A.I. would've gotten score nominations if another name had been in the credits. In the twenty years since he last won, he's run up against strong, prohibitive frontrunners a lot of times and never really had a shot. Of all the nominations, there's probably only one or two times where he might have been in the running. The good thing this year is that there's not a prohibitive frontrunner, and these kinds of even races can yield surprise outcomes. I wouldn't totally rule Williams out, but I would rank him least likely to win.

I'd probably eliminate Saving Mr. Banks next. What happened to this movie? It went from being a surefire Best Actress nominee, as well as a contender in Picture, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, and so on…to one nomination for Score. And for a movie that so gently and un-inronically celebrates Hollywood, I was pretty surprised to see that the industry never embraced it. The music works pretty well in the context of the film; it's sentimental and--maybe best of all for its chances--it include some music cues that work as callbacks to the original Mary Poppins music. I'd rank it somewhere ahead of Williams and The Book Thief, but Thomas Newman will most likely remain seated again.

Then we have the three Best Picture nominees. Alexandre Desplat is so busy and in such high demand that there's no reason to doubt he'll continue racking up nominations in the coming years. I feel like that Desplat's nominated scores are getting less interesting with every subsequent nomination, and I just don't see a great deal about Philomena's score that's interesting or memorable. Best shot for him here may be that fans of Philomena (and there had to be some) know that the movie isn't winning Picture, Actress, or Screenplay, and they decide to give it a vote here. In a close race like this, maybe it'll make a difference, I kind of doubt it. I wouldn't rule it out completely though.

I'm not sure about Her. It doesn't have the big, sweeping melodies that used to win here all the time, but that type of score hasn't won much over the past decade, so I doubt that's a big strike against Her. Recent winners have tended towards the exotic type of thing (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire, Babel) or minimalist (The Social Network, Brokeback Mountain). I think the music in Her complements the film really well, but after watching it, I don't know that I was really thinking much about the music. I think it's in contention, but it doesn't totally feel right as a winner.

I think I'm going to go with Gravity. There's a lot of music in the movie, it's very noticeable, it's asked to carry a lot of the dramatic weight at times, and I think most fans of the movie are going to be fans of the music. Gravity looks poised to, at a minimum, make a pretty good run through the below-the-line categories, so I think it should be able to pull in Score as well.