by Paul Tonks
score -- n. / Pron. “skôr”
1. The notation of a musical work.
2. The written form of a composition for orchestral or vocal parts.
3. The music written for a film, play, or other viewed entertainment.
4. The resounding cheer of “high-fiving” Producers getting music that’s close enough to the Temp Track, without being sued.
As you read this, the Oscars are come and gone. And you’re tired of reading about them too no doubt, but late in the day it occurred to me to spotlight some historical injustices. Some years the Best Score Category offers up five contenders and there’s not a one of them you’d give two hoots to see win. Most years there’s one or two you’d be happy to see win, but know the preceding year had a ton of better material. Then there are those rare years when you’re stuck for choice about who deserves the gong.
It’s always been such a fallible system endlessly in a state of flux, that it’s impossible to cover 71 outcomes comprehensively (that’s right Math/fact fans – the Music category didn’t appear for five years). I’d like to cite a few examples instead. And you tell me if X number of years later, the winning scores have stayed in the popular domain as those they beat. Ready?
Let’s start with an early case of politics at stake and the year 1942. Among the 20 nominations (told ya the system’s been in flux!), there was the likes of Alfred Newman’s HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY and Franz Waxman’s SUSPICION. There was also that little known, long-forgotten flick called CITIZEN KANE. Oscar knew it couldn’t award itself to as hot a potato as this was in its day (it only won for Screenplay out of 9 nominations), so instead the Academy danced a side-step. Bernard Herrmann ended up winning (just the once – see below) for THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER. Don’t know the name? Maybe you know ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY. Or A CERTAIN MR. SCRATCH. Or DANIEL AND THE DEVIL. How about HERE IS A MAN? Yes, the movie was so confident in itself it went through all these pseudonyms in worldwide release. Herrmann’s score remains available, but suffice it to say it’s never been a contender for critical or fan community praise over KANE.
A couple of decades on, look at the 1961 line up:
THE ALAMO - Dimitri Tiomkin
ELMER GANTRY - André Previn
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN - Elmer Bernstein
SPARTACUS - Alex North
I’d have been hard-pressed on that Jury to choose between SPARTACUS and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, wouldn’t you? So does that explain Ernest Gold’s EXODUS winning, perhaps?
Skip to the ‘70s and what in flipping crikey was happening to folks’ understanding of the Awards’ function? Popularity, technological innovation and correcting past mistakes were never supposed to be reasons for winning! You decide which applies for these years:
1975
Nominated:
CHINATOWN – Jerry Goldsmith
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS – Richard Rodney Bennett
SHANKS – ALEX NORTH
THE TOWERING INFERNO
Winner:
THE GODFATHER PART II – Nino Rota & Carmine Coppola
Lest we forget, TH EGODFATHER was disqualified from eligibility 2 years earlier when it was discovered Rota had re-used material from an earlier film. Oh, and THE TWO TOWERS was temporarily ineligible last year because someone suggested sequel scores shouldn’t be considered Original…
1979
Nominated :
THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL - Jerry Goldsmith
DAYS OF HEAVEN - Ennio Morricone
HEAVEN CAN WAIT - Dave Grusin
SUPERMAN - John Williams
Winner:
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS - Giorgio Moroder
Sorry to labour the point, and so loudly as I’m about to, but – MIDNIGHT EXPRESS beat SUPERMAN??????? Oh well, I’m sure they won’t diss John Williams again any time soon, right?
1981
Nominated:
ALTERED STATES - John Corigliano
THE ELEPHANT MAN - John Morris
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - John Williams
TESS - Philippe Sarde
Winner:
FAME - Michael Gore
Say what? FAME? FAME!!??!! Beat EMPIRE? Beat anything? Come on! Had Williams been nominated too many times (12) or won (3) too many times and got up someone’s nose? Surely this inexplicable pattern of being passed over for popular pap would end soon?
1982
Nominated:
DRAGONSLAYER - Alex North
ON GOLDEN POND - Dave Grusin
RAGTIME - Randy Newman
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - John Williams
Winner:
CHARIOTS OF FIRE - Vangelis
Wouldn’t you be getting suspicious about now if you were in Williams’ Agent’s shoes? Thank goodness he won for E.T. the next year, right? Sigh.
One more example of the exact same thing happening in the 80s. The year, 1987.
Nominated:
ALIENS - James Horner
HOOSIERS - Jerry Goldsmith
THE MISSION - Ennio Morricone
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME - Leonard Rosenman
Winner:
‘ROUND MIDNIGHT - Herbie Hancock
THE MISSION loses to ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT? You tell me, where’s justice? Where’s retribution? Where’s Waldo?
I really can’t bring myself to look at the ‘90s. I mean, THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, THE LION KING, THE ENGLISH PATIENT – could the decade have got the category any more wrong?
Oh, yes.
Finally, when 1998 might have rewarded:
AMISTAD - John Williams
GOOD WILL HUNTING - Danny Elfman
KUNDUN - Philip Glass
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL - Jerry Goldsmith
Instead, it felt like the heart would go on and never shut up. One word – TITANIC…
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