OVP: Best Original Score (2004)
The Nominees Were...
Jan AP Kaczkmarek, Finding Neverland
John Williams, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Thomas Newman, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
John Debney, The Passion of the Christ
My Thoughts: The Oscars kind of got dealt a bad hand with the Original Song race (see links to all of the past 2004 races below), with the year in general being pretty poor, so while they could've done better than their lineup, it wasn't entirely their fault. The Score race, though, is kind of on them. While there are good films in this lineup, it's the definition of a boring Oscar lineup, over-relying on Academy favorites, giving the trophy ultimately to a forgettable AMPAS newcomer, and being pretty rudimentary for a field that only includes one Best Picture nominee (a shocker in most years).
We'll start with that film. Finding Neverland is neither a good film nor a bad one, for my taste, but instead a forgettable one. This is true for its score. A piano-fueled theme, sparse & delicate, it doesn't impart personality in a film needing it, and feels disposable. It's omnipresent in the film, but I dare you to hum it six minutes after you leave the theater. That this not only won, but inspired a major Broadway musical may put me in the "John might be missing something" window, but even upon re-listen I don't feel like this is anywhere near "Oscar-winning" by my definition.
It's hard to begrudge John Debney an Oscar nomination. The man has been a composer-for-hire to dozens of studio projects for over thirty years, and this is the only time the Academy has noticed, so I am not going to rag on him too hard. That said, while Debney "understands the assignment" (to use a current meme that might look super dated if you come to this later), his score here is bombastic, and not a great piece of music. Violently alternating between an ethereal quality to hardcore, intense drumming, it certainly is at home in a Mel Gibson movie, but I didn't like the music on its own, as it feels too generic to really stand out for me.
The Village is the exact opposite for me. Unlike Debney & Kaczmarek, James Newton Howard is no newcomer with Oscar (he is, in fact, nominated this year for News of the World), but this is considered one of his best scores, using violinist Hilary Hahn to great effect, having an almost wave-like chill over the film itself. It's beautiful music. It does not, however, match the film itself at all. Howard is a victim of Shyamalan's spastic need for a twist to his movie, with his music building to anticlimaxes, and as I judge this category not just on the quality of the music, but also on how well it works within the confines of the film...I'm giving this one a mixed review, even if it's the best score we've profiled so far if we're just judging the orchestrations.
The two composers who manage to find the spirit of their films while actually composing beautiful scores are Thomas Newman & John Williams. Newman, like Howard (but very much unlike Williams) is one of the famous bridesmaids at the Oscars, still looking for a trophy after 15 nominations. His work here might be my favorite of his career. It's effervescent, bouncy, and filled with mischief, synth sounds & a bit of electronica mixed in with unorthodox stringed instruments, and best of all, a cascade of percussion beating in the background. It's the rare score that might have become more famous than the film-the end credits song you'll hear in other places, or is instantly recognizable if you've seen the film even once.
Williams is of course building off of two previous movies, including his legendary work in the first Harry Potter film, but that doesn't mean that there isn't something new & exciting here. Williams rarely works with directors not named Spielberg, Lucas, or Columbus, but paired with Alfonso Cuaron, he actually gets some of his more creative sounds. The Knight Bus sequence, in particular, reminds you that Williams was able to make not only the swelling strings of Star Wars, but also the Cantina Band, giving us a spastic accompaniment to Harry's wild ride. Throughout the film, Williams picks up on and in many ways crafts the cool vibe that Cuaron is bringing to the franchise...it's some of the most out-of-the-box Williams work I've seen from him since the 1970's, and it makes you wish that he honestly had gotten more "fun" films rather than always having to go for the grand moment.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Grammys eligibility window for the best film score nomination is not the same as Oscar's so oftentimes you'll see films from two different years getting citations, and that's the case here. For the Grammys held in 2005, Williams was nominated but lost to Howard Shore's Return of hte King, while for those in 2006, Ray took the prize, here over The Aviator, The Incredibles, and Million Dollar Baby (amongst others). For the BAFTA Awards, The Motorcycle Diaries actually won the trophy (Gustavo Santaolalla would win back-to-back Oscars in the two following years, but wasn't yet Academy-approved in 2004), here over The Aviator, The Chorus, Finding Neverland, and Ray. In terms of sixth place, I know that The Aviator was deemed ineligible for using too many previous songs, and while I can't find confirmation as to if Ray was also ineligible, I suspect that the use of a lot of established tunes previously recorded would've cost Armstrong a chance with the stingier Academy. Therefore, my guess for sixth place would be...
Films I Would Have Nominated: ...The Incredibles. Because can someone precisely tell me why The Incredibles didn't make it this year? Michael Giacchino is one of my favorite composers (and obviously a lot of that stems from my love of Lost), but Pixar films regularly get cited for their music, it's a brilliant score, and the Academy loved the film. No, they hadn't nominated him before, but they clearly were about to (he'd have a trophy by the end of the decade). Now that we are doing the "If I Had a Ballot" feature I'm not sharing all of the other films that I would have cited here (keep you guessing until we end the year), but The Incredibles is a snub that stings.
Oscar’s Choice: Honestly, I think Kaczmarek won by a lot. Williams wasn't winning for a sequel to a film he lost to, Newman's film wasn't a hit, & Howard's movie didn't have good enough reviews to overcome his sole nomination obstacle. Maybe Debney if he wasn't a longtime composer-for-hire, but honestly...I think this was Finding Neverland in a walk.
My Choice: A really tight contest for me, but I'm going to give this to Newman because he had to create more of his work from scratch. This isn't his first OVP trophy, but it is his first for Best Score, which means that he won't become my most famous bridesmaid when the chips eventually fall. Harry Potter, Village, Passion, and Neverland follow.
Those are my thoughts-how about yours? Are you with Oscar picking Finding Neverland (and if so, what am I missing there?), or do you want to join me over in Club Lemony? Do we think John Williams will ever get that sixth Oscar? And what was the holdup on The Incredibles getting this citation? Share your thoughts below!
Also in 2004: Original Song, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup, Previously in 2004
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