Music can be sublime when paired with the visual image, as some of the best film scores over the past century have shown. A pair of notes can elicit a nostalgic response to a beloved film, a sweeping chorus of brass can make you believe a man can fly, a chanting crescendo of voices can terrify you into believing that your child may be the child of satan, or a stirring string section, lifted by the rest of the orchestra can have you mounting up with seven gunfighters, or saving the galaxy.
Every year, the Academy Awards celebrates what they deem are the best examples of musical scores that helped a film find its way into our hearts, using music to heighten our emotions, and connection to the characters.
By the time you read this, the awards will have already happened, but they are a few hours away for me right now, and I have a chance to reflect on the five films that have had their music and composers nominated for an Oscar this year.
We have a wide example of styles this year, but all of them feature gorgeous scores, and while I’m sure it’s an honor just to be nominated, each of these compositions enhance the film-going experience.
In no particular order we have Laura Karpman’s piano and winds heavy score for American Fiction. A lush, romantic score with some jazz tendencies, this one is gentle, engaging, and has a warmth to it that plays so well with the images they are paired with. The recurring motifs are soft and lovely mixed with sadness and yearning. It’s a truly lovely work.
Oppenheimer has a score by Ludwig Goransson, and is almost entirely percussion-free. Of all the scores, I find this one the most experimental, like the film itself, it seems to build itself almost to a fever pitch by increasing its tempo, it also slides from romantic to brooding as the character slowly becomes consumed by the guilt of his actions, and the things he’s done and lost. Goransson makes fantastic use of strings, but also electronic sound. The one-piece everyone cites is the film’s main theme, ‘Can You Hear the Music,’ and you can hear everything aspect of the film in this gorgeous two-minute track that perfectly encapsulates the heart of the film.
The Frankenstein-inspired black comedy Poor Things sees first-time film composer Jerskin Fendrix adding the music to the Emma Stone film. The leans into its origins, though giving them a modern spin by letting Fendrix use his punk and pop sensibilities. He uses electronics to play with traditional sounds from human voices to organs to strings and more, all to facilitate the creation of this unique world. Equally composition and soundscape, Fendrix delivers a moving and unique score.
The Martin Scorsese epic, Killers of the Flower Moon is my pick for the Oscar. It sounds fantastic, embracing a Native American sound with drums, supported by some great guitar, and was composed by The Band’s Robbie Robertson, who has now passed. He also uses those same guitars, strings and drums throughout the film for all the characters to ground them all in the same reality. This is a fantastic-sounding score, and Robertson deserves the recognition.
This then brings us to John Williams’ returning with a fifth and final score for the Indiana Jones franchise with his score for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. I love William’s work. His music has been integral to so many moments in my own personal life. If I’m wandering around whistling something, there’s a good chance it was written by John Williams. Williams recalls some of the themes and motifs used in early Indy films during the flashback sequence, but once we join the aged archaeologist in the late 60s for one last ride, Williams delivers a rousing score, that may not be as fast-paced as prior adventures, Indy is slowing down, but it is as sweeping and engaging as Williams has ever done. I would give Williams all the awards all the time, but I love his work, and Helena’s Theme (For Violin and Orchestra) is arguably one of his loveliest themes.
So who will walk away with the award tonight? My money is Killers of the Flower Moon (sorry Mr. Williams) but each of these scores shows a fantastic range of musical abilities and styles. Throw one on and give it a listen.
