Oscars 101: Best Original Score

In which I run down on the nominees (and likely winners) of the Academy Awards.

Now that we've gotten the tedium of Editing and Mixing out of the way, we get to a category that's a Hell of a lot more fun: Best Original Score.  Although I don't feel that there was a really standout musical arrangement from this year (or at least from the nominees), 2014 never the less produced some truly exceptional pieces of music.  The nominees are:

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything

Sadly, two of my favorite scores from the year were deemed inlligable before the nominations were even announced.  In the interests of "originality," Birdman's use of classical music cues as transitions into its protagonist's fantasies were deemed too prevalent amidst its driving jazz soundtrack for consideration.  The same can be presumably said about Whiplash's use of pre-existing music as the crux of its auditory experience.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - As in all other things, The Grand Budapest Hotel's presence here represents the appeal of quirk and whimsy among the Academy voters.  Although far from the most memorable score to appear among this year's nominees, it is never the less fun, light-hearted and perfectly suited to the odd film in which it is featured.

The real obstacle standing between it and the Oscar is that its composer, Alexandre Desplat, is nominated twice in the same category: once for this and once for The Imitation Game.  Unless one film marshalls the lion's share of his support, the two films will more than likely split the vote of those who care for his particular style, leaving an opening for other films to exploit.

The Imitation Game - Although I prefer The Imitation Game's score to The Grand Budapest Hotel's, even I admit that it lacks the other film's same level of appeal.  The score largely fades into the background, never overpowering its narrative, until its final scene, in which Alan Turing and his fellow cryptographers burn all evidence of their wartime activities.  Unfortunately for it, it will likely prove to be a case of too little, too late, as Oscar voters will more than likely prefer something that's more consistatly memorable and flashy.

As mentioned above, The Imitation Game's biggest obstacle will be to draw in the majority of the support for composer Alexandre Desplat.  It's a challenge that will in all likelihood end in failure, leavin neither film with the necessary votes to win the category. 

Interstellar - Some have called Hans Zimmer one of the most overbearing, heavy-handed composers working in the industry to date.  Those same detractors tend to agree that Interstellar is the most eggrgious example of this amon his body of work.  While there clearly aren't enough of them within the Academy to exclude him from consideration, it may factor into the decision of whom ultimately receives the votes.

Zimmer's score is splendidly minimal and utterly mesmerizing throughout the film's extensive run time.  Although it did often overpower the dialog, I felt that that was a directorial, rather than compositional, decision, and won't ultimately weigh in on the score's odds of winning.

Mr. Turner - Of the nominees, Mr. Turner's score is the most nuanced, multi-faceted and varied.  It is far more pronounced than The Imitation Game's, far less overbearing than Interstellar's and far more memorable than The Grand Budapest Hotel's.  It is, in short, my favorite of all of them.

Mr. Turner needs to overcome its exceedingly slight profile, however, against much better known and wider seen films.  Being the best doesn't amount to anything if the people who would normally vote for you haven't seen the film that you're featured in.  That being said, it seems the likeliest candidate to win, especiall with Desplat splitting his own vote between two of the nominees.

The Theory of Everything - The Theory of Everything's score is like an odd hybrid of Interstellar's minimal aesthetic and The Imitation Game's low auditory profile.  It is a rivetting while simultaneously blending seemlessly into the auditory background of the film.  This does, in some ways, make it escape many's notice, but those who pay attention are treated to an especially well-composed piece of music.

Quiet, understated and deceptively complex, The Theory of Everything really has a strong chance of walking away with the prize at the end of the night.  The only real question is how many people failed to take notice of it.

Safe Bet: Mr. Turner

Long Shot: The Theory of Everything

Longer Shot: The Grand Budapest Hotel

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