Original Score Oscar mistakes

[Trumpeteer 302]

I think I did a poll like this a few years ago, but thought I'd resurrect it.

Which of the choices was the worst pick for Best Original Score at the Oscars? The films listed in parentheses are the losing films.

Personally, I will never get over the fact that Emma won Original Musical or Comedy Score over The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Midnight Express, Superman the Movie is my choice. In your poll I choose A Little Romance. Fame is not bad, not as good as Empire(the 2nd best Star Wars score). But from 1978, 79, 80, and 81, the Oscars got it wrong each year. Williams (78, 80, 81) and Goldsmith (79) should have won.

[Ollie 1,059]

I had three I wanted to vote for, but I went with Fame over Empire.

[Jay 37,284]

Fame winning instead of The Empire Strikes Back in the biggest Academy blunder of all time

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Jeff, Shakespear in Love beat SPR, not life is beautiful

[Ollie 1,059]

I love Georges Delerue and I think he deserved an Oscar but it shouldn't have came against TMP.

Round Midnight, bleh. Hoosiers or The Mission should have won. The rumor that made its way around FSM was that Goldsmith would have won but he recorded overseas and that didn't sit well with Academy members.

Brokeback Mountain, same as above. Geisha should have won.

I would have also selected Saving Private Ryan and Mulan in their categories.

[Trumpeteer 302]

Jeff, Shakespear in Love beat SPR, not life is beautiful

Shakespeare in Love won the Original Musical or Comedy Score Oscar at the 1999 ceremony. Life is Beautiful won the Original Dramatic Score Oscar at the 1999 ceremony. It was the last year the music category was split.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

I voted for "A Little Romance" Vs "ST:TMP".

I'm surprised that neither "Chariots Of Fire" Vs "ROTLA", nor "Superman" Vs "Midnight Express" were included. Anyway, what about "Star Wars" Vs "CE3K"?

I'm going to be controversial, here, and say that I like "Fame", both score, and film, and I was happy to see it win (as I was "COF"). In 1980, any nominated score would have been a worthy winner; just take a look at the talent on display. You would hard-pressed to get that sort of consistency nowadays.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Jeff, Shakespear in Love beat SPR, not life is beautiful

Shakespeare in Love won the Original Musical or Comedy Score Oscar at the 1999 ceremony. Life is Beautiful won the Original Dramatic Score Oscar at the 1999 ceremony. It was the last year the music category was split.

oh ok, I didn't realize there were two categories that year. They should still do that when there are films using that type of score.

SPR didn't deserve to win any score award.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Star Trek TMP is the best score ever, that is should loose from a cheese-eating-surrender-monkey is shamefull!

[Trumpeteer 302]

Jeff, Shakespear in Love beat SPR, not life is beautiful

Shakespeare in Love won the Original Musical or Comedy Score Oscar at the 1999 ceremony. Life is Beautiful won the Original Dramatic Score Oscar at the 1999 ceremony. It was the last year the music category was split.

oh ok, I didn't realize there were two categories that year. They should still do that when there are films using that type of score.

SPR didn't deserve to win any score award.

I am mostly upset that Life is Beautiful was included in the dramatic score category. About 90 percent of the movie was comedic. If any of the other scores had won, I wouldn't have been screaming at Geena Davis on the TV screen.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

While we are on the subject, how could "The Wild Bunch" lose to "Butch Cassidy...", "Patton" lose to "Love Story" ,and "Images" (THE most original score ever!!!), lose to a score which was 20 years old?!

[Jeff 10]

Tough poll - ESB is the obvious answer, so I went for Brokeback Mountain, but not because of Geisha. Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite scores of all time, and I believe it should have been recognized. Brokeback was good, and of course it's theme and sound is still recognizable, but most of it's kind of "meh."

[Trumpeteer 302]

While we are on the subject, how could "The Wild Bunch" lose to "Butch Cassidy...", "Patton" lose to "Love Story" ,and "Images" (THE most original score ever!!!), lose to a score which was 20 years old?!

That is why I put in the "other" option.

BTW, I've heard the score to "Limelight" (and seen the film). It's actually quite good. Images is just too weird for most Academy members.

[Quintus 5,399]

Whatever won instead of Superman and Raiders. Oh and the stupidity of not even giving Jurassic Park a nom.

[bruckhorn 105]

Of course the Academy frequently gets it wrong-- it's a bunch of musically illiterate people that will vote for a movie rather than its components. I once talked to an academy member who admitted that they voted for "Il Postino" to get Best Score because they wanted it to be an Oscar winner, but didn't think it deserved one of the bigger awards.

I agree with Joey writing that Williams should have won in 78, 80, and 81 with Goldsmith taking a second statue in 79.

[Quintus 5,399]

Star Trek TMP is the best score ever,

Poppycock!

[Richard Penna 3,670]

This one's easy: Babel.

I consider it a catastrophic failure by the academy, and a classic example of a score being nominated because the composer is a favourite from past years and the film was acclaimed. That's before you even consider that the academy violated its own rules of using existing music. Something went really, really wrong that year.

[John Crichton 4]

It might be easier to list the times the Academy got the score award right rather than wrong.

[Bellosh 3,385]

Other.

1981. Chariots of Fire winning over Raiders of the Lost Ark. A complete travesty.

You should take out the 2001 year and put in 1981. Fellowship totally deserved it.

[SF1_freeze 131]

TOD deserved the oscar in 1985 but you dont have that on your list, well i pick TESB

[Andy 4,079]

I can remember being 10, watching the awards, waiting for them to announce Raiders as best score, and going when they announced Chariots of Fire. It was the first time I realized the awards had no validity or merit.

[The Dark Trilogy 39]

For me it is 1989 (Academy Awards in 1990), where The Little Mermaid beat Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

But 2005 with Brokeback Mountain is also a grand disaster!

[Bellosh 3,385]

I can remember being 10, watching the awards, waiting for them to announce Raiders as best score, and going when they announced Chariots of Fire. It was the first time I realized the awards had no validity or merit.

*fixed

8O

[Taikomochi 1,136]

Any score that beat out Geisha must be the biggest mistake. FFFFFUUUUU Gustavo. I'd take an Oscar win for Babel before Brokeback.

Also, Frida winning is not a mistake

[stewdog1 50]

I can remember being 10, watching the awards, waiting for them to announce Raiders as best score, and going when they announced Chariots of Fire. It was the first time I realized the awards had no validity or merit.

Why do you think that Chariots should not have won? To me, it would be a coin flip between the two. Not a mistake IMO.

For me it is 1989 (Academy Awards in 1990), where The Little Mermaid beat Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

I don't think that is a travesty, I think the Academy got his one right. The Last Crusade, while good, is not on the level of what The Little Mermaid accomplished.

[Krang 1]

I went with Babel here. They were obviously duped into believing the memorable score moments were composed for that movie and not previously written material. I mean when he won the oscar, they played Santaolalla's iguazu which was completely contradictory to "original score." So that in my mind was the least deserving winner. It's almost shameful that he even accepted the award after hearing the samples the oscars played that night.

Fame comes in second as it should never have beaten the Empire Strikes Back. But at least it was nominated for its original compositions. Same goes for Round Midnight beating the Mission or A Little Romance beating Star Trek.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I went for TMP.

[Wojo 2,453]

Other.

Why Chariots of Fire beat Raiders is beyond me.

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

Fame winning instead of The Empire Strikes Back in the biggest Academy blunder of all time

Chariots of fire over Raiders comes in a close second place...

Whatever won instead of Superman and Raiders. Oh and the stupidity of not even giving Jurassic Park a nom.

well at least williams won...

if he had two nominations... he would have neither.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

Whatever won instead of Superman and Raiders. Oh and the stupidity of not even giving Jurassic Park a nom.

The Academy probably didn't consider "JP" for an award, because it instinctively knew that "SL" was going to be nominated. On that score (no pun intended) the Academy probably recognised it as the more "important" score, and wanted to give it every chance of winning, including not having the handicap of being in direct competition with another JW score. Remember that both films were Universal, and, as such it saw "SL" as the more likely candidate for the award. Of course, that doesn't explain why both "TWOE", and "EOTS" were nominated...

Also, I totally endorse, and agree with "COF" winning best score for 1981. Whether it deserved to win over "ROTLA", is another matter.

[bruckhorn 105]

Heaven and Earth won the Golden Globe for Best Score that year. Biggest mistake ever by the Hollywood Foreign Press?

It is quite possible that Jurassic Park was pulled from consideration to avoid possible vote splitting. I read that Randy Newman withdrew a piece for consideration from this year's awards.

[indy4 155]

I haven't heard most of these scores, so I voted other: Chariots of Fire beating Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1982.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

Has any one composer ever won the award for two scores, in the same year?

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

Has any one composer ever won the award for two scores, in the same year?

it would be impossible...except when it was sepparated into drama and comedy-musical.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

JP is a better score than SL, though few here will agree.

It's almost february so I'll start giving my JW collection a once over listen to those dust collectors and see if they move me any more or less than last year.

[Demondm810 398]

Chariots of Fire over Raiders is the worst ever.

[Wojo 2,453]

Oscars are crap.

[Demondm810 398]

JP is a better score than SL, though few here will agree.

It's almost february so I'll start giving my JW collection a once over listen to those dust collectors and see if they move me any more or less than last year.

I agree with you. Jurassic is better.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Anti-semites!

[Wojo 2,453]

Anti-semites!

You're right. Preference of a score to a dinosaur fantasy over one depicting historical brutality somehow makes me completely insensitive and oblivious to the plight of those people, even though the music has nothing to do with the plot of either movie.

My bad. I'll try to like SL's music more.

[Quintus 5,399]

The Jurassic Park score exterminates Schindler's List.

[Matt C 452]

Babel. I can understand Santaolla's win for Brokeback Mountain because it underlined the film's plot subtly and it had its moments. Babel was completely lazy and undeserving in comparison.

[Uni 306]

TOD deserved the oscar in 1985 but you dont have that on your list, well i pick TESB

IJ:TOD wasn't in 1985--though that year did have a travesty of it's own (Out of Africa--far from Barry's best work--won out over Silverado, an infinitely better score).

TOD was in 1984, when it lost to a Maurice Jarre score (A Passage to India). <_<

I hate to follow the crowd, but it's pretty hard to overlook the obvious blunder in 1980. I don't care how good people think Fame was, you can't seriously call it better than the finest SW score on record.

- Uni

[TownerFan 4,983]

Williams was robbed in 1978 (Superman), 1980 (TESB), 1981 (Raiders) and 2005 (Memoirs of a Geisha). In all these cases, the winner was definitely not as worthy. Not that the Maestro needs more Oscars than he already does, but being beaten by stuff like Fame or Midnight Express was quite an insult.

Goldsmith should have won at least in 1970 (Patton, beaten by Love Story), 1979 (Star Trek), 1983 (Under Fire, beaten by The Right Stuff) and in 1998 (Mulan, beaten by Shakespeare in Love).

However, there are more important things than accolades and awards: all these scores mentioned here really stood the test of time much more than the ones that brought the Oscar home.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

Williams was robbed in 1978 (Superman), 1980 (TESB), 1981 (Raiders) and 2005 (Memoirs of a Geisha). In all these cases, the winner was definitely not as worthy. Not that the Maestro needs more Oscars than he already does, but being beaten by stuff like Fame or Midnight Express was quite an insult.

Goldsmith should have won at least in 1970 (Patton, beaten by Love Story), 1979 (Star Trek), 1983 (Under Fire, beaten by The Right Stuff) and in 1998 (Mulan, beaten by Shakespeare in Love).

However, there are more important things than accolades and awards: all these scores mentioned here really stood the test of time much more than the ones that brought the Oscar home.

"The Right Stuff" fully deserved to win, in 1984. Whether it deserved to win over "Under Fire" is another matter.

(Richard, who thinks that, given the choice between the two 1984 J.W.-nominated scores, he would have given the Oscar to..."The River")

[Quintus 5,399]

I honestly don't mind that TESB didn't get the Oscar in '80. I mean, JW had already been recognised for his SW work in '77, so im sure he was happy.

[Maglorfin 196]

I'll never understand why The Red Violin, a very mediocre effort, won in 1999 over e.g. Angela's Ashes and American Beauty.

[Jarbas 1]

Fame winning instead of The Empire Strikes Back in the biggest Academy blunder of all time

I fully agree!

[TownerFan 4,983]

"The Right Stuff" fully deserved to win, in 1984. Whether it deserved to win over "Under Fire" is another matter.

That's the point. Goldsmith's score was really Oscar-worthy, while Conti's score, albeit nice, wasn't as worthy (and it also contains some brazen lifts from Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Holst's The Planets, but we can pass on that).