Spring Break
Oscar nominations: 'Bloody' shame
Jordan Kerfeld
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Culture
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They hand out golden Oscar statuettes to our favorite members of the film industry on a yearly basis, but they seem to be in a mysterious, cloistered entity that is out of touch with the movie-going public.
The two best documentaries of the '90s, "Crumb" and "Hoop Dreams," were snubbed for nominations, leading to public outcry and eventual reform in judging criteria.
Controversy returned last week when the nominations were released. Many were surprised to see Jonny Greenwood's score for "There Will Be Blood" excluded from the nominations. This was particularly surprising, as there are three major things critics seem to be echoing from their experience viewing Paul Thomas Anderson's latest feature:
1.?Daniel Day-Lewis' performance is brilliant.
2. Paul Thomas Anderson is an elite American filmmaker, joining the likes of Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers.
3. Jonny Greenwood's haunting orchestral score is the bee's knees.
Simply put, all praise toward Greenwood's score is deserved. The guitarist of Radiohead did a fantastic job dealing with classical instruments instead of the rock/electronic idiom he usually works within. He creates a lush audio landscape that is frenetic, like a constant humming of bees that toggles from the innocent to the confrontational.
Film music has always interested me, but I've been quite disappointed by recent efforts. Many directors opt for seminal or obscure pop songs, but often spend little of their budget on original instrumental tracks to enhance their pictures.
I would say Top 40 radio-hits-as-score is an even bigger cheat in inspiring an emotional reaction for an audience. Imagine Bernard Hermann's music in the "Psycho" shower scene replaced with "Paint It Black," and you might see where I'm coming from (though I'm aware the dates of both are clearly contradictory).
While Greenwood made a valiant effort to complement Paul Thomas Anderson's complicated vision for "Blood," The Academy seems wholly un-interested in his achievement, deciding to assign its loyalty elsewhere.
According to a recent "Variety" article, the disqualification was attributed to a designation which excludes scores that use tracked themes or other pre-existing music. "Variety" reported the red flags came from elements of his own 2005 score called "Popcorn," which was commissioned by the BBC, and elements of Johannes Brahms' "Concerto in D Major," which is in the public domain.
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