Despite Oscar's disrespect, Film Music Critics Vote John Williams "Composer of the Year"

By: Randall Larson
Date: Monday, March 13, 2006

While the uproar over last week's shameful awarding of the Oscar for best Musical Score (ignoring two fantastically progressive John Williams scores, MUNICH and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in favor of Gustavo Santaolalla's simplistic guitar interludes for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) continues to abound among the newsgroups and listservers of filmmusicdom not to mention the comments posted on last Monday's Music News column here at Cinescape, the International Film Music Critics Association have cast their votes and announced John Williams as "Composer of the Year" in their awards list for 2005.

Williams' MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA also garnered the composer the awards for "Best Original Motion Picture Score" and "Best Drama."

The International Film Music Critics Association is made up of film music journalists and critics from all over the world, including your Cinescape columnist.

Complete award listing:

Best Original Motion Picture Score
- MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (John Williams)

Best Original Action/Adventure Motion Picture Score
- KING KONG (James Newton Howard)

Best Original Comedy Motion Picture Score
- WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (Julian Nott)

Best Original Drama Motion Picture Score
- MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (John Williams)

Best Original Horror/Thriller Motion Picture Score
- A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (Howard Shore)

Best Original Sci-Fi/Fantasy Motion Picture Score
- HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (Patrick Doyle)

Best Original Television Score
- LOST (Michael Giacchino)

Best New CD Release of a Previously Existing Motion Picture Score
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING The Complete Recordings (Howard Shore/Reprise)

Soundtrack Record Label of the Year
- Film Score Monthly

Film Composer of the Year
- John Williams

In other Oscar related music news, BMI (the performing rights organization), along with The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL), co-hosted its annual champagne reception honoring the 2006 Academy Awards music nominees, the day prior to the Oscar ceremony. This was BMI's opportunity to congratulate and thank the nominated individuals for their extraordinary contributions in maintaining a high standard of quality in film music and lyrics.

(Lto R): John Williams; BMI's Barbara Cane; Gustavo Santaolalla; BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross; Three 6 Mafia's Cedric Coleman; BMI's Linda Livingston; Three 6 Mafia's Jordan Houston and Paul Beauregard.

Shown poolside at the party are (l to r): John Williams; BMI's Barbara Cane; Gustavo Santaolalla; BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross; Three 6 Mafia's Cedric Coleman; BMI's Linda Livingston; Three 6 Mafia's Jordan Houston and Paul Beauregard.

For a detailed article on the BMI/SCL reception, check here: www.soundtrack.net

Cinescape's Music News provides weekdaily news and views on film music, progressive rock, and other notable musical genres, culled from a variety of sources.

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Comments/Responses

• Mar 13, 2006, 07:16am •

There's no one better than John Williams. He's a modern day Mozart; just simply brilliant!

• Mar 13, 2006, 09:10am •

One of the first CDs my dad bought when he first got a cd player around 1983-84 era, was a John Williams CD with theme songs that he had done. I still have it, he is amazing....

• Mar 13, 2006, 10:54am •

I dunno.... I think John Williams is prolific, but at the same time I think some of his material is kind of basic. But I didn't hear the BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN music, so I have no feel there, just a general JW opinion.

muchdrama • Mar 13, 2006, 11:21am •

I managed to listen to some of the Brokeback score...simple but beautiful. But still nowhere up to snuff with anything Williams has done over his career. I'm thinking maybe the academy felt sorry they didn't give Brokeback the best picture Oscar.

• Mar 13, 2006, 05:32pm •

I still remember when John Williams score for Schindler's List was nomminated (and I believe won), while at the same time, his score for Jurrasic Park was omitted completely. Ammusingly, during the Oscar presentation some unmemorable montage of film making clips was presented with the soundtrack for Jurrasic Park playing in the background, and it is a tune most can probably identify to this day. Not the same can be said for Schindler's List.
Don't get me wrong, S.L. is a far superior film to J.P. - no question. It's just that when the Academy comes to determine the best, it obviously has nothing to do with knowledgable critique of music. Just "pick the tunes from your favorite film" and then give them an award.
Best Score is a meaningless Oscar amongst the worst of them.
Oh, and John Williams Rules.

• Mar 13, 2006, 05:34pm •

disrespect??
shameful awarding??
What the hell? Just because he is THE John Williams, he deserves to win everytime?
Go and shove your Film Music Critics award up your elitistic asses.

• Mar 13, 2006, 05:57pm •

"DISRESPECT"?
If you ask me Williams has been plenty recognized for his many works, perhaps too much so. As I've said before, he is very good at creating themes (Indy, Superman, Jaws, SW) but with a few exceptions (Born On The Fourth Of July, JFK) more often than not his scores are overblown and intrusive.
When he takes it down a few notches he IS capable of composing moving, intelligent movie music, as in the 2 mentioned above (plus Saving Private Ryan & The Patriot). I haven't seen Geisha but I suspect that film falls into this category (less chance for his grandiose pomposity).
I agree with lknight: don't give him awards just because of who he is. The idea of some other composer winning, particularly one trying to break into the ranks & establish him or her self, being labeled "shameful" smacks of fan-boy snob-ishness. "Waaaaa! The man who wrote the Vader March lost to some Brazillian wanna-be!"
Shame on Cinescape for perpetuating this immature line of thought. So Gustavo Santaolalla�s work is "simplistic"? Go create something better and let us hear it.

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