Oscar Score Nominations and Winners: Now Discussing the Year 1967

The Lion King was the score that really got me into film music. My favorite Zimmer score by far and a very deserving winner.

Stargate should've been nominated. Its main theme has remained relevant all these years thanks to the SG-1 TV series. Still, there were a lot of worthy scores that year, so I can understand the snub.

 

Forrest Gump should have won,it is by far Silversti's best score

 

I prefer his Back to the Future scores.

 

Danny Elfman's little known masterpiece Black Beauty should definitely have been a nominee.

Zimmer is very hit or miss for me, but songs notwithstanding, his score for The Lion King is very good even if I prefer his score for The Prince of Egypt as far his animated work goes.

'94 was a good year for film music overall.

EDIT: Forrest Gump is decent enough, if only for the end credits suite which has all the highlights the score has to offer. I actually prefer its sister score, Contact. Both are similar, but the latter is more interesting from a thematic development standpoint and the track "Good to Go" is perhaps one of my favorite cues of all time.

 

The Lion King score is a worthy winner. Although, most of what makes that score is the singing numbers, not the incidental music.

Forest Gump is decent, but what makes the film great is the pop numbers thrown in. Very rarely does the actual score get a chance to shine.

 

I don't know. A lot of my favorite moments from the film are made more powerful by the score. The stampede sequence, Simba meeting with Rafiki, Simba's fight with Scar at the end, among others.

In any case, I love the songs as well and Elton John deservedly won an Oscar for his work (although I've always found "Be Prepared" to be the best of the songs).

 

Well, to be truthful I haven't seen the film in years, so I can't really comment. Although I do have quite a few of the songs on my computer, I have none of the score except for The Circle of Life, if that counts.

 

1993

The Age Of Innocence - Elmer Bernstein
The Firm - David Grusin
The Fugitive - James Newton Howard
The Remains of the Day - Richard Robbins
Schindler's List - John Williams

WINNER: Schindler's List by John Williams


Great year for John Williams and a well deserved win. The score to Schindler's List can sometimes raise a tear in my eye.

The Firm has some nice piano work by Grusin as always with Grusin. But I don't think I would have nominated it.

The Age of Innocence was only nominated because it was Bernstein. I find the score itself rather typical.

The Remains of the Day is okay. Some nice themes and a good movie, but once again I don't think I'd nominate it.

The Fugitive is another "okay" score. I mean Howard does his job for the action movie. But no piece really stands out.

Scores not nominated this year include Much Ado About Nothing by Patrick Doyle, Grumpy Old Men by Alan Silvestri, Lost In Yonkers by Elmer Bernstein, Cliffhanger by Trevor Jones, The Man Without A Face by James Horner, Super Mario Bros by Alan Silvestri, Jack the Bear by James Horner, The Secret Garden by Zbigniew Preisner, Mrs Doubtfire by Howard Shore, Coneheads by David Newman, and Needful Things by Patrick Doyle.

Some of them were good. But not good enough for a nomination.

The six scores that I believed were snubbed include...

Jurassic Park by John Williams - Somehow, even if this was nominated, I don't think it would have split the votes. Schindler's List was the clear winner but Jurassic Park is a great score. I'd say top 100 of all time.

Rudy by Jerry Goldsmith - Great score. Everyone remembers Rudy's theme and the game theme.

Benny and Joon by Rachel Portman - Underrated. I think it's one of her best and very playful.

The Joy Luck Club by Rachel Portman - I think this is Portman's best. This was a great year for her and she didn't get one nomination. Totally snubbed. The score is very emotional.

The Piano by Michael Nyman - If they wanted to nominate a score with piano work, forget the Firm and go with "The Piano." I think it's main theme is truly memorable though the movie bored me.

A Nightmare Before Christmas by Danny Elfman - One of his best works. The amount of effort he put into this one is incredible.

 

Rudy is one of my all time favorite scores and should have been nominated.

But that year there was no way in hell Schindler's List was going to lose.

 

Much of Lion King's score was overshadowed by Elton John,It`s a good score but it`s overrated

As for 93,Rudy should have been nomninated and won in my opinion

 

I wouldn't have nominated Jurrassic Park. It's a terrible score, one of William's worst.

Schindler's List deserved to win, although I admit I haven't heard any of the other nominations. It's a tender score, and perhaps the first, chronologically speaking, that proved that Williams can do soft and emotional as well as grand and adventurous.

 

If that's your definition of a terrible score, then something's wrong.

 

Yes, I'm a horrible person with no taste in music or film scores. How did I miss that?

 

Wow, that was easy. I didn't even have to try to convince you of that.

 

I just don't understand the hate towards the score for Jurassic Park. The opening music? The main theme? The traveling to the island theme? The mischevious Nedry music? The petticoat lane track? All wonderful.

 

Yeah, besides, what do Academy Awards have to do with quality?

Good or bad aside, I'd say JP sounds exactly like a score they'd nominate, so it's even more surprising they didn't.

But it all doesn't matter because it wouldn't/shouldn't have won anyway, because Schindler's List is a very worthy winner.

 

I didn't even know there was hate towards that score until recently. It was one of the first I scores I ever bought and I still listen to it often.

 

Moving On.

1992

Aladdin - Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice
Basic Instinct - Jerry Goldsmith
Chaplin - John Barry
Howards End - Richard Robbins
A River Runs Through It - Mark Isham

WINNER: Aladdin by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice


Aladdin is last great work by Menken and Ashman. I love this score. It was the first soundtrack I ever bought. Glad it won.

Basic Instinct is a great score too. Very mysterious work by Goldsmith. The nomination was nice.

Chaplin...the only part I like about it is the music composed by Chaplin himself for Modern Times and such. Oh well.

Howards End I wouldn't have nominated. There were better scores this year as I'll show you.

A River Runs Through It was a good film with a good score. I only like a handful of Mark Isham's scores, and this is one of them. But I wouldn't have nominated it over some others.

Scores not nominated include Hoffa by David Newman, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York by John Williams, Once Upon A Crime by Richard Gibbs, A League of Their Own by Hans Zimmer, Death Becomes Her by Alan Silvestri, Forever Young by Jerry Goldsmith, 1942: Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis, Toys by Hans Zimmer, and Thunderheart by James Horner.


So Jerry Goldsmith had a good year with Basic Instinct. But there were two other scores I liked of his that year. Mom and Dad Save the World may be considered a crappy movie, but the score is very good. It's quirky. But I understand the lack of a nomination.

One that could have easily been nominated though was Medicine Man. Beautiful work. I'd choose it over Basic Instinct.

Batman Returns had a good score. But I guess with so many other great choices, it didn't need the nod.

Unforgiven by Lennie Niehause and Clint Eastwood had a beautiful main theme. Simple because it was composed by Eastwood, but still a great score. I'm surprised with Unforgiven winning best picture, the score wasn't nominated with it.

Far And Away by John Williams is underrated in my opinion. Williams really does Irish music well.

Alien 3 by Elliot Goldenthal was wonderful. Yes it's the third score to the franchise, but I thought his score was just as good as Goldsmiths and Horners. I love the music that's played when she falls into the pit. Great piece to end the trilogy with.

Bram Stoker's Dracula by Wojciech Kilar should have been nominated. Totally underrated. It's the best Dracula score ever.

The Last of the Mohicans by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman seems to always be overlooked by critics. I guess they didn't like the mix of Endelman's pieces with Jones. But that main theme is so memorable.


What do you think?

 

Far and Away should've been nominated. That's a huge snub of one of Williams best scores of that decade. Still, Aladdin is a much deserved winner.

 

I wouldn't have nominated Jurrassic Park. It's a terrible score, one of William's worst.



Whaaaaaaat?

The main theme bit as they enter the island is 100% genuine classic, and I'm fortunate enough to have seen/heard it in a theater.

 

KnightWriter in the Music forum? This is quite a surprise.

And I completely agree with you. I don't think I had heard a single negative thing about the Jurassic Park score until I read a few posts here about it in the JC. Truly baffling.

 

Next

1991

Beauty and the Beast - Howard Ashman and Alan Menken
Bugsy - Ennio Morricone
The Fisher King - George Fenton
JFK - John Williams
The Prince of Tides - James Newton Howard

WINNER: Beauty and the Beast by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken


A well deserved win. It's Ashman and Menken's best work period. Wonderful songs accompanied by a fabulous score. The curse theme is simple and beautiful. A no brainer based on the scores nominated.

Bugsy is meh. There's nothing special about it. Basically it was nominated because it was Ennio Morricone.

The Fisher King is solid but not in the league of Beauty and the Beast.

JFK is a solid Williams score. But not his best work that year. The academy got it wrong. Way wrong.

The Prince of Tides is alright. But I've heard better Howard scores and frankly, it shouldn't have been nominated.


Scores not nominated this year include Sleeping With The Enemy by Jerry Goldsmith, Rambling Rose by Elmer Bernstein, My Girl by James Newton Howard, City Slickers by Marc Shaiman, and The Silence of the Lambs by Howard Shore.

The Rocketeer by James Horner could have easily been nominated this year. One of Horners most underrated works.

The Addams Family by Marc Shaiman. This was Shaimans best year with City Slickers and the Addams Family and I think the Addams Family was the better score. Too bad he didn't a nod for one of them.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Basically Brad Fiedel taking his score from the Terminator and making it better with a large budget. But it is better. The main theme is still great and the liquid metal theme is scary. The chase music is a good too. Understand why it wasn't nominated though since it's main theme is just rehash.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - Cliff Eidelman's best work. Really captured the Star Trek spirit. Made for a nice sign off score for the original cast.

Backdraft by Hans Zimmer could have been nominated. Some of you may recognize the music from Iron Chef. Dramatic and effective for firefighters.


The two that I believed were completely snubbed.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves by Michael Kamen. It's his best score. Bugsy, JFK, The Fisher King, and Prince of Tides over this? No way. It's not like this movie wasn't big enough to remember the score either. So I'm totally confused.

Hook by John Williams. Every single official source always seems to snub this score and I just don't know why. It's imaginative, fun, memorable, beautiful, adventurous, etc etc etc. The main theme is perfect and the million sub themes are too. You Are The Pan is one of the greatest score tracks ever. Yet no nomination.


Could those two have beaten Beauty and the Beast? They certainly would have been better competition.

 

I did not know it was the Hook year and that it didn't even get a nomination? I shall put in the CD right now in protest

 

Hook is one honestly one of the greatest scores of all time. I think the (undeserved) bad reputation the film garnered contributed to the score's lack of a nomination.

Say what you will about the movie itself, the score is brilliant.

 

Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful score and with all the buzz around the film (it even got a Best Picture nod), there's no way it was going to lose. But Hook not being nominated was a travesty. It's an amazing score, my favorite from Williams in the '90s. It should've taken JFK's place, at the very least.