Danny Elfman is composer du jour at the multiplex with his recent scores for THE WOLFMAN and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. So it seemed the perfect time to add him to the “9 on the 9th” lineup.

Though I enjoy Elfman’s music, he is not someone I usually turn to when I just want to listen to film music. So when I initially started writing this post, I thought I’d struggle to find nine scores that I really enjoyed. Oddly enough, I found more enjoyment compiling this list than some other composers.

Following his breakthrough in 1985 with PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE, Elfman has made himself a permanent fixture in Hollywood and the rare successful crossover from the world of pop and rock. His style is unmistakable and he has composed in nearly ever genre. His latest scores are too new to make the list (and I haven’t listened to them enough), but expect reviews of them in the next week or so.

Elfman is one of those rare composers that appeals to nearly ever film music fan. While his masterpiece still awaits, he is a wonderfully consistent composer. And there’s not a dud anywhere on this list.

9. SPIDER-MAN (2002)

Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN films are arguably some of the best of the comic book films and they inspired some of Elfman’s best work as well. Backed by a continuous sixteenth note accompaniment that almost sounds like the spinning of a web, the main theme is more heroic than some of his other superhero themes. The music flies through the air with the grace and ease of Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker.

8. BATMAN (1989)

From the beginning of his career, Elfman has found a kindred spirit in director Tim Burton. Few director/composer relationships are as successful or have lasted as long. In 1989 the two changed the face of the superhero genre with the first film in the BATMAN franchise. Gone were the brash heroic brass of other superhero scores like John Williams’ SUPERMAN, a style that had ruled the genre for a decade. Taking its place was a darker, more twisted musical vision that has been copied by numerous other composer and remains to this day.

7. MARS ATTACKS! (1996)

I’ve never been able to make it all the way through MARS ATTACKS! I find it only fitfully funny, but Elfman’s homage to Bernard Herrmann and other 1950’s sci-fi scores is one of his best. The scores spans everything from patriotic to action cues, but it is the eerie sci-fi element that makes this score so unmistakable. And any score that can find a use for the theremin is all right by me.

6. MEN IN BLACK (1997)

It took over a decade before Elfman cracked his way into Oscar’s Big Boys Club. In 1997, he was double nominated for his dramatic score to GOOD WILL HUNTING and in the Musical or Comedy category with MEN IN BLACK. I never understood why MIB became the massive hit it did, but it’s one of those films that I keep watching if I come across it on TV. Electric guitars, harmonics and swirling sixteenth notes in the strings supply the musical bug sounds, while Elfman gives us one of his tenderest melodies for K’s (Tommy Lee Jones) memories of his wife. A far worthier nominee that year than the Oscar-winning THE FULL MONTY.

5. ARTICLE 99 (1992)

I’ve never seen this medical comedy/drama for fear that it wouldn’t match the level of Elfman’s beautiful score. With a lovely main theme based around a haunting 4-note motif, the score is one of Elfman’s most melodic. This was my first indication of actual depth and heart in Elfman’s music.

4. PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE (1985)

The score that launched Elfman’s career and one of his most bouyant. Elfman seems to be winking at us all through the entire score, but never pandering. Pee-Wee wouldn’t be Pee-Wee without Elfman’s music accompanying him, and this goofy, stupid, wonderful film pedals along on the some of the most joyous cues ever committed to film.

3. DICK TRACY (1990)

Warren Beatty’s DICK TRACY was a beautiful mess of a movie. Gorgeous in its costumes and set design, but empty and flat emotionally. Yet Elfman gives us one of his most heroic themes and a great Golden Age-like love theme for Madonna’s Breathless Mahoney. The 1920s atmosphere also allowed him to add jazz elements which elevates this score above its onscreen comic book silliness.

2. GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)

Elfman’s score to GOOD WILL HUNTING was like a breath of fresh air. The melodies seldom sit still for long and the harmonies are in constant motion, like the brain cells of Matt Damon’s Will. The tin whistle gives a hint of the Irish for the Boston South End atmosphere, while the music swells and subsides against a wordless chorus and gentle guitar accompaniment. Elfman’s music keeps the sentimentality of Ben Affleck and Damon’s Oscar-winning screenplay to a minimum, adding a layer of real emotion and psychological depth.

1. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990)

Tim Burton has always had a problem with a cohesive storyline and character development in his films. But EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is one of his best. Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder convey some real emotion and Elfman ventures into a truly magical fantasy realm that he has yet to match. The music soars on a gorgeous main theme and a memorable waltz, while the wordless chorus take us into another world and gives this very strange story a musical universality that brings the characters to life. It’s a style that has been imitated by countless others but never matched. A true classic.

For those of us who thought THE HURT LOCKER a competently made yet rambling, dull, insignificant piece of filmmaking (like me), last night’s Academy Awards was an excruciating affair. And producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman (who, as director of HAIRSPRAY, should know better) should be ashamed at how they treated the music categories.

A few weeks ago it was announced that the five nominated songs would not be performed live on this year’s telecast. Oscar has never known how to produce the songs properly. They’re usually a cross between a bloated, embarrassing production number or a yawn-inducing acoustic set. I can understand the thought process that went behind the decision to ax the performances, but the short behind-the-scenes look at the creation of some of the songs and not others was poorly produced, featured some composers and not others, and only gave you brief 30-second snippets of the songs. This is an insult to the hard work that the songwriters put into their work and they should at least be allowed the same opportunities that other nominees are given, at the very least a screen shot of them in the audience while waiting for the winner’s name to be read.

T-Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham’s “The Weary Kind” from CRAZY HEART was the expected, and probably deserved, winner, though I personally preferred “Loin de Paname” from PARIS 36. It’s a shame that Bingham didn’t have the chance to raise his career profile with a global performance on the telecast. Hopefully the win will give it a boost.

As for Best Original Score, even though Michael Giacchino had deservedly won nearly every possible award for UP, I still didn’t trust the Oscar voters to make the “right” choice on the final ballot. Even though it was attached to a popular film, it had been a long time since an animated film had won the award.

When Sam Worthington read Giacchino’s name (his Australian accent almost made Michael sound like Marco and I panicked for a brief second that Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders would be contributing to the HURT LOCKER sweep) I actually cried. Not big heaping buckets of wailing seal-like sounds but, yes, I shed a few tears.

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Giacchino’s music affected me on the first listen back in May and continues to do so. It is essential to the success of the film and I’m thankful that the often tone-deaf Oscar voters made the right choice.

As for the tears, what can I say? Perhaps I have WAY too much invested in these silly awards. Perhaps it was this particular score that really spoke to me. Or perhaps it’s menopause. Whatever the reason, my hearty congratulations to Mr. Giacchino on his richly deserved win.

After ALICE IN WONDERLAND’s phenomenal $116 million opening weekend box office take, will we see Danny Elfman at next year’s ceremonies? Well, that’s food for thought for later posts…

When I was a budding clarinetist back in high school and college, I would have killed to be able to play arrangements of film music. Except for the odd band arrangement, like Jerry Goldsmith’s wickedly difficult THE WIND AND THE LION, the opportunities to play film music just didn’t exist, and were certainly looked down on, back in the late 70s and early 80s. That’s what makes MOVIEBRASS such a delight.

The Naxos release contains film and other music arranged for brass quintet. The first half of the album begins with an extended suite for Leonard Bernstein’s classic score to WEST SIDE STORY. Bernstein’s evergreen score retains every bit of the brash vibrancy it exhibited when it debuted on Broadway in 1957. I suspect Bernstein’s music would sound just as fresh with a Klezmer band or gaggle of kazoos. The lively “America” and “Sergeant Krupke” (mistakenly labeled as “Lt. Krupke” on the CD) are particularly vibrant.

An interesting arrangement of Samuel Barber’s popular “Adagio for Strings” follows. It’s hard enough to do justice to this piece when you’ve got dozens of stringed instruments. It’s even more difficult when you rely on breath control for an intense seven minutes in which the musicians hardly ever stop playing. (I still have memories of an awful clarinet choir version that I played as an undergrad.)

The album finally delves into film music territory just the second half.  Most of the film music portion is taken up by a 17-minute suite called “Space Brass.” The suite features music from SUPERMAN, E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, Goldsmith’s STAR TREK TV work, INDEPENDENCE DAY, and APOLLO 13. The arrangement of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, which closes the suite, gives the musicians a chance to cut loose, though it’s a bit jazzy for my taste.

Click Track: Star Trek TV Series: Chorale

The album closes with two particularly delightful tracks. First up is a fiendishly fun arrangement of Danny Elfman’s theme from THE SIMPSONS. The program ends with Franco Micalizzi and Yuji Ohno’s main title themes for LUPIN III.

Click Track: The Simpsons Theme

The playing of the Gomolana Brass Quintet is energetic and the players seem to having a great time playing the music. Trumpeter Marco Pierobon is responsible for the arrangements, except for the Barber.

While most of us will prefer to hear film music in all its full orchestral glory, it’s nice to see smaller ensembles arranging the genre for their needs and adding new repertoire for the instruments. For fans of brass music, this is one, ahem, “kick-brass” CD.

Film Score Click Track Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

What has gone unnoticed in this frenzied and long awards season is this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Academy Awards for Music, which were first handed out in 1935 for the films released in 1934. Oscar nuts, no matter their caliber, like to second-guess and rearrange the Academy Awards, and us film music fans are no different.

Anyone who knows me even slightly knows of my love for the Oscars and that I don’t brook any Oscar-bashing in my house. You can disagree but no bashing. I won’t deny where the Oscars stand in the great scheme of things, but I’ll continue to champion any organization that brings attention to film music with the global impact that the Academy does.

Since the Oscars were my early education into film music and what I considered the bellwether of quality for so many years (no comment), I’ve probably spent far more time rethinking their choices than most people. I choose not to look too deeply inside myself for fear that all of that time I spent making lists over the years only makes me look pathetic.

My choices over the years have changed as I have become exposed to more and more film music. And just because I list an alternate choice doesn’t mean that I think the winner was undeserving. And no matter the choice, it doesn’t negate the quality (or lack thereof) of other nominated scores in the category (which will not be listed). For the complete list of winners and nominees, visit the Academy’s Oscar database.

Even though the Music Branch has named and renamed the various music categories in numerous permutations over the years, I’m only focusing on what is now considered the Original Score category. Oscar winners are in bold, my choices are in parentheses following. If there is no alternate selection, that means I too would have voted for that particular winning score.

• 1934 - ONE NIGHT OF LOVE, Victor Schertzinger and Gus Kahn (THE LOST PATROL, Max Steiner)
• 1935 – THE INFORMER, Max Steiner (PETER IBBETSON, Ernst Toch)
• 1936 – ANTHONY ADVERSE, Erich Wolfgang Korngold
• 1937 – ONE HUNDRED MEN AND A GIRL, Charles Previn (THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, Alfred Newman)
• 1938 – THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, Erich Wolfgang Korngold
• 1939 – THE WIZARD OF OZ, Herbert Stothart (GONE WITH THE WIND, Max Steiner)
• 1940 – PINOCCHIO, Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, Ned Washington (OUR TOWN, Aaron Copland)
• 1941 – ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY (aka THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER), Bernard Herrmann (CITIZEN KANE, Bernard Herrmann)
• 1942 – NOW, VOYAGER, Max Steiner
• 1943 – THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, Alfred Newman
• 1944 – SINCE YOU WENT AWAY, Max Steiner (THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN, Max Steiner)
• 1945 – SPELLBOUND, Miklos Rozsa (THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM, Alfred Newman)
• 1946 – THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, Hugo Friedhofer
• 1947 – A DOUBLE LIFE, Miklos Rozsa
• 1948 – THE RED SHOES, Brian Easdale
• 1949 – THE HEIRESS, Aaron Copland
• 1950 – SUNSET BOULEVARD, Franz Waxman
• 1951 – A PLACE IN THE SUN, Franz Waxman (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE), Alex North
• 1952 – HIGH NOON, Dimitri Tiomkin (IVANHOE, Miklos Rozsa)
• 1953 – LILI, Bronislau Kaper
• 1954 – THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY, Dimitri Tiomkin (ON THE WATERFRONT, Leonard Bernstein)
• 1955 – LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING, Alfred Newman (PICNIC, George Duning)
• 1956 – AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, Victor Young
• 1957 – THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, Malcolm Arnold (RAINTREE COUNTY, Johnny Green)
• 1958 – THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, Dimitri Tiomkin (THE BIG COUNTRY, Jerome Moross)
• 1959 – BEN-HUR, Miklos Rozsa
• 1960 – EXODUS, Ernest Gold
• 1961 – BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, Henry Mancini
• 1962 – LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, Maurice Jarre (MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, Bronislau Kaper)
• 1963 – TOM JONES, John Addison
• 1964 – MARY POPPINS, Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
• 1965 – DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, Maurice Jarre (THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, Alfred Newman)
• 1966 – BORN FREE, John Barry (HAWAII, Elmer Bernstein)
• 1967 – THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Elmer Bernstein
• 1968 – THE LION IN WINTER, John Barry
• 1969 – BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, Burt Bacharach (THE SECRET OF SANTA VITTORIA, Ernest Gold)
• 1970 – LOVE STORY, Francis Lai (PATTON, Jerry Goldsmith)
• 1971 – SUMMER OF ‘42, Michel Legrand (STRAW DOGS, Jerry Fielding)
• 1972 – LIMELIGHT, Charles Chaplin, Larry Russell, Raymond Rasch (SLEUTH, John Addison)
• 1973 – THE WAY WE WERE, Marvin Hamlisch (PAPILLON, Jerry Goldsmith)
• 1974 – THE GODFATHER, PART II, Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola (MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, Richard Rodney Bennett)
• 1975 – JAWS, John Williams (THE WIND AND THE LION, Jerry Goldsmith)
• 1976 – THE OMEN, Jerry Goldsmith (duh!)
• 1977 – STAR WARS, John Williams
• 1978 – MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, Giorgio Moroder (THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, Jerry Goldsmith)
• 1979 – A LITTLE ROMANCE, Georges Delerue (STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE, Jerry Goldsmith)
• 1980 – FAME, Michael Gore (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, John Williams)
• 1981 – CHARIOTS OF FIRE, Vangelis (RAGTIME, Randy Newman)
• 1982 – E. T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, John Williams
• 1983 – THE RIGHT STUFF, Bill Conti (UNDER FIRE, Jerry Goldsmith)
• 1984 – A PASSAGE TO INDIA, Maurice Jarre (UNDER THE VOLCANO, Alex North)
• 1985 – OUT OF AFRICA, John Barry
• 1986 – ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT, Herbie Hancock (THE MISSION, Ennio Morricone)
• 1987 – THE LAST EMPEROR, Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, Cong Su (CRY FREEDOM, George Fenton, Jonas Gwangwa)
• 1988 – THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR, Dave Grusin
• 1989 – THE LITTLE MERMAID, Alan Menken
• 1990 – DANCES WITH WOLVES, John Barry
• 1991 – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Alan Menken
• 1992 – ALADDIN, Alan Menken
• 1993 – SCHINDLER’S LIST, John Williams
• 1994 – THE LION KING, Hans Zimmer (LITTLE WOMEN, Thomas Newman)
• 1995 – Dramatic: IL POSTINO, Luis Bacalov (APOLLO 13, James Horner)
  Musical or Comedy: POCAHONTAS, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
• 1996 – Dramatic: THE ENGLISH PATIENT, Gabriel Yared (HAMLET, Patrick Doyle)
  Musical or Comedy: EMMA, Rachel Portman
• 1997 – Dramatic: TITANIC, James Horner (KUNDUN, Philip Glass)
  Musical or Comedy: THE FULL MONTY, Anne Dudley (MEN IN BLACK, Danny Elfman)
• 1998 – Dramatic: LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, Nicola Piovani (PLEASANTVILLE, Randy Newman)
  Musical or Comedy: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, Stephen Warbeck
• 1999 – THE RED VIOLIN, John Corigliano
• 2000 – CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, Tan Dun (THE PATRIOT, John Williams)
• 2001 – THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, Howard Shore
• 2002 – FRIDA, Elliot Goldenthal (FAR FROM HEAVEN, Elmer Bernstein)
• 2003 – THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, Howard Shore
• 2004 – FINDING NEVERLAND, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek (THE VILLAGE, James Newton Howard)
• 2005 – BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Gustavo Santaolalla
• 2006 – BABEL, Gustavo Santaolalla (THE GOOD GERMAN, Thomas Newman)
• 2007 – ATONEMENT, Dario Marianelli
• 2008 – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, A.R. Rahman (DEFIANCE, James Newton Howard)

I better be able to add Michael Giacchino’s name to the winner’s circle later tonight.

There’s only one word to describe IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD…”mad.” Thankfully for us film score fans, Ernest Gold’s wonderful score ties together all the loose threads of this bombastic film.

This loud comedy (and I do mean LOUD, as evidenced by its Oscar for Best Sound Editing) about a group of strangers who follow the last words of dying thief Jimmy Durante to find $350,000 under the watchful eye of the local police chief Spencer Tracy would probably be unfilmable today. The cast alone would make it prohibitive–Tracy, Durante, Milton Berle, Jimmy Durante, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters, Edie Adams, Jim Baccus, Peter Falk, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Carl Reiner and many others…and that’s not counting the cameos by Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny, the Three Stooges, Don Knotts and Buster Keaton. The film doesn’t offer much in the way of subtlety for the array of comedic talent on board and, at two hours and 40 minutes, the funny moments are few and far between for such a long haul

Gold worked on the score six months, almost unheard of in film music circles, and it paid off. The music is far more enjoyable than the bloated film and gives the illusion that film is more enjoyable than it actually is.

Kritzerland recently re-released the soundtrack (which is actually a re-recorded studio effort) and vastly improved on the out-of-print Ryko disc. That earlier release included bits of dialogue from the film which not only weren’t amusing, they interrupted the joyous flow of Gold’s delightful score. The new release eliminates those annoying dialog tracks and offers Gold’s Oscar-nominated music in far deeper, richer sound, with the welcome addition of six bonus tracks from the original soundtrack.

The “Overture” consists of Gold’s main theme as an Oscar-nominated title song. The nonsensical lyrics were added by Mack David after Gold had composed the theme. The song is sung by an unnamed chorus with various lines being sung (or shouted, as the case may be) by various stars of the film. There are two other ’60s period songs used as source music for Merman’s hippie son (Shawn). The “Main Title” contains the main theme as a charming circus-like waltz, with the tubas providing the necessary oom-pah-pah’s.

Click Track: Main Title

Because of the numerous characters in the film, Gold’s score serves as the throughline connecting them all. The only character who gets his own theme is that of Phil Silvers’ “Gullible Otto Meyer,” a sly theme that starts on soprano sax and moves to the  muted trumpet and strings. Once the group hit the park, the music becomes martial to accompany them on the quest for the “Big W,” given its own small theme complete with harp glissandi and wordless female chorus. Mexican flavored music accompanies Cpt. Culpepper’s (Tracy) thoughts of running off with the money to Mexico.

My favorite cue occurs early in the film. In “Follow the Leader,” the music lopes along calmly as our travelers begin their journey in search of the money. As their distrust grows and they speed up to get there first, the music accelerates right along with them.

Click Track: Follow the Leader

Gold’s score has been a favorite of mine back from the days of its original gatefold LP. The folks at Kritzerland have done an impeccable job of cleaning up the score so that Gold’s music shines better than ever. The limited release of 1,000 units quickly sold out, but you still might find it available at Screen Archives.

If the film fails to bring a smile to your face (like me), Gold’s music surely will.

Film Score Click Track Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

GENEVIEVE is not a who, it’s a what. A twin-cylinder, 10/12 horsepower Darracq motocar built in Paris in 1904. Found sticking out of a hedge in East London in 1945, the car was rescued from further rust and obscurity by a local bailiff, rebuilt to its original glory, and soon became the star of one of the most popular British comedies of all time.

The 1954 film concerns Genevieve’s yearly run from London to Brighton and the crazy vintage car enthusiasts whose lives revolve around the run. The picture stars Dinah Sheridan and John Gregson as Wendy and Alan McKim, Genevieve’s owners. On equal, yet caustic, footing are Kenneth More as Ambrose Claverhouse, Alan’s fellow car enthusiast and Wendy’s one-time beau, and the delightful Kay Kendall as Rosalind Peters, Ambrose’s companion for this year’s run. The film follows the sextet’s (if you count the cars) pit stops and pitfalls as egos and jealousies boil over into a ridiculous bet over whose car can make it across Westminster Bridge first. From start to finish the film is a delight with its offbeat storyline and winning cast.

The score was composed by harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler. Though portions of the score are more fully orchestrated, most of the film is simply scored for harmonica and piano. A score for harmonica, you say? Yes, and it works beautifully.

The four main themes begin with Genevieve’s waltz over the opening titles. This is the predominant theme throughout the film and Adler would later release a recording of it on Columbia Records.

Ambrose is given am appropriately cocky melody for harmonica and strings for his pompous character. The tender ballad for Alan and Wendy was later recorded by Percy Faith and his orchestra. The other main theme is the upbeat tune for the London-Brighton run which fittingly picks up speed as the trip back to Westminster Bridge turns into a race. One of the most delightful musical moments occurs during the final leg of the race as snippets of the themes for Genevieve and Ambrose volley back and forth, depending on who is in the lead.

This YouTube clip, featuring Philip Achille on harmonica at the 2007 BBC Proms, gives us a generous suite of Adler’s delightful score, though much more fully orchestrated than it is on the actual soundtrack.

The Score was surprisingly, yet deservedly, nominated for an Oscar. Yet the nomination went to the film’s music director, Muir Mathieson, not Adler, whose name had been taken off American prints of the picture due to his inclusion on the Blacklist. It wasn’t until June 1986 before the Academy’s Board of Governors had Academy records updated to give Adler his proper credit, which Mathieson had never claimed. Mathieson’s name was removed from the nomination and Adler’s inserted. Over thirty years later, Adler finally received his nomination certificate.

As nice as the American screen credit and the Oscar recognition would have been, Adler didn’t make out too badly. Since GENEVIEVE was filmed on a very tight budget, Adler waived what would have been his nominal composer’s fee and demanded 2.5% of the producer’s share instead. As Adler said, “It doesn’t sound like much, and it wasn’t. But as the film took off I became richer than the actors… I happily put my children through college on the proceeds.” Don Brockway’s site gives a fascinating and exhaustively detailed look at every element of the film, including the score.

I absolutely adore this film and Adler’s music. Catch it next time it’s on Turner Classic Movies and tell me you’re not as charmed as I am. I keep hoping that the score will be released someday. But at this point I’d be happy with a U.S. DVD release of the film. Sweet Genevieve, indeed.

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) has just announced the winners for the best in musical scoring in film and television of 2009. Michael Giacchino, Christopher Young, and James Peterson each came away with multiple wins.

The 2009 film winners are:

• FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR - UP, music by Michael Giacchino
• FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR - MICHAEL GIACCHINO
• BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR - JAMES PETERSON
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM - A SINGLE MAN, music by Abel Korzeniowski
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM - THE INFORMANT!, music by Marvin Hamlisch
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM - THE RED CANVAS, music by James Peterson
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM - STAR TREK, music by Michael Giacchino
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM - DRAG ME TO HELL, music by Christopher Young
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE - UP, music by Michael Giacchino
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - HOME, music by Armand Amar
• FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR - “Concerto to Hell” from DRAG ME TO HELL, music by Christopher Young

OTHER 2009 AWARDS

• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA [SEASON 4.5], music by Bear McCreary
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA - HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, music by James Hannigan
• BEST NEW RELEASE/RE-RELEASE OF AN EXISTING SCORE - BACK TO THE FUTURE, music by Alan Silvestri; Douglass Fake, producer (Intrada)
• BEST RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE - EXODUS, music by Ernest Gold, conductor Nic Raine; James Fitzpatrick, producer (Tadlow)
• BEST FILM MUSIC COMPILATION ALBUM OR BOX SET - DAVID RAKSIN AT M-G-M, music by David Raksin; Lukas Kendall, producer (Film Score Monthly)
• FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR - INTRADA

Since I am a member of IFMCA, I won’t be commenting, but feel free to yay or nay the decisions below. For more information and to see past nominees and winners, please visit the IFMCA website.

As I’m staring out at over a foot of snow in my backyard, I’m pondering on the month that has just passed. It has been a busy one for me personally with a lot of work, and one in which I felt I had neglected this blog a bit. But looking back on it, I think I was able to cram in some posts that hopefully you guys found interesting and entertaining.

There was a lively discussion about what I call The Sizzler Effect, the seemingly constant need for new music, and how that affects our enjoyment of the numerous releases that come our way every month. My stack of CDs to review is higher than ever, but I did manage to get a few in this past month:

• Hans Zimmer’s Oscar-nominated score to SHERLOCK HOLMES and his unique music video that he used to drum up support for the score with Oscar voters
• Bear McCrary’s first game score for DARK VOID
• Christopher Young’s dramatic CREATION
• The discovery of Elik Álvarez’s LA VIRGEN NEGRA
• Howard Shore’s replacement score for EDGE OF DARKNESS
• And let’s not forget the fantastic documentary THE HOLLYWOOD SOUND on DVD

There were theatrical trailers and discussions of the Oscar-winning scores for Francis Lai’s LOVE STORY and Charlie Chaplin’s LIMELIGHT, as well as Max Steiner’s poignant JOHNNY BELINDA.

I also highlighted two of my favorite cues: the vision scene from Alfred Newman’s Oscar-winning THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, and George Fenton and Jonas Gwangwa’s excellent “Telle Bridge” from CRY FREEDOM.

Mark Isham graciously supplied fans with another suite from one of his unreleased score, this time for the 2004 hockey flick MIRACLE. And this month’s “9 on the 9th” post was dedicated to the one and only Alex North.

Of course, we’re still in awards season, so catch the Sammy Movie Music Awards if you haven’t already. And naturally there was a post devoted to this year’s Oscar nominees. Thankfully all of this awards nonsense will be done in a week with the announcement of the Academy Awards. If Michael Giacchino doesn’t win, expect a rant on this very site.

March highlights include more CD reviews, including:

• Danny Elfman’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND
• Alexandre Desplat’s THE GHOST WRITER
• More video game scores
• And according to the unanimous poll, some limited edition reviews as well

As always, there will be more cues, trailers, and God knows what else crosses my keyboard over the next month. As always, thanks for visiting, thanks for reading, and thanks for your support.

For fans of Hans Zimmer’s SHERLOCK HOLMES score, here’s a treat. )As the last days of Oscar voting wind down (ballots are due March 2), Zimmer has pulled together a music video in a unique attempt to garner votes for his score. (Thanks to the folks at RopeofSilicon.com.)

I was alerted to the following music video featuring Hans Zimmer and Robert Downey Jr. as a last second campaign to earn Zimmer’s Sherlock Holmes score an Original Score Oscar.

The video is the first track on the album, “Discombobulate.” Zimmer plays the score’s main theme on the Hungarian cimbalom and the film’s star, Robert Downey, Jr., can be seen plunking the piano. Director Guy Ritchie is also featured as well as a score of musicians who sent in their segments from around the world.

It’s all very tongue and check and a lot of fun. And you got to love any video that features a guy playing the violin while riding an elephant.

Will the video result in a surprise win on March 7? We’ll have to see. But kudos to Zimmer for coming up with something a little different to shake up the Longest. Oscar. Season. Ever!

Enjoy!

LOVE STORY was the Number One film of 1970 and probably the most famous three-hanky tearjearker of all time. Harvard law student (and millionaire) Ryan O’Neal meets Radcliffe music student (and self-described “social zero”) Ali MacGraw and the two quickly (way too quickly) fall in love. There’s marriage, a few fights, and success in law, before the Grim Reaper shows up at the door and audiences around the world disintegrated into puddles of tears. Francis Lai’s massively popular theme squeezed every last drop out of even the driest of tear ducts.

The film saved Paramount Studios from financial ruin and turned O’Neal and MacGraw into stars. Screenwriter Erich Segal quickly churned out a bestselling novel based on the screenplay which helped propel the film into a hit.

Because Lai spoke no English and director Arthur Hiller spoke no French, Hiller sent a long letter to Lai with explicit instructions as to what kind of music he wanted and where he wanted it. This is a rare instance in which the director spotted the music with no input from the composer.

The main theme was based in the piano, Jenny’s (MacGraw) instrument at music school, and represents her tragic demise. In Lai’s words, “[The piano is] what gives color, gives emotion–the emotional side of the film.”

In one memorable (and dated) cue, Lai combines the main theme, harpsichord (for Jenny’s love of Mozart), and a rock rhythm (for her love of the Beatles) as Oliver (O’Neal) literally runs all over Cambridge looking for Jenny after she has stormed out of the apartment following an argument.

A wordless female vocal and the rock beat accompany an improvised frolic in the snow. The melody is later used in strict waltz time as during the skating in Central Park scene, Jenny’s last scene of happiness before “the end.”

In February of 1971, the “Theme from Love Story” made history. For the first and only time in pop music history, three versions of the same song were in the top 40 at the same time: Henry Mancini’s instrumental verion (#14), Lai’s instrumental version (#33), and Andy Williams’s vocal rendition (#35), “Where Do I Begin” (lyrics by Carl Sigmon). The album was successful as well and went double gold.

I grew up playing the Love Story theme on piano and I’ll admit it’s a beautiful melody. And not surprisingly, yes I shed a tear or two at the end of the film (though maybe I was just happy I didn’t have to watch MacGraw’s amateur performance anymore).

It’s no surprise that the general Oscar voter was swept along by Lai’s sentimental tune. But it still shouldn’t have won over Jerry Goldsmith’s infinitely more complex and superior work on PATTON.