A Century of Film: Original Score
A Century of Film Original Score It's tricky to even call this category Original Score since the only group that actually holds true to that is the Oscars and even they have had a lot of different categories over the years.  Nonetheless, I have tried to hold true to that, even though at times I…
https://s1.wp.com/i/favicon.ico
News from the San Diego Becks
A Century of Film

Original Score

It’s tricky to even call this category Original Score since the only group that actually holds true to that is the Oscars and even they have had a lot of different categories over the years. Nonetheless, I have tried to hold true to that, even though at times I disagree with the Academy’s distinction of how much pre-existing music can dilute that score.

There were scores before there was recorded sound in film, music that was designed to be played in the theater with the film but the whole concept changed when recorded sound was introduced and suddenly a score could be written for the film that could play at exactly the same point and speed in every print of the film.

Like with songs, the first awards for such film music came in 1934 when the two categories were added at the Academy Awards. By then, Charlie Chaplin had recorded his brilliant score for City Lights and Max Steiner was already well at work (most notably having done King Kong).

While many other groups would follow the Academy’s lead and establish awards for music in film, they were often defined rather differently, which seems appropriate, given the Oscars own history.

One thing that is hard to distinguish is how much the “main title score” is as compared to the rest of the score. I usually grade something on the best bit of music. So, for example, my 9 point list below includes Chariots of Fire which has an absolutely brilliant main score with a solid rest of the soundtrack. On the other hand, it also includes Star Trek II which has an excellent main score but has other parts (notably “Genesis Countdown”) which easily get into the 9 point range. I think the entire soundtrack as a whole is a major factor in my Top 5.

My Top 5 Original Scores in Film History:

John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981

John Williams, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1977

Trevor Jones / Randy Edelman, The Last of the Mohicans, 1992

Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001

James Horner, Glory, 1989

The other 9 Point Scores (chronological):

Herbert Stothart, The Wizard of Oz, 1939

Max Steiner, Gone with the Wind, 1939

Fumio Hayasaka, Rashomon, 1950/1952

Malcolm Arnold, The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957

Ernest Gold, Exodus, 1960

Maurice Jarre, Lawrence of Arabia, 1962

Elmer Bernstein, The Great Escape, 1963

Henry Mancini, The Pink Panther, 1963 / 1964

Maurice Jarre, Doctor Zhivago, 1965

Ennio Morricone, A Fistful of Dollars, 1964/1967

Ennio Morricone, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 1966/1968

Ennio Morricone, Once Upon a Time in the West, 1968/1969

Nino Rota, The Godfather, 1972

John Williams, Jaws, 1975

John Williams, Superman, 1978

Jerry Goldsmith, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 1979

John Williams, 1941, 1979

John Williams, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980

Vangelis, Chariots of Fire, 1981

James Horner, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 1982

Michael Gore, Terms of Endearment, 1983

Bill Conti, The Right Stuff, 1983

John Williams, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, 1983

Randy Newman, The Natural, 1984

Alan Silvestri, Back to the Future, 1985

Bruce Boughton, Silverado, 1985

Mark Knopfler, The Princess Bride, 1987

Ennio Morricone, The Untouchables, 1987

John Williams, Born on the Fourth of July, 1989

John Williams, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989

Maurice Jarre, Dead Poets Society, 1989

John Williams, JFK, 1991

Alan Menken, Beauty and the Beast, 1991

Hans Zimmer, The Power of One, 1992

John Williams, Schindler’s List, 1993

Patrick Doyle, Much Ado About Nothing, 1993

John Williams, Amistad, 1997

John Williams, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, 1999

Tan Dun, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000

Clint Mansell, Requiem for a Dream, 2000

John Williams, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 2001

Yann Tiersen, The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain, 2001

Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002

John Williams, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, 2002

Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003

John Williams, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, 2005

Gustavo Santaolalla, Brokeback Mountain, 2005

Hans Zimmer, The Da Vinci Code, 2006

Dario Marianelli, Atonement, 2007

Nicholas Hopper, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007

note: I rate all aspects of film on a 9 point scale. They also correspond to the 100 point scale for Best Picture. Films above *** (76-99) all land on the scale. 1 point is for 76-79, just worth mentioning. 2 points is for 80-83, a weak mention, 3 points is for 84-87, near great, 4 points is for 88-89 (which is ****), a solid nominee, 5 points is for 90-91, a very solid nominee, 6 points is for 92-93, a weak winner, a 7 points is for 94-95, a worthwhile winner, 8 points is 96-97, the kind of winner you can’t complain about even if it’s not your #1 choice and 9 points is for 98-99, the very best of all-time. The above list are my 9 point films for Sound through 2011, listed chronologically.

The Composers

Max Steiner

The original great film composer, Steiner was nominated for the Oscar the first 17 years the category existed, still the second-longest streak in any category in Oscar history. He was first in Oscar points from 1935 to 1938 and then, except for a couple of years in the early 40s, second behind Alfred Newman all the way until John Williams finally passed him in 1993. He composed over 300 film scores, won three Oscars and earned 24 nominations and while most of his work predated the Globes, he did win the first award in 1947.

Key Films: Gone with the Wind, King Kong, The Informer, Casablanca

Alfred Newman

While he didn’t earn his first Oscar nomination until the fourth year of the category, he immediately started to dominate the award and two years later he was #1 in points and has never dropped that distinction. Nominated for 43 Oscars and winner of nine. Nominated 12 years in a row, then skipped 1949, then nominated 7 more years in a row. In those 20 years he earned 37 nominations. He was the king of a family that included brother Lionel (9 nominations, mostly for Musical Score, Song Score or Adapted Score winning one), son Thomas (nine nominations through 2011) and nephew Randy (8 nominations though he has two Oscars for Song).

Key Films: Gunga Din, The Song of Bernadette, Wuthering Heights

Maurice Jarre

David Lean’s favorite composer (he would win three Oscars working with Lean) was a force to be reckoned with for some 40 years. In 1989 he joined John Williams becoming just the second composer to win multiple Oscars, BAFTAs and Globes.

Key Films: Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Passage to India, Dead Poets Society

Ennio Morricone

He became famous for his spaghetti western themes for Sergio Leone which are his best work but eventually he started to find recognition from the awards groups as well for such work as Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission and The Untouchables.

Key Films: The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Mission, The Untouchables

Jerry Goldsmith

The rare composer who finished in the Top 10 in Oscars points in four different decades (60’s through 90’s). He has only won one Oscar (The Omen) and he never won the BAFTA (in four noms) or the Globe (seven noms) but he wins two Nighthawks (Chinatown, Star Trek) and earns seven Nighthawk noms and 14 Oscar noms.

Key Films: Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Chinatown, L.A. Confidential

John Williams

What do I need to write here? He is the second most nominated individual in Oscar history behind only Walt Disney. He is by far the most nominated individual at the Nighthawk Awards. I own 13 of his soundtracks plus three store-bought compilations plus three more homemade compilations. He dominates the 9 point list above. He’s won 24 Grammys and his score for Star Wars was declared by AFI to be the greatest film score of all-time. I have no figures to back this up but I am willing to bet that his soundtracks have far far outsold anyone else’s in the history of film composing (Star Wars went Platinum which is extremely rare for an instrumental soundtrack and six others have gone Gold).

Key Films: Star Wars (eight films), Indiana Jones (four films), Harry Potter (three films), Jaws, Superman, Schindler’s List

The Academy Awards

Summary:

Though composing came in with film sound (actually it took a couple of years for it to really get going), a category for Score wouldn’t start until 1934 (meaning Charlie Chaplin for City Lights and Max Steiner for King Kong were both passed over though both films were lacking any nominations anyway). Max Steiner was nominated that first year (but didn’t win) and was then nominated the next 16 years as well.

I cover a lot of the history here in the Best Score post which is filled with the history of the divisions in the category (it was split into two awards in a lot of different years with different reasons depending on the era) and the history of the major composers and their records at the Oscars.

Like many of the Tech categories, Score earned a lot of weak scores for a long time, mainly because every studio earned a nomination for a stretch in the 40s as long as they submitted a score. The scores took a big leap up in the 60s and then again in the 80s and have generally been fairly strong since then.

Directors:

Michael Curtiz (12 noms, 3 wins) and Walter Lang (11 noms, 5 wins, all from Musicals) were the big directors from the Studio Era but it’s all about Steven Spielberg. Teamed almost entirely with John Williams, his films have a combined 16 noms and 3 Oscars and he shows no signs of stopping with only one gap of more than four years since 1975.

Franchises:

It’s a tricky category because if a franchise has the same main theme, how much does that influence you (either for the score or against it, if you think it’s all about the original music). But, two years after the first Godfather’s score lost its nomination due to pre-existing music, the Academy gave the Oscar to The Godfather Part III. Since then, while many sequels have earned nominations (the first two Star Wars sequels, the first two Indiana Jones sequels, all with music by John Williams, the third Harry Potter film, also John Williams) only Return of the King has managed an Oscar.

Genres:

Drama leads in nominations (36.88%) and wins (32.56%) but not by a ton over Musicals (24.23%, 32.56%). Comedy, even given its own category in several years, often didn’t win it (either to Musicals or Kids films) and is in third in both (11.17%, 10.08%). Every category but Mystery (even Documentary because Let it Be won Song Score) has at least one win though Action, Crime, Suspense and War only have one each. Every category (including Documentary) has at least 7 nominations. At one point, Horror had a 31 year gap between nominations (1943 to 1974). Kids, before its five wins from 1989 to 1995 had only won once since 1941. No Musical has won the category since 1986 and only three films have been nominated in the regular Score category since the 60s.

Best Picture:

There have been 22 films that have won both Picture and Score while another three won Picture and Adapted or Song Score. It did take until 1946 for the first film to do it and it only happened twice in the first 22 years of the category’s existence as well as only once in the 70’s. There have been 48 Best Picture winners to at least earn a Score nomination while 205 films have been nominated in both categories.

Foreign Films:

The first Foreign Film to earn an Oscar nomination would be in 1961 (Khovanshchina) with six more earning nominations through 1971 (four of them in Adapted or Song Score) but none of them would win the award (though Umbrellas of Cherbourg would earn nominations in both Score categories). Then there was a long drought until 1995. Starting in 1995, four films in six years actually won the award (Il Postino, Life is Beautiful, Red Violin, Crouching Tiger) while since then four more films have earned nominations but none have won the award.

Single Nominations:

As mentioned in my Score piece from several years ago, lots of films earn just this one nomination (196 in total). It was very common in the era where every studio was guaranteed a nominee (83 in nine years from 1937 to 1945) and was quite common among Adapted / Song Score nominees (25 films in less than 20 years including three winners) and in the short stretch of Drama / Comedy splits from 1995 to 1998 (11 films). Since 1980, excluding 1995 to 1998, there have only been eleven films over almost 30 years (including two winners). Winners with just the single nomination aren’t common (10, including the three in Adapted / Song) with only four in the regular Score category since 1949. The majority of winners, especially since 1980 earn a Picture nom and win at least one other Oscar.

Other Categories:

Art Direction has the most overlap (234 films), followed by Cinematography (233 films), Picture (206), Sound (196) and Editing (174). Animated Film and Foreign Film are the only categories with less than 10 films overlapping. Art Direction (30), Editing (27) and Cinematography (26) have the most overlap of winners while Picture and Director are both at 25 though only only 21 of them are the same. Every category has at least two overlapping winners except Animated Film which just has one (Up).

The Academy Awards Top 10:

Alfred Newman – 1200

John Williams – 1100

Max Steiner – 700

Morris Stoloff – 525

Victor Young – 500

Miklos Rosza – 475

Jerry Goldsmith – 450

Dimitri Tiomkin – 435

Ray Heindorf – 430

Franz Waxman / Alex North – 350

note: Wins are worth 50 points and nominations are worth 25. For the category “Adapted Score” or “Song Score”, wins are worth 20 points and nominations are worth 10.

Top 5 Oscar Winners:

Star Wars Episode IV, A New Hope

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Lawrence of Arabia

Doctor Zhivago

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Worst 5 Oscar Winners:

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

One Night of Love

100 Men and a Girl

This is the Army

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Worst 5 Oscar Nominees:

Shanks

Doctor Dolittle

Patch Adams

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

The Champ

Top 5 Scores Snubbed by the Oscars:

The Last of the Mohicans

Glory

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Power of One

The Great Escape

Top 5 Oscar Years:

2005 (Brokeback Mountain, Memoirs of a Geisha, Munich, Pride and Prejudice, Constant Gardener)

1984 (A Passage to India, The Natural, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Under the Volcano, The River)

1989 (The Little Mermaid, Born on the Fourth of July, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Field of Dreams, The Fabulous Baker Boys)

2001 (Fellowship of the Ring, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, AI, Monsters Inc, A Beautiful Mind)

1960 (Exodus, Spartacus, The Magnificent Seven, Elmer Gantry, The Alamo)

Top 5 Oscars Years by Oscar Score:

2001 – 97.1 (Fellowship of the Ring, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, AI, Monsters Inc, A Beautiful Mind)

1984 – 95.0 (A Passage to India, The Natural, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Under the Volcano, The River)

2008 – 93.9 (Slumdog Millionaire, Wall-E, Milk, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Defiance)

2005 – 92.9 (Brokeback Mountain, Memoirs of a Geisha, Munich, Pride and Prejudice, Constant Gardener)

1997 – 87.5 (Titanic, Amistad, L.A. Confidential, Kundun, Good Will Hunting)

note: The difference between this list and the previous one is that the first one is a flat total based on my 9 point scale. In this one, it’s comparing my top three films to the ones the Oscars actually nominated. So, in the first one, it’s how good are the nominees. In this one it’s how good are the nominees compared to what else was eligible.

Worst 5 Oscar Years:

note: These are the same as the worst 5 years by Oscar Score so I just included the score.

1947 – 18.8 (A Double Life, Life With Father, The Bishop’s Wife, Forever Amber, Captain from Castile)

1934 – 25.0 (One Night of Love, The Lost Patrol, The Gay Divorcee)

1936 – 26.3 (Anthony Adverse, Charge of the Light Brigade, General Died at Dawn, Garden of Allah, Winterset)

1958 – 28.1 (Old Man and the Sea, Big Country, Separate Tables, Young Lions, White Wilderness)

1944 – 30.6 (Since You Went Away, Double Indemnity, Wilson, Kismet, None but the Lonely Heart, Address Unknown, Adventures of Mark Twain, Casanova Brown, It Happened Tomorrow, Princess and the Pirate, Voice in the Wind, Bridge of San Luis Rey, Christmas Holiday, Fighting Seabees, Hairy Ape, Jack London, Summer Storm, Three Russian Girls, Up in Mable’s Room, Woman of the Town)

Top 5 Films to win the Oscar (based on quality of film not score):

Sunset Blvd.

The Wizard of Oz

Lawrence of Arabia

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Worst 5 Films to win the Oscar (based on quality of film not score):

A Little Night Music

Love Story

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

The Great Gatsby

Camelot

note: Interesting that three of the worst films won Adapted or Song Score.

Worst 5 Films to earn an Oscar nomination (based on quality of film not score):

Patch Adams

The Amityville Horror

The Silver Chalice

A Little Night Music

Doctor Dolittle

Years in Which the Worst of the Nominees Won the Oscar:

1980: Fame over Empire Strikes Back, Elephant Man, Tess, Altered States

Oscar Nominees I Haven’t Seen

note: This is one of the categories where I haven’t managed to see every nominee. There are nine nominees that I still haven’t managed to see (all of them earned no other nominations).

Tropic Holiday, 1938

Mercy Island, 1941

Klondike Fury, 1942

Something to Shout About, 1943

Three Russian Girls, 1944

G.I. Honeymoon, 1945

Hitchhike to Happiness, 1945

Sunbonnet Sue, 1945

Why Girls Leave Home, 1945

Oscar Scores By Decade:

1930’s: 47.4

1940’s: 53.5

1950’s: 49.7

1960’s: 60.6

1970’s: 59.3

1980’s: 81.2

1990’s: 74.2

2000’s: 80.9

2010’s: 91.6

All-Time: 66.9

The BAFTA Awards

Summary:

The Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music at the BAFTAs is a very different award than the Best Original Score award at the Oscars. It’s actually about all of the film music because except for the short period from 1982 to 1984 there has not been a Song category at the BAFTAs. That is why we get winners like O Lucky Man, Strictly Ballroom or Backbeat. It began as a category in 1968 when the BAFTAs redid their categories and took its current name in 1994 (a name I find a bit odd since I don’t think of Asquith’s films as having notable music).

Franchises:

Like the Oscars, the BAFTAs began to notice sequels with The Godfather Part II and then Empire Strikes Back, though here the former was just nominated and the latter won the award. Since then, however, with a couple of nominated exceptions (Return of the King, Dark Knight), they have mostly ignored franchises.

Genres:

Every genre has earned at least three nominations except Documentary which just has one. Drama (36.84%) and Musicals (14.74%) dominate with the latter, in an era where they were rarely earning Oscar noms showing the difference between this category and the Oscar category. Adventure, Fantasy and Documentary have never won the award while Drama has won 21 times (almost half) and Musicals another 5 times.

Best Picture:

Eight films have won both Picture and Film Music with The King’s Speech also winning British Film. Until 1989, only one film had won both awards (Butch Cassidy). Another 19 films have won Picture and earned Music noms. From 1968 to 1992 only nine Picture winners earned at least a Score nom but since 1993 the only Picture winner not to earn a Score nom is Hurt Locker. Another 18 films won Music and earned Picture noms while 39 more earned noms for both.

Single Nominees:

Only 17 films have earned nominations for Film Music with no other noms and none since 1990. Of those 17, Summer of ’42, Days of Heaven and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence all won the award.

Foreign Films:

Fifteen Foreign language films have been nominated for Film Music, starting in 1968 (Closely Watched Trains) and most recently in 2007 (La Vie en Rose, Kite Runner). Of those, seven actually won the award.

Other Categories:

Excluding the short lived Song category, Score has overlapped with every category with multiple winners of both categories except Visual Effects. With Visual Effects not arriving until 1982, after the first two Star Wars films (which both won), no film has ever won both awards. The biggest overlap is Screenplay (102) though Editing, Cinematography and Sound are all over 90.

The BAFTA Top 10:

John Williams – 475

Ennio Morricone – 250

Richard Rodney Bennett – 200

George Fenton – 150

Hanz Zimmer – 150

Alexandre Desplat – 150

Howard Shore – 150

Maurice Jarre – 125

David Hirschfelder – 125

Gabriel Yared / Craig Armstrong / Gustavo Santaolalla / T Bone Burnett – 125

Top 5 BAFTA Winners:

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Jaws

The Godfather

Schindler’s List

note: Because the BAFTA category is so different, I will not do any of the “worst” awards or even rate the nominees although I will say that The French Lieutenant’s Woman winning over Raiders and Chariots of Fire is kind of weird.

The Golden Globes

Summary:

The Globes would start awarding Best Score in 1947, not long after they began and long before they started giving out Best Song. Prior to 1964, with the exception of a few years in the early 50’s, they did not have nominees (in the early 50’s they had three nominees). Several times, the Globes have had more than five nominees, most notably 1999 through 2001 where there were a total of 23 nominees in three years.

The Globes have shown some independence in this category. Only half the time has their winner agreed with the Oscars and their winners have included scores rejected by the Oscars as ineligible (The Godfather, The Aviator), scores that weren’t original for the film (The Truman Show), scores diluted by songs (Moulin Rouge) or scores that the Oscars considered either adapted or a song score (Little Prince, A Star is Born) and those are just among the winners. Lately, they have been agreeing more with the Oscars, with the last five winners of each group being the same.

The Globes Top 10:

John Williams – 675

Maurice Jarre – 350

Hans Zimmer – 275

Dimitri Tiomkin – 225

Jerry Goldsmith – 225

Ennio Morricone – 225

Michael Legrand – 200

Giorgio Moroder – 200

Alan Menken – 200

Henry Mancini / John Barry / Elmer Bernstein / James Horner / Howard Shore – 175

Top 5 Globe Winners:

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Jaws

The Godfather

Atonement

Worst 5 Globe Winners:

The Stunt Man

September Affair

Inspector General

Life with Father

The Little Prince

The Broadcast Film Critics Awards (Critics Choice)

Summary:

Like most of the Tech awards at the BFCA, this award only finally came into existence in 2009. They immediately screwed with the consensus since they gave the award to Avatar in 2009 (when the other three groups awarded Hurt Locker) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 2011 (when the other three awarded Hugo). In 2010, they did award Inception, but the CAS had awarded True Grit. They also, in each year, nominated a film that none of the other three groups nominated (Nine, Toy Story 3, Tree of Life).

The BFCA Top 4:

Howard Shore – 225

John Williams – 200

Hans Zimmer – 175

seven composers – 75

The Nighthawk Awards

note: Because my awards go, retroactively, all the way back through 1912, there are a lot more nominees and winners than in the other awards. But I don’t always have a full slate of nominees and some years I don’t have any nominees.

Directors:

Charlie Chaplin deserves special note, not only for winning five Nighthawks (though, to be fair, against little competition) and earning three other nominations but because he was both director and composer. Hitchcock (mostly with Herrmann) has three Oscars and seven other noms. Kurosawa, with a few different composers, has two wins and 12 noms. But of course, it’s Spielberg (with John Williams except for one nomination) whose films reign supreme with 5 wins and 11 other nominations.

Franchises:

Star Wars is the biggest winner (4 wins, 6 total noms) over Harry Potter (6 noms for 3 different composers), Lord of the Rings (3 wins), Star Trek (2 wins, 2 other noms) and Indiana Jones (1 win, 2 other noms).

Genres:

Every genre has won at least three awards except Musical (which has just one – A Nous La Liberte, though bearing in mind that Wizard of Oz and Disney films aren’t considered Musicals). Drama leads with 39.90% of the nominees and 33.33% of the winners with Comedy in distant second place in both. It’s notable that all six of the Sci-Fi winners and 10 of the 18 nominees are Star Wars or Star Trek films. Musicals, which don’t have their own category like the Oscars, only earn 3 nominations, the only genre with less than 14 noms (3.45%).

Best Picture:

There are 34 films that win both Picture and Score including a nine year streak from 1946 to 1954. The next longest streak of winners (2000-03) is followed by a tie for the longest streak of Score winners that don’t even earn Picture noms (2004-06). There are another 21 films that win Picture but earn Score noms, 27 that win Score with a Picture nom and 106 that are nominated for both.

Foreign Film:

There are 10 films that win Score that are also Foreign films (six of which win Foreign Film and all six of those also win Picture). There are another 60 Score nominees that are Foreign films with several films each from Kurosawa, Fellini, Ray and Miyazaki.

Single Nominations:

Of the 406 films nominated for Score, only 39 of them earn no other nominations with only two of those (Exodus, The Natural) winning the award. Dead Poets Society has the distinction of being the only **** film to earn Score but no other nominations.

Other Categories:

Art Direction (214) and Cinematography (205) have the most overlap with Score nominees though Cinematography (32) has more winners (AD has 30) and both Picture and Director have 34 overlapping winners. The only category with fewer than five overlapping winners is Animated Film (just three – Snow White, Up and Tintin).

My Top 10

John Williams – 1025

Max Steiner – 450

Bernard Herrmann – 350

Maurice Jarre – 350

Charlie Chaplin – 325

Ennio Morricone – 325

Hans Zimmer – 275

Franz Waxman – 225

Jerry Goldsmith – 225

Howard Shore – 225

My Top 10 weighted

John Williams – 1582

Max Steiner – 757

Maurice Jarre – 582

Alfred Newman – 540

Jerry Goldsmith – 514

Hans Zimmer – 481

Bernard Herrmann – 459

Franz Waxman – 445

Ennio Morricone – 428

Danny Elfman – 427

note: This based on a scale from 20-1 based on Top 20 placement at the Nighthawks. A win is worth 40 points in Sound, a 20th place finish is worth 1 point (if the list goes a full 20).

My Top 20 Absolute Points List:

John Williams – 2220

Danny Elfman – 791

Maurice Jarre – 788

Jerry Goldsmith – 753

Max Steiner – 734

Hans Zimmer – 723

Ennio Morricone – 626

Alfred Newman – 624

James Horner – 594

Howard Shore – 547

Bernard Herrmann – 542

Dimitri Tiomkin – 541

James Newton Howard – 535

Elmer Bernstein – 524

Franz Waxman – 505

Alex North – 497

Miklos Rosza – 490

Thomas Newman – 461

Nino Rota – 430

John Barry – 430

note: This is a point scale based on their points, not where they finished in the year. That means, for instance, that John Williams gets the maximum number of points for 1989 when he finishes 2nd at the Nighthawks because his score for Born on the Fourth of July is a 9 point Score. In some ways, though I would want to be able to figure out an average score and combine the two to account for quality as opposed to just quantity, this could be considered my list of the Top 20 film composers of all-time.

The Top 5 Absolute Points by Decade

1912-1929

Charlie Chaplin – 105

1930-1939

Max Steiner – 317

Alfred Newman – 216

Erich Wolfgang Korngold – 150

Herbert Stothart – 100

Charlie Chaplin – 94

1940 – 1949

Max Steiner – 305

Miklos Rosza – 214

Franz Waxman – 181

Bernard Herrmann – 168

Alfred Newman – 160

1950 – 1959

Franz Waxman – 255

Dimitri Tiomkin – 212

Miklos Rosza – 182

Alfred Newman – 181

Bernard Herrmann – 156

1960 – 1969

Masaru Sato – 336

Elmer Bernstein – 275

Maurice Jarre – 264

Ennio Morricone – 208

Alex North – 198

1970 – 1979

John Williams – 471

Jerry Goldsmith – 362

Nino Rota – 194

Popol Vuh – 118

Maurice Jarre – 112

1980 – 1989

John Williams – 522

Maurice Jarre – 325

James Horner – 276

Ennio Morricone – 170

Jerry Goldsmith – 162

1990 – 1999

John Williams – 558

Danny Elfman – 417

Hans Zimmer – 282

Patrick Doyle – 245

Carter Burwell – 200

2000 – 2011

John Williams – 625

Howard Shore – 434

Alexandre Desplat – 388

James Newton Howard – 379

Hans Zimmer – 373

Top 5 Films to win the Nighthawk (based on quality of film not score):

Sunset Blvd.

The Wizard of Oz

Children of Paradise

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Worst 5 Films to win the Nighthawk (based on quality of film not score):

The Natural

Exodus

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The Da Vinci Code

The Mission

Worst 5 Films to earn a Nighthawk nomination (based on quality of film not sound):

Love Story

Earthquake

Requiem for a Dream

1941

Under Capricorn

Top 5 6th Place Finishers at the Nighthawks:

John Williams, Munich, 2005

Alexandre Desplat, The Queen, 2006

Patrick Doyle, Henry V, 1989

Joe Hisaishi, My Neighbor Totoro, 1994

Sergei Prokofiev, Ivan the Terrible Part II, 1960

Best Score by Place Finish at the Nighthawks:

1st – John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981

2nd – Bill Conti, The Right Stuff, 1983

3rd – Yann Tiersen, The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain, 2001

4th – John Williams, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989

5th – Alan Menken, The Little Mermaid, 1989

6th – John Williams, Munich, 2005

7th – Howard Shore, A History of Violence, 2005

8th – Fumio Hayasaka, Ikiru, 1960

9th – Dario Marianelli, Pride and Prejudice, 2005

10th – Danny Elfman, Corpse Bride, 2005

11th – Rupert Gregson-Williams, Hotel Rwanda, 2004

12th – David Newman, Serenity, 2005

13th – Stephen Warbeck, Proof, 2005

14th – Harry Gregson-Williams, Kingdom of Heaven, 2005

15th – John Williams, War of the Worlds, 2005

16th – Rachel Portman, Oliver Twist, 2005

17th – Alexandre Desplat, Syriana, 2005

18th – Rolfe Kent, About Schmidt, 2002

19th – Harry Gregson-Williams, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2005

20th – James Newton Howard, Collateral, 2004

Best Scores by Genre

Action: John Williams, Superman

Adventure: Randy Edelman / Trevor Jones, The Last of the Mohicans

Comedy: Henry Mancini, The Pink Panther

Crime: Nino Rota, The Godfather

Drama: Maurice Jarre, Lawrence of Arabia

Fantasy: John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Horror: John Williams, Jaws

Kids: Herbert Stothart, The Wizard of Oz

Musical: Herbie Hancock, Round Midnight

Mystery: Hans Zimmer, The Da Vinci Code

Sci-Fi: John Williams, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Suspense: Ennio Morricone, The Untouchables

War: James Horner, Glory

Western: Ennio Morricone, The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Best Scores by Star Rating of Film

note: Of the three biggest Tech awards (Editing, Cinematography, Score), this is the category that can most easily come from a weak film. True, a great score works better in conjunction with a great film but a great score can still be a great score even to a bad film. So, by rating of the film (not including the ratings that have no score on my list), here are the best scores.

****: John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark

***.5: John Williams, Superman

***: Hans Zimmer, The Power of One

**.5: Ernest Gold, Exodus

**: John Williams, 1941

*.5: James Newton Howard, The Village

The Nighthawk Winners:

1925-26: Charlie Chaplin, The Gold Rush

1927-28: Charlie Chaplin, The Circus

1928-29: none

1929-30: Josiah Zuro, The Trespasser

1930-31: Charlie Chaplin, City Lights

1931-32: Georges Auric, A Nous la Liberte

1932-33: Max Steiner, King Kong

1934: Heinz Roemheld, Black Cat

1935: Max Steiner, The Informer (Oscar)

1936: Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times

1937: Frank Churchill, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Oscar)

1938: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, The Adventures of Robin Hood (Oscar)

1939: Hebert Stothart, The Wizard of Oz (Oscar)

1940: Charlie Chaplin / Meredith Willson, The Great Dictator (Oscar)

1941: Bernard Herrmann, Citizen Kane (Oscar)

1942: Bernard Herrmann, The Magnificent Ambersons

1943: Max Steiner, Casablanca (Oscar)

1944: David Raksin, Laura

1945: Miklos Rozsa, Spellbound (Oscar)

1946: Maurice Thiriet, Children of Paradise

1947: Georges Auric, La belle at le bete

1948: Max Steiner, Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1949: Alessandro Cicognini, Bicycle Thieves

1950: Franz Waxman, Sunset Blvd. (Oscar, Globe)

1951: Alex North, A Streetcar Named Desire (Oscar)

1952: Fumio Hayasaka, Rashomon

1953: Hugo Friedhofer, From Here to Eternity (Oscar)

1954: Leonard Bernstein, On the Waterfront (Oscar)

1955: Ikuma Dan, Samurai I: Miyamoto Musashi

1956: Fumio Hayasaka, Seven Samurai

1957: Malcolm Arnold, The Bridge on the River Kwai (Oscar)

1958: Bernard Herrmann, Vertigo

1959: Bernard Herrmann, North by Northwest

1960: Ernest Gold, Exodus (Oscar, Globe)

1961: Henry Mancini, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Oscar)

1962: Maurice Jarre, Lawrence of Arabia (Oscar, Globe)

1963: Elmer Bernstein, The Great Escape

1964: Henry Mancini, The Pink Panther (Oscar)

1965: Maurice Jarre, Doctor Zhivago (Oscar, Globe)

1966: Maurice Jarre, The Professionals

1967: Ennio Morricone, A Fistful of Dollars

1968: Ennio Morricone, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

1969: Ennio Morricone, Once Upon a Time in the West

1970: Maurice Jarre, Ryan’s Daughter

1971: Walter Carlos, A Clockwork Orange

1972: Nina Rota, The Godfather (Oscar – revoked, BAFTA, Globe)

1973: Toshiski Tsushima, Battles without Honour and Humanity

1974: Jerry Goldsmith, Chinatown (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe)

1975: John Williams, Jaws (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe)

1976: Bernard Herrmann, Taxi Driver (Oscar, BAFTA)

1977: John Williams, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe)

1978: John Williams, Superman (Oscar, Globe)

1979: Jerry Goldsmith, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Oscar, BAFTA)

1980: John Williams, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe)

1981: John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark (Oscar, BAFTA)

1982: James Horner, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

1983: Michael Gore, Terms of Endearment (Oscar)

1984: Randy Newman, The Natural (Oscar)

1985: Alan Silvestri, Back to the Future

1986: Ennio Morricone, The Mission (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe)

1987: Mark Knopfler, The Princess Bride

1988: Peter Gabriel, The Last Temptation of Christ (Globe)

1989: James Horner, Glory (Globe)

1990: John Barry, Dances with Wolves (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe)

1991: John Williams, JFK (Oscar)

1992: Trevor Jones / Randy Edelman, The Last of the Mohicans (BAFTA, Globe)

1993: John Williams, Schindler’s List (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe)

1994: Hans Zimmer, The Lion King (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, CFC)

1995: Patrick Doyle, Sense and Sensibility (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe)

1996: Carter Burwell, Fargo (CFC)

1997: John Williams, Amistad (Oscar)

1998: Stephen Warbeck, Shakespeare in Love (Oscar, BAFTA)

1999: John Williams, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

2000: Tan Dun, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, LAFC, CFC)

2001: Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, BFCA, LAFC, CFC)

2002: Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (BFCA)

2003: Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, BFCA, CFC)

2004: Shigeru Umebayashi, House of Flying Daggers

2005: John Williams, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2006: Hans Zimmer, The Da Vinci Code (Globe, BFCA)

2007: Dario Marianelli, Atonement (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, BFCA)

2008: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, BFCA, LAFC)

2009: Michael Giacchino (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, BFCA, CFC)

2010: Trent Reznor / Atticus Ross, The Social Network (Oscar, Globe, BFCA, LAFC, BSFC)

2011: John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Oscar)

Consensus Awards

Oscar / Globe / BAFTA / BFCA winner:

Slumdog Millionaire

Up

The Artist

Oscar / Globe / BAFTA winner (pre-BFCA):

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Jaws

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

E.T.

The English Patient

Consensus Chart:

note: The chart below I imported from Excel and I hope it isn’t too confusing. It’s about as big as I could make to still have it fit.

note: I only include Adapted Score or Song Score winners or nominees from the Oscars if they earned nominations from other groups. I begin in 1968 because that’s when the BAFTAs began their award and it brings the number of awards to three.

YEAR FILM AA GG BFT cri BFC RT WT N W % Rk 1968 Lion in Winter 50 25 50 125 117.5 3 2 26.70% 1 1968 Thomas Crown Affair 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 15.34% 2 1968 Shoes of the Fisherman 25 50 75 60 2 1 13.64% 3 1968 Romeo and Juliet 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 9.66% 4 1968 Fox 25 25 25 1 0 5.68% 5 1968 Planet of the Apes 25 25 25 1 0 5.68% 5 1968 Charge of the Light Brigade 25 25 25 1 0 5.68% 5 1968 Closely Watched Trains 25 25 25 1 0 5.68% 5 1968 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.98% x 1968 Goodbye Mr Chips 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.98% x 1968 Rosemary’s Baby 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.98% x 1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 50 50 50 150 135 3 3 37.24% 1 1969 Z 50 50 50 1 1 13.79% 2 1969 Anne of the Thousand Days 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 11.72% 3 1969 Secret of Santo Vittorio 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 11.72% 3 1969 Reivers 25 25 25 1 0 6.90% 5 1969 Wild Bunch 25 25 25 1 0 6.90% 5 1969 Secret Ceremony 25 25 25 1 0 6.90% 5 1969 Happy Ending 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.83% x 1970 Love Story 50 50 100 85 2 2 20.86% 1 1970 Airport 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.43% 2 1970 Cromwell 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.43% 2 1970 Scrooge 10 25 35 27.5 2 0 6.75% 4 1970 Patton 25 25 25 1 0 6.13% 5 1970 Sunflower 25 25 25 1 0 6.13% 5 1970 Alice’s Restaurant 25 25 25 1 0 6.13% 5 1970 Figures in a Landscape 25 25 25 1 0 6.13% 5 1970 Little Big Man 25 25 25 1 0 6.13% 5 1970 Railway Children 25 25 25 1 0 6.13% 5 1970 Women in Love 25 25 25 1 0 6.13% 5 1970 Le Mans 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.29% x 1970 Wuthering Heights 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.29% x 1971 Summer of 42 50 25 50 125 117.5 3 2 30.92% 1 1971 Shaft 25 50 25 100 85 3 1 22.37% 2 1971 Mary Queen of Scots 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 11.18% 3 1971 Nicholas and Alexandra 25 25 25 1 0 6.58% 4 1971 Straw Dogs 25 25 25 1 0 6.58% 4 1971 Macbeth 25 25 25 1 0 6.58% 4 1971 Trafic 25 25 25 1 0 6.58% 4 1971 Andromeda Strain 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.61% x 1971 Getaway 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.61% x 1972 Godfather 50 50 100 85 2 2 22.82% 1 1972 Limelight 50 50 50 1 1 13.42% 2 1972 Poseidon Adventure 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 11.41% 3 1972 Lady Sings the Blues 10 25 35 27.5 2 0 7.38% 4 1972 Images 25 25 25 1 0 6.71% 5 1972 Napoleon and Samantha 25 25 25 1 0 6.71% 5 1972 Sleuth 25 25 25 1 0 6.71% 5 1972 Lady Caroline Lamb 25 25 25 1 0 6.71% 5 1972 Sounder 25 25 25 1 0 6.71% 5 1972 Young Winston 25 25 25 1 0 6.71% 5 1972 Frenzy 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.70% x 1973 O Lucky Man 25 50 75 67.5 2 1 15.88% 1 1973 Way We Were 50 50 50 1 1 11.76% 2 1973 Cinderella Liberty 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.00% 3 1973 Day of the Dolphin 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.00% 3 1973 Jonathan Livingston Seagull 50 50 35 1 1 8.24% 5 1973 Tom Sawyer 10 25 35 27.5 2 0 6.47% x 1973 Papillon 25 25 25 1 0 5.88% x 1973 Touch of Class, A 25 25 25 1 0 5.88% x 1973 Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid 25 25 25 1 0 5.88% x 1973 Serpico 25 25 25 1 0 5.88% x 1973 State of Siege 25 25 25 1 0 5.88% x 1973 Breezy 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.12% x 1973 Earthquake 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.12% x 1974 Godfather Part II 50 25 25 100 92.5 3 1 18.88% 1 1974 Murder on the Orient Express 25 50 75 75 2 1 15.31% 2 1974 Towering Inferno 25 50 75 75 2 1 15.31% 2 1974 Chinatown 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 13.78% 4 1974 Little Prince 10 50 60 45 2 1 9.18% 5 1974 Shanks 25 25 25 1 0 5.10% x 1974 Happy New Year 25 25 25 1 0 5.10% x 1974 Taking of Pelham One Two Three 25 25 25 1 0 5.10% x 1974 Three Musketeers 25 25 25 1 0 5.10% x 1974 Man Who Would Be King 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.57% x 1974 Phantom of the Paradise 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.57% x 1975 Jaws 50 50 50 150 135 3 3 36.99% 1 1975 One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest 25 25 50 50 2 0 13.70% 2 1975 Wind and the Lion 25 25 50 50 2 0 13.70% 2 1975 Funny Lady 10 25 35 27.5 2 0 7.53% 4 1975 Birds Do It Bees Do It 25 25 25 1 0 6.85% 5 1975 Bite the Bullet 25 25 25 1 0 6.85% 5 1975 Other Side of the Mountain 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.79% x 1975 Return of the Pink Panther 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.79% x 1975 Rocky 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.79% x 1976 Taxi Driver 25 50 50 125 125 3 2 32.05% 1 1976 Star is Born 10 50 25 85 70 3 1 17.95% 2 1976 Bugsy Malone 10 25 25 60 52.5 3 0 13.46% 3 1976 Omen 50 50 50 1 1 12.82% 4 1976 Voyage of the Damned 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.90% 5 1976 Obsession 25 25 25 1 0 6.41% x 1976 Outlaw Josey Wales 25 25 25 1 0 6.41% x 1977 Star Wars 50 50 50 50 200 185 4 4 30.33% 1 1977 Close Encounters of the Third Kind 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 11.07% 2 1977 Spy Who Loved Me 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 11.07% 2 1977 Slipper and the Rose 10 25 25 60 52.5 3 0 8.61% 4 1977 Julia 25 25 50 50 2 0 8.20% 5 1977 Bridge Too Far 50 50 50 1 1 8.20% 5 1977 Saturday Night Fever 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.97% x 1977 Pete’s Dragon 10 25 35 27.5 2 0 4.51% x 1977 Mohammed 25 25 25 1 0 4.10% x 1977 Equus 25 25 25 1 0 4.10% x 1977 Lord of the Rings 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.87% x 1978 Midnight Express 50 50 50 150 135 3 3 40.00% 1 1978 Days of Heaven 25 50 75 75 2 1 22.22% 2 1978 Superman 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 12.59% 3 1978 Boys from Brazil 25 25 25 1 0 7.41% 4 1978 Heaven Can Wait 25 25 25 1 0 7.41% 4 1978 Children of Sanchez 25 25 17.5 1 0 5.19% x 1978 Unmarried Woman 25 25 17.5 1 0 5.19% x 1979 Little Romance, A 50 25 75 67.5 2 1 15.61% 1 1979 Black Stallion 25 50 75 67.5 2 1 15.61% 1 1979 Apocalypse Now 50 25 75 60 2 1 13.87% 3 1979 10 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 9.83% 4 1979 Amityville Horror 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 9.83% 4 1979 Star Trek 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 9.83% 4 1979 Alien 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 9.83% 4 1979 Champ 25 25 25 1 0 5.78% x 1979 Yanks 25 25 25 1 0 5.78% x 1979 Competition 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.05% x 1980 Fame 50 25 25 100 92.5 3 1 21.51% 1 1980 Empire Strikes Back 25 25 50 100 92.5 3 1 21.51% 1 1980 Long Riders 50 50 50 1 1 11.63% 3 1980 Altered States 25 25 25 1 0 5.81% 4 1980 Elephant Man 25 25 25 1 0 5.81% 4 1980 Tess 25 25 25 1 0 5.81% 4 1980 Breaking Glass 25 25 25 1 0 5.81% 4 1980 Flash Gordon 25 25 25 1 0 5.81% 4 1980 American Gigolo 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.07% x 1980 Cat People 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.07% x 1980 Somewhere in Time 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.07% x 1980 Stunt Man 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.07% x 1981 Chariots of Fire 50 25 75 75 2 1 23.08% 1 1981 Ragtime 25 50 75 75 2 1 23.08% 1 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark 25 25 50 50 2 0 15.38% 3 1981 French Lieutenant’s Woman 50 50 50 1 1 15.38% 3 1981 Dragonslayer 25 25 25 1 0 7.69% 5 1981 On Golden Pond 25 25 25 1 0 7.69% 5 1981 Arthur 25 25 25 1 0 7.69% 5 1982 ET 50 50 50 150 135 3 3 28.42% 1 1982 Gandhi 25 25 50 50 2 0 10.53% 2 1982 Officer and a Gentleman, An 25 25 50 50 2 0 10.53% 2 1982 48 Hours 50 50 50 1 1 10.53% 2 1982 Blade Runner 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 8.95% 5 1982 Victor/Victoria 20 25 45 37.5 2 0 7.89% x 1982 Poltergeist 25 25 25 1 0 5.26% x 1982 Sophie’s Choice 25 25 25 1 0 5.26% x 1982 Missing 25 25 25 1 0 5.26% x 1982 Scarface 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.68% x 1982 Six Weeks 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.68% x 1983 Flashdance 50 25 75 60 2 1 15.09% 1 1983 Right Stuff 50 50 50 1 1 12.58% 2 1983 Koyannsgatsi 50 50 50 1 1 12.58% 2 1983 Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence 50 50 50 1 1 12.58% 2 1983 Under Fire 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.69% 5 1983 Yentl 10 25 35 27.5 2 0 6.92% x 1983 Cross Creek 25 25 25 1 0 6.29% x 1983 Return of the Jedi 25 25 25 1 0 6.29% x 1983 Terms of Endearment 25 25 25 1 0 6.29% x 1983 Local Hero 25 25 25 1 0 6.29% x 1983 Rumble Fish 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.40% x 1984 Once Upon a Time in America 25 50 50 125 117.5 3 2 23.62% 1 1984 Passage to India, A 50 50 25 125 110 3 2 22.11% 2 1984 River 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 8.54% 3 1984 Killing Fields 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 8.54% 3 1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 25 25 25 1 0 5.03% 5 1984 Natural 25 25 25 1 0 5.03% 5 1984 Under the Volcano 25 25 25 1 0 5.03% 5 1984 Beverly Hills Cop 25 25 25 1 0 5.03% 5 1984 Carmen 25 25 25 1 0 5.03% 5 1984 Paris Texas 25 25 25 1 0 5.03% 5 1984 Starman 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.52% x 1984 White Nights 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.52% x 1985 Out of Africa 50 50 25 125 110 3 2 27.16% 1 1985 Witness 25 25 50 100 92.5 3 1 22.84% 2 1985 Ran 50 50 50 1 1 12.35% 3 1985 Color Purple 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.49% 4 1985 Agnes of God 25 25 25 1 0 6.17% 5 1985 Silverado 25 25 25 1 0 6.17% 5 1985 Emerald Forest 25 25 25 1 0 6.17% 5 1985 Little Shop of Horrors 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.32% x 1985 Year of the Dragon 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.32% x 1986 Round Midnight 50 25 25 50 150 142.5 4 2 36.77% 1 1986 Mission 25 50 50 125 110 3 2 28.39% 2 1986 Aliens 25 25 25 1 0 6.45% 3 1986 Hoosiers 25 25 25 1 0 6.45% 3 1986 Star Trek IV 25 25 25 1 0 6.45% 3 1986 Room with a View 25 25 25 1 0 6.45% 3 1986 Mosquito Coast 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.52% x 1986 Top Gun 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.52% x 1987 Last Emperor 50 50 25 50 175 160 4 3 29.22% 1 1987 Empire of the Sun 25 25 50 100 92.5 3 1 16.89% 2 1987 Untouchables 25 25 50 100 92.5 3 1 16.89% 2 1987 Cry Freedom 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 12.33% 4 1987 Witches of Eastwick 25 25 25 1 0 4.57% 5 1987 Hope and Glory 25 25 25 1 0 4.57% 5 1987 Moonstruck 25 25 25 1 0 4.57% 5 1987 Wish You Were Here 25 25 25 1 0 4.57% 5 1987 Glass Menagerie 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.20% x 1987 Last Temptation of Christ 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.20% x 1988 Milagro Beanfield War 50 25 75 67.5 2 1 16.67% 1 1988 Gorillas in the Mist 25 50 75 60 2 1 14.81% 2 1988 Dangerous Liasions 25 25 50 50 2 0 12.35% 3 1988 Moderns 50 50 50 1 1 12.35% 3 1988 Accidental Tourist 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.49% 5 1988 Rain Man 25 25 25 1 0 6.17% x 1988 Bird 25 25 25 1 0 6.17% x 1988 Mississippi Burning 25 25 25 1 0 6.17% x 1988 Pianist 25 25 25 1 0 6.17% x 1988 Casualties of War 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.32% x 1988 Madame Sousatzka 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.32% x 1989 Little Mermaid 50 50 100 85 2 2 21.94% 1 1989 Fabulous Baker Boys 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 17.42% 2 1989 Dead Poets Society 50 50 50 1 1 12.90% 3 1989 Do the Right Thing 50 50 50 1 1 12.90% 3 1989 Born on the Fourth of July 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 10.97% 5 1989 Field of Dreams 25 25 25 1 0 6.45% x 1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 25 25 25 1 0 6.45% x 1989 Working Girl 25 25 25 1 0 6.45% x 1989 Glory 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.52% x 1990 Dances with Wolves 50 25 25 100 92.5 3 1 19.27% 1 1990 Sheltering Sky 50 50 100 85 2 2 17.71% 2 1990 Cinema Paradiso 50 50 50 1 1 10.42% 3 1990 Cyrano de Bergerac 50 50 50 1 1 10.42% 3 1990 Avalon 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 8.85% 5 1990 Havana 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 8.85% 5 1990 Ghost 25 25 25 1 0 5.21% x 1990 Home Alone 25 25 25 1 0 5.21% x 1990 Memphis Belle 25 25 25 1 0 5.21% x 1990 Postcards from the Edge 25 25 25 1 0 5.21% x 1990 Godfather Part III 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.65% x 1991 Beauty and the Beast 50 50 25 125 110 3 2 21.05% 1 1991 At Play in the Fields of the Lord 25 50 75 67.5 2 1 12.92% 2 1991 Double Life of Veronique 50 50 50 1 1 9.57% 3 1991 Europa Europa 50 50 50 1 1 9.57% 3 1991 Bugsy 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 8.13% 5 1991 Fisher King 25 25 25 1 0 4.78% x 1991 JFK 25 25 25 1 0 4.78% x 1991 Prince of Tides 25 25 25 1 0 4.78% x 1991 Hear My Song 25 25 25 1 0 4.78% x 1991 Silence of the Lambs 25 25 25 1 0 4.78% x 1991 Thelma & Louise 25 25 25 1 0 4.78% x 1991 Dead Again 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.35% x 1991 For the Boys 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.35% x 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.35% x 1992 Aladdin 50 50 25 125 110 3 2 30.99% 1 1992 Damage 50 50 50 1 1 14.08% 2 1992 Basic Instinct 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 11.97% 3 1992 Chaplin 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 11.97% 3 1992 Last of the Mohicans 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 11.97% 3 1992 Howards End 25 25 25 1 0 7.04% x 1992 River Runs Through It, A 25 25 25 1 0 7.04% x 1992 1492: Conquest of Paradise 25 25 17.5 1 0 4.93% x 1993 Schindler’s List 50 25 50 125 117.5 3 2 19.58% 1 1993 Piano 25 25 45 95 87.5 3 1 14.58% 2 1993 Blue 25 50 75 67.5 2 1 11.25% 3 1993 Olivier Olivier 50 50 50 1 1 8.33% 4 1993 Secret Garden 50 50 50 1 1 8.33% 4 1993 Strictly Ballroom 50 50 50 1 1 8.33% 4 1993 Heaven and Earth 50 50 35 1 1 5.83% x 1993 Age of Innocence 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% x 1993 Firm 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% x 1993 Fugitive 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% x 1993 Remains of the Day 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% x 1993 Sleepless in Seattle 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% x 1993 Nightmare Before Christmas 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.92% x 1994 Lion King 50 50 25 45 170 155 4 3 29.95% 1 1994 Backbeat 50 50 50 1 1 9.66% 2 1994 Ed Wood 50 50 50 1 1 9.66% 2 1994 Forrest Gump 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 8.21% 4 1994 Interview with the Vampire 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 8.21% 4 1994 Little Women 25 25 25 1 0 4.83% x 1994 Shawshank Redemption 25 25 25 1 0 4.83% x 1994 Adventures of Priscilla 25 25 25 1 0 4.83% x 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral 25 25 25 1 0 4.83% x 1994 Madness of King George 25 25 25 1 0 4.83% x 1994 Don Juan DeMarco 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.38% x 1994 Legends of the Fall 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.38% x 1994 Nell 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.38% x 1995 Il Postino 50 50 100 100 2 2 17.17% 1 1995 Toy Story 25 45 70 70 2 1 12.02% 2 1995 Pocahontas 50 25 75 67.5 2 1 11.59% 3 1995 Braveheart 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 11.59% 3 1995 Sense and Sensibility 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 11.59% 3 1995 Little Princess 50 50 50 1 1 8.58% x 1995 Walk in the Clouds 50 50 35 1 1 6.01% x 1995 American President 25 25 25 1 0 4.29% x 1995 Apollo 13 25 25 25 1 0 4.29% x 1995 Nixon 25 25 25 1 0 4.29% x 1995 Sabrina 25 25 25 1 0 4.29% x 1995 Unstrung Heroes 25 25 25 1 0 4.29% x 1996 English Patient 50 50 50 150 135 3 3 20.00% 1 1996 Shine 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 10.00% 2 1996 Emma 50 50 50 1 1 7.41% 3 1996 Kansas City 50 50 50 1 1 7.41% 3 1996 Romeo + Juliet 50 50 50 1 1 7.41% 3 1996 Fargo 45 45 45 1 1 6.67% x 1996 Hunchback of Notre Dame 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.30% x 1996 Michael Collins 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.30% x 1996 First Wives Club 25 25 25 1 0 3.70% x 1996 Hamlet 25 25 25 1 0 3.70% x 1996 James and the Giant Peach 25 25 25 1 0 3.70% x 1996 Preacher’s Wife 25 25 25 1 0 3.70% x 1996 Sleepers 25 25 25 1 0 3.70% x 1996 Brassed Off 25 25 25 1 0 3.70% x 1996 Evita 25 25 25 1 0 3.70% x 1996 Mirror Has Two Faces 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.59% x 1997 Titanic 50 50 25 45 170 155 4 3 26.96% 1 1997 Kundun 25 25 50 100 92.5 3 1 16.09% 2 1997 Full Monty 50 25 75 75 2 1 13.04% 3 1997 LA Confidential 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 11.74% 4 1997 Amistad 25 25 25 1 0 4.35% 5 1997 Anastasia 25 25 25 1 0 4.35% 5 1997 As Good as it Gets 25 25 25 1 0 4.35% 5 1997 Good Will Hunting 25 25 25 1 0 4.35% 5 1997 Men in Black 25 25 25 1 0 4.35% 5 1997 My Best Friend’s Wedding 25 25 25 1 0 4.35% 5 1997 Gattaca 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.04% x 1997 Seven Years in Tibet 25 25 17.5 1 0 3.04% x 1998 Saving Private Ryan 25 25 25 50 125 107.5 4 1 15.03% 1 1998 Truman Show 50 45 95 80 2 2 11.19% 2 1998 Shakespeare in Love 50 25 75 75 2 1 10.49% 3 1998 Elizabeth 25 50 75 75 2 1 10.49% 3 1998 Life is Beautiful 50 50 50 1 1 6.99% 5 1998 Butcher Boy 50 50 50 1 1 6.99% 5 1998 Gods and Monsters 50 50 50 1 1 6.99% 5 1998 Bug’s Life, A 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 5.94% x 1998 Mulan 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 5.94% x 1998 Prince of Egypt 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 5.94% x 1998 Patch Adams 25 25 25 1 0 3.50% x 1998 Pleasantville 25 25 25 1 0 3.50% x 1998 Thin Red Line 25 25 25 1 0 3.50% x 1998 Hilary and Jackie 25 25 25 1 0 3.50% x 1999 Talented Mr Ripley 25 25 25 50 125 107.5 4 1 18.38% 1 1999 South Park 95 95 95 2 2 16.24% 2 1999 American Beauty 25 25 50 100 92.5 3 1 15.81% 3 1999 Red Violin 50 50 50 1 1 8.55% 4 1999 Angela’s Ashes 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 7.26% 5 1999 End of the Affair 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 7.26% 5 1999 Legend of 1900 50 50 35 1 1 5.98% x 1999 Cider House Rules 25 25 25 1 0 4.27% x 1999 Buena Vista Social Club 25 25 25 1 0 4.27% x 1999 Anna and the King 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.99% x 1999 Eyes Wide Shut 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.99% x 1999 Insider 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.99% x 1999 Straight Story 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.99% x 2000 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 50 25 50 95 220 212.5 5 4 33.33% 1 2000 Gladiator 25 50 25 50 150 125 4 2 19.61% 2 2000 Chocolat 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.67% 3 2000 Malena 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.67% 3 2000 Mission Impossible II 50 50 40 1 1 6.27% 5 2000 Road to El Dorado 50 50 40 1 1 6.27% 5 2000 Patriot 25 25 25 1 0 3.92% x 2000 Almost Famous 25 25 25 1 0 3.92% x 2000 Billy Elliot 25 25 25 1 0 3.92% x 2000 O Brother Where Art Thou 25 25 25 1 0 3.92% x 2000 All the Pretty Horses 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.75% x 2000 Sunshine 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.75% x 2001 Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring 50 25 25 95 50 245 227.5 6 4 34.87% 1 2001 Moulin Rouge 50 50 100 85 2 2 13.03% 2 2001 AI 25 25 25 75 62.5 3 0 9.58% 3 2001 Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 25 25 50 45 2 0 6.90% 4 2001 Beautiful Mind, A 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.51% 5 2001 Mulholland Drive 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.51% 5 2001 Shipping News 25 25 50 37.5 2 0 5.75% x 2001 Monsters Inc 25 25 25 1 0 3.83% x 2001 Amelie 25 25 25 1 0 3.83% x 2001 Shrek 25 25 25 1 0 3.83% x 2001 Ali 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.68% x 2001 Pearl Harbor 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.68% x 2002 Far from Heaven 25 25 95 145 137.5 4 2 21.65% 1 2002 Hours 25 25 50 25 125 112.5 4 1 17.72% 2 2002 Catch Me if You Can 25 25 50 100 90 3 1 14.17% 3 2002 Frida 50 50 100 85 2 2 13.39% 4 2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 50 50 40 1 1 6.30% 5 2002 Minority Report 50 50 40 1 1 6.30% 5 2002 Road to Perdition 25 25 25 1 0 3.94% x 2002 Chicago 25 25 25 1 0 3.94% x 2002 Gangs of New York 25 25 25 1 0 3.94% x 2002 Lord of the Rings: Two Towers 25 25 20 1 0 3.15% x 2002 25th Hour 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.76% x 2002 Rabbit-Proof Fence 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.76% x 2003 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 50 50 25 45 50 220 195 5 4 31.45% 1 2003 Cold Mountain 25 25 50 25 125 112.5 4 1 18.15% 2 2003 Big Fish 25 25 25 75 62.5 3 0 10.08% 3 2003 Triplets of Belleville 50 50 50 1 1 8.06% 4 2003 Girl with a Pearl Earring 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.85% 5 2003 Last Samurai 25 25 50 37.5 2 0 6.05% x 2003 Finding Nemo 25 25 25 1 0 4.03% x 2003 House of Sand and Fog 25 25 25 1 0 4.03% x 2003 Kill Bill Vol 1 25 25 25 1 0 4.03% x 2003 Lost in Translation 25 25 25 1 0 4.03% x 2003 Mystic River 25 25 20 1 0 3.23% x 2004 Finding Neverland 50 25 25 40 140 132.5 4 2 21.99% 1 2004 Aviator 50 25 45 25 145 125 4 2 20.75% 2 2004 Ray 25 50 75 65 2 1 10.79% 3 2004 Incredibles 50 50 50 1 1 8.30% 4 2004 Motorcycle Diaries 50 50 50 1 1 8.30% 4 2004 Sideways 25 25 50 37.5 2 0 6.22% x 2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 25 25 25 1 0 4.15% x 2004 Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events 25 25 25 1 0 4.15% x 2004 Passion of the Christ 25 25 25 1 0 4.15% x 2004 Village 25 25 25 1 0 4.15% x 2004 Chorus 25 25 25 1 0 4.15% x 2004 Spanglish 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.90% x 2005 Brokeback Mountain 50 25 25 45 25 170 157.5 5 2 26.25% 1 2005 Memoirs of a Geisha 25 50 50 50 175 150 4 3 25.00% 2 2005 Constant Gardener 25 25 50 50 2 0 8.33% 3 2005 Howl’s Moving Castle 50 50 50 1 1 8.33% 3 2005 Munich 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% 5 2005 Pride and Prejudice 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% 5 2005 Mrs Henderson Presents 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% 5 2005 Walk the Line 25 25 25 1 0 4.17% 5 2005 Elizabethtown 25 25 20 1 0 3.33% x 2005 New World 25 25 20 1 0 3.33% x 2005 King Kong 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.92% x 2005 Million Dollar Baby 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.92% x 2005 Syriana 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.92% x 2006 Babel 50 25 50 25 150 137.5 4 2 19.43% 1 2006 Queen 25 25 50 100 100 3 1 14.13% 2 2006 Painted Veil 50 50 100 85 2 2 12.01% 3 2006 Fountain 25 45 25 95 82.5 3 1 11.66% 4 2006 Good German 25 25 50 45 2 0 6.36% 5 2006 Illusionist 50 50 40 1 1 5.65% x 2006 Da Vinci Code 25 25 50 37.5 2 0 5.30% x 2006 Notes on a Scandal 25 25 25 1 0 3.53% x 2006 Pan’s Labyrinth 25 25 25 1 0 3.53% x 2006 Casino Royale 25 25 25 1 0 3.53% x 2006 Dreamgirls 25 25 25 1 0 3.53% x 2006 Happy Feet 25 25 25 1 0 3.53% x 2006 Departed 25 25 20 1 0 2.83% x 2006 Chronicles of Narnia 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.47% x 2006 Nomad 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.47% x 2007 Atonement 50 50 25 25 150 130 4 2 20.31% 1 2007 Once 95 95 95 2 2 14.84% 2 2007 Kite Runner 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 10.55% 3 2007 There Will Be Blood 25 50 75 65 2 1 10.16% 4 2007 La Vie en Rose 50 50 50 1 1 7.81% 5 2007 3:10 to Yuma 25 25 50 45 2 0 7.03% x 2007 Grace is Gone 25 25 50 37.5 2 0 5.86% x 2007 Michael Clayton 25 25 25 1 0 3.91% x 2007 Ratatouille 25 25 25 1 0 3.91% x 2007 American Gangster 25 25 25 1 0 3.91% x 2007 Enchanted 25 25 20 1 0 3.13% x 2007 Lust Caution 25 25 20 1 0 3.13% x 2007 Eastern Promises 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.73% x 2007 Into the Wild 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.73% x 2008 Slumdog Millionaire 50 50 50 50 50 250 225 5 5 36.29% 1 2008 Wall-E 25 25 45 95 95 3 1 15.32% 2 2008 Curious Case of Benjamin Button 25 25 25 25 100 87.5 4 0 14.11% 3 2008 Milk 25 25 50 45 2 0 7.26% 4 2008 Dark Knight 25 25 50 45 2 0 7.26% 4 2008 Defiance 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 6.85% x 2008 Changeling 25 25 50 37.5 2 0 6.05% x 2008 Mamma Mia 25 25 25 1 0 4.03% x 2008 Frost/Nixon 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.82% x 2009 Up 50 50 50 45 50 245 220 5 5 35.48% 1 2009 Crazy Heart 25 50 75 75 2 1 12.10% 2 2009 Avatar 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 10.89% 3 2009 Fantastic Mr Fox 25 25 50 50 2 0 8.06% 4 2009 Sherlock Holmes 25 25 50 45 2 0 7.26% 5 2009 Informant 25 25 50 37.5 2 0 6.05% x 2009 Where the Wild Things Are 25 25 50 37.5 2 0 6.05% x 2009 Hurt Locker 25 25 25 1 0 4.03% x 2009 Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll 25 25 25 1 0 4.03% x 2009 Princess and the Frog 25 25 20 1 0 3.23% x 2009 Single Man, A 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.82% x 2010 Social Network 50 50 95 50 245 220 5 5 30.77% 1 2010 King’s Speech 25 25 50 25 125 112.5 4 1 15.73% 2 2010 Inception 25 25 25 25 100 87.5 4 0 12.24% 3 2010 127 Hours 25 25 25 75 67.5 3 0 9.44% 4 2010 Black Swan 45 25 70 65 2 1 9.09% 5 2010 How to Train Your Dragon 25 25 50 50 2 0 6.99% x 2010 Ghost Writer 50 50 50 1 1 6.99% x 2010 Alice in Wonderland 25 25 50 42.5 2 0 5.94% x 2010 True Grit 25 25 20 1 0 2.80% x 2011 Artist 50 50 50 50 50 250 225 5 5 31.47% 1 2011 Drive 90 25 115 110 3 2 15.38% 2 2011 Hugo 25 25 25 25 100 87.5 4 0 12.24% 3 2011 War Horse 25 25 25 25 100 87.5 4 0 12.24% 3 2011 Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 25 25 25 75 62.5 3 0 8.74% 5 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 25 25 50 50 2 0 6.99% x 2011 Hanna 50 50 50 1 1 6.99% x 2011 Adventures of Tintin 25 25 25 1 0 3.50% x 2011 W.E. 25 25 17.5 1 0 2.45% x

Lists

Best Oscar Winner Snubbed by the BAFTAs: The Right Stuff

Best BAFTA Winner Snubbed by the Oscars: Dead Poets Society

Best Globe Winner Snubbed by the Oscars: Heaven and Earth

Best Globe Winner Snubbed by the BAFTAs: The Little Mermaid

Best Oscar Nominee Snubbed by the BAFTAs: Terms of Endearment

Best Oscar Nominee Snubbed by the Globes: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Best BAFTA Nominee Snubbed by the Oscars: The Last of the Mohicans

Best Score Snubbed by both the Oscars and BAFTAs but not the Globes: Glory

Best Score Snubbed by the Oscars, BAFTA and the Globes: The Power of One

Worst Oscar Winner: Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

Worst Globe Winner: Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Average Nighthawk Winner (9 point scale): 7.98

Average Oscar Winner (9 point scale): 6.67

Average BAFTA Winner (9 point scale): 5.24

Average Globe Winner (9 point scale): 5.32

Average Nighthawk 2nd Place (9 point scale): 7.24

Average Nighthawk Nominee (9 point scale): 6.71

Average Oscar Nominee (9 point scale): 2.73

Average BAFTA Nominee (9 point scale): 3.76

Average Globe Nominee (9 point scale): 4.03

Average Oscar Score: 64.48

Total Oscar Score: 66.90

Average Oscar Winner Rank: 4.69

Average Oscar Winner Rank Among Nominees: 2.08

See It Only for The Score

note: Of the 16,000+ films I have seen, there are 90 that earn points for Score but nothing else. Of those 90, 60 of them are ***, so are good films. Of the other 30, 24 are **.5. But that still leaves six films, films I rate as bad films but which I rate the Score as worthy of consideration. I give them here in rank order of Score.

Trouble Man (Marvin Gaye, 1972, **)

King Richard and the Crusaders (Max Steiner, 1954, **)

The Witches of Eastwick (John Williams, 1987, **)

Prince of Darkness (John Carpenter, 1987, *.5)

Between God, the Devil and a Winchester (Carlo Savina, 1968, **)

Rock-a-bye Baby (Walter Scharf, 1958, **)

Since 2011

The Composers:

Alexandre Desplat

I could have listed Desplat up above, since he already four Oscar nominations, three Nighthawk nominations, a BAFTA and a Globe by 2006. But it’s really since 2011 that he has come into his own. He still hasn’t won a Nighthawk but he has come in second place three times since 2011 (Argo, Grand Budapest, Shape of Water) while winning two Oscars (the last two films) and two BAFTAs (the same) among six Oscars noms in just seven years. There’s no question that he is the most critically acclaimed composer working today. Since 2011, Desplat has gone from 59th place at the Oscars to a tie 14th, from 4th at the BAFTAs to a tie for 2nd (doubling his points) and from 15th to 4th at the Globes while tripling his points at the BFCA. Desplat’s Oscar total this decade is the highest for any composer in any decade other than John Williams since the 50’s.

Essential Films: The Shape of Water, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Argo

Oscar Notes: No one has entered the Top 10 since 2011 but Thomas Newman, Hans Zimmer and Alexandre Desplat are all getting really close (through 2018). John Williams is now up to 1200 and just 70 points behind Alfred Newman. Since 2011, Steven Spielberg has earned two more noms (only one with Williams) and Williams has had two more Star Wars scores earn nominations. No more Foreign films have earned nominations since 2011. The genres have been a bit different since 2011. Only one Drama has won the award and at six years and counting it’s at the largest gap in history for the genre while the first Western (Hateful Eight) in 25 years and only the second since 1969 won and La La Land became the first Musical to earn a nom in 20 years and the first to win in 30 years. Since 2011, only one Best Picture winner has won Score and only three Picture winners were even nominated but more than half of the Score nominees have also been Picture nominees and only Score winner (Hateful Eight) wasn’t Picture nominated. Only two films since 2011 have earned just the one nomination for Score, both of them in 2013 (The Book Thief, Saving Mr Banks).

BAFTA Notes: Since 2011, Alexandre Desplat has moved way up the list (he is now at 300 points), Hans Zimmer has moved up to 225 points and Thomas Newman has entered the list with 150 points. John Williams is now up to 550 points, almost double any other composer. After 21 of 22 Picture winners earning at least a Score nomination from 1993 to 2013, Boyhood, Three Billboards and Roma all failed to earn Score noms. No Drama has won the award since 2011. A Star is Born made Lady Gaga the first female winner in this category. In 2013, The Book Thief became the first film to earn a Film Music nomination at the BAFTAs with no other nominations in 23 years and no film has done it again since.

BFCA Notes: Since 2011, the Top 5 has had some significant changes.

BFCA Top 5 (through 2018):

John Williams – 275

Hans Zimmer – 275

Howard Shore – 250

Alexandre Desplat – 225

Trent Reznor / Atticus Ross / Jonny Greenwood / Justin Hurwitz – 100

Golden Globe Notes: The second half of the Top 10 is still the same but the Top 5 has changed.

Globes Top 5 (through 2018):

John Williams – 750

Hans Zimmer – 375

Maurice Jarre – 350

Alexandre Desplat – 300

Ennio Morricone – 275

Nighthawk Notes: Since 2011, Andy Nelson has earned another 180 points and is now in 1st place by a long, long way. In fact, that 180 points he’s earned since 2011 would put him the Top 10 All-Time. Captain Phillips becomes just the third film since 1984 to earn a Sound nomination but no other nominations at the Nighthawks. Spielberg’s films have earned two more nominations. Andy Nelson would tie Douglas Shearer for Weighted Points in 2012, go flying past him in 2015 and soar even higher in 2016 and is now at 661 points. Nelson is also now up to astounding 850 Absolute Points, way more than anyone else while Christopher Boyes has soared up the Top 10 list with 470 points now. Bear in mind that Nelson’s total doesn’t even include Ready Player One or his work that hasn’t been released yet such as the next Fantastic Beasts film or the next Star Wars film; reaching 1000 points is entirely feasible before the end of the decade even. La La Land is easily the Best Score from a Musical. Spielberg has another nom (with Williams), Star Wars has two more wins and another nom, The Hobbit has a win and two other noms and Fantastic Beasts adds another Wizarding World nomination. The Book Thief is the only film nominated for Score since 2011 with just one nomination.

For Absolute Points, Alexandre Desplat entered the Top 20 in 2012, leapt into the Top 10 in 2014 (with Thomas Newman following him into the Top 10 in 2015) and by 2018 has moved all the way into 4th place with 794 points. For Weighted Points, Hans Zimmer is up to #4, just one point behind Jarre and Howard Shore is now #8 on the list, just behind Morricone while Desplat is a little ways out of the Top 10.

Top 5 Absolute Points 2012-2018

Alexandre Desplat – 362

Michael Giacchino – 319

John Williams – 277

Thomas Newman – 260

Howard Shore – 213

9 point Scores Since 2011:

Howard Shore, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2012

Steven Price, Gravity, 2013

John Williams, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, 2015

Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight, 2015

Justin Hurwitz, La La Land, 2016

Michael Giacchino, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 2016

John Williams, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, 2017

The Nighthawk Winners:

2012: Howard Shore, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2013: Steven Price, Gravity (Oscar, BAFTA, BFCA, Globe)

2014: Antonio Sanchez, Birdman (BFCA, BAFTA, Globe)

2015: John Williams, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Oscar, BAFTA)

2016: Justin Hurwitz, La La Land (Oscar, BAFTA, Globe, BFCA, LAFC)

2017: John Williams, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Oscar)

2018: Justin Hurwitz, First Man (Globe, BFCA)

Singularity: Since 2013, we have had the first film ever to earn just a single nomination each from the Oscars, Globes and BAFTAs and for that single nomination from all three groups to be Score: The Book Thief, which of course, is a John Williams score. What’s more, it also earns a Nighthawk nom but nothing else.

Chart / Consensus Notes: Because Whiplash didn’t even earn a CAS nomination, Birdman becomes the first Consensus winner since 2001 to not win either the Oscar or the BAFTA and Whiplash becomes the first film to win both the Oscar and BAFTA and fail to win the Consensus.