Original Score Oscar Finalists: Listen to the Soundtracks
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 5:13PM 
The fifteen finalists for Best Original Score are here, and I always enjoy this time of year because I have a constant playlist going whenever I’m not watching something so that I can familiarize myself with all the cited scores. I had hoped Benedetta (listen to this track) would make the finalist list, and also thought that Last Night in Soho (here’s the main theme) would be here, but overall it’s a decent list and worth indulging in to choose your five favourites. But for now, check out a track from (almost) every shortlisted film as well as some relevant stats for the composer behind them. For reference: a composer appearing twice on this list is not uncommon. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross beat themselves last year, triumphing for Soul (with Jon Batiste) over Mank...
Being the Ricardos
Daniel Pemberton (1 nomination)
Pemberton contended last year for an original song from The Trial of the Chicago 7. He’s been on the shortlist three years in a row now, last year for that film and before that for Motherless Brooklyn.
Candyman
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (never nominated)
This is this year’s big surprise inclusion. Another horror film, The Invisible Man, made this list last year but wasn’t nominated.
Don’t Look Up
Nicholas Britell (2 nominations)
Though Britell has only ever been nominated for collaborations with Barry Jenkins, he was on the shortlist for his previous project with Adam McKay, Vice, in 2018.
Dune
Hans Zimmer (11 nominations, 1 win)
Zimmer’s only win was for The Lion King back in 1994. His last three nominations have come from Christopher Nolan movies. He’s also on the shortlist this year for No Time to Die (see more below).
Encanto
Germaine Franco (never nominated)
While Soul won this prize last year, the most recent animated musical to make the shortlist was Frozen 2 and the last musical nominated was Mary Poppins Returns.
The French Dispatch
Alexandre Desplat (11 nominations, 2 wins)
Three of Desplat’s nominations have come from Wes Anderson collaborations. The shortlist uses the full title of his film: The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun.
The Green Knight
Daniel Hart (never nominated)
Hart is a bit of a surprise here. I know many are enthusiastic but this film just was not for me.
The Harder They Fall
Jeymes Samuel (never nominated)
This is the first composer credit for Samuel, who also wrote and directed his film and is on the song shortlist for Guns Go Bang.
King Richard
Kris Bowers (1 nomination, but not in this category)
A director of last year’s Oscar-nominated documentary short A Concerto is a Conversation, Bowers also composed the score for Respect, which made the song shortlist.
The Last Duel
Harry Gregson-Williams (never nominated)
Gregson-Williams also worked on Ridley Scott’s other film this year, House of Gucci, and was on the shortlist last year for Mulan.
No Time to Die
Hans Zimmer (11 nominations, 1 win)
Zimmer is also on the shortlist for Dune. James Bond has only been nominated in this category twice: for Skyfall and The Spy Who Loved Me.
Parallel Mothers
Alberto Iglesias (3 nominations)
Iglesias was on the shortlist for his previous collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar, Pain & Glory. His most recent bid was for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in 2011.
The Power of the Dog & Spencer
Jonny Greenwood (1 nomination)
One of Greenwood’s most famous scores, There Will Be Blood, was declared ineligible in this category. The same goes for his third movie this year, Licorice Pizza.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Carter Burwell (2 nominations)
Despite having scored almost all of the Coen Brothers’ films, including Fargo and A Serious Man, Burwell’s two nominations have been for different projects, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Carol.
Which do you like best of this bunch, and what trivia do you have to add about these composers?
Reader Comments (10)
I always have a problem with soundtracks. Are we supposed to judge them by their inherent musical quality, or are we supposed to judge them by the way they are used in the film itself. It's am issue I can never resolve.
I still think it’s a shame Philip Glass’s score for the original Candyman wasn’t nominated back in ‘92. It’s one of the most iconic horror scores ever. I suspect the surprise shortlisting of the new movie’s score might have been done with that in mind, although I’d be shocked if it actually made the final list of five.
I’m guessing Dune, French Dispatch, Parallel Mothers, Power of the Dog, and Spencer, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Parallel Mothers and/or Spencer left out in favor of The Harder They Fall and/or The Tragedy of Macbeth. I also have a gut feeling that if there’s a surprise in this category, it’ll be The Green Knight.
Go Jonny Greenwood. Bring an Oscar to Radiohead and then give us what we music fans have been dying for. A dual NIN/Radiohead world tour!
The Being the Ricardos score is a complete rip off of Vangelis' score for Missing.
amy -- i try to do both. Like i think Albert Iglesias's score for Parallel Mothers is beautiful but i'm not quite understanding prizes for it because i dont think it fits the movie as well as his other scores for almodovar films have fit those films.
I'm hoping for SPENCER and THE GREEN KNIGHT from these. Really disappointed not to see LUCA. Recent Pixar scores have been really overlooked in general - can you believe none have been nominated since UP in 2009? Like, WTF?
Yeah, I'll echo Nathaniel. That said, I do listen to soundtracks regularly and won't deny that soundtracks that get regular rotation tend to be the ones I really wish get nominated, but that rules out the more challenging/integrated work.
Disappointed that there is no Flee or Nightmare Alley.
This will be John Williams biggest gap between consecutive nominations since 2005-2010. Dude has 52 Oscar nominations in total - one for every week of the year.
I think The French Dispatch is probably a lock
Oliver — Pixar just won in this category last year for Soul. But yeah, it is weird that Coco and Inside Out didn’t get nominated. Maybe they started to feel too inevitable after a certain point and might only get nominated from now on if they’re serious contenders for the win (as in last year).
I miss the score from Cyrano and James Newton Howard's works (Jungle Cruise and Raya). Also I liked the scores from Eternals and Shang-Chi, even Black Widow. It seems Operation Mincemeat (Thomas Newman) won't be released on time.
Candyman is a big surprise (specially if main theme was composed by Phillip Glass). I dont understand The Harder They Fall (a lot of songs, score is not important here) and Parallel Mothers (Iglesias compose the same boring music for Almodóvar's movies, always with quick strings for its main theme).
You can check my compilation for best original score shorlist here: https://youtu.be/AhQwpWavneQ
@Oliver, Edwin — Count me among those also disappointed not to see Luca make the shortlist. I thought Dan Romer’s score was really excellent, and much more effective than Franco’s work on Encanto (where the songs are the real highlight, imo).
Inside Out and Coco are excellent scores as well, and I would’ve nominated them both. I know he won for Up, but Giacchino seems strangely under-recognized given how prolific he is.