This awards season seems to bring an embarrassment of riches in just how abundant the potential candidates for nominations are. Perhaps one of the toughest categories to handicap this year will be who will be the nominees for Best Original Score.
Jonny Greenwood could find himself nominated twice for Spencer (2021) and The Power of the Dog (2021), which will certainly make for lively debate about the merits of each. Greenwood has already been nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA for his work on The Phantom Thread (2017) and this could be his year to finally bring home a coveted statuette.
Of course, Hans Zimmer may walk away with the awards this year for the musical pyrotechnics of his score for Dune (2021). Much like the film itself, I found the technical achievement of Zimmer’s compositions stunning, but it did not connect with me emotionally. In contrast, Greenwood’s scores for each of the films he contributed to this year resonated with me on a personal level.
The score for Spencer brilliantly transfers the theme of the title song from piano to strings in a reprise that is titled “The Boys”, which references Diana’s sons. The musical connection that represents a mother’s love for her children is moving and chilling in reminding us how short Diana’s life was.
Of course, Greenwood includes a piece for harpsicord in his score because this is a film about the British Royal Family. He also depicts Diana’s suffering and mental anguish from relentless public scrutiny as a gothic fugue performed on an organ in a way that the Phantom of the Opera would be envious of. The entire score is a twisted knot of emotions that elevates Kristen Stewart’s already astonishing performance.
In contrast to Diana’s suffocating life in a gilded fishbowl, The Power of the Dog evokes the American west, specifically Montana, in a way that suggests the openness and loneliness of the country. While evoking the fiddle plucking, guitar strumming themes of the Western genre, Greenwood manages to inject a modern sensitivity and pathos with a quartet of strings that is absolutely breathtaking.
The dissonance of randomly struck piano keys also lends a modern take in representing the internal suffering that is key to the film’s plot. Greenwood draws us into the harshness of the lives of the main characters and we feel each emotional blow that they endure through his compositions.
In his previous work on The Phantom Thread, Greenwood created a mood of romance and desire that followed the film’s plot perfectly. However, he did not shy away from hinting at the darker elements of the story and did so in a wonderfully atmospheric way. The entire score is almost over the top in its unabashedly lush sensuality, building up thrilling crescendos of percussion and strings. It truly deserved an Oscar, but at least it received the recognition of a nomination.
In contrast, his score for There Will Be Blood (2007) is as harsh as the ruthless main character of the film. Unlike his other work, I find much of There Will Be Blood difficult to listen to, not because it isn’t perfectly composed but because Greenwood somehow conveys menace and driving ambition in his music a little too well. It is a great example of how a strong film can be brought to an even higher level through the musical arrangements of a gifted artist.
The only one of Greenwood’s scores that I do not admire is his work for The Master (2012). I find it uncertain in its focus, but that may just be a reflection of what I believe the film lacks as well. Despite a riveting performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman and a chillingly calculating Amy Adams as his wife, the film just seems to lose momentum toward the end and the score seems to follow that lead. Perhaps it’s the odd combination of Big Band tunes like “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” with the slightly threatening orchestrations representing the Master’s cult following that make the score a confusing mix. It certainly is ambitious and one has to hand it to Greenwood for not refusing the challenge of composing for such controversial subject matter.
Greenwood has only grown stronger in his work with time and this year should be his to claim the recognition he has long deserved for his intricate, emotionally engaging music. Any director should be delighted to have him sign on to write the score for their project. He knows how to encapsulate the overarching emotions of a film and translate them into haunting melodies that linger in your mind after the final credits roll. I’m looking forward to the nominations coming soon.
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