This year’s Golden Globes showcase a more varied and intriguing field than 2019’s, leading to a less-clear frontrunner. While the nominations have some familiar faces and inevitably cater to the more mainstream of film and film music (the nominated composers having a combined 21 prior nominations), they also feature some less expected scores. It’s a great set of nominations and each composer is deserving of a win.
The Scores
It’s rare for a film like Motherless Brooklyn, with little critical or commercial success, to receive major award nominations. Often, no matter how deserving, these films go overlooked. Fortunately, the Hollywood Foreign Press have recognized Pemberton’s score. He gives his own spin on the classic noir jazz score, leaning heavily into the corrupt underbelly that pervades the film. Although it may not be completely unique for the genre, it’s a style that has seen far less use in recent years. Hopefully it makes a comeback.
Thomas Newman and Hildur Guðnadóttir each give their own take on relentlessness. The most noticeable aspect of Newman’s score for 1917 is the frenetic pace, fitting for a wartime race against the clock. However, he gives the listener chances to breathe (unlike a score such as Uncut Gems) with slower moments and surprisingly grandiose interludes. Guðnadóttir’s score for Joker takes the opposite approach. It is much more repetitive and droning, repeating motifs in a slow crescendo, building into an oppressive and overwhelming atmosphere.
On the other end of the spectrum, both Randy Newman and Alexandre Desplat focus on the more intimate side of life. In Marriage Story, Newman delicately explores love, family, and nostalgia. Desplat’s Little Women is awash in warmth, existing in that optimistic naivete of youth where even the direst situations are certain to be resolved.
Prediction
I won’t pretend to know the inner machinations that determine how a score will win. The field appears relatively wide open. While I personally want Joker to win, I think the media-made controversy surrounding the film from its release will hamper Guðnadóttir’s chances. My prediction is that Randy Newman’s score for Marriage Story will end the night the winner, though given my prior poor predicting record, this is more a guess than anything.
The Result
I should have stuck with my gut on this one as Guðnadóttir’s score for Joker took home the Golden Globe for Best Score. In hindsight, I think the controversy was overblown, and certainly didn’t affect the voters. If anything, it helped the score’s chances by drawing additional attention to the film.
