My Best Original Score Winners
This list details those original score performances that I felt were the best. Sometimes these choices stray from those of the Academy Awards and those of other people as these are purely based on opinion. I have tried my best to look at all scores in the same light, trying not to compensate someone for not giving them one the previous year. The years covered are 1934-2010. I have also included whether or not my winner was nominated and/or won the Academy Award for that particular score as well as the other scores I would have nominated alongside my winner. If you have a comment, disagreement, question about justification of one of my choices, recommendations, and etc. please leave a polite comment and I'll try to respond to the best of my ability. I hope you enjoy.
Note: For Nominees, * denotes category nominee and ** denotes category winner for actual Academy Awards.
Note: For Nominees, * denotes category nominee and ** denotes category winner for actual Academy Awards.
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- DirectorMerian C. CooperErnest B. SchoedsackStarsFay WrayRobert ArmstrongBruce CabotA film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.Composer: Max Steiner
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: *The Lost Patrol (Max Steiner); **One Night of Love (Victor Schertzinger and Gus Kahn); *The Gay Divorcee (Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein)
Note: films made before and during 1934 are eligible for my 1934 award - DirectorJohn FordStarsVictor McLaglenHeather AngelPreston FosterIn 1922, an Irish rebel informs on his friend, then feels doom closing in.Composer: Max Steiner
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Captain Blood (Erich Wolfgang Korngold); The Bride of Frankenstein (Franz Waxman); *Mutiny on the Bounty (Herbert Stothart); *Peter Ibbetson (Ernst Toch) - DirectorMervyn LeRoyMichael CurtizStarsFredric MarchOlivia de HavillandDonald WoodsIn 18th-century Italy, an orphan's debt to the man who raised him threatens to separate him forever from the woman he loves.Composer: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin); Things to Come (Arthur Bliss); *The General Died at Dawn (Werner Janssen); *The Charge of the Light Brigade (Max Steiner) - DirectorFrank CapraStarsRonald ColmanJane WyattEdward Everett HortonWhen a revered diplomat's plane is diverted and crashes in the peaks of Tibet, he and the other survivors are guided to an isolated monastery at Shangri-La, where they wrestle with the invitation to stay.Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: The Good Earth (Herbert Stothart); *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline, and Paul J. Smith); *In Old Chicago (Louis Silvers); *The Hurricane (Alfred Newman) - DirectorMichael CurtizWilliam KeighleyStarsErrol FlynnOlivia de HavillandBasil RathboneWhen Prince John and the Norman Lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence in 1190s England, a Saxon lord fights back as the outlaw leader of a resistance movement.Composer: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Jezebel (Max Steiner); Grand Illusion (Joseph Kosma); *If I Were King (Richard Hageman); *Marie Antoinette (Herbert Stothart) - DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.Composer: Max Steiner
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **The Wizard of Oz (Herbert Stothart); *Wuthering Heights (Alfred Newman); *The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Alfred Newman); *Dark Victory (Max Steiner) - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsErrol FlynnBrenda MarshallClaude RainsGeoffrey Thorpe, a buccaneer, is hired by Queen Elizabeth I to nag the Spanish Armada. The Armada is waiting for the attack on England and Thorpe surprises them with attacks on their galleons where he shows his skills on the sword.Composer: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Category: Scoring
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **Pinocchio (OS) (Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, and Ned Washington); *Rebecca (OS) (Franz Waxman); *The Thief of Baghdad (OS) (Miklos Rozsa); The Philadelphia Story (OS) (Franz Waxman) - DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'Composer: Bernard Herrmann
Category: Drama
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **All That Money Can Buy (D) (Bernard Herrmann); *How Green Was My Valley (D) (Alfred Newman); **Dumbo (M) (Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace); *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (D) (Franz Waxman) - DirectorIrving RapperStarsBette DavisPaul HenreidClaude RainsA frumpy spinster blossoms under therapy and becomes an elegant, independent woman.Composer: Max Steiner
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Bambi (DoC) (Frank Churchill and Edward Plumb); Mrs. Miniver (DoC) (Herbert Stothart); *The Black Swan (DoC) (Alfred Newman) - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.Composer: Max Steiner
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **The Song of Bernadette (DoC) (Alfred Newman); *For Whom the Bell Tolls (DoC) (Victor Young); *The North Star (DoC) (Aaron Copland); **This Is the Army (M) (Ray Heindorf) - DirectorOtto PremingerRouben MamoulianStarsGene TierneyDana AndrewsClifton WebbA police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.Composer: David Raksin
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: *Double Indemnity (DoC) (Miklos Rozsa); *Meet Me in St. Louis (M) (Georgie Stoll); **Since You Went Away (DoC) (Max Steiner); Jane Eyre (DoC) (Bernard Herrmann) - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsIngrid BergmanGregory PeckMichael ChekhovA psychiatrist protects the identity of an amnesia patient accused of murder while attempting to recover his memory.Composer: Miklos Rozsa
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Lost Weekend (DoC) (Miklos Rozsa); **Anchors Aweigh (M) (Georgie Stoll); *The Bells of St. Mary's (DoC) (Robert Emmett Dolan); *State Fair (M) (Alfred Newman and Charles Henderson) - DirectorWilliam WylerStarsMyrna LoyDana AndrewsFredric MarchThree World War II veterans, two of them traumatized or disabled, return home to the American midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.Composer: Hugo Friedhofer
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Notorious (DoC) (Dimitri Tiomkin); Duel in the Sun (DoC) (Dimitri Tiomkin); **The Jolson Story (M) (Morris Stoloff); *Henry V (DoC) (William Walton) - DirectorGeorge CukorStarsRonald ColmanEdmond O'BrienSigne HassoA celebrated actor struggles to distinguish his own life from that of his most recent stage role, Othello.Composer: Miklos Rozsa
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Song of the South (M) (Daniele Anfitheatrof, Paul J. Smith, and Charles Wolcott); *Forever Amber (DoC) (David Raksin); Green Dolphin Street (DoC) (Bronislaw Kaper); *Captain from Castile (DoC) (Alfred Newman) - DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsAnton WalbrookMarius GoringMoira ShearerA young ballet dancer is torn between the man she loves and her pursuit to become a prima ballerina.Composer: Brian Easdale
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (DoC) (Max Steiner); *Johnny Belinda (DoC) (Max Steiner); **Easter Parade (M) (Johnny Green and Roger Edens); *Hamlet (DoC) (William Walton) - DirectorCarol ReedStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenAlida ValliPulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.Composer: Anton Karas
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **The Heiress (DoC) (Aaron Copland); **On the Town (M) (Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton); The Red Pony (DoC) (Aaron Copland); *Champion (DoC) (Franz Waxman) - DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenGloria SwansonErich von StroheimA screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.Composer: Franz Waxman
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *All About Eve (DoC) (Alfred Newman); *Samson and Delilah (DoC) (Victor Young); *Cinderella (M) (Oliver Wallace and Paul J. Smith); **Annie Get Your Gun (M) (Adolph Deutsch and Roger Edens) - DirectorElia KazanStarsVivien LeighMarlon BrandoKim HunterDisturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.Composer: Alex North
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **An American in Paris (M) (Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin); **A Place in the Sun (DoC) (Franz Waxman); *Quo Vadis (DoC) (Miklos Rozsa); The Day the Earth Stood Still (DoC) (Bernard Herrmann) - DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsGary CooperGrace KellyThomas MitchellA town Marshal, despite the disagreements of his newlywed bride and the townspeople around him, must face a gang of deadly killers alone at "high noon" when the gang leader, an outlaw he "sent up" years ago, arrives on the noon train.Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Singin' in the Rain (M) (Lennie Hayton); *Ivanhoe (DoC) (Miklos Rozsa); *Viva Zapata! (DoC) (Alex North); The Bad and the Beautiful (DoC) (David Raksin) - DirectorGeorge StevensStarsAlan LaddJean ArthurVan HeflinA weary gunfighter in 1880s Wyoming begins to envision a quieter life after befriending a homestead family with a young son who idolizes him, but a smoldering range war forces him to act.Composer: Victor Young
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: *From Here to Eternity (DoC) (Morris Stoloff and George Duning); The Robe (DoC) (Alfred Newman); **Lili (DoC) (Bronislaw Kaper); *Julius Caesar (DoC) (Miklos Rozsa) - DirectorElia KazanStarsMarlon BrandoKarl MaldenLee J. CobbAn ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.Composer: Leonard Bernstein
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (M) (Adolph Deutsch and Saul Chaplin); *The Caine Mutiny (DoC) (Max Steiner); Dial M for Murder (DoC) (Dimitri Tiomkin); Sabrina (DoC) (Frederick Hollander) - DirectorHenry KingOtto LangStarsWilliam HoldenJennifer JonesTorin ThatcherA widowed Chinese-English doctor falls in love with a married American correspondent in Hong Kong during China's Communist Revolution.Composer: Alfred Newman
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Picnic (DoC) (George Duning); *The Man with the Golden Arm (DoC) (Elmer Bernstein); East of Eden (DoC) (Leonard Rosenman); *The Rose Tattoo (DoC) (Alex North) - DirectorMichael AndersonJohn FarrowStarsDavid NivenCantinflasFinlay CurrieA Victorian Englishman bets that with the new steamships and railways he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days.Composer: Victor Young
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: **The King and I (M) (Alfred Newman and Ken Darby); *Giant (DoC) (Dimitri Tiomkin); The Ten Commandments (DoC) (Elmer Bernstein); War and Peace (DoC) (Nino Rota) - DirectorDavid LeanStarsWilliam HoldenAlec GuinnessJack HawkinsBritish POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.Composer: Malcolm Arnold
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *An Affair to Remember (Hugo Friedhofer); *Raintree County (Johnny Green); Peyton Place (Franz Waxman); Sweet Smell of Success (Elmer Bernstein) - DirectorVincente MinnelliCharles WaltersStarsLeslie CaronMaurice ChevalierLouis JourdanWeary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long.Composer: Andre Previn
Category: Musical
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Vertigo (DoC) (Bernard Herrmann); Touch of Evil (DoC) (Henry Mancini); *The Big Country (DoC) (Jerome Moross); **The Old Man and the Sea (DoC) (Dimitri Tiomkin) - DirectorWilliam WylerStarsCharlton HestonJack HawkinsStephen BoydAfter a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.Composer: Miklos Rozsa
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: North by Northwest (DoC) (Bernard Herrmann); *The Nun's Story (DoC) (Franz Waxman); **Porgy and Bess (M) (Andre Previn and Ken Darby); *The Diary of Anne Frank (DoC) (Alfred Newman) - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.Composer: Bernard Herrmann
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **Exodus (DoC) (Ernest Gold); *The Magnificent Seven (DoC) (Elmer Bernstein); *The Alamo (DoC) (Dimitri Tiomkin); *Spartacus (DoC) (Alex North) - DirectorJerome RobbinsRobert WiseStarsNatalie WoodGeorge ChakirisRichard BeymerTwo youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.Composer: Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, and Irwin Kostal
Category: Musical
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: **Breakfast at Tiffany's (DoC) (Henry Mancini); *The Guns of Navarone (DoC) (Dimitri Tiomkin); *Flower Drum Song (M) (Alfred Newman and Ken Darby); *El Cid (DoC) (Miklos Rozsa) - DirectorDavid LeanStarsPeter O'TooleAlec GuinnessAnthony QuinnThe story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.Composer: Maurice Jarre
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *To Kill a Mockingbird (DoC) (Elmer Bernstein); *Mutiny on the Bounty (DoC) (Bronislaw Kaper); *The Music Man (M) (Ray Heindorf); *Gypsy (M) (Frank Perkins) - DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenJames GarnerRichard AttenboroughAllied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.Composer: Elmer Bernstein
Category: Substantially Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **Tom Jones (SOS) (John Addison); 8 1/2 (SOS) (Nino Rota); *How the West Was Won (SOS) (Alfred Newman and Ken Darby); *Cleopatra (SOS) (Alex North) - DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsDavid NivenPeter SellersRobert WagnerThe bumbling Inspector Clouseau travels to Rome to catch a notorious jewel thief known as "The Phantom" before he conducts his most daring heist yet: a princess' priceless diamond with one slight imperfection, known as "The Pink Panther".Composer: Henry Mancini
Category: Substantially Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *A Hard Day's Night (SoMAoT) (George Martin); **My Fair Lady (SoMAoT) (Andre Previn); *Mary Poppins (SoMAoT) (Irwin Kostal); *Goldfinger (SOS) (John Barry) - DirectorDavid LeanStarsOmar SharifJulie ChristieGeraldine ChaplinThe life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.Composer: Maurice Jarre
Category: Substantially Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: **The Sound of Music (SoMAoT) (Irwin Kostal); *The Greatest Story Ever Told (SOS) (Alfred Newman); *A Patch of Blue (SOS) (Jerry Goldsmith); Ship of Fools (SOS) (Ernest Gold) - DirectorJames HillTom McGowanStarsVirginia McKennaBill TraversGeoffrey KeenThe story of George and Joy Adamson and the orphaned lion cub, Elsa, they adopt.Composer: John Barry
Category: Original Music Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Sand Pebbles (OMS) (Jerry Goldsmith); *Hawaii (OMS) (Elmer Bernstein); *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (OMS) (Alex North); *A Man for All Seasons (OMS) (Georges Delerue) - DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.Composer: Lalo Schifrin
Category: Original Music Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *In Cold Blood (OMS) (Quincy Jones); In the Heat of the Night (OMS) (Quincy Jones and Ray Charles); Wait Until Dark (OMS) (Henry Mancini); *Doctor Dolittle (SoMAoT) (Lionel Newman and Alexander Courage) - DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAn astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **The Lion in Winter (DoC) (John Barry); *Funny Girl (M) (Walter Scharf); **Oliver! (M) (Johnny Green); Romeo and Juliet (DoC) (Nino Rota) - DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordKatharine RossIn 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid lead a band of outlaws. When a train robbery goes wrong, they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. After considering their options, they escape to South America.Composer: Burt Bacharach
Category: Drama or Comedy
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Wild Bunch (DoC) (Jerry Fielding); **Hello, Dolly! (M) (Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman); *Goodbye, Mr. Chips (M) (Leslie Bricusse and John Williams); *Anne of the Thousand Days (DoC) (Georges Delerue) - DirectorArthur HillerStarsAli MacGrawRyan O'NealJohn MarleyA boy and a girl from different backgrounds fall in love regardless of their upbringing - and then tragedy strikes.Composer: Francis Lai
Category: Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Patton (OS) (Jerry Goldsmith); **Let It Be (OSS) (The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr)); *Airport (OS) (Alfred Newman); Ryan's Daughter (OS) (Maurice Jarre) - DirectorNorman JewisonStarsTopolNorma CraneLeonard FreyIn pre-revolutionary Russia, a Jewish peasant with traditional values contends with marrying off three of his daughters with modern romantic ideals while growing anti-Semitic sentiment threatens his village.Composer: John Williams
Category: Original Song Score and Adaptation
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Summer of '42 (ODS) (Michel Legrand); *Shaft (ODS) (Isaac Hayes); *Straw Dogs (ODS) (Jerry Fielding); *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (OSSA) (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley, and Walter Scharf) - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.Composer: Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola, and Carlo Savina
Category: Original Dramatic Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: No (disqualified)
Nominees: **Cabaret (OSSA) (Ralph Burns); *Sleuth (ODS) (John Addison); The Cowboys (ODS) (John Williams); **Limelight (ODS) (Charlie Chaplin, Raymond Rasch, and Larry Russell) - DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordRobert ShawTwo grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.Composer: Marvin Hamlisch
Category: Originial Song Score and Adaptation
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: **The Way We Were (ODS) (Marvin Hamlisch); *Papillon (ODS) (Jerry Goldsmith); The Exorcist (ODS) (Jack Nitzsche); *Jesus Christ Superstar (OSSA) (Andre Previn, Herbert W. Spencer, and Andrew Lloyd Webber) - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.Composer: Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola
Category: Original Dramatic Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Chinatown (ODS) (Jerry Goldsmith); *Murder on the Orient Express (ODS) (Richard Rodney Bennett); The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (ODS) (David Shire); Young Frankenstein (ODS) (John Morris) - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRoy ScheiderRobert ShawRichard DreyfussWhen a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.Composer: John Williams
Category: Original Dramatic Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Wind and the Lion (ODS) (Jerry Goldsmith); **Barry Lyndon (OSSA) (Leonard Rosenman); *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (ODS) (Jack Nitzsche); *Bite the Bullet (ODS) (Alex North) - DirectorRichard DonnerStarsGregory PeckLee RemickHarvey StephensMysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Category: Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: **Bound for Glory (OSSAAS) (Leonard Rosenman); *Rocky (OS) (Bill Conti); *Taxi Driver (OS) (Bernard Herrmann); *Voyage of the Damned (OS) (Lalo Schifrin) - DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.Composer: John Williams
Category: Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Saturday Night Fever (The Bee Gees (Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb)); *The Message (OS) (Maurice Jarre); *Close Encounters of the Third Kind (OS) (John Williams); Equus (OS) (Richard Rodney Bennett) - DirectorAlan ParkerStarsBrad DavisIrene MiracleBo HopkinsBilly Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.Composer: Giorgio Moroder
Category: Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Superman (OS) (John Williams); *The Boys from Brazil (OS) (Jerry Goldsmith); *Days of Heaven (OS) (Ennio Morricone); *Heaven Can Wait (OS) (Dave Grusin) - DirectorRobert WiseStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyWhen an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it.Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Category: Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **A Little Romance (OS) (Georges Delerue); **All That Jazz (OSSAAS) (Ralph Burns); *Breaking Away (OSSAAS) (Patrick Williams); *The Champ (OS) (Dave Grusin) - DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsNastassja KinskiPeter FirthLeigh LawsonA strong-willed young peasant girl attracts the affection of two men.Composer: Philippe Sarde
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **Fame (Michael Gore); *The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams); *Altered States (John Corigliano); *The Elephant Man (John Morris) - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.Composer: John Williams
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **Chariots of Fire (Vangelis); *On Golden Pond (Dave Grusin); *Ragtime (Randy Newman); Body Heat (John Barry) - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHenry ThomasDrew BarrymorePeter CoyoteA troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.Composer: John Williams
Category: Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Poltergeist (OS) (Jerry Goldsmith); *Sophie's Choice (OS) (Marvin Hamlisch); *Gandhi (OS) (Ravi Shankar and George Fenton); Blade Runner (OS) (Vangelis) - DirectorPhilip KaufmanStarsSam ShepardScott GlennEd HarrisThe U.S. space program's development from the breaking of the sound barrier to selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than the program's more cautious engineers preferred.Composer: Bill Conti
Category: Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Return of the Jedi (OS) (John Williams); *Terms of Endearment (OS) (Michael Gore); *Cross Creek (OS) (Leonard Rosenman); **Yentl (OSSAS) (Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, and Marilyn Bergman) - DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobert RedfordRobert DuvallGlenn CloseA middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.Composer: Randy Newman
Category: Original Score
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **A Passage to India (OS) (Maurice Jarre); *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (OS) (John Williams); **Purple Rain (OSS) (Prince); Once Upon a Time in America (OS) (Ennio Morricone) - DirectorSydney PollackStarsMeryl StreepRobert RedfordKlaus Maria BrandauerIn 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.Composer: John Barry
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Silverado (Bruce Broughton); *The Color Purple (Quincy Jones (and several others)); *Agnes of God (Georges Delerue); Back to the Future (Alan Silvestri) - DirectorRoland JofféStarsRobert De NiroJeremy IronsRay McAnallyEighteenth-century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.Composer: Ennio Morricone
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *Aliens (James Horner); **Round Midnight (Herbie Hancock); *Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Leonard Rosenman); *Hoosiers (Jerry Goldsmith) - DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsJohn LoneJoan ChenPeter O'TooleBernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Untouchables (Ennio Morricone); *The Witches of Eastwick (John Williams); *Empire of the Sun (John Williams); *Cry Freedom (George Fenton and Jonas Gwangwa) - DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRubén BladesRichard BradfordSonia BragaThe accidental breakdown of an irrigation valve launches a hot confrontation between the mainly Latino farmers in a tiny New Mexico town and the real estate developers and politicians determined to acquire their land for a golf resort.Composer: Dave Grusin
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Rain Man (Hans Zimmer); Cinema Paradiso (Ennio Morricone and Andrea Morricone); Beetlejuice (Danny Elfman); *The Accidental Tourist (John Williams) - DirectorRon ClementsJohn MuskerStarsJodi BensonSamuel E. WrightRene AuberjonoisA mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain in an attempt to become human and win a prince's love.Composer: Alan Menken
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Driving Miss Daisy (Hans Zimmer); *Born on the Fourth of July (John Williams); *Field of Dreams (James Horner); *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (John Williams) - DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.Composer: John Barry
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Edward Scissorhands (Danny Elfman); *Home Alone (John Williams); *Avalon (Randy Newman); *Ghost (Maurice Jarre) - DirectorGary TrousdaleKirk WiseStarsPaige O'HaraRobby BensonJesse CortiA prince cursed to spend his days as a hideous monster sets out to regain his humanity by earning a young woman's love.Composer: Alan Menken
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *JFK (John Williams); The Silence of the Lambs (Howard Shore); *Bugsy (Ennio Morricone); *The Prince of Tides (James Newton Howard) - DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsRobert Downey Jr.Geraldine ChaplinPaul RhysAn elderly Charlie Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor, recounting his amazing journey from his poverty-stricken childhood to world-wide success after the ingenious invention of the Little Tramp.Composer: John Barry
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Wojciech Kilar and Annie Lennox); *A River Runs Through It (Mark Isham); *Howards End (Richard Robbins); *Basic Instinct (Jerry Goldsmith) - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.Composer: John Williams
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees:*The Firm (Dave Grusin); Jurassic Park (John Williams); The Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman); *The Remains of the Day (Richard Robbins) - DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.Composer: Thomas Newman
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *The Lion King (Hans Zimmer); *Forrest Gump (Alan Silvestri); *Interview with the Vampire (Elliot Goldenthal); *Little Women (Thomas Newman) - DirectorMel GibsonStarsMel GibsonSophie MarceauPatrick McGoohanScottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.Composer: James Horner
Category: Drama
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *Apollo 13 (D) (James Horner); **Pocahontas (MoC) (Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz); Sense and Sensibility (D) (Patrick Doyle); *Toy Story (MoC) (Randy Newman) - DirectorNeil JordanStarsLiam NeesonAidan QuinnJulia RobertsNeil Jordan's historical biopic of Irish revolutionary Michael Collins, the man who led a guerrilla war against the UK, helped negotiate the creation of the Irish Free State, and led the National Army during the Irish Civil War.Composer: Elliot Goldenthal
Category: Drama
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **The English Patient (D) (Gabriel Yared); *Hamlet (D) (Patrick Doyle); *The Hunchback of Notre Dame (MoC) (Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz); **Emma (MoC) (Rachel Portman) - DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.Composer: James Horner
Category: Drama
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *L.A. Confidential (D) (Jerry Goldsmith); *Amistad (D) (John Williams); *Men in Black (MoC) (Danny Elfman); *Anastasia (MoC) (Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and David Newman) - DirectorTerrence MalickStarsJim CaviezelSean PennNick NolteAdaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.Composer: Hans Zimmer
Category: Drama
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *Pleasantville (D) (Randy Newman); *Saving Private Ryan (D) (John Williams); **Shakespeare in Love (MoC) (Stephen Warbeck); *The Truman Show (D) (Burkhard Dallwitz and Philip Glass) - DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Composer: Thomas Newman
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **The Red Violin (John Corigliano); *The Cider House Rules (Gabriel Yared); *The Talented Mr. Ripley (John Williams); Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (James Newton Howard) - DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweJoaquin PhoenixConnie NielsenA former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.Composer: Hans Zimmer
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Tan Dun); Requiem for a Dream (Clint Mansell); *The Patriot (John Williams); *Chocolat (Rachel Portman) - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.Composer: Howard Shore
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (John Williams); *A Beautiful Mind (James Horner); *A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (John Williams); *Monsters, Inc. (Randy Newman) - DirectorSam MendesStarsTom HanksTyler HoechlinPaul NewmanA mob enforcer's son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.Composer: Thomas Newman
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *Far from Heaven (Elmer Bernstein); **Frida (Elliot Goldenthal); *Catch Me If You Can (John Williams); *The Hours (Philip Glass) - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodViggo MortensenIan McKellenGandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.Composer: Howard Shore
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Finding Nemo (Thomas Newman); Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Klaus Badelt); *Big Fish (Danny Elfman); *House of Sand and Fog (James Horner) - DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.Composer: John Williams
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: The Incredibles (Michael Giacchino); **Finding Neverland (Jan A. P. Kaczmarek); *The Village (James Newton Howard); *The Aviator (Howard Shore) - DirectorRob MarshallStarsZiyi ZhangKen WatanabeMichelle YeohThe heartwarming tale of Nitta Sayuri, a young Japanese woman who transcended from her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.Composer: John Williams
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *Pride & Prejudice (Dario Marianelli); **Brokeback Mountain (Gustavo Santaolalla); *The Constant Gardener (Alberto Iglesias); The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Harry Gregson-Williams) - DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.Composer: Javier Navarrete
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: The Lady in the Water (James Newton Howard); *The Good German (Thomas Newman); *Notes on a Scandal (Philip Glass); *The Queen (Alexandre Desplat) - DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyJames McAvoyBrenda BlethynThirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.Composer: Dario Marianelli
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Michael Clayton (James Newton Howard); *Ratatouille (Michael Giacchino); *3:10 to Yuma (Marco Beltrami); There Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood) - DirectorDanny BoyleLoveleen TandanStarsDev PatelFreida PintoSaurabh ShuklaA teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.Composer: A.R. Rahman
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Alexandre Desplat); *WALL-E (Thomas Newman); The Dark Knight (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard); *Defiance (James Newton Howard) - DirectorPete DocterBob PetersonStarsEdward AsnerJordan NagaiJohn Ratzenberger78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.Composer: Michael Giacchino
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Sherlock Holmes (Hans Zimmer); *Fantastic Mr. Fox (Alexandre Desplat); *Avatar (James Horner); *The Hurt Locker (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders) - DirectorDean DeBloisChris SandersStarsJay BaruchelGerard ButlerChristopher Mintz-PlasseA hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.Composer: John Powell
Nominated for Best Original Score, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *Inception (Hans Zimmer); *The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat); **The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross); *127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)