Hans Zimmer, Academy Award Press Statement
Conan Doyle realized that a successful lead character needs to play the fiddle. I wish all filmmakers did. It makes writing the score so much easier. With Guy’s great encouragement we took the orchestra out of the lofty spheres of the concert hall and brought them back to the pub, where they seem right at home. After all, There is no human emotion that has not – at one time or other – been profoundly expressed in a pub, and I’m so grateful that my peers at the Academy have recognized that. This is the year where we pit the humble banjo against the might of the orchestra.
Hans Zimmer
If you think that Horner is lazy, you haven’t read co-composers list for modern warfare 2 :)
Horner earned it ? Come on, his music for "Avatar" is only a rehash from his previous work. Even though it’s still enjoyable and cool in itself, artistically, Horner doesn’t deserve that much consideration. Haven’t heard Beltrami’s Hurt Locker but he’s nothing like Santaloalla or Rahman, he isn’t an upstart of any kind (he has done some really good music, this year for example, "Knowing" was excellent) but Zimmer has done a fine job in proposing something fresh for a blockbuster movie, Giacchino has done a great score too (it doesn’t reinvent film music of course, but it’s really good)… and I’d have prefered Desplat to be nominated for another score (Fox is good but really special, to me it doesn’t represent what he does best) but good for him if he wins as I love his music. I honestly think that Horner is the one who deserve the less the award… it’s been some years since he did create something really new. He isn’t a bad composer, he’s just awfully lazy.
So, to me, Zimmer or Giacchino for the award ! I couldn’t help but feel it would be a "group prize" if it went to "Avatar" (in a "Slumdog Millionaire" way).
And concerning "Fallen Art", nope, not really the same. Yes, the rythm sounds like "Handcuffs", but otherwise… "Handcuffs" plays on "clichés", you know, Eastern Europe violin, it’s bound to remind people of traditionnal music from this area of the world. I’d say that’s the point. So it may sounds a bit like "Fallen Art", but in no way it is plagiarism. I guess Igudesman, who’s Russian, did improvise this cue, he took Sherlock’s theme and played it the way a "Bohemian" could have played dit. It’s often easy to hear similarities in two different musics, but it doesn’t necesserily means one has copied the other. Especially if the purpose of one is precisely to make people think about a particular kind of music. ;)
Listen to "I Never woke…’ and "Fallen Art" by Bagiński (available on YT). And tell me that is not the same.
Honestly, this year we didn’t get truly amazing score that would be worth Oscar. Beltrami was nominated only because The Hurt Locker was (like Santaloalla or Rahman), Zimmer – I don’t know why, Desplat – Coco (or J&J) would be better. Only Giacchino (although I would like to hear some ‘jungle’ theme from UP) and Horner earned it.
That is my opinion.
@ Franz: It’s not the same sound per se’, it’s just that everybody copies Hans. That’s what makes him THE BEST!
Listen to Zimmer’s Woad To Ruin, from "King Arthur" (2004) -> 7:22 to the end.
Then listen to the Song "War", from the Avatar movie, by James Horner -> 5:04 – 6:00
If he win, we would never get score such as Thin Red Line or at least Gladiator.
Amen!
Hans you rock very hard
"This is the year where we pit the humble banjo against the might of the orchestra"
Go Go Go Go Hans!!!!!! We’re going to beat Horner and Giacchino!!!
hope you win…