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The absence of A-list Hollywood names is the most striking aspect of
the Filmtracks awards in 2007, confirming (like the year before) the end of the days
when such recognition was consistently dominated by names like James Horner, Hans
Zimmer, Danny Elfman, the semi-retired John Williams, and the late Jerry Goldsmith.
A largely younger and more internationally flavored collection of composers is
recognized this year for blazing new trails and exploring fantastic variations on
old ones.
The nominations are spread around more evenly this year as well, with James Newton
Howard and Brian Tyler receiving four nominations apiece and three each for Philippe Rombi and
Carlo Siliotto. Earning two nominations per composer are Alexandre Desplat, Jane Antonia Cornish,
and Marco Beltrami.
Stepping into the shoes of Georges Delerue and offering a Golden
Age throwback of the highest order is Philippe Rombi, who edges Carlo Siliotto's raw
energy in Nomad: The Warrior for the best of the year. None of these composers
had been nominated by Filmtracks for its top award before. Coincidentally, the
rankings of these top five scores are equal to their alphabetical order.
At first considered for a nomination in the sixth position was Alexandre Desplat's
popular and technically intelligent The Golden Compass, but it eventually
settled as this year's runner-up. A strong collection of honorable mentions include
Christopher Young's Ghost Rider, Philip Glass' Notes on a Scandal,
James Newton Howard's The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, and Howard Shore's
Eastern Promises.
The field for top composer in 2007 is rather slim, for so few
of them had a very prolific year of quality activity. Leading the pack with the
pair of The Golden Compass and Lust, Caution (and officially signaling
his arrival in the international mainstream) is Alexandre Desplat. Finishing the
year strong is James Newton Howard, with solid efforts for The Water Horse:
Legend of the Deep and I Am Legend. Alan Menken gets a nomination in this
category for proving the continued relevance of his old Disney musical style with
Enhanted. Dario Marianelli, whose Atonement earned him mainstream
awards recognition, just missed the cut with a decent but underwhelming year.
A somewhat slim collection of nominees this year include two each
from the year's best scores, Philippe Rombi's Angel and Carlo Siliotto's
Nomad: The Warrior. The two nominated cues representing James Newton Howard's
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep feature the score's irresistible wordless
vocal performances by Sinead O'Connor. Several highlights exist from Christopher
Young's super-cool Ghost Rider, led by its finale.
It's difficult to choose singular highlights from Alexandre Desplat's The Golden
Compass because the composer spreads the wealth of that score over its entire
length, but the opening of "Ice Bear Combat" is especially memorable. Foreshadowing
Debbie Wiseman's 2009 score for Lesbian Vampire Killers is Hayley Westenra's
performance in the concert suite for the otherwise drab Flood. A guilty
pleasure throughout, Ilan Eshkeri's Stardust opens with stereotypical fantasy
tones at their best. The nominated cues from Brian Tyler's Partition and Jane
Antonia Cornish's Island of Lost Souls close out their albums with satisfying
summaries of those scores' major themes.
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