The Oscar-winning Songs Countdown: 1999

As it happens almost every year, many of the big Oscar nominees for 1999 where either adaptations of well-known novels, or movies based on real-life people and events. This year, however, many of the major players had a metaphysical connection.

The book adaptations included: John Irving's The Cider House Rules [7 nominations: Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Michael Caine), Score, Editing, Production Design].

Here's part of Rachel Portman's nominated score:

Stephen King's The Green Mile [4 nominations: Picture, Supporting Actor (Michael Clarke Duncan), Adapted Screenplay, Sound], Graham Greene's The End Of The Affair [2 nominations: Actress (Julianne Moore), Cinematography], Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow [3 nominations: Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design], and Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley [5 nominations: Supporting Actor (Jude Law), Adapted Screenplay, Score, Production Design, Costume Design].

Here's part of Gabriel Yared's nominated score:

The movies that were based on true stories included The Insider [7 nominations: Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Actor (Russell Crowe), Cinematography, Editing, Sound], The Hurricane [one nomination for Denzel Washington as Best Actor], The Straight Story [one nomination for Richard Farnsworth as Best Actor], Boys Don't Cry [two nominations, for Hilary Swank as Best Actress and Chloë Sevigny as Supporting Actress], Music of the Heart [two nominations, for Meryl Streep as Best Actress and for Best Song], Tumbleweeds [one nomination for Janet McTeer as Best Actress], Girl, Interrupted [one nomination for Angelina Jolie as Best Supporting Actress], Topsy-Turvy [4 nominations: Original Screenplay, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup], and Anna and the King [two nominations, for Production Design and Costume Design].

Now about the films that have metaphysical or supernatural themes: of the ones we've already mentioned, The Green Mile, The End Of The Affair, and Sleepy Hollow also belong to this category. The others are: American Beauty [8 nominations: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Actor (Kevin Spacey), Actress (Annette Bening), Cinematography, Editing, Score].

Here's part of Thomas Newman's nominated score:

Finally, the most "metaphysical" film of them all was The Sixth Sense [6 nominations: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Haley Joel Osment), Supporting Actress (Toni Collette), Editing].

The two remaining nominations for Best Score included Oscar perennial John Williams for the film Angela's Ashes:

And John Corigliano (Altered States) for The Red Violin:

There were a few other Oscar nominated movies that made waves, some positive, some negative: for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, the waves were mostly negative. The prequel to the much loved and celebrated Star Wars original trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983), was rather disappointing, especially given the extremely high expectations preceding it. That didn't stop it scoring big in the box-office - who are we kidding, that was a given. It did manage to nab 3 technical nominations, for Sound, Sound Effects, and Visual Effects.

Fight Club was also a winner at the box-office, and the subject of heated discussions: most loved it, some felt that there was a populist/fascist undercurrent that made the movie potentially dangerous. It did manage just one nomination, for Sound Effects.

The Matrix was also a smash hit, the second non-animated grossing film of the year after Star Wars. Made by the Wachowski Brothers (who are now the Wachowski Sisters, and have recently given us the great TV show Sense8), the film (the first of a trilogy) had fanatic admirers, but also detractors who critisized its ideology as "simplistic" and professed that it was a case of "style over substance". There was no denying however the film's technical achievements. So, the 4 nominations, for Editing, Sound, Sound Effects, and Visual Effects were absolutely justified.

Finally Almodovar's film of that year, All About My Mother, was a tribute to films (Opening Night, All About Eve), plays (A Streetcar Named Desire, The Human Voice), but mostly a tribute to women, as mothers, lovers, daughters, friends, transgender women, AIDS infected women, betrayed women, women in pain. It was probably the best film he had made thus far, and it was awarded with an Oscar Foreign Film nomination, representing Spain. It was joined by France's East/West (with the great Catherine Deneuve in a supporting role), by Sweden's Under The Sun, by the United Kingdom's Solomon & Gaenor (it was in Welsh, thus the eligibility), and the first ever entry by Nepal, Himalaya.

What about our main topic, the nominated songs? These were the following:

You'll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins, from the animated film Tarzan. It wasn't a bad song, but it erred on the side of bland.

Save me by Aimee Mann, from Magnolia, a film that also gave director Paul Thomas Anderson an Original Screenplay nomination, as well as one for Supporting Actor to none other than Tom Cruise. If I were to choose among the five nominated songs, this one would have received the award from me:

The hilarious Blame Canada from the animated satire South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut. Sung by the film's cast. It was funny enough, but doesn't really work outside the film's context.

A song from yet another animated film, Toy Story 2, Randy Newman's When She Loved Me, sung by Sarah McLachlan. It was a beautifully crafted Randy Newman song, as usual. But honestly, he's done better.

Diane Warren's rather formulaic Music Of My Heart, as sung by N'Sync & Gloria Estefan for the film Music Of The Heart:

What of other Oscar eligible songs that failed to make the cut:

R.E.M.'s The Great Beyond from Man On The Moon would have been my favorite, not just for a nomination, but for a win; alas, the Academy is not into Alternative Rock.

Beautiful Stranger by Madonna theoretically stood a better chance; it came from a very popular film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and was nominated for a Golden Globe. However, it was left out of the Oscars.

Still by Alanis Morrisette was a good song. Dogma however, the film in which it was found, wasn't one that Academy members would pay much attention to.

Lullaby for Cain, sung by Sinead O'Connor, appeared on The Talented Mr. Ripley. Since the film had its fair share of nominations, it's unfortunate that Best Song wasn't one of them.

Finally, there's always the Bond song; that year's 007 film was The World is not Enough and the titular song was sung by Garbage.

The awards

It was the year of American Beauty: the story of Alan Ball (who would go on to create Six Feet Under, among others), made into a film by Sam Mendes (a celebrated theatrical director, who recently directed Skyfall and Spectre) captured that year's zeitgeist and was rewarded with 4 Oscars, for Best Picture, Director (Mendes), Original Screenplay (Ball), Actor (Kevin Spacey - his second one), and Cinematography for the veteran Conrad Hall. The other film that received 4 Oscars was The Matrix, which made good on all of its nominations: Best Editing, Sound, Sound Effects, and Visual Effects.

The Adapted Screenplay award went to John Irving for The Cider House Rules, appreciating that he successfully adapted his own novel, a feat much more difficult than it sounds. The film also got a Supporting Actor award for the much loved British veteran Michael Caine, his second one. The other acting awards went to Hilary Swank for her heartbreaking portrayal of a trans man in Boys Don't Cry, while the Supporting Actress award went to Angelina Jolie for Girl, Interrupted.

Best Production Design went to Sleepy Hollow, while Best Costumes and Best Makeup went to Topsy-Turvy. Almodovar won the Foreign Film Award.

What about music? Best Score rightfully went to The Red Violin, while Best Song went to Phil Collins and You'll Be In My Heart, from Tarzan. I guess they owed him, having wronged Against All Odds 15 years earlier. But that will be the subject of another story, to appear here in a few weeks...