Composing Greatness: #6. "Titanic" (1997)

Scene from Titanic

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Series Composer: James Horner

Entry: Titanic (1997)

Collaborators (If Available): Celine Dion (Singer, "My Heart Will Go On")

Nomination: Best Original Score, Best Original Song ("My Heart Will Go On")

Did He Win: Yes

Other Nominees:
Best Original Score
-Amistad (John Williams)
-Good Will Hunting (Danny Elfman)
-Kundun (Philip Glass)
-L.A. Confidential  (Jerry Goldsmith)

2. Best Original Song
-Anastasia ("Journey Into the Past")
-Con Air ("How Do I Live")
-Good Will Hunting ("Miss Misery")
-Hercules ("Go the Distance")

Additional Information

This is to help provide perspective of where each composer is in their Oscar-nominated life as it related to the current entry.

Oscar Nomination: 7

Oscar Wins: 2

Track List

1. "Never an Absolution"
2. "Distant Memories"
3. "Southampton"
4. "Rose"
5. "Leaving Port"
6. "Take Her to Sea, Mr. Murdoch"
8. "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave"
9. "The Sinking"
10. "Death of Titanic"
11. "A Promise Kept"
12. "A Life So Changed"
13. "An Ocean of Memories"
14. "My Heart Will Go On"
15. "Hymn to the Sea"

Note: Listen to here.

Exploring the Music

The area of the column where I will explore the music in as much detail as I see fit for each entry.

Theme Exploration:

"Never an Absolution"

In the grand scheme of things, Titanic is a film that has withstood the test of time and there's a fondness built into the film that works on a subliminal level. To have been young and seen the film upon release is nostalgia on par with the actual plot, and it's strange how this opening track manages to convey both that for the film and the audience revisiting it. The bagpipes (reminiscent of Braveheart) slowly lull them into the story as the instrumentation begins to flow like an ocean. It's beautiful, meditative, and makes one think of better, purer days when romance was carefree and still alive. It's by no means the best track on the album, but the way it introduces the audience to everything that follows, it's a fairly effective piece of pondering and the start to arguably James Horner's most important contribution to the world of film scores.

Interesting Standout:
"The Death of the Titanic"

In fairness, there's a series of tracks here that qualify for this title. After a long period of romance and peace on the soundtrack, things shift into a more aggressive, sporadic tone that indicates that the boat is sinking. Never is more chaotic than here, where the romance theme interferes with the pulsating drums and the feeling of being sideswiped by a wave at every turn. There's so much ferocity on here that works because James Horner's melodies recall the disaster films of the '70s alongside Max Steiner's romantic motifs from decades prior. There's so much going on here that is classic score material, and it's insane to see it effectively used in spite of how choppy it is needing to be.

Best Moment:
"Take Her to Sea, Mr. Murdoch"

Okay, it's hard not to pick "Rose" when it embodies everything great about Titanic in one track. However, this one feels like it needs more notice because of how it manages to be the jubilant start of the journey. There's so much optimism here in the way that the vocals sing beautifully, sweeping across the instruments as if staring out at a sea with plans of a good journey. It's subliminally optimistic in all the right ways. It's hard not to love, even if it's a meandering track at times, because of how much energy and excitement is thrown into this. For a soundtrack largely defined by peace, it's nice to find a moment of that here that feels like something grander than a teen romance. 

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:
Yes

Many could debate the merits of Titanic nowadays, but it's hard not to admit that it was a juggernaut at the time, reflecting perfectly what it meant to make art as well as become the highest-grossing movie in history. There's so much to love in James Horner's score, which manages to be original but also feel familiar. It's nostalgic on first listen, and it's done perfectly through the use of chimes, flowing instrumentation, and the motif that would be used in "My Heart Will Go On." It's a powerful piece of music that defined Horner's gift to the movie community and why he was a singular genius. He evolved from an atmospheric composer into something wholly original in just 10 years of nominations, and it's great to finally see him here, producing something emotional and powerful. Few could compare at making something this accessible. This wouldn't be the last time that Horner teamed up with James Cameron, but now it was understood why they were an essential partnership in the world of film. 

Did This Deserve to Win?

Yes

In both cases yes.  While there's an argument that "My Heart Will Go On" became overplayed and a tad annoying, it still was the definitive song of the late-90s the be both a Top 40 hit and an Oscar-winning song. There still are some songs that pull that feat off, but it rarely feels as special these days. Again, the benefit of James Horner's double-win was that it was nostalgic, to begin with, and thinking back on it even five years later would add some form of reflection onto it. The film was cinematic and captured an era of filmmaking that isn't replicated much anymore. Then again, Celine Dion's song is just that good to me and was among my favorites when I did the Best Song column a few years back. It just has the towering capability to get you on the right day.

Up Next: Best Original Score - A  Beautiful Mind (2001) 

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by James Horner.

1. "Never an Absolution" - Titanic (1997)
2. "Main Title" - Apollo 13 (1995)
3. "Main Title" - Braveheart (1995)
4. "The Cornfield" - Field of Dreams (1989)
5. "Main Title" - Aliens (1986)

Best Song

A ranking of all songs composed by James Horner.

1. "My Heart Will Go On" - Titanic (1997)
2. "Somewhere Out There" - An American Tail (1986)