Composing Greatness: #7. "A Beautiful Mind" (2001)

Scene from A Beautiful Mind

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: A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Collaborators (If Available): N/A

Nomination: Best Original Score

Did He Win: No

Other Nominees:
Best Original Score
-The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Howard Shore) *winner
-A.I. Artificial Intelligence (John Williams)
-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (John Williams)
-Monsters, Inc.  (Randy Newman)

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: 8

Oscar Wins: 2

Track List

1. "A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics"
2. "Playing a Game of 'Go'"
3. "Looking for the Next Great"
4. "Creating 'Governing Dynamics'"
5. "Cracking the Russian Codes"
6. "Nash Descends Into Parcher's World"
7. "First Drop-Off, First Kiss"
8. "The Car Chase"
9. "Alicia Discovers Nash's Dark World"
10. "Real or Imagined?"
11. "Of One Heart Of One Mind"
12. "Saying Goodbye To Those You Love"
13. "Teaching Mathematics Again"
14. "The Prize of One's Life... The Prize of One's Mind"
15. "All Love Can Be"
16. "Closing Credits"

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:

"A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics"

Speaking as this is the story of John Nash's struggle between education and mental issues, it makes sense then that there's manic pacing to start things off. As the vocals kick in, it starts to harmonize and take the shape of what it sounds like to have dozens of thoughts running through your head at the same time. It's spacious and chaotic, but somehow it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music that James Horner has ever written. It has so many atmospheric tones going on that you're constantly drawn to different elements often at once. It's a perfect encapsulation of his talents as a composer and his ability to expand the medium in meaningful ways. 

Interesting Standout:
"Cracking the Russian Codes"

For a large extent of the soundtrack, the music exists in a peaceful form of chaos. It floats through peacefully, as if sedated. It's here that things pick up, making one feel more of an urgency and purpose to the score. It manages to grow without changing the style all that much, only changing the urgency by which every note is played. It's tenser and captures the struggles of Nash's mentality in a different sense. This feels important, and thus every piece of scattered melody feels more intent on getting to that important fact. It grabs you and doesn't let go of its majestic power until the very end.

Best Moment:
"Creating Governing Dynamics"

The truth is that there's probably a half-dozen selection that could fit the mold for this category. James Horner has an embarrassment of riches with this soundtrack, and this just happens to be one that uses every element perfectly. The harmonies are fantastic, managing to continue the meditative journey through Nash's brain while featuring a great underlying piano and a cerebral feel that actually feels like a progression both in melody and in the story. There's plenty to love with how everything is layered and creates an atmosphere that is rich with ideas flying around but never collide in ways that destroy the music. 

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:
Yes

For what it's worth, James Horner continues the trend of having one of the most flawless track records of any Oscar nominee covered in Composing Greatness. Where he could've made another half-hearted Titanic motif or borrow from Braveheart, he continues to challenge himself by playing with melody and pushing every last distracting note into a meticulous and purposeful location. This score has a power that is unlike anything he's done before, and that only speaks to his brilliance. It captures something cerebral while being one of his most beautiful pieces of music yet. Considering that we're closing in on his final few Oscar nominations, it's going to be exciting where things go from here. 


Up Next: Best Original Score - The House of Sand and Fog (2003) 

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by James Horner.

1. "A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics" - A Beautiful Mind (2001) 
2. "Never an Absolution" - Titanic (1997)
3. "Main Title" - Apollo 13 (1995)
4. "Main Title" - Braveheart (1995)
5. "The Cornfield" - Field of Dreams (1989)
6. "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)