« * "is it worth the admission...." | Main | * "starin' thru the windshield, seein' the other side...." »

* "raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice...."

My co-editor's snarky comment in today's accompanying news item aside, it's true that I've done my share of blathering-on (in this space and elsewhere) over the past few months about Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova's song "Falling Slowly" and the Irish indie film Once. Today's announcement from the Oscars offered a nice confirmation that I was far from the only one blathering.

The big surprise was not that "Falling Slowly" was nominated -- though it got snubbed by the Golden Globes, its Oscar prospects had looked pretty strong -- but that Eddie Vedder's work on Into The Wild went unnoticed by the Academy. Which is a shame, because it ranks with the best music Vedder has created, including his Pearl Jam highlights. There's really no excuse for skipping Vedder while nominating THREE Alan Menken/Steven Schwartz tracks from Enchanted. (The other honoree, "Raise It Up" From August Rush, appears to be such a longshot that the official Academy announcement listed its composers as "Nominees to be determined".)

As a result of Vedder's exclusion, "Falling Slowly" appears to actually be the frontrunner, and that's as it should be. The song appears twice in Once -- initially when co-stars Hansard and Irglova are first getting to know each other through their music, and then in the film's final scene. While the former is vital to the storyline, it's the latter moment that is transcendent; I don't believe I've ever seen another song bring such breathtaking beauty to its cinematic setting.

What's next for Hansard and Irglova depends largely on exactly what happens with the Writers Guild of America strike. It's an unfortunate offshoot of the labor dispute that these two indie musicians could potentially lose out on the biggest coup of their careers if the strike ends up affecting the Oscars. A live performance in front of millions of TV viewers, possibly followed by receiving the award, could easily translate into hundreds of thousands of sales in the wake of the show. But if what happened to the Golden Globes happens to the Oscars, that opportunity vanishes. Here's hoping for quick resolution, for the benefit of all parties involved -- and even for those who aren't involved, such as Hansard and Irglova.

adios,
peter

Update: If you haven't heard the song, here it is, set to video clips from the movie:

Posted by peter on January 22, 2008 7:36 PM | Permalink