In spite of the lack of any of the customary hoopla, the Golden Globes did in fact get awarded on Sunday. The choice of Best Original Score, Dario Marianelli’s for Atonement, reflects the cautious trend in the selection of many of the other winners, where conventional nominees tended to get more recognition than some of the edgier films and artists. Marianelli’s music is lushly romantic, with a bittersweet quality that fits the subject, and with appropriate allusions to the music of the period. It’s also clever, and its distinctive and memorable use of the typewriter as a percussion element may have been what pushed it to the top. (For an in-depth look at the typewriter as a musical instrument, see David Jeffries’ recent post, “The Atonement Soundtrack and Other Great Moments in Typewriter Music”) Overall, it’s a fine but entirely conventional score; it’ll be interesting to see if the Academy Awards will have the same conservative tilt as the Golden Globes this year.

Atonement: Robbie’s Note
Atonement: Dénouement