Alexandre Desplat - film composer

Alexandre Desplat was born in Paris in 1961 and has a broader musical experience than many film composers. As a boy he studied Piano, Trumpet and Flute, winning several prizes during his music education. Despite this classical training, he has also performed with a number of Jazz and World artists. In the late 1980s his career moved towards film composing, and he scored more than 50 French and European films before his more recent move towards Hollywood funded movies. Following a number of English language US films, it was "Girl with a Pearl Earring" which really made Hollywood take notice of this composer. This is a tale woven around the famous painting by Johnnes Vermeer, and the music easily conveys a feeling of passion and obsession. The theme is reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith's "Basic Instinct" or some of Bernard Herrman's work.

This was quickly followed by his critically acclaimed score to "Birth" starring Nicole Kidman. This movie has an unusual story, and Desplat created suitably unusual music to accompany it. From a creative perspective the music offers many sections of the orchestra a chance to shine either with solos or small groups of instruments, though the abiding memory is the haunting minimalist line with flutes and celeste and the truly unsettling sub-bass which generates an almost physical response in the listener. Since then the composer has gone from strength to strength in terms of recognition. "Hostage" starred Bruce Willis and then "Syriana" with George Clooney and Matt Damon earned him a Golden Globe nomination. "Syriana" has a lot of suspenseful tracks, some driven by ethnic instruments and percussion. Two features that "Syriana" shares with "Birth" are the bass sound and use of solo timpani. Then 2006 was a bumper year with "The Painted Veil" earning Desplat the coveted Golden Globe award and The Queen giving him nominations from both Bafta and Oscar.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a unique film demanding an equally unique score to underpin it, and who better than Alexandre Desplat to create that kind of sound. The score is excellent and highly recommended, with the 2nd CD containing jazz and other tracks from the film.

Films by Alexandre Desplat:

• Mémoire Traquée (Lapse of Memory)
• Au nom du père et du fils (In the name of the father and the son)
• Family Express
• Sexes Faibles (The weaker sexes)
• The Hour of the Pig
• Regard les hommes tomber (See how they fall)
• Les Péchés Mortels (Innocent Lies)
• Le Montreur de boxe (Lucky Punch)
• Love, etc.
• Un héros très discret
• Une chance sur deux
• The Revengers' Comedies
• Amazon
• The Luzhin Defence
• Read my Lips
• The Nest
• September 11 - this is the film with 11 directors from different countries telling 11 stories related to the fateful events of that day in 2001, Desplat did the main theme whereas Gustavo Santaolalla did the segment set in Mexico.
• Tristan
• Stormy Weather
• Girl with a Pearl Earring - supposedly the story behind the painting
• Birth - a weird plot, but the music moves from comfortable and enchanting to ethereal and eerie
• The Upside of Anger - starring Kevin Costner and Joan Allen
• De Battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped)
• Hostage
• Casanova - big-budget version of the story, directed by Lasse Hallström
• Derailed
• Syriana - troubled world music for this story driven by the politics of the oil industry in the middle east
• Lies & Alibis
• Firewall - with Harrison Ford
• The Valet
• The Painted Veil - featuring pianist Lang Lang, the soundtrack also contains the Gnossienne No.1 by Erik Satie
• The Queen - oscar-nominated score
• Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
• The Golden Compass - orchestrally a much larger score for this big budget fantasy adventure
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - a score that is quirky and delicate, portraying the unusual on-screen love which transcends time

TV Music by Alexandre Desplat:

Desplat has scored a number of movies for French television in addition to some work on recurring series.

• Papa veut pas que je t'épouse
• Le Paradis absolument
• J'aime pas qu'on m'aime
• Le Fils de Paul
• D'amour et d'eau salée
• Un petit grain de folie
• N'oublie pas que tu m'aimes
• Brigade spéciale - series for French television
• Juliette
• Les Ritaliens
• Madame Sans-Gêne
• Une autre femme
• Virus au paradis
• Les Beaux jours
• Le Pays des enfants perdus

Alexandre Desplat Recommendations:

• Syriana - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• Girl with a Pearl Earring - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• The Queen - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• The Painted Veil - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• Birth - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• The Golden Compass - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The composer's official web-site is at www.AlexandreDesplat.net.