The music to the 2021 anthology comedy drama film The French Dispatch directed by Wes Anderson features of a score composed by Alexandre Desplat, and selections of French classical and pop hits curated by the music supervisor Randall Poster, who were Anderson's regular collaborators. The score was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, featured contributions from pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, collaborated with Desplat on wide range of instruments and orchestra recorded at Abbey Road Studios. The score album, The French Dispatch: Original Score released on May 21, 2021, five months ahead of the film's release, and the soundtrack, The French Dispatch: Original Soundtrack was released along with the film, on October 22, 2021, [1] [2] which preceded with the lead single "Obituary" from Desplat's score, released on September 14. [3] Both albums were distributed by ABKCO Records. Desplat received a BAFTA Award for Best Original Music nomination and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score nomination.
Even before the production began, Anderson sent the film's script to Desplat and Poster to design the sonic palette. Desplat recalled it as: [4] [5]
"When I read the script I always try to find what is behind the virtuality of words, the virtuality of the camera moves, and production design and costumes. There's humor, a lot of humor, there's a great craft, but the stories are very deep. But this depth is always a bit blurred and out of focus. Because maybe he [Anderson] wants to protect his emotions. He doesn't show them too much. But all the subjects he shows in his films are very deep and moving. He shows it through poetry, a lot of poetry, and 'Dispatch' has a lot of that." [4]
Desplat, while writing music, would play his sketches to Anderson where he would give the notes and thereby he would explore and elaborate those ideas, repeating the process back and forth until they found a direction that felt right for the film. [6] Since the film was further set in France, he also had an advantage of being a hometown-based as well as his history related to scoring several French films. [7] [8] Desplat also admitted that "What is beautiful in this film is that it's a real homage to Wes from French culture. We know he's living part-time in Paris. But for true love of French culture: literature, music, cuisine — he likes French cuisine. The movie shows that too." He further drew inspiration from French composers Erik Satie and Thelonious Monk.
Desplat scored the opening sequence and two of the episodes in the film: "The Concrete Masterpiece" and "The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner". On scoring the film, he explained it as "a handful of people at a newspaper in the past, a little place, like a postcard from the 1960s" which demonstrated that the score should not be lush and huge, but instead sparse and clear. To achieve this, he collaborated with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet whom previously worked on Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) to perform solo piano for the film. [9] They would later collaborate on unusual duets of the score, that had an offbeat collection of instruments such as harpischord, banjo, tuba, timpani, bassoon among varied instruments. [9] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Desplat would record his parts with Thibaudet on Los Angeles, while the orchestra performed the score at Abbey Road Studios in London. [10] [11]
As for the songs featured in the film, Poster felt that they were focusing on French music, using Charles Aznavour ballad "J'en déduis que je t'aime" and remake of the French hit "Aline" (1965) performed by Jarvis Cocker (who was cast as Tip-Top), played in the episode "Revisions to a Manifesto". Poster and Anderson admired the original song over the years, and while recording the cover, he described it as a "fun" process. [9] He felt the song was so "distinctive" where in other countries, the presence of this song was rare, while in France, "it was almost like a national anthem" due to Christophe's contribution. [6]
Cocker felt it to "be kind of sincere love letter to French pop music and did not want it to be in any way kind of a pastiche-type thing. And that also meant that I had to work on my French pronunciation and stuff like that. So that to a French person listening to it, they wouldn't listen and think, 'Oh, that's disrespectful' or 'That just doesn't make sense'." Though he had a profound background in France, his spoken French was considered "pretty atrocious". Hence, he undertook vocal coaching from Stereolab frontman Lætitia Sadier to understand the pronunciation of the language; in addition to this, Sadier performed a duet on "Paroles, paroles" and translated Nino Ferrer's English song "Looking for You" into a French version titled "Amour, Je Te Cherche". [6]
The French Dispatch: Original Score | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | May 21, 2021 | |||
Recorded | 2020–2021 | |||
Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
Genre | Film score | |||
Length | 30:47 | |||
Label | ABKCO | |||
Producer | ||||
Alexandre Desplat chronology | ||||
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No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Obituary" | 3:30 |
2. | "Simone, Naked, Cell Block J. Hobby Room" | 2:54 |
3. | "Moses Rosenthaler" | 2:29 |
4. | "Mouthwash de Menthe" | 1:56 |
5. | "Cadazio Uncles and Nephew Gallery" | 1:56 |
6. | "The Berensen Lectures at the Clampette Collection" | 1:51 |
7. | "Police Cooking" | 1:49 |
8. | "The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner" | 5:10 |
9. | "Kidnappers Lair" | 2:01 |
10. | "A Multi-Pronged Battle Plan" | 1:37 |
11. | "Blackbird Pie" | 0:53 |
12. | "Commandos, Guerillas, Snipers, Climbers and the Jeroboam" | 0:52 |
13. | "Animated Car Chase" | 1:52 |
14. | "Lt. Nescaffier (Seeking Something Missing...)" | 1:55 |
The French Dispatch: Original Soundtrack | ||||
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Soundtrack album by various artists | ||||
Released | October 22, 2021 | |||
Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
Length | 61:05 | |||
Label | ABKCO | |||
Producer | ||||
Wes Anderson film soundtracks chronology | ||||
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Singles from The French Dispatch: Original Soundtrack | ||||
|
No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Obituary" | Alexandre Desplat | 3:30 |
2. | "After You've Gone" (from Sadie McKee ) | Gene Austin with Candy and Coco | 1:07 |
3. | "Simone, Naked, Cell Block J. Hobby Room" | Desplat | 2:54 |
4. | "Fiasco" | Gus Viseur | 2:58 |
5. | "Moses Rosenthaler" | Desplat | 2:29 |
6. | "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" | Grace Jones | 4:30 |
7. | "Mouthwash de Menthe" | Desplat | 1:56 |
8. | "Sonata for Mandolin and Guitar A-Dur, K. 331 Andante Grazioso con Variation VI. Variation 5 – Adagio" | Boris Björn Bagger and Detlef Tewes | 3:34 |
9. | "Cadazio Uncles and Nephew Gallery" | Desplat | 1:56 |
10. | "Inseguimento al Taxi (The Chase)" (from Scent of Mystery ) | Mario Nascimbene | 2:40 |
11. | "The Berensen Lectures at the Clampette Collection" | Desplat | 1:51 |
12. | "L'ultima volta" (from I malamondo ) | Ennio Morricone | 2:34 |
13. | "Tu m'as trop menti" | Chantal Goya | 1:47 |
14. | "J'en déduis que je t'aime" | Charles Aznavour | 3:05 |
15. | "Fugue No. 2 in C minor (The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, BWV 871)" | The Swingle Singers | 1:19 |
16. | "Adagio" (from Comptes à rebours ) | Georges Delerue | 3:13 |
17. | "Police Cooking" | Desplat | 1:49 |
18. | "The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner" | Desplat | 5:10 |
19. | "Kidnappers Lair" | Desplat | 2:01 |
20. | "A Multi-Pronged Battle Plan" | Desplat | 1:37 |
21. | "Blackbird Pie" | Desplat | 0:53 |
22. | "Commandos, Guerillas, Snipers, Climbers and the Jeroboam" | Desplat | 0:52 |
23. | "Animated Car Chase" | Desplat | 1:52 |
24. | "Lt. Nescaffier (Seeking Something Missing...)" | Desplat | 1:56 |
25. | "Aline" | Jarvis Cocker | 3:32 |
Music critic Jonathan Broxton described the score as "an overload of whimsy, a landslide of musical hipsterism that buries you in a pile of twee from which there is no escape". [12] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "the best way of experiencing the score is to do so in sequence, but the album scatters in an array of songs and orchestral pieces – it's all good stuff, but focusing on the Desplat is rewarding". [13] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic complimented it as a "lean, jaunty chamber music score". [14] A. O. Scott of The New York Times described the score as "playful and knowing". [15] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Desplat's "doodling piano themes help shape the jaunty tone". [16] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post complimented the score as "delicately thoughtful" which benefits the film. [17] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal described it as "funny". [18]
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative styles, and frequent use of ensemble casts. With themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families, critics have cited Anderson as an auteur. Three of his films have appeared in BBC Culture's 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000.
Alexandre Michel Gérard Desplat is a French film composer and conductor. He has received numerous accolades throughout his career spanning over four decades, including, two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three César Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Grammy Awards. Desplat was made an Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite and a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres both in 2016.
The French Dispatch is a 2021 American anthology comedy drama film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman. It features an expansive ensemble cast and follows three different storylines as the French news bureau of the fictional Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper publishes its final issue.
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album composed by Alexandre Desplat for the 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel directed by Wes Anderson. The 32-track album was released on March 4, 2014, through ABKCO Records, produced by Anderson along with music supervisor Randall Poster. Unlike their previous ventures, the soundtrack to this film did not feature contemporary pop hits due to the classical roots of the film's music.
Asteroid City is a 2023 American comedy-drama film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson, from a story he wrote with Roman Coppola. It features an ensemble cast, including Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, and Jeff Goldblum. Its plot mostly follows a play about a Junior Stargazer convention in a retrofuturistic version of 1955, but it becomes metatextual because the making of the play is the subject of a television documentary. It is Anderson's homage to popular memory and mythology about extraterrestrials and UFOs witnessed in the American Southwestern desert in close proximity to atomic test sites after World War 2.
Black Widow (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score for the 2021 Marvel Studios film Black Widow. The score was composed by Lorne Balfe, with the soundtrack album being released by Hollywood Records on July 9, 2021.
Little Women: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the score album composed by Alexandre Desplat for the 2019 American film Little Women. A seventh film adaptation of the 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott, the film is directed by Greta Gerwig, and stars an ensemble cast consisting of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garrel, and Chris Cooper. The original score album was released by Sony Music on December 13, 2019.
Argo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is a score album composed by Alexandre Desplat to the Academy Award-winning historical drama thriller film Argo. The film was directed by Ben Affleck, from a screenplay written by Chris Terrio, which was adapted from U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operative Antonio J. Mendez's eponymous novel released in 1999, his memoir The Master of Disguise, and the Wired article by Joshuah Bearman, "The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" (2007); Affleck also starred in the lead role as Mendez. The score album was released on October 9, 2012 by WaterTower Music, three days ahead of the film's release.
Moonrise Kingdom (Original Score) is the accompanying score album for the identically named 2012 coming-of-age comedy-drama film released on June 19, 2012 through ABKCO Records. The score album featured six tracks, including five themes from the soundtrack composed by Alexandre Desplat and one theme by Mark Mothersbaugh, who scored for Anderson's early films. Irrespective of being released along with the soundtrack on May 2012, the score album was separately released, in order to be shortlisted for nominations at award ceremonies, including Academy Awards, which was rejected due to the inspiration of classical music from Benjamin Britten's compositions.
Moonrise Kingdom (Original Soundtrack) is the accompanying soundtrack album for the identically named 2012 coming-of-age comedy-drama film released on May 15, 2012 through ABKCO Records. The soundtrack album featured original compositions from Alexandre Desplat and supplemented existing music by Benjamin Britten, as well as classical songs from Hank Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Frank Schubert and Françoise Hardy. Both Anderson and Randall Poster compiled the film's soundtrack.
The Shape of Water (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the Academy Award-winning film of the same name. It featured 26 tracks — most of the tracks were from the original score composed by Alexandre Desplat and some tracks are incorporated songs, being originated from the 1940s and 1960s as the film is set during the Cold War period. The film, directed by Guillermo del Toro, who also co-wrote the script with Vanessa Taylor, stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer.
Nightmare Alley: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2021 film of the same name directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film's music was initially set to be composed by Alexandre Desplat, but was replaced by Nathan Johnson, after Desplat exited the film due to scheduling conflicts. Johnson completed the film's score within six weeks, where the score was recorded at the Newman Scoring Stage in 20th Century Studios and was released by Hollywood Records digitally on December 17, 2021 and a physical release on December 31, 2021.
Rise of the Guardians: Music From The Motion Picture is the score album to the 2012 of the same name, composed by Alexandre Desplat. The film marked Desplat's maiden score for a computer-animated film as well as his DreamWorks' film, not to be scored by either Hans Zimmer or his Remote Control Productions family of composers. The score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Studios in London and features collaborations with London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices performing. In addition to Desplat's score, an original song "Still Dream" written by David Lindsay-Abaire and performed by soprano singer Renée Fleming, was featured in the film's end credits. Both Desplat's score and Fleming's original song was included in the film's score album, released by Varèse Sarabande on November 13, 2012 and received positive response praising Desplat's compositions.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack album to the 2008 film of the same name, released by Concord Music Group on December 16, 2008. It was released in physical forms as a two-disc album, with one disc containing the film's original score composed by Alexandre Desplat, and the other consists few classical songs as well as dialogues featured in the film. The David Fincher-directed film, written by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and stars Brad Pitt as the titular character, alongside Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Mahershala Ali, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, and Tilda Swinton.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is the soundtrack album to the 2022 stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film of the same name. Based on the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, and Gris Grimly's design from his 2002 edition of the novel, the film, directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, stars Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton. The score is composed by Alexandre Desplat in his second collaboration with del Toro after The Shape of Water (2017). The album featuring the original score and songs were set for release digitally on December 9, 2022 and in physical formats on December 16 by Columbia Records.
The Imitation Game (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2014 film of the same name. The film is scored by Alexandre Desplat who replaced the original composer Clint Mansell before the film's production commenced. The London Symphony Orchestra performed the original score that featured various instruments such as keyboards, clarinets, strings, arpeggio and bombe. The album was released on November 7, 2014 by Sony Music Entertainment. The album received critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Score but lost to The Grand Budapest Hotel, also composed by Desplat.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2011 film of the same name directed by Stephen Daldry, released by WaterTower Music on December 20, 2011. Featuring an original score composed by Alexandre Desplat and piano themes performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, he was brought as a replacement to the original composer Nico Muhly. The score received positive reviews from critics.
Zero Dark Thirty (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2012 film Zero Dark Thirty. Featuring an original score composed by Alexandre Desplat, the soundtrack was released through Madison Gate Records on December 25, 2012.
Isle of Dogs (Original Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2018 film Isle of Dogs directed by Wes Anderson. The album features an original score composed by Alexandre Desplat and musical contributions from Japanese artists. The album was released through ABKCO Records on March 23, 2018. Desplat was nominated for an Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Critics' Choice Movie Awards under the Best Original Score category and won the World Soundtrack Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is the soundtrack to the 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox directed by Wes Anderson. The film's soundtrack featured a selection of songs from The Beach Boys, The Bobby Fuller Four, Burl Ives, Georges Delerue, The Rolling Stones, and other artists. An original score composed by Alexandre Desplat accompanied the remainder of the album. ABKCO Records released the soundtrack on November 10, 2009, three days ahead of the film. Desplat was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and BAFTA Award for Best Original Music for his work in the film.