Cinezik : What is your feeling about Cannes Festival ?
Alexandre Desplat: I returned several times with films that were presented, either A VERY DISCREET HERO, THE ARMY OF THE CRIME, and of course A PROPHET ... and what is great is this cultural diversity, it affects me much, these films from all over who offer a vision of the moment, the life of a man, a family event, I 'm challenges artistically. If you love all films like me, it is served.
As a juror, how do you get movies?
We analyze the film necessarily, it is critical to the staging, directing actors, costumes, and lighting. A film is a collective work. It is sensitive to that. It is a mixture of emotion and analytics. I am more sensitive to of course music, but I am not here to judge but to assess whether it is actually part of all, if not next to the movie.
"Tamara Drewe" is your third collaboration with Stephen Frears ...
With Frears it has established a relationship of trust after THE QUEEN and he must prove himself to succeed in a second and a third movie. CHERI was difficult to write, it took me to show their credentials, but I think now it has struck a balance between emotion he likes his movies and a certain spirit, a kind of irony. He likes me to surprise him, I can take risks.
On Tamara Drewe, we talked about Elmer Bernstein at a time because there are scenes of cattle in the country, to give an idea of scale, since the director has worked with Bernstein on "The Grifters", it was a point reference which gives us an accomplice. This film was difficult to put into music because it is on the cutting edge, we can not do music too funny or too dark, which supports ambiguous situations. The comedy remains for me a type of film very complicated to manage, because we tip too easily into the grotesque.
In Frears movies, i use few atmospheres, or music that avoid the melody, but there are other films like TWILIGHT where the melody is bone readable.
Critics regard to your issue precisely reservations about your ability to write themes ...
I think these criticisms come from a taste for a certain kind of film where the melody is pushed non-stop, a melody that one uses to wear, I do not work as well. The music is for me a foundation on which I will drive a nail, I also think that they are relevant directors in general.
Where is your job to the TREE OF LIFE by Terence Malick?
I even recorded music in may, because the editing is not finished, so I went to LA to make music more. But the movie is a mystery as any film of Terence, and while the movie will not be finished, I do not know what will happen to music, especially that there will always be music directory because the director likes the concert music, from Bach to Berlioz, Arvo Part and Ligeti, he has a panel of composers he uses in his films and especially this one. So I come into the recesses to provide a different matter. I hope it will be over soon.
When will you be working on HARRY POTTER?
We will begin this summer, I will not have many holidays, but for good reason, for the soundtrack. I would take every opportunity to make use of the fabulous theme by John Williams, I'd say it is not sufficiently used in the latest movies, so if I get a chance I will arrange the turn away.
You have other plans ?
French films, American and English ... I try to keep an average of 4 to 8 movies per year to keep the energy and pressure on the brain.
Interview in Cannes May 17, 2010 by Benoit Basirico
Info published on 18-05-2010
