The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Alexandre Desplat
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, nominated for an astonishing 13 Academy Awards releases on DVD and Blu-ray today. The film, directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, as Benjamin Button, a man living his life biologically in reverse, is accompanied by a beautifully written score from French composer Alexandre Desplat. One of the year’s best scores, Desplat created a truly unique and stylistic score perfectly fitting the emotions and stunning visuals of the film.
Desplat’s soft, soothing melodies carefully drive the film forward without overwhelming the audience. His themes subtly bring out the magical aspects of the film, bringing Benjamin Button’s fantasy world alive. Writing “Benjamin’s Theme,” Desplat knew he needed to grasp a “going backwards” movement in the piece.
“Working and exchanging ideas with David Fincher (Director) and Ren Klyce (Executive Soundtrack Album Producer), I composed melodies in which the notes could be played both forwards and backwards, and chords that could be switched, like the Cole Porter line, “from major to minor.”
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Desplat’s score is constantly driving and in motion. Like the characters Button encounters throughout the film, themes come and go throughout the film. The score is also full of rhythmical elements evoking a ‘ticking time’ concept. Unique sounds from an electric guitar, vibraphone, cimbalom, harps, and a celeste are used to create the concept.
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Desplat perfectly captured emotions surrounding Button and his constantly changing world, with hints of New Orleans jazz.
“The orchestration colors had to capture the genuine innocence with which Benjamin embraces the human beings that he meets through his life, and the circular motion of the adventurous world around him.”
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One of the film’s most beautiful pieces is set to the lavish and artistic life of Button’s love interest, Daisy Fuller, played by Cate Blanchett. Daisy’s ballet career theme is powerful, moving, and full of life, yet not too overbearing and manages to successfully continue the rhythmical elements found in the rest of the score.
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“Every melody and motif had to be carefully positioned at the crossroads of emotions-never too dark, or too sentimental, or too quirky, or too frightening or too loud-always on the razor’s edge.”
Sunrise on Lake Pontchartrain, which I believe was one of the year’s most beautiful compositions, wonderfully showcases that razor edge of emotion. A piece that carefully supports the film and embrace emotions.
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This score is one of Desplat’s finest achievements. He created a relaxing, pulsing, magical sound to the visually stunning fantasy film, capturing the human spirit.
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