Q&A with Alexandre Desplat

This evening I attended a screening of the movie The King's Speech, an exquisite film starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Firth plays King George V, Rush plays his speech therapist. Easily one of the best movies Ive seen in a long time. One falls in love with the characters almost immediately. A brilliant balance of struggle, family, and humor. This was a particularly special event in that the movie was followed by a Q&A with composer Alexandre Desplat and director Tom Hooper. Unfortunately the session was ill-planned with hardly any time to get anything from the panelists. But, we were able to hear Desplat comment on how it was to work with and around source music. The composer showed true humility in his welcome approach to having several significant cues of classical music, including an exquisitely done sequence with the second movement of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. From where I sat, Desplat was so gracious of such music that while watching the film it often took me a few moments to realize I was listening to music not written by Desplat. To me, such an approach is a venerable one; it shows the utmost respect for director and film. Moreso the ability to recognize the quality of art one is dealing with and the merit in their decision to use such an appropriate piece of music for their sequence. Mr. Desplat certainly has my respect and even moreso since I've seen how he has graced the most recent Potter film. Here's hoping The King's Speech walks away with all the oscars.