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Alexandre Desplat will score "Deathly Hallows Pt. 1"


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Yeah, should be "Alexand[French r] Deh-plah."

It's actually "Deh-splah", with a soft "s".

Is Desplat really a John Williams fan? How do you know? And if so, I hope he quotes the themes well, and uses them appropriately.

He says he's a huge Williams admirer practically in every interview he gives. He also said he wanted to become a film composer after listening to the original Star Wars double-LP.

If he's not a fan, I don't know who is...

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It'd probably be best if Desplat did both movies, that way he can develop them both together and have some thematic and stylistic consistency.

John- who still rolls his eyes at the cash cow idea of doing two movies out of the last book

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Actually both parts will have quite a bit of action. Even the stars have been stating that they have been running quite a bit. I've read the book, and a lot of stuff happens, and there are a lot of opportunities for old themes to be brought back from past films.

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I think this is quite dissapointing.

Back in 2005 Williams had good reasons not to score GOF. His schedule simply didn't allow it. But this time there must have been other factors at work. The big question is "why?". Williams stated he wanted to do it, Heyman did as well. Even Hooper backed out stating he felt "the man who started it all should finish it".

And please refrain from the "I knew Williams wouldn't score it"-shit. It's coming from the same people who "knew" Avatar would never approach the box office records of Titanic!

Nobody "knows" anything around here ok (only after the facts - how lame).

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I think this is quite dissapointing.

Back in 2005 Williams had good reasons not to score GOF. His schedule simply didn't allow it. But this time there must have been other factors at work. The big question is "why?". Williams stated he wanted to do it, Heyman did as well. Even Hooper backed out stating he felt "the man who started it all should finish it".

Well, surely there was something that prevented an agreement from both parts. It could be anything, nobody here knows the real reasons. When I said that I knew Williams wouldn't end up doing it, I spoke just from my point of view, I didn't mean that I knew something official.

We should accept we're now in a time where Williams probably doesn't want to score films anymore, except for his old friend Steven Spielberg. The man is now 78, he earned the right to write music that pleases only him and that really engages him.

The side-effect of this news is also that people now will start speculating that Williams is ill and that he's gonna die soon. Please, don't start this kind of stupid things, guys.

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The man is now 78, he earned the right to write music that pleases only him and that really engages him.

I agree 100%. Williams earned the right to do whatever he pleases in the industry.

The "dissapointing" aspect is that Williams himself stated not so long ago that he wanted to score DH.

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The "dissapointing" aspect is that Williams himself stated not so long ago that he wanted to score DH.

If you would ask Williams if he would come back for JAWS V, he'd probably say the same thing. The whole matter obviously wasn't that important to anyone involved or they wouldn't have let Hooper roaming around in TV-musicland for two entries.

And probably Williams figured by now that he couldn't bring his thematic material back, because most of it is tied to much more innocous films. It's just not his franchise anymore.

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And probably Williams figured by now that he couldn't bring his thematic material back, because most of it is tied to much more innocous films. It's just not his franchise anymore.

This is not correct, I think. Already in HP3 Williams invented new themes which fit better to the changed tone of the movie. For HP 7 he would do the same, with the occasional quote of Hedwigs theme.

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The man is now 78, he earned the right to write music that pleases only him and that really engages him.

I agree 100%. Williams earned the right to do whatever he pleases in the industry.

The "dissapointing" aspect is that Williams himself stated not so long ago that he wanted to score DH.

Yes, but it's likely that there were other factors at play that in the end prevented an agreement. One is the already known fact that he wasn't willing to travel to London to work on the score. Another one could have been that he didn't click with the director and preferred to pass on the project. I think he's one of the very few that can permit himself to say "No, thanks" to filmmakers and producers, even on a high-profile commitment like this. Or maybe he simply changed his mind and didn't want to score this film anymore. Who knows? It's all wild speculation and probably we'll never know what happened.

However, remember also he's now fully engaged in writing the score to Tintin, so that could be another factor.

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I think he's one of the very few that can permit himself to say "No, thanks" to filmmakers and producers, even on a high-profile commitment like this.

In fact, most A- and B-listers can turn down a high profile project. Horner did it for years. Elfman does, even Debney does. For guys like Hooper, it's another matter.

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Desplat? I am not truly familiar with his music, but if The Golden Compass is any indication, I'm not impressed.

There's maybe 10 minutes of worthwhile music in there for me, which is really far too little for a score like that.

The best part is the "Serafina Pekkala" theme, which is not used very much.

Other than that, it's quite zzzzzzzz......

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First of all, he's a great melodist. Second of all, he knows how to write for orchestra. A lot of composers seem to use soloists to avoid the sound of a mass of orchestra, but Desplat actually knows how to orchestrate his music to make full use of the orchestra, without it sounding like a wall of sound. Third of all, he's imaginative. Not always -he falls back on flowery waltzes too often- but he will find a solution that no one else would (The Queen is a brilliantly scored film, impossibly nailing down the tone).

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I saw it's been used already (how couldn't it be?!) but really nothing describes my feelings better:

darth-vader-noooo.jpg

This is really bad news. OK, I'll confess that I somehow "knew" that JW in the end wouldn't do it but at the same time I was anyway hoping for it to happen ... :( Of course Desplat is a fine composer who will certainly do a good job - probably much better than his colleagues before him, as my predecessors have already pointed out - but still, I'm very disappointed.

Bloody hell, what a depressing day. :P

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While, I am disappointed to hear that Williams will not be doing part 1, I think it just confirms what we thought would never happen--that Williams is in semi-retirement or close to full retirmenent. I just hope that some of the memeorable themes from the previous movies will be used.

I'll still hold out hope for part 2, although I know those chances are slim. But here's hoping for a 2010 miracle. :-)

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I think that if Williams does not score Part 1, then he should not score Part 2. If the plan is to make Book 7 as one super-movie split into two theatrical installments, then it would benefit the continuity of the film to let the same composer score both halves.

I love Williams and have grown to admire his three HP scores, but they've got to do what makes sense.

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That was my thought, as well, Wojo...as much as I hate to say it. =/ Although I would almost certainly enjoy a Williams Part 2 more than a Desplat Part 2, it would be pretty bad for continuity if what is essentially the second half of the same film were scored by a different composer.

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While, I am disappointed to hear that Williams will not be doing part 1, I think it just confirms what we thought would never happen--that Williams is in semi-retirement or close to full retirmenent.

Jesus H. Christ, don't talk like that. :lol: I don't want to even think about that possibility ...

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Sad as it is, I'd say it's more than a possibility. I mean, look at the facts - the only film score Williams has done since 2005 was KOTCS, and that was the long-awaited fourth installment in a series of films that were all iconically scored by him, by a director who's been his partner for decades. He kinda had to come back. Apparently, Tintin really is happening, but again, that's Spielberg, and it's still another year away. I'd say as far as film scores go, Williams seems to be pretty firmly in semi-retirement. =/

Luckily, there are still a LOT of his scores I'm not familiar with, so I'll get to enjoy those for years to come...provided I can get my hands on 'em. :lol:

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Lucky you. Most of the scores I am not familiar with are from 60s and it's not my cup of tea when it comes to this composer.

Good news is that Desplat may actually write a good score.

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Lucky you. Most of the scores I am not familiar with are from 60s and it's not my cup of tea when it comes to this composer.

Good news is that Desplat may actually write a good score.

I'm assuming you haven't heard NEW MOON.

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I just pronounce it how it's spelled. I think his first name is pronounced Alexandra or Alexand or something French-like, but I just say it Alexander.

Ok, Kora. :)

Actually, if you pronounced it as it's spelled, it would be "Core-A" :lol:

I'm assuming you haven't heard NEW MOON.

If he brings those types of melodic ideas to HP, I'll be more than happy.

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Lucky you. Most of the scores I am not familiar with are from 60s and it's not my cup of tea when it comes to this composer.

Good news is that Desplat may actually write a good score.

I'm assuming you haven't heard NEW MOON.

You're wrong. I have. It's nice with some really good parts. Not the best Desplat album I've ever heard, though. Anyway, I am quite optimistic about his score for HPaDH p. I.

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I am rather concerned these rumors (and that's all they are right now) are pointing to health issues rather than scheduling conflicts.

Well let's be honest, he's going to be 78 next month, if the Texas concert gets cancelled then I'll be concerned.

The only "health" rumors I've heard are from panicking fanboys who are upset Williams isn't scoring DH.

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Where did you hear his manager confirmed it? (just wondering) The Harry Potter fansites are actually now contacting the studio, etc like they always do to also try to confirm, so I'm sure we'll know everything either way soon. But yeah, I believe it is true.

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Where did you hear his manager confirmed it? (just wondering) The Harry Potter fansites are actually now contacting the studio, etc like they always do to also try to confirm, so I'm sure we'll know everything either way soon. But yeah, I believe it is true.

I got slightly confused which rumors were discussed.:lol: To clarify - I don't know anything about Williams' health. As for Desplat scoring DH - my friend told me that he had read on one of the message boards (I don't know which one exactly) Daniel Schweiger's post informing he got an e-mail from Desplat's manager about this. I know it doesn't sound credible when I explain this, but I trust the friend and I believe he didn't fall for a hoax.

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Yeah, it looks like it is official. Mugglent.com confirmed it now, after talking to FSM and also mentioning the agent said so as well. So, there we have it.

I still find it odd he is only confirmed for Part 1, and not both. Would they really still try to get Williams for Part 2? I think that would actually be kind of odd, though I guess I wouldn't say no.

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At this point, I care more about the music than the films (mostly because of the quality of the films thus far--most have been good, but none have been outstanding). Thus, I would rather Williams returns for Part 2, even if it means less continuity.

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Especially when Yakface.com reports on current events with such impartiality:

Avatar Versus Star Wars

January 17, 2010 | 4:33 PM EST | Justin2

James Cameron's Avatar just shot past Star Wars as the No. 3 movie on the all-time United States box office charts. However by factoring in today's higher admission prices, the original Star Wars is still light years ahead of Avatar on actual number of tickets sold.

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I don't see what's wrong with that, it's a SW site, so they'll take SW's side on anything, besides what they're saying is true.

It would be like if the Dolphins page would put: "Yeah, the Dolphins lost again, boy, do they suck!"

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Never mind, it's good that site does list the number of tickets sold. That should be the most telling statistic.

Any monkey with a calculator can determine that as the cost of tickets go up, so too will the box office returns.

As the population of the country and world rise, however, it's telling to know what impact that has on an audience, independent of price.

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I don't see what's wrong with saying that Mugglenet.com confirmed it, since I do know for sure they do contact the studios and other people involved and hear back from them quite often when they try to verify rumors. They've also been around for a long time.

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I'm conflicted. A bit sad that Williams isn't scoring Part One, but I am thrilled they got Desplat in his stead. I know a lot of you guys aren't fond of his "Golden Compass" and "New Moon" scores, but I love them. He's a brilliant choice.

I wouldn't have been mad if Patrick Doyle came back, either.

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I don't see what's wrong with saying that Mugglenet.com confirmed it, since I do know for sure they do contact the studios and other people involved and hear back from them quite often when they try to verify rumors. They've also been around for a long time.

Yeah, but his point was that it sounds ludicrous and completely nerdy to cite as a source. Also see his Star Wars example.

In Avatar's defense against SW, SW was re-released several times including the 20th anniversary with the new scenes and effects. Also, the home video market and that sort of thing was lightyears behind what we've got now. You pretty much had to go to the movies.

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As much as I was looking forward to another Williams Potter score, I can't say I feel even a twinge of disappointment actually.

Odd. :lol:

I look forward to hearing what Desplat will bring to the table.

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www.thejawasandcrawlerintheduneseaoftatooineintheouterrimplanetthatisfarthestfrom.org is now reporting "LOL John Williams scored all 6 of our Star Wars movies and only did 2 1/2 of your Harry Potters! Cue laughing aliens in Jabba the Hutt's palace including blue elephant guy with the bouncing tusk and Salacious CRUMB."

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