Desplat has composed scores for a wide range of films, including low-budget independent productions and large-scale blockbusters, such as The Queen, The Golden Compass, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 & Part 2, The King's Speech, The Danish Girl, Moonrise Kingdom, Argo, Rise of the Guardians, Zero Dark Thirty, Godzilla, The Imitation Game, Unbroken, The Secret Life of Pets, and Isle of Dogs.
Desplat was born in Paris to a French father and a Greek mother. At the age of five, he began playing piano. He also became proficient on trumpet and flute. He studied with Claude Ballif and Iannis Xenakis in France and Jack Hayes in the U.S. Desplat's musical interests were wide, and he was also influenced by South American and African artists and teachers, among whom were Carlinhos Brown and Ray Lema.
Desplat has composed extensively for films, in France and in Hollywood - scores and incidental music for over 100 films including "Lapse of Memory" (1992), "Family Express" (1992), "Regarde Les Hommes Tomber" (1994), "Les Péchés Mortels" (1995), César-nominated "Un Héros Très Discret" (1996), "Une Minute de Silence" (1998), "Sweet Revenge" (1998), "Le Château des Singes" (1999), "Home Sweet Home" (2001), "Reines d'un Jour" (2001), the César-nominated "Sur mes Lèvres" (2002), "Rire et Châtiment" (2003), "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2009), "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" (2010), "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (2011) and "The Danish Girl" (2015).
Desplat has composed individual songs that have been sung in films by such artists as Akhenaton, Kate Beckinsale, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Valérie Lemercier, Miosotis, Catherine Ringer and Renée Fleming. He has also written music for the theatre, including pieces performed at the Comédie Française. Desplat has conducted performances of his music played by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Munich Symphony Orchestra. Desplat has also given Master Classes at La Sorbonne in Paris and the Royal College of Music in London.
In 2007, he composed the scores for Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass", Zach Helm's directorial debut "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" with American composer Aaron Zigman and the Ang Lee movie "Lust, Caution". Prior to these break-out works, he contributed scores for "The Luzhin Defence", "Girl with a Pearl Earring", "Syriana", "Birth", "Hostage", "Firewall", "Casanova", "Nid de Guêpes" and "The Painted Veil", for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music, and the 2006 World Soundtrack Award. He won the 2007 BMI Film Music Award, 2007 World Soundtrack Award, 2007 European Film Award, and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for "The Queen". He also won the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Best Film Music in "De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté". In 2008 Desplat received his second Oscar nomination for David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Desplat received his third Oscar nomination and a BAFTA nomination for "Fantastic Mr. Fox" in 2010, both of which were won by Michael Giacchino for "Up".
Recently, Desplat has composed music for "Largo Winch", based on the Belgian comic; "Afterwards", a French-Canadian psychological thriller film directed by Gilles Bourdos in English; Anne Fontaine's "Coco avant Chanel" based on the life of designer Coco Chanel; Robert Guédiguian's "L'Armée du Crime"; "Chéri", reuniting him with director Stephen Frears, whom he collaborated with on "The Queen"; "Un Prophète" reuniting with director Jacques Audiard; "Julie & Julia" directed by Nora Ephron; "Fantastic Mr. Fox", directed by Wes Anderson and based on the novel by Roald Dahl; "The Twilight Saga: New Moon", directed by Chris Weitz; Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer"; "Tamara Drewe"; "The Special Relationship"; "The King's Speech", which earned Desplat his fourth Oscar nomination; and "Largo Winch II: The Burma Conspiracy".
In early 2011, Desplat began to write the music to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2". He reunited with director David Yates, who offered Desplat the opportunity to score the second part.
Desplat's upcoming projects include "The Tree of Life", directed by Terrence Malick (which he actually recorded in early 2010), "A Better Life" and "La Fille du Puisatier", Roman Polanski's "Carnage" and George Clooney's "The Ides of March".
Desplat started 2012 with "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" and continued with scores for "The Spider's House", the Florent Emilio Siri-directed biopic "Cloclo", Jacques Audiard's "De rouille et d'os", Ben Affleck's "Argo", DreamWorks Animation's "Rise of the Guardians", Matteo Garrone's "Reality", Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" and Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero dark Thirty".
Great Harrowsford Square
Alexandre Desplat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Boggis, Bunce and Bean
Boggis, Bunce and Bean, one fat, one short, one lean
Boggis, Bunce and Bean, one fat, one short, one lean, these horrible crooks soo different in looks where nonetheless e
equaly mean
repeat to end
The lyrics to Alexandre Desplat's song "Great Harrowsford Square" reference "Boggis, Bunce and Bean", a trio of villains who appear in Roald Dahl's classic children's book "Fantastic Mr. Fox". The repetition of their names emphasizes their presence and ominous nature. The description of each crook's physical attributes - one fat, one short, one lean - emphasizes their differences while also highlighting how they function as a cohesive criminal unit. The line "equally mean" emphasizes their shared ruthless nature.
Additionally, the use of alliteration in "Boggis, Bunce and Bean" serves to create a memorable and almost sing-song quality to the lyrics, which adds to the overall whimsical tone of Desplat's music. The repetition of the phrase throughout the song creates a sense of threat and danger, while also hinting at the playful and fantastical elements of Dahl's original story.
Overall, "Great Harrowsford Square" is an excellent example of how lyrics can enhance and deepen a piece of music, drawing on a well-known literary source to create a memorable and evocative listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Boggis, Bunce and Bean
The three individuals referred to are Boggis, Bunce, and Bean
Boggis, Bunce and Bean, one fat, one short, one lean
The three individuals are distinct in their physical characteristics, with one being fat, one short, and one lean
Boggis, Bunce and Bean, one fat, one short, one lean, these horrible crooks soo different in looks where nonetheless equally mean
Despite their different physical appearances, Boggis, Bunce, and Bean are all equally cruel and villainous people
repeat to end
The previous lines are repeated until the end of the song
Contributed by Liam R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.