DirectorWes Andersonhas always relied on music to add an extra layer of whimsy to his stylized narratives. And his new film,The French Dispatch, is no different.Varietyreports that the film, an offbeat homage to the journalism of the New Yorker based in a hyper-real France, is getting a companion album of French songs, in addition to the score composed by longtime Anderson collaboratorAlexandre Desplat.
The companion album will feature songs “originally performed by everyone fromSerge GainsbourgtoBrigitte Bardot,” recorded by cast memberJarvis Cockerin character as Tip-Top. Desplat, who has 11 Oscar nominations to his credit—three of which came for composing scores for Anderson’s films—is among the first to get a taste of his scripts, along with music supervisorRandall Poster.
“He and I have been corresponding with music since the day we met,” Poster said, “and over the course of 25 years there’s a lot of musical history that we draw upon for different projects.”
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Forthe songs inThe French Dispatch, Poster said, “we were focused on using French music,” including aCharles Aznavourballad (“J’en déduis que je t’aime”) and a remake of the 1965 French hit “Aline” by Cocker, whose Tip-Top is a thinly disguised version of Christophe, who originally performed “Aline.”
Poster said:
“It’s a song that Wes and I have really admired over the years. We had so much fun recording Aline we thought we’d make a Tip-Top record, and we did.”
For the film’s score, Desplat drew inspiration from the late 19th- and early 20th-century musicianErik Satie. He said:
“It’s a handful of people at a newspaper in the past, a little place, like a postcard from the ’60s, so there was no reason for the score to be lush or huge. We needed something sparse and clear, and solo piano seemed to be the best option.”
The French Dispatch, in typical Anderson fashion, is divided into chapters and features a sprawling ensemble cast that includesBill Murray,Benicio del Toro,Adrien Brody,Tilda Swinton,Léa Seydoux,Frances McDormand,Timothée Chalamet,Lyna Khoudri,Jeffrey Wright,Mathieu Amalric,Stephen Park, andOwen Wilson. Anderson is currently in production onhis new film, a Spain-set project that is said to feature an even larger ensemble.The French Dispatchis currently playing in theaters.
