Filmtracks: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (Alexandre Desplat)

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Written 11/2/10, Revised 1/12/11

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Buy it... if you are a genuine enthusiast of Alexandre Desplat's trademark mannerisms and seek what is essentially a very strong compilation of the composer's best techniques in a variety of individual settings.

Avoid it... if you expect to hear Desplat create a cohesive identity of his own for this film or extend existing ones from his predecessors, a monumental disappointment in terms of the continuing continuity issues that plague the music for this franchise.

Desplat

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1: (Alexandre Desplat) An intriguing aspect of the maturation of the "Harry Potter" concept from the pen of J.K. Rowling has been its transformation from innocent, children's genre escapism to outright grown-up horror. Those who read the "Harry Potter" books of the 1990's as a light diversion were up against an author (and, of course, a movie franchise) determined to drag the concept into the depths of apocalyptic despair. Thus, we end up with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the finale of Rowling's original set of seven books, detailing the darkest hour in the parallel universe of magic and bringing both death and closure to the titular character and many of those around him. The final confrontation with Lord Voldemort and his assault on the remaining forces of good in magic's realm rage violently while the youngsters at the heart of the concept seek out and destroy all the vestiges of the villain's soul. Rowling, now among the richest women in the world, has interestingly hinted at someday continuing the "Harry Potter" concept in subsequent books, with notes about future timelines in the story already generously conveyed by the author to her throngs of devoted fans. For Warner Brothers, the franchise has been equally reliable, with a quarter of a billion dollars allocated to the production of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Fortunately, the studio has allowed the split of the book into two feature films, a move that was considered but abandoned during the adaptation of "The Goblet of Fire." Shot together and released separately in 2010 and 2011, "The Deathly Hallows" has been especially tantalizing to film music collectors dissatisfied with director David Yates' collaboration with composer Nicholas Hooper for the previous two films. The revolving door of directors for these "Harry Potter" films has been tragic in its effect on the franchise's music, with each successive crew bringing another composer and another musical identity to the table. Hooper was reportedly disappointed by the poor response to his two contributions, and after bowing out of consideration for the final installment, Yated turned to French (yes, there's irony there) composer Alexandre Desplat for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. Like Hooper and Patrick Doyle before him, Desplat inherited expectations from both fans and studio alike in regards to the continuation of the sound dominantly established by the legendary John Williams for the first three films in the franchise.

To the delight of many, Desplat stated well before the recording of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 that he intended to make frequent use of Williams' recognizable primary identity for the "Harry Potter" universe. "I would take every opportunity to use the fabulous theme written by John Williams," Desplat stated early in 2010. "I'd say it is not sufficiently used in the latest movies, so if I have the opportunity and if the footage will allow me, I will arrange it. I shall make it with great honor and pleasure." This came as a tremendous relief to those loyal to Williams' concept identities, for Doyle had reportedly been forced by the studio to include some of Williams' material in "The Goblet of Fire" and Hooper had done an all-around poor job of using Williams' themes on his own. If anyone could twist Hedwig's Theme and others into exciting and dramatic new variations, Desplat would be an excellent candidate. His knack for extremely intricate and complicated instrumental constructs has won him a strong following in the film music community, though some fail to connect the composer's undeniably impressive technical precision with the heart of a successful emotional appeal. Desplat provided a preview of his approach to sequel scores when he wrote the score for The Twilight Saga: New Moon in 2009, music that plays well outside of the picture but was shunned by many concept enthusiasts because it was, frankly, too intelligent in its demeanor for that franchise. He seems to have taken the same approach to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, returning to the technical prowess that many casual listeners may associate with Williams' music, but still with a distinctly Desplat-like personality. There is no doubt that the finished product for this film is absolutely saturated with Desplat's mannerisms. The involvement of longtime Williams orchestrator Conrad Pope in the production of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 helps shift portions of Desplat's score in the direction of Williams' music, especially in some of the harmonic flourishes and brazen action material. As promised, Desplat does also reference Williams' Hedwig theme, the overarching identity of the franchise, though not as pervasively as promised. The composer also ignores the themes written for the franchise by Doyle and Hooper, not surprising in the case of the latter but somewhat disappointing given that Doyle's contributions were generally top-notch. The most interesting aspect of Desplat's handling of continuity for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is the fact that he so intelligently integrates both his and Williams' themes that their subtle references will likely be missed by the mass majority of mainstream viewers.

The instrumentation employed by Desplat for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is exactly as one of his fans would predict. The full London Symphony Orchestra is joined by a variety of choirs and specialty instruments. Along with expected cameos by glockenspiel and celesta (successful staples of Williams' notion of "magic"), the composer uses lutes, acoustic guitar, recorder, shakuhachi (the faithful James Horner tool of wails and puffs), and mandolin to address the story's more colorful characters. Ultimately, though, the mix of all the recorded tracks for the score weighs the orchestra heavily, and so don't expect for any soloists (outside of a cello) to really make an impact. The mix of the score not only favors the strings of the orchestra but also the lower regions of the soundscape, yielding potential (and utterly ironic) comparisons to the Hans Zimmer/Remote Control sound of bass-heavy chopping and droning. Part of this circumstance owes to Desplat's loyalty to a deep, electronic bass-thumping effect that sometimes rambles in its own ostinato beneath all other activity; this tool goes all the way back to its prominent placement in the composer's score for Birth and is a sound truly unique to his career. Unfortunately, it's also an insufferable nuisance for anyone with a decent sound system, drowning out or distracting from all the intricacies elsewhere in the base at that given moment. Otherwise, Desplat smartly spreads the duties in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 so that listeners who enjoy his attention to fluttering details in the treble region will still be able to hear flutes and trumpets perform difficult counterpoint passages in many cues. It's safe to say that the 105 London performers of this score were taxed far more heavily in terms of performance complexity than with Hooper's music for the franchise, both of which woefully lacking in passion and intricacy of construct. There will undoubtedly be those that continue to find Desplat's techniques to be too coldly precise; despite all of the man's overwhelming talent for producing interesting lines of action in his music, that capability sometimes yields a lack of heart. He genuinely tries hard in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 to instill feelings of warmth for the three main protagonists, producing some of his most engaging harmonic yearning in years. Still, without a tendency to condense his ideas into easily digestible, fully harmonic and memorable statements of relatively straight forward magnificence, he never had much of a chance to equal Williams' satisfying ability to generate music that could be translated into fan-favorite concert suites. There is no single moment in the score for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 that could be adapted into a successful representative of the work in concert suite format, and that leads this review to the troubling situation with Desplat's themes.

In regards to the thematic attributes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, Desplat inexplicably fails not only on behalf of the franchise but also in regards to his own ideas. The troublesome situation regarding his application of prior themes is an issue that will be taken up at the end of this review, because for some listeners (and likely a fair share of Desplat fans), adherence to franchise tradition is not a major concern. But even as a standalone score with its own thematic development, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is a hit and miss proposition. Desplat does indeed write several new themes, some of them very compelling in their constructs. Unfortunately, none of them stands out as the primary identity of the film, their progressions are often altered at a whim, and very rarely is a theme manipulated to fit an emotional environment significantly different from its initial, intended purpose. The most likely candidate to be Desplat's primary theme is an impressively determined, harmoniously satisfying idea in "Obliviate." The shifting minor-key progressions in this theme remind of a Zimmer composition in many ways, including the relentlessly churning string ostinatos underneath the theme and the rise of that rhythm out of near silence for the cue's first minute. The combination of lower brass supporting broad bass harmony and trumpets in easy counterpoint makes this surprisingly inspirational cue a clear winner. The theme is reduced to solo cello at the outset of "Ron Leaves" before a longing exploration by strings. It is also referenced in fragments throughout "Hermione's Parents," eventually returning to solo cello once again. The most prominent new theme (if one could really call it prominent) is likely Desplat's identity for Harry and his friends. Heard immediately at the outset of "Polyjuice Potion," this quietly resilient, heroic identity takes a more somber and noble stance early in "At the Burrow" before degenerating into a downright depressing solo piano performance in "Harry and Ginny." A villain's theme uses an urgent sense of movement much like the title theme, moving with rolling rhythms enhanced in the bass by Desplat's rambling electronic tone effect in "Snape to Malfoy Manor." The four-note descending phrases joined by the same underlying rhythm would return in "Death Eaters," and the payoff portion of the progression (in the second phrase) has both hints a mystery theme developed later in the score and, likely coincidentally, Williams' marginalized theme for Voldemort in his first two scores (though, to be fair, that general minor-key progression has been used to denote drama or evil in everything from Toto's Dune to James Newton Howard's Lady in the Water, so don't expect very obvious connections to Williams here either).

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The most obvious difference between the two supporting rhythmic devices in this score (for the title theme and villain's theme) is the major-key usage by the former and the minor-key usage by the latter. They're surprisingly straight forward in that manner, which is curious given the questioned allegiances in parts of the story. Otherwise, they move with Desplat's usual sense of precise alacrity, the villain's theme bursting with flute lines that any enthusiast of the composer will love. As mentioned before, out of the progressions in the villain's theme comes a motif of mystery previewed at 2:15 into "Sky Battle" and bracketing "Deathly Hollows" with a pensive demeanor and clanging metallic effect in the background (likely deep chimes to drive home the gravity of the moment). It turns melodramatic on strings early in "Rescuing Hermione" as well. The final recurring theme in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is one of suspense that possibly follows the targeted locket in the tale; it slithers into "Dobby" (at 2:20 into the cue) and receives full treatment at the start and end of "The Locket." Outside of these ideas, Desplat does launch off onto several tangents for individual characters or settings; these resemble, in some regards, the supporting, self-contained pieces that Williams wrote for his entries in the franchise. The most memorable is easily the stately but light-footed theme in "Ministry of Magic," with a robust string rhythm that would serve well as the propulsion for a nightly news jingle. Another distinct moment of lighter personality comes in "Detonators," its prancing woodwind rhythms a relief on album. The specialty instruments employed by Desplat are largely confined in their roles to the cues for "Dobby" and "Lovegood," both quirky ideas but the latter particularly interesting given its almost Latin flavor that yields to a touch of retro Marvin Hamlisch technique in its woodwind applications. The score also features several tender but not particularly gripping character themes that don't readily interconnect. This light material in "Godric's Hollow Graveyard," "Ron's Speech," "Farewell to Dobby," and "Hermione's Parents" is basically soothing but not really very engaging, lacking in the swells of emotion that Williams and Doyle exhibited in similar situations. Likewise, the action sequences in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 don't build off of each other to form a cohesive whole, either. The highlight of these occasional outbursts is "Sky Battle," this score's rowdy equivalent to "Ice Bear Combat" from The Golden Compass. It's in cues like this that Desplat really does prove his mastery of an orchestra; yet, he can never sustain a good flow in these situations. Incidentally, fans might be reminded of Williams' raptor chases from Jurassic Park in "Fireplaces Escape," which features a great Williams-like flourish late.

Among the less attractive action sequences in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 that have no connection to greater structural development in the score are the flailing, dissonant pounding of "Bathilda Bagshot," an effective but not listenable dissonant interruption of an otherwise heroic motif in "Destroying the Locket," the resounding timpani of "Captured and Tortured" (a tip of the hat to Williams' chess game music from the first film?), and an anonymous (though powerful) rhythmic crescendo closing out "The Elder Wand." Like the more palatable dramatic themes, these action cues don't seem to emanate from a consistent base of structures from Desplat, each handling the moment at hand with a fresh approach. The resulting anonymity of the score as a whole may send some listeners grasping back at references to established themes. Ignoring the Doyle and Hooper ideas entirely, Desplat only really includes fragments of Williams' Hedwig's Theme as a sidenote. Only the "A" phrase of that theme is stated, the bolder "B" phrase for the castle never used. Familiar instrumentation performs the first half of that "A" phrase at the end of "Polyjuice Potion," with Desplat altering the progression at will. A more impressive reference at about 1:50 into "Sky Battle" is likely along the lines of what listeners were hoping for, joined by an outstanding expression of remorse using a fragment of the theme at 2:00 into "Ron Leaves." A slight performance of the first phrase in "The Will" remembers Professor Dumbledore fondly, but without much consequence. Other references are so vague that they aren't worth mentioning; the majority of casual viewers won't pick up on them anyway. Pope's involvement does present a few moments when a touch of Williams' style is clearly intended, highlighted by the warmth of "At the Burrow" and, as a result, those same movie-goers will likely hear all the "magic" in the score that they require. The sum of all of this discussion about thematic identity is where the disheartening feelings about Desplat's music for the franchise will likely result. It's great music in many of its individual cues, but Desplat is simply unable to create any kind of consistency or narrative flow with which to augment the larger arc of the story. As such, the score sounds much like a compilation of the composer's greatest techniques rather than a cohesive accompaniment for a tightly-woven story. If you love hearing Desplat simply being Desplat, regardless of the requirements of an assignment, then Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 will thrill you. Otherwise, don't be surprised if purists of the franchise treat this score with some of the same grumbling complaints that Desplat's music for the Twilight franchise received. That may not mean that he necessarily failed here for all, but it definitely suggests unrealized expectations.

If existing for a standalone film, the score for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 would easily achieve four stars. Despite its own continuity issues, it features enough highlights to recommend. But it has two substantial flaws. Less significant to the music itself is the ridiculous album situation for the score, with Warner's WaterTower division milking fans out of money during one of the worst economic times in recent history by rolling out three different presentations of the score. But more problematic in regards to Desplat's achievement and the franchise as a whole is the continued lack of identity for "Harry Potter" music in general. Some listeners contend that Williams himself began to "lose" the identity of his previously established sound for the franchise in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but despite his dismissal of some of the themes from the first two films, he kept the nucleus of the musical identity intact through smart placements of recurring elements and, more importantly, the simple continuation of his distinct style of writing. Compared to the efforts of his successors, he undoubtedly had an unfair advantage in this regard. In truth, Doyle really began this trend towards dissolution, and it has been exacerbated by Hooper and now Desplat. Each composer seems intent upon leaving their own stylistic mark on the franchise without much regard (outside of studio demands that Hedwig's Theme be used) for the superior thematic templates (and stylistic mannerisms) created by Williams for the first three films. Some argue that the stories have become so dark that those original themes no longer apply. That's outright rubbish. These composers are professionals paid handsomely for their work on these assignments, and as such, they should be able to dazzle us with ways to manipulate the core themes of any franchise into intriguing new identities. Just because the hobbits in the The Lord of the Rings went through harrowing, life-altering challenges didn't mean that Howard Shore should abandon their core material at their darkest hour. The same applies to the Star Wars, Star Trek, and James Bond franchises and even "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica" more recently on television. Like the actors and their characters, thematic identities should change, mature, endure torture, and reach closure. Simply omitting them doesn't suggest closure. It suggests lazy composing or bad choices by a director. This final story needed Hedwig's identity in the most tragic of ways, both for the owl and the castle; Desplat could have jerked tears from the audience by using that theme in outwardly poignant fashion. The world around each of us can be shattered, sure, but the essence of our souls remains, and that is what these themes often speak to. Either Desplat doesn't subscribe to this notion (and forgot his own words) or the filmmakers encouraged him to take this path.

No matter the reasons for the seemingly widespread disappointment with Desplat's music for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, it's made even more unsavory by the album situation, which includes three separate releases within a month of the movie's debut. The regular commercial album contains three tracks less than the digital download release. A limited edition adds six more cues (to release almost all of Desplat's 100 minutes of music for the film) and provides the 5.1 DVD audio (a download option on the commercial album) in pressed form. Unfortunately, the limited collector's edition box is nowhere near the $65+ value it was initially retailed for. For enthusiasts (or apologists, if you prefer) of the score, a second CD with the six additional tracks is preferable in lossless, pressed form than downloaded. Those cues aren't particularly noteworthy in their thematic statements or instrumentation, however, and some of them weren't even incorporated into the final cut of the film. The extension of the villain's material in "Voldemort" is extremely sparse; the cue is mostly atmospheric and accomplishes no real sense of depth or dread, a significant letdown when placed in its position right after the movement of anticipation conveyed in "Snape to Malfoy Manor." The only interesting portion of "Grimmauld Place" is the opening, rather grim statement of the theme for the children, a brief fifteen seconds not heard in the film. Some of the material from "The Will" is fleshed out in "The Dumbledores," confirming these motifs as specific representations of the deceased headmaster. This cue is perhaps the most attractive of the bonus selections, touching upon some of Desplat's other motifs (including the title theme) while maintaining an engagingly soft, rhythmic tone. At the end of this cue and in the latter half of "The Tale of Three Brothers" (after some challenging choral dissonance that was partially dialed out in the picture), Desplat revisits his Deathly Hallows and Lovegood material on guitar, but in fragmented and not particularly alluring fashion. The single best highlight of the bonus material comes at the start of "Bellatrix;" this explosive 30 seconds is a monumental statement of Bernard Herrmann fright and finality in the stylistic language of Elliot Goldenthal, a remarkable outburst that unfortunately yields to mundane suspense material in the rest of the cue. Following "The Dumbledores" in the film is the choral song "My Love is Always Here," a voice-only recording of a unique theme of solace that is unquestionably lovely but once again causes thematic and stylistic continuity issues given that it doesn't relate on any level to the music around it. On the whole, these cues are not worth much interest from casual collectors. Tragically, the 5.1 DVD audio disc in the set does not include these bonus cues, an absolutely stunning decision in light of the product's price. The opening passage of "Bellatrix" could have been magnificent in a 5.1 spread.

Surprisingly, the 5.1 sound on the limited set (and via download) is not as impressive as hoped, either, failing to illuminate Desplat's complex sketching out of the score and sounding mashed towards the center channel during several of the score's most bombastic portions. That means that there isn't much special separation to correlate the listening experience with microphone placements. Given how intelligent the composer's writing tends to be, there was much hope that hearing the sections of activity spread appropriately throughout the soundscape would lead to a better appreciation of the composition itself. That did not happen, with the mix not only failing to expose previously buried lines in the music (or even highlighting the specialty instruments that were not emphasized in the basic stereo mix), but not even really boosting the ambience of the score to anywhere near the incredibly resounding, chill-inducing DVD audio presentations of Shore's The Lord of the Rings scores. In fairness to Desplat's score, this issue likely relates more to engineering technicalities, though the fact that all of the composer's scores are super-dry in their reverb levels (a perpetual detraction from his albums) certainly can't help. A singular oddity is the seeming restriction of the pulsating bass tone in "Sky Battle" to the left channel only. At least the DVD allows for forwarding within a track. The packaging of the set is flimsy, the vinyl actually not full sized and therefore not demanding a box of such large dimensions. The three discs (regular, bonus, and DVD) are provided in sleeves cut out of a cardboard sheet, not fastened in well enough to keep them from bouncing around in the box during shipment (expect one or more of them to spill out on your lap when opening the product). The vinyl inclusion will only appeal to a small crowd and no extensive notation (or even a new liner for a jewel case) is provided. A poster, two 35MM film cells, a printed autograph on a cue sheet, and a certificate denoting the number of the release (Filmtracks received #4,041 of 10,000) round out the disappointing package. Ultimately, the commercial nonsense of the limited edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 simply adds to the foul sense that some will associate with their disassociation with this score. The fact that over 4,000 of them presumably sold immediately for over $60 boggles the mind. While it's great to have 5.1 surround sound options on a score that is still quite strong when considered outside of the context of the franchise, a bad aftertaste is inevitable. Williams stated his desire to return and finish the franchise, but whether due to scheduling conflicts or the filmmakers' commitment to Desplat, the latter composer was quickly confirmed to be returning for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 in 2011. That news was received by many as though it were a minor tragedy, because continuity in circumstances like this cannot be overrated. Closure, please! @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Music as Written for the Film: ****
Music as Written for the Franchise: ***
Music as Presented on the Albums: **
Overall: ***

Bias Check:

For Alexandre Desplat reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.41 (in 32 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.22 (in 16,616 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

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