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The Painted Veil
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Deutsche Grammophon
While Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard seem to have the market cornered when it comes to film soundtracks, it's nice to get a new kid on the block in that milieu. That new kid is French composer Alexandre Desplat, who first made a name for himself in 2003 with his affecting Golden Globe and BAFTA-nominated score for The Girl With The Pearl Earring. Since then, Desplat provided the soundtrack for Birth, Syriana and more recently, he found himself nominated for an Academy Award for The Queen. On his Golden Globe-winning score for The Painted Veil, Desplat shows why he may very well supplant the old film soundtrack guard. Elegant, poignant and filled with the finesse of a virtuoso, The Painted Veil perfectly captures the lush and harrowing setting of W. Somerset Maugham's romantic and painful novel set in the Chinese interior amidst an outbreak of cholera. While the main characters drift into discovery, Desplat's soundtrack chronicles their progression with a steady hand. From the lovely "River Waltz" to the ominous "Death Convoy" to the elegiac "The End Of Love," The Painted Veil is rich and satisfying work. Accompanied by superstar pianist Lang Lang, who is one of the freshest faces in classical music, Desplat's score is one of the finest of the year.
—Alex Green
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