The Shape of Water (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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Soundtrack album by Alexandre Desplat | ||||
Released | December 1, 2017 | |||
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Genre | Soundtrack | |||
Length | 76:23 | |||
Label | Decca | |||
Producer | Dominique Lemonnier | |||
Alexandre Desplat chronology | ||||
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The Shape of Water (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the Academy Award-winning film of the same name. It featured 26 tracks — most of the tracks were from the original score composed by Alexandre Desplat and some tracks are incorporated songs, being originated from the 1940s and 1960s as the film is set during the Cold War period. The film, directed by Guillermo del Toro, who also co-wrote the script with Vanessa Taylor, stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer.
Desplat initially intended to collaborate with del Toro for the stop-motion animated film Pinocchio, based on The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) by Carlo Collodi in late-2012, which went on development hell months after. The following year (or by early-2014), del Toro narrated the film's premise to Desplat and was shown a preview of the finished film, which left Desplat impressed and finding similar to a musical, he agreed to score for the film. Desplat took six weeks to write the film's music, which was a "tender, warm and fragile" score like love. Desplat extensively captured the sound of water for the film, and used piano and flutes, to create the "blurred underwater sound". Desplat, who thought the film as a "masterpiece", complimenting del Toro's filmmaking, said that "when the movie's that beautiful, it makes your life much easier. You just have to put your hands on it and it takes you anywhere you want."[1]
The album was released on December 1, 2017 by Decca Records in digital and physical formats, and was released on October 5, 2018 in vinyl.[2] The score received critical acclaim praising Desplat's minimalistic approach and melodious underscore. Desplat won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work in the film,[3] his second win after The Grand Budapest Hotel.[4] He further won the BAFTA Award, Critics Choice Award and Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Score", in addition to receiving numerous awards and nominations, including nominations for three Grammy Awards and a Satellite Award for Best Original Score.
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