美国国家公共电台 NPR--Alexandre Desplat scores 'joyous melancholy' in Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio'

Alexandre Desplat scores 'joyous¹ melancholy²' in Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio'

Transcript³

Darkness was bound to find its way into Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. The tale of the long-nosed wooden puppet who wants to become a boy is one for all times. But in an era when truth is once again sacrificed on the altar of political expediency⁴, this version of the tale hovers⁵ constantly between joy and sadness. And so does the music.

"I would call it a happy melancholy or joyous melancholy," composer Alexandre Desplat told NPR's Rob Schmitz as he related his inspirations. "That's why I love Mozart. Because Mozart has this bi-dimensional or multi-dimensional quality. It's never happy or never sad. It's just both. And when I think when music is good, it has both qualities."

Desplat's lush score brings into sharper focus the range of scenes and emotions on the screen. He could have easily resorted to a full symphony orchestra but instead opted⁷ for a softer sound by limiting himself to wood instruments, including woodwinds and percussion⁸ instruments, a piano, harp⁶, mandolin and guitar.

It's the kind of creative challenge embraced by the composer, who limited himself to small instruments for Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).

"I always like to challenge myself when I start on a score and trying to find the musical color, the musical sound that will really stick to the film and belong to the film," Desplat explained. "Having this little boy made of wood ... and Geppetto, who is a woodworker, there was something about the wood that I could maybe explore."

The sweetly melancholic⁹ "Ciao Papa" — Pinocchio's farewell to his home and his father — has already garnered¹⁰ the film a Golden Globe nomination¹¹ for best original song, and the feature also grabbed nods for best original score and best animated¹² motion picture.

When the puppet first comes to life, he soon bursts into song about how "Everything is New to Me" — utterly¹³ gleeful as he shatters and destroys everything within reach.

"He's just out there ready to do anything. He has no fears. And that opens to the range of being mysterious, having always a great sense of humor," Desplat said. "That's a connection between Pinocchio and children when they see the film, because I've heard many children watching the film having fun [in] these sections of the film songs where Pinocchio doesn't respect anything."

Mexican director del Toro — co-directing with Mark Gustafson on this project — has left his unmistakable stamp, infusing the 19th-century story with his trademark¹⁴ dark fantasy found in previous, Oscar-winning films like Pan's Labyrinth¹⁵ (2006) and The Shape of Water " (2017) — the latter also scored by Desplat. Part of how del Toro achieves that is by setting the story from World War I to the years leading to World War II in a fascist¹⁶ Italy led by Benito Mussolini.

"It's a deep, deep story and the context in which the movie is set is ... really fascism," Desplat explained. "You have to take that seriously, but without being heavy."

During the fascist section of the film, songs performed by the cast are largely replaced by anthems¹⁷ or military marches. Toward the end, Pinocchio (voiced by Gregory Mann) disparages¹⁸ Mussolini while performing for him, in a song laden¹⁹ with toilet humor that's called "Big Baby Il Duce March."

Desplat's nickname for the tune²⁰? "The poop march." That word is repeated throughout, prompting the diminutive²¹ dictator (around 5 feet 7 inches) to order his cronies to kill the puppet.

Unlike Disney, Del Toro based much more of his story on the original 1883 novel by Carlo Collodi, adding depth and complexity²².

Desplat criticized Disney for oversimplifying stories like Bambi and Pinocchio. "In the same way, Guillermo made his own story ... to remind the world the history that we've gone through, that our parents went through, and the danger of fascism."

While in the grips of scheming puppet master and ringmaster Count Volpe, Pinocchio manages to enroll²³ the help of ill-treated monkey Spazzatura. The simian²⁴ is voiced — wordlessly, through screechy²⁵ vocalizations — by two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. (Spazzatura means "garbage" in Italian.)

Del Toro is "able to somehow Trojan-horse these really big discussions about fascism and humanity into a really entertaining movie that's going to spark conversation," Blanchett said, according to Netflix press materials. "I think it's about curiosity and humility²⁶ and the death of innocence²⁷, the loss of innocence, and about the deep love, the abiding²⁸ love between people and it's a real true adventure."

The Mussolini-ordered shooting is one of the many deaths Pinocchio experiences. After each death, he is sent to the underworld, where he meets chanting and joking blue-violet hares who double as graveyard²⁹ workers, and Death embodied³⁰ as a sphinx, with whom he shares existential musings.

"The one thing that makes human life precious and meaningful, you see, is how brief it is," says the sphinx, as she picks up a handful of sifting³¹ sand that quickly runs out of her paw.

Tilda Swinton, who voices both Death and her sister, the Wood Sprite — who gave life to Pinocchio — praises del Toro's "cineaste" decision to "go full artisan" on the film. "We all have beautiful memories of stop motion from our childhoods, and he's making it all the more magical for a new generation," Swinton said, according to Netflix.

A team of more than 40 animators shot the film for more than 1,000 days. The longest shot takes place in Geppetto's bedroom and involved nearly 700 frames. Pinocchio is also Del Toro's first animated feature film, in a career that already spans three decades.

The darker sides of the story are balanced by plenty of humor and poignant³² reminders³³ that "life is such a wonderful gift." That line is spoken by Pinocchio's companion, Sebastian J. Cricket (voiced by Ewan McGregor), who lives in the wooden boy's "heart."

There's a song the cricket keeps trying to sing. It sounds like the beginning of a sweeping³⁴, epic³⁵ Broadway number, but each time he starts, something catastrophic happens to him, and it's always cut short. We only hear it in full after the film ends, as the credits roll.

"We wanted the songs and most of the music to sound as if it was organic to the film," Desplat explained. " The film is really set in a time in the '20s, '30s, and we didn't want the songs or the score to sound contemporary in a way that it would be a pop song, with a pop kind of rock and roll drum kit³⁶."

The director and composer also worked intently to make the music match what the viewer sees.

At the start of the story, Geppetto (voiced by David Bradley) has a young son, Carlo. A dropped missile kills the boy as he runs into a church to retrieve³⁷ a pine cone³⁸. Years later, the grief-stricken, aging carpenter chops down a pine tree that grew out of Carlo's pine cone and carves a wooden puppet that becomes Pinocchio. Creating Pinocchio thus emerges from deep pain, while Geppetto is in a drunken rage.

It takes the rest of the film for Geppetto to finally realize he was trying to bring Carlo back to life through the wooden puppet but that, ultimately, Pinocchio has his own distinct, mischievous³⁹ personality that he can learn to embrace. "You are not, nor will you ever be a real boy like Carlo," as the sphinx explains to Pinocchio. That is, at least, until Pinocchio makes the ultimate sacrifice to save his father.

1 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

2 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 expediency   

n.适宜；方便；合算；利己

参考例句：

• The government is torn between principle and expediency. 政府在原则与权宜之间难于抉择。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was difficult to strike the right balance between justice and expediency. 在公正与私利之间很难两全。 来自辞典例句

5 hovers   

鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovers in the sky. 一只老鹰在天空盘旋。
• A hen hovers her chicks. 一只母鸡在孵小鸡。

6 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

7 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

8 percussion   

n.打击乐器；冲突，撞击；震动，音响

参考例句：

• In an orchestra,people who play percussion instruments sit at the back.在管弦乐队中，演奏打击乐器的人会坐在后面。
• Percussion of the abdomen is often omitted.腹部叩诊常被省略。

9 melancholic   

忧郁症患者

参考例句：

• A absurd tragedy accompany a melancholic song by the Tiger Lillies. 一出荒诞的悲剧，在泰戈莱利斯犹豫的歌声中缓缓上演。
• I have never heard her sing a melancholic song. 我从来没有听她唱过忧伤的曲子。

10 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

11 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

12 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

13 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

14 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

15 labyrinth   

n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路

参考例句：

• He wandered through the labyrinth of the alleyways.他在迷宫似的小巷中闲逛。
• The human mind is a labyrinth.人的心灵是一座迷宫。

16 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

17 anthems   

n.赞美诗( anthem的名词复数 )；圣歌；赞歌；颂歌

参考例句：

• They usually play the national anthems of the teams at the beginning of a big match. 在大型赛事开始前，他们通常演奏参赛国国歌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rise please, rise for the anthems of & . 请全体起立，奏和两国国歌。 来自互联网

18 disparages   

v.轻视( disparage的第三人称单数 )；贬低；批评；非难

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country. 聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She often aggrandises herself and disparages her colleagues. 她经常吹嘘自己而贬低同事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

20 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

21 diminutive   

adj.小巧可爱的，小的

参考例句：

• Despite its diminutive size,the car is quite comfortable.尽管这辆车很小，但相当舒服。
• She has diminutive hands for an adult.作为一个成年人，她的手显得非常小。

22 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

23 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

24 simian   

adj.似猿猴的；n.类人猿，猴

参考例句：

• Ada had a wrinkled,simian face.埃达有一张布满皱纹、长得像猿猴的脸。
• Curiosity is the taproot of an intellectual life,the most valuable of our simian traits.好奇是高智生命的根源，也是我们类人猿特征中最有价值的部分。

25 screechy   

adj.声音尖锐的，喜欢尖声喊叫的

参考例句：

• I haven't heard her young screechy voice. 我一直没听见她那稚声稚气的尖嗓门。 来自互联网

26 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

27 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

28 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

29 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

30 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 sifting   

n.筛，过滤v.筛( sift的现在分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审

参考例句：

• He lay on the beach, sifting the sand through his fingers. 他躺在沙滩上用手筛砂子玩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was sifting the cinders when she came in. 她进来时，我正在筛煤渣。 来自辞典例句

32 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

33 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

34 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

35 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

36 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

37 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

38 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

39 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。