Composer Hans Zimmer is reuniting with director Steve McQueen on the upcoming historical drama Blitz. The film is written and directed by McQueen (Shame, Small Axe) and stars Saoirse Ronan, Elliott Heffernan, Harris Dickinson, Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clementine, Paul Weller, Leigh Gill, Stephen Graham, Mica Ricketts, Alex Jennings, CJ Beckford, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman and Sally Messham. The movie follows a 9-year-old boy in World War II London who – after being sent to safety in the English countryside – is determined to return home and finds himself in immense peril, while his distraught mother searches for her missing son. McQueen is also producing the project with Working Title Films’ Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner (Atonement, Les Miserables), New Regency’s Arnon Milchan (The Revenant, Birdman), Yariv Milchan (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and Michael Schaefer (The Martian, Birdman), as well as Anita Overland (The Beautiful Game) and Adam Somner (Licorice Pizza). Zimmer has previously scored McQueen’s last two theatrical narrative features, 12 Years a Slave and Widows. Blitz will premiere at this year’s BFI London Film Festival before opening in select theaters on November 1 and making its streaming debut on November 22 on Apple TV+.
Like the result or hate it, you can't deny that Zimmer really does try and break new ground with projects
It's been ten years since the latest scores from him that I have liked (Interstellar, Man of Steel, Amazing Spiderman 2). I did buy Blade Runner 2049, but haven't listened it too much... Of course I haven't heard everything he has composed, so I may be missing something.
I think he's been putting out some good scores lately, including THE CREATOR, which is the best thing he's written since INTERSTELLAR.
But BLITZ didn't do anything for me, after I've sampled it now. Comes nowhere near his other Holocaust scores in recent years, THE SURVIVOR and THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ. That's okay, not every new score can be a winner.
First, isn't nothing about the Holocaust, is about the bombings in UK in the first stages of WWII.
Second, the idea of Zimmer is evoke the 'child perspective' in those times (the track Munionettes is most like a horror track in a horror movie) about the experience of the bombings.
The Creator is a great score, nothing in comparasion, because it dosen't need to.
I saw the film at a screening a few week back. I really liked it, it's epic, Apple clearly gave McQueen a TON of money.
The score is incredibly effective in the film, but it's not really melodic or conventionally "Zimmer-y" for listening on an album.
This is one of the only conventional cues in the entire score:
It's definitely the cue I noticed most in the film, during a key sequence early on.
The album is only 36 mins - about half Zimmer and half the faux period pop pieces from composer Nicholas Britell.
I wonder if Britell was originally supposed to score the film itself. It's a bit strange that he created all the source music, which would have been written before filming, but not the score.
I think Brittell did the source/on set music and Zimmer the underscore.
James
Interesting, when I saw BLITZ, I assumed the songs were real period songs, so I was surprised to see Brittel's writing credits for them at the end. He did a great job.
Like the result or hate it, you can't deny that Zimmer really does try and break new ground with projects
It's been ten years since the latest scores from him that I have liked (Interstellar, Man of Steel, Amazing Spiderman 2). I did buy Blade Runner 2049, but haven't listened it too much... Of course I haven't heard everything he has composed, so I may be missing something.
And all the while, 2021's WONDER WOMAN 1984 is still out there, waiting to be rediscovered by film score fans, as it features some of the most thrilling and engaging music Zimmer has composed during the last ten years...
And all the while, 2021's WONDER WOMAN 1984 is still out there, waiting to be rediscovered by film score fans, as it features some of the most thrilling and engaging music Zimmer has composed during the last ten years...
As bad as the film was, there is a lot to love about Zimmer's work on Wonder Woman 1984, agreed. There is pure joy in it at times.
So many fans of WONDER WOMAN 1984. Except for a couple of highlight tracks, that didn't do much for me, I'm afraid. But I've liked several other scores in the post-INTERSTELLAR year: CHAPPIE, BR 2049, XPERIMENTS FROM DARK PHOENIX, REBUILDING PARADISE, ARMY OF THIEVES, DUNE 1+2, THE SON, THE SURVIVOR, THE CREATOR and THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ. So it's actually more rare that I DON'T appreciate new Zimmer scores, BLITZ being such an example. But I'm guessing it works wonders in the film. Will see it at some point.
