The Duke
(Digital)

MovieScore Media and Quartet Records presents: The Duke by George Fenton. Original score from the 2020 drama comedy feature film directed by Roger Michell, starring Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren and Matthew Goode, produced and released by Pathe UK, released by Sony Pictures Classics (USA) and Pathé (France).

MovieScore Media and Quartet Records presents: The Duke by George Fenton.

Original score from the 2020 drama comedy feature film directed by Roger Michell, starring Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren and Matthew Goode, produced and released by Pathe UK, released by Sony Pictures Classics (USA) and Pathé (France).

The Story: In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60 year old taxi driver, steals Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London.

The Score: “I was a child when the story told in The Duke actually happened, even though I can’t remember it. However, working on the film I frequently thought ‘there aren’t enough Kempton Buntons around now’ in any walk of life including my own – music. The wonderful eccentricity of the man against the backdrop of sixties Britain – so beautifully drawn in Roger Michell’s film. I tried to reflect that as well as the period and the social context in the sound of the score. It feels like an era of comparative simplicity and innocence. The story though is shot through with its own regrets about things unresolved and it’s that which finally lies at the heart of the film. I hope that comes through in the music too. We definitely need more Kempton Buntons and hopefully for me more films like The Duke.” – George Fenton

The Composer: The five time Academy Award-nominated composer George Fenton has been writing for the cinema for more than 40 years. For some, he is known for his powerful political biopics, such as Gandhi and Cry Freedom; for others, he is the man behind the spirited music of comedies like Groundhog Day and You’ve Got Mail, or the sensually charged Dangerous Liaisons and Final Analysis. Over his career, his list of regular collaborators include Richard Attenborough, Neil Jordan, Ken Loach, Terry Gilliam, Stephen Frears and Andy Tennant. In the field of television, Fenton had scored most of the classic David Attenborough documentaries, such as Blue Planet and Planet Earth, which had also been turned into successful concert series. MovieScore Media released Fenton’s score for Trevor Nunn’s Red Joan (2019) starring Dame Judi Dench and Sophie Cookson.

MMS22001 The Duke (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Music Composed by George Fenton
Release date (digital and CD from Quartet Records): February 25, 2022

“George Fenton’s cheerful score bubbles with playfulness” (The Hollywood Reporter)

“George Fenton’s jaunty score along with a groovy split-screen credit sequence have established the 1960s mood.” (Screen Daily)

( - MovieScore Media - )

MovieScore Media presents the soundtrack for comedy The Duke. The album contains the music composed by George Fenton.

MovieScore Media presents the soundtrack for comedy The Duke. The album contains the music composed by George Fenton.

The soundtrack is available digitally on February 25, 2020.

The Duke is directed by Roger Michell with Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode and Anna Maxwell Martin.

In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver, stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history.
Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly - he had long campaigned for pensioners to receive free television.
What happened next became the stuff of legend. Only 50 years later did the full story emerge - Kempton had spun a web of lies. The only truth was that he was a good man, determined to change the world and save his marriage - how and why he used the Duke to achieve that is a wonderfully uplifting tale. ….

More info at: Official Web Site Pathé

More info at: Composer George Fenton Official Site