THE YOUNG VICTORIA PRODUCTION NOTES - Thecia

on-set he would often play Icelandic band Sigur Ros or even The Rolling Stones to create
a mood before a scene. He also gave each actor a particular song to listen to as
preparation for their role, including “The Best Is Yet To Come” by Frank Sinatra for Paul
Bettany’s Lord Melbourne, and the Cat Stevens classic “Trouble” for Emily Blunt’s
Victoria.
Says O’Sullivan, “Jean-Marc’s ear for music is terrific. One of the things that drew us to
him was his use of music in C.R.A.Z.Y. There are sequences in The Young Victoria that
are connected and carried through by music so deftly that you forget you’re watching a
period film. There is a stretch early on that’s about nine minutes long, all one piece of
music, that covers numerous scenes and plot points—it’s incredible because as we were
prepping the film, Jean-Marc already had found this piece of classical music and was
basically shooting with that in mind. The result is seamless. The combination of
Jean-Marc’s musical bent and Jill Bilcock’s experience on films like Moulin Rouge! made
for an amazing chemistry that really works well with Ilan’s score. The whole movie has a
pace and rhythm that comes from a very musical place. It’s a great help in telling this
story where so many of the emotions are sometimes repressed.”
Executive producer Colin Vaines had previously known Ilan Eshkeri and felt strongly that
he would be a perfect fit for the film. In working with Eshkeri, Vallée was able to find a
sharp, young talent who immediately responded to the same rock-and-roll vibe inherent in
the way the film was shot. “One of the first pieces we heard from Ilan was his
interpretation of Schubert’s “Swan Song,” which plays a key role in the film. Ilan saw how
Jean-Marc and Jill had structured these two intercutting scenes—one between Victoria
and a manipulative Melbourne, the other between lovelorn Albert and his brother—and he
just tied these scenes together so beautifully with this one piece of music, it was a
revelation,” O’Sullivan says.
Vallée and Eshkeri were very keen to have the music be fluid, so that a source piece can
subtly shift and become score, or vice versa, even before the audience realizes it. They
felt that this unusual approach to music in a period film would keep the viewer engaged
and unsure of where the music was coming from. Often times, a piece of source music is
referenced later in the score as an emotional touchstone for the audience, such as the
refrain from Schubert’s “Swan Song” which can be found hidden in a few moments of the
film when Albert is feeling alone or when Victoria is thinking of him but cannot be with him.
As reference points, Vallée talked to Eshkeri and his music producer Steve McLaughlin at
length about music ranging from the traditional, such as Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,” to
the extremely unique, such as Sigur Ros and the German pop singer Klaus Nomi. The
director was clear in his vision for a score that had energy and heart, without falling into
the traps of some other period films, where lutes and cellos underline every emotion.
The final piece of the music puzzle came in the form of a song performed by
Grammy-winner Sinead O’Connor. Entitled “Only You,” the love theme of the film is a
heartfelt, ethereal examination of what it means to find your soul-mate after being alone
most of your life. “It was very much in line with one of the overriding aims of the film,” says
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