Listen: Will Oscar remember Alexandre Desplat's score for 'Coco Avant Chanel'?

Had an opportunity to see Anne Fontaine's "Coco Avant Chanel" last night and while I can't review it at this time I will heap some praise on the gorgeous score by Alexandre Desplat you can already find online.

Desplat is a two-time Oscar nominee for his work in "The Queen" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," but his music has usually been hit or miss in my opinion with his score for "Lust, Caution" being his most memorable score to date -- before "Chanel" that is.  To say his music makes the movie wouldn't be fair to the strong performance from star Audrey Tautou or the beautiful work of cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne, but it's close.  Desplat's compositions will be heard by many moviegoers over the next few months as he's reunited with his "Golden Compass" director Chris Weitz for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," scored Wes Anderson's animated "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" (assuming that actually makes it to screens this year). 

Already released in most of Europe (and Asia this week), "Chanel" chronicles the life of the legendary fashion icon Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel before her career really took off.  It's done very well at the box office, particularly in France, but Sony Classics has strategically placed it right at the cusp of awards season with a Sept. 25 release in NY and LA. It's unclear how the film will be received overall, but with a suspected weak best actress pool, the "Amelie" star could certainly make the grade this year.  Of course SPC also has another Chanel flick, "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky" on it's release slate with Anna Mouglalis playing Chanel.  Whether that Chanel film is released before the end of 2009 remains to be seen.

In the meantime, check out a sample of Desplat's work in the video below or hear a wide range of his score in the film's official trailer embedded at top.

For constant updates on awards season, entertainment news and an few NBA rants or two, follow Gregory Ellwood on Twitter at Twitter.com/HitFixGregory