Atlantic Screen Group's Filmtrax today announced the worldwide digital release of renowned composer Harry Gregson-Williams' original motion picture soundtrack of The Zookeeper's Wife, an emotionally moving film directed by Niki Caro and based on the international bestseller of the same name. The album hits digital retailers March 31, concurrent with the film's debut, with the CD format coming June 9. Starring two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain, Focus Features' The Zookeeper's Wife tells the story of a real-life working wife and mother who became a hero to hundreds during WWII.
Music plays an integral role in The Zookeeper's Wife. Antonina Żabińska, a trained pianist, hides people from the Nazis in abandoned animal cages and tunnels, all the while bolstering their spirits with music and using specific classical pieces as alarm signals.
For The Zookeeper's Wife, Gregson-Williams has written an evocative deeply layered original score that becomes a character all of its own when united with the story and its relationships.
"Working with Niki Caro was both rewarding and invigorating because she continually urged me to play against the emotional landscape of the film. She wanted to celebrate the beauty and playfulness of the zoo, even in some of its darkest moments," said Gregson-Williams. "Woodwinds, piano, and vocals have a strong voice in this score, as I felt that they best communicated the tenderness of Antonina Żabińska (played by Jessica Chastain) and the fragility and uncertainty of war-torn Poland. I tried to design a delicate color palette to ensure that the music didn't overpower the emotional delicacy of the story and to further convey a sense of intimacy," continued Gregson-Williams.