Oscar-Nominated Composer Patrick Doyle Composes an Egyptian-Tinged Score for ‘Nile’

Oscar-nominated composer Patrick Doyle (Sense and Sensibility, Hamlet) began his career as an actor, appearing in Hugh Hudson’s Oscar-winning Best Picture of 1981 Chariots of Fire. Yet, after meeting and becoming friends with actor/writer/director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle pivoted and kicked off what would ultimately become an extraordinary career in film composition with Branagh’s Henry V.

Doyle went on to compose nearly all of Branagh’s films, including Hamlet which brought him his second Oscar nomination. Other notable, non-Branagh films include Sense and Sensibility (first Oscar nomination), Gosford Park, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Brave, among many others.

Doyle’s newest project is another Branagh film, the star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery Death on the Nile. After previously scoring Branagh’s earlier Christie adaptation Murder on the Orient Express, Doyle created a completely new sound for the Egyptian-influenced film. His breathtaking score includes compositional nods to the film’s local and helps amp tension throughout the film.

Here, in a conversation with Awards Daily’s Clarence Moye, Patrick Doyle talks about his long-term partnership with Kenneth Branagh, its beginnings and its continued collaborative flair. He talks about how he captured the sounds of the Nile without explicitly altering his personal style. Finally, he reveals whether or not the score will give viewers clues as to the killer’s identity.

Death on the Nile drops in theaters Friday, February 11.