Music and film have been intertwined since film's inception. Silent films should not be undermined because they are old and you can't hear what the actors are saying. The musical scores of silent films are what drove the emotion, 'The Phantom of the Opera', 'Wings', 'Nasferatu', 'The Tramp', these are still great movies. They are made well, yes, but they all utilize music in the best ways possible. Scores throughout time have made us cry, as with 'Casablanca' and they've made our hearts beat out of our chests a la 'Psycho'. In the last 30 years one man has made himself known to us all, even if you don't know his name. John Williams is the king of the musical score, if you don't believe me try watching any of these on mute:
JAWS
Star Wars
Indiana Jones
Superman
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Harry Potter
Heck, the 'Superman' DVD has a feature where you can watch the movie with only the musical score. John Williams is also the most nominated living person in the history of the Academy Awards. Other composers, like Danny Elfman (Batman, Pee-Wee, Spiderman) have also moved us with their thrilling scores. They are, in my opinion, our Beethoven's, our Mozart's. These movies would be far less superior without the pivotal role of the musical score. But does a movie need an original score to be great? Of course not.
When Quentin Tarentino utilizes a song, you'll remember it forever: 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Pulp Fiction', and most recently his 'Death Proof' are great examples. Other films are made by the use of generational soundtracks, like 'American Graffiti' or 'Dazed and Confused'. They are basically the same movie, only twenty years apart, and nothing makes them more different than the music. I know I'm not the only person who thinks: 'If my life were a movie, this song would be in it.' You can be visually moved in one way, but music can enhance that, and vice versa. If someone mentions 'Singin' in the Rain', I could think of Gene Kelly and smile...or I could think of 'A Clockwork Orange' and shudder. I would touch on musicals, but that's another post altogether, just remember to enjoy the music in a film as much as you enjoy the soundtrack to your own life.
The Movie Doc
1 comment:
sweet blog dude! Which Indiana Jones? There is no way I could watch the temple of doom without sound...wait I take that back it might be better without sound since it was the only crappy indy movie! Keep up the blog, it will bring back memories of the good old days...lounging in the basement on the denim couches watching movies, play vids, drinking coca-cola, and eating popcorn.
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