Josh Tatum
The
Sound of Silence
At
funerals there is often a moment of silence dedicated to remembering the loved
one. There is also often a time of song to uplift the soul and encourage the
downtrodden. Throughout history music has proven to be a crucial part of
life…but so has silence. I plan to examine the effect of music and silence in
film, and while music often elicits a greater response from people, silence is
perhaps the more important of the two.
There is
one thing that I long for in life: a soundtrack. If I could have one wish
granted it would be for my life to be accompanied by music. Mostly in the big
life events, but the every day moments would be nice as well. Sadly music does
not accompany our lives because we do not live in a fantasy world where such
things are possible. In movies, however, such things are in fact possible.
Movies most often represent a fantasy of some sort, and therefore typically use
film scores and soundtracks.
Films—and
more importantly directors—use music to supply a mood, to ask questions, to
create suspense, to capture and intrigue viewers at a different, deeper level
than they perhaps could without music. In an article on psychcentral.com,
Nathan Feiles states, “Music unquestionably affects our emotions.” There is no
need to go into the science behind it. Everyone knows it as true. It is what
causes us to well with pride when our national anthem is played. It is what
jerks tears from our eyes when Amazing Grace is sung. It’s what raises hope
when we hear Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. Inexplicable emotion.
Yes, it can be granted that some are affected more or less than others by
music, but nonetheless it moves us.
In
closely examining the films we watched over the semester, one can see an
intense mood-driving theme. One film in particular captures mood through music
perhaps more strongly than any other. In
the Mood For Love (ITMFL) by Wang Kar-wai examines the intricacies of an
affair. While the movie is not one I too much cared for, the use of music is by
far the greatest of all the movies we watched.
To me, the movie itself revolves around the two major songs: “Yumeji’s
Theme” composed by Shigeru Umebayashi and “Aquellos Ojos Verdes”
as sung by Nat King Cole. The two songs are rich with longing melodies and
saturated with emotion—something that I believe would have been missed without
these songs.
The
first instance of “Yumeji’s Theme” in the movie appears odd to me. The scene
includes no significant movement in the plot and it holds virtually no importance.
What is important is the “Theme.” Wang Kar-wai composed the scene in such a way
that places the song at the forefront of the viewer’s mind. Often movie music
sits in the background, adding ambience. This is not the case in ITMFL. The “Theme” cannot and will not
be ignored. It is so in your face with its heart melting repetition that it
immediately lodges itself in your brain.
What,
perhaps is even catchier is the second song of focus, “Aquellos Ojos Verdes.” This song comes at a
more seemingly important scene in the movie, but it doesn’t really matter
because the song is the only thing that does. The sweet vocals of Nat King Cole
are strikingly crisp in the dimly lit hotel hallway in which they are debuted.
The song is repetitious, much like the “Theme” except with an even richer,
deeper feel due to the vocals. Every time the song appears, it doesn’t matter
what is happening on screen. The song takes over and sends the very skyward. I
agree, the longing aspect of the song is reflected in the visual of the movie,
but if the song was not there, the mood would be gone with it. It just goes to
show that music really affects our emotions.
Stuart
Fischoff says it well in his article, The Evolution of Music in Film: “Music can be a subtle tool
with which to manipulate the audience or can dominate a film and, for franchise
fans, obscure mediocre scripts, uninspired direction and perfunctory acting
(e.g., Star Wars episodes I, II, and III)…Music creates mood. This is synesthesia
of sorts. We learn to connect a piece of music with an emotional event” (4).
Wang Kar-wai crafted a movie around music. That may not have been his
intention, but in my mind there is no other option. He came to the movie
without script and wanted to create a mood. The two songs already existed and
are therefore what creates the mood of the movie. The visuals add to the mood
the songs create; the warm colors, the risqué subject matter. The film would be
useless without the music. That is not, however, to say it cannot be done.
Dr. Fischoff goes on to
speak of a time when filmmakers tried to create without the aid of music. Directors wanted to keep film “pure” and
untainted. He concedes that the “rebellion” didn’t last long and most of the
movies fell flat. “No music is a problem when the film is flat, or worse, dead.
When a director needs the music score to fill in and enliven a dead script, we
may be painfully aware of music being used inappropriately, compensatively”
(2). The next film to discuss would be in the category of sans-music, however,
it would not be included as a “flop”. Li Yan’s Blind Shaft was an immaculate success—even without music. As has
been discussed previously, music in film asks and answers questions, it sets
mood and moves plot. The absence of music (or silence) creates nearly the
opposite effect.
Blind Shaft is a morally oblique movie. Even the end leaves one left with the
feeling that no questions were answered. The viewer is left to decide for him
or herself. Li Yan employs realism to the greatest degree. There is no music in
life telling us how to feel at a certain moment. There is no dark,
suspense-filled score leading us to understand that something bad is about to
happen. We are beautifully unaware of what the future holds and we are left to
decide what is right and wrong for ourselves.
Yes, music is wonderful and it creates intense mood. It can, however, be
unrealistic at times.
There is a reason why at
memorials we take moments of silence. Silence allows us time to think for
ourselves. Silence gives room for decision making, unbiased by emotion. We come
to our own conclusions without the fog of human feeling. When music enters our ears it sends us to
various moments of our lives, recalling old memories and sights. All of this is
good, but in real life we are not given a sound track. We come to hard times
and are forced to draw conclusions without a fanfare. There is no Amazing
Grace—only the sound of silence.
Works Cited
"Decency as Redemptive: A Review of Li Yang’s Blind
Shaft." hirchina.org. N.p.. Web. 8 Dec 2013.
<http://www.hrichina.org/en/crf/article/5577>.
Feiles, Nathan. "How Music Impacts, Helps Our
Emotions." psychcentral.com. N.p.. Web. 8 Dec 2013.
Fischoff, Stuart . "The Evolution of Music in Film and
its Psychological Impact on Audiences." n. page. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/abloom/tvf454/5filmmusic.pdf>.
James, Clive. "Yumeji’s Theme from “In the Mood for
Love”." clivejames.com. N.p.. Web. 8 Dec 2013.
<http://www.clivejames.com/video-finds/music/in-the-mood-for-love>.
Scovell, Adam. "Musical Parallels of In The Mood For
Love (Wong Kar-Wai)." Celluloid Wicker Man. N.p., 7 january 2013.
Web. 8 Dec 2013.
<http://celluloidwickerman.com/2013/01/07/music-parallels-of-in-the-mood-for-love-wong-kar-wai/>.
These videos demonstrate how much music affects the mood of a film
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