Music in Movies

What music inspires you?

Music is a powerful tool used in the movies to help manipulate the audience to feel what the director wants conveyed:   sadness at loss (Romeo and Juliet theme), joy at triumph (Rocky's "Gonna Fly"),  tension when being chased (the chaotic piano banging in The Fugitive).  There are some music segments made so famous in the original movie that they can never be used in anything else, from the likes of Psycho, and the opening credits from Star Wars and Indiana Jones, to name a few (even at the mere mention of these movies you might find yourself humming one of the tunes).

Some movie characters have their own few bars of music, like the obvious Darth Vadar.   I worked this out one night when my husband and I listened to (not watched) the movie Dave through our stereo while lying in bed.  If you want to have a fun time using your recall skills, try this sometime.  Find a favorite movie of yours and just listen to it (it's also fun for the kids).  One of our favs is Dave.  We quote lots of lines from it, but the music is not too memorable.  But when we just listened to it, we noticed that there were several characters that had their own theme that played when they entered the scene.  I was able to isolate the music and really pay attention to it.  I have yet to do this with another movie, but I'd like to try it on an action flick and see how music is used to bring the heart level up.

It would also be fun to do the opposite.  Watch a movie with just the dialogue, no music.  Imagine Jaws without those famous two notes or Beaches without Wind Beneath My Wings.  It just wouldn't be the same, would it?  We wouldn't be as scared or crying as much. Or perhaps we'd be left feeling uncomfortable.  I watched the dramatic French film "Incendies" not long ago and one thing I noticed was the lack of music within the film.  It didn't use music to milk the emotions or pad the dialogue. The movie had enough tension, drama, and devastation brought on by the plights of the main characters. Their stories made you squirm and feel exhausted by the time you were done watching. I think the absence of music was very effective in this case.   On the other hand,  I appreciated the movie The Artist for the use of its music.  It was a black and white silent film, so a lot depended on music, scenery and facial expressions to bring across the movie's plot.  It was done beautifully without being over the top.

Tonight I watched the last scenes in The King's Speech just so I could hear one of my favorite pieces of music:  "Symphony no. 7 in A Major: Allegretto" by Beethoven.  This music inspires me.  It makes me want to listen to it over and over again (I usually play it several times so I can really soak it in).  It makes my heart soar and I'm convinced that it's God-inspired.  When I saw this movie in the theatre, there were tears running down my face during the particular scene when King George VI is giving his first wartime speech.  Seeing Colin Firth's fear and insecurity, Geoffrey Rush's guidance, Helena B-C's hope, a nation holding their breath while listening to their unsure monarch, all while this fabulous music was slowly leading to a crescendoing triumphant finish rendered me speechless.  There really haven't been too many times in my movie watching life where I have thought that a particular scene and its music went so well together as in this scene.  I thought the whole movie was brilliant, but this scene gave it the Oscar for me.


So what is it about music that inspires us?   Think of some of the movie soundtracks you listen to.  What makes them so enjoyable?  How did the music add to the movie? Have you ever found any music in a particular not suitable or distracting?                  Let's talk movies and don't forget the popcorn!