The Films are Alive with the Sound of Music

One of the most memorable parts of a film is usually different things for various people. While the story may be the best part of Shawshank Redemption for some, I may insert that the specific character of Andy Defresne made the film what it was. However, something that many people will notice with a film is the music; it can command the film, it can weave in between the scenes, or it can subtly linger in the background of the story. Whatever the reason, films, not even musicals, have the ability to tell their stories or set the tone through music.

The following films have, what I believe to be, the best soundtracks in film. This is not to argue that these are the best films, or that they contain the best music. These films have the superlative example of bringing music into a film to set the tenor and connect to the audience.

The Big Chill – “There is no other music, not in my house.”

The Big Chill tells the story of a group of old college friends coming together at the funeral of one of their fellow friends after his suicide. The friends discuss various things as they stay together for the weekend, including their lives now and the lives they had when they were young radicals in college in the 60s. The music of the film stays near the classic Motown style, venturing off in some places to play bands such as Credence Clearwater Revival, The Beach Boys, and The Rolling Stones.

The film begins with the song “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night, which is sung by one of the friend’s son as he gives him a bath. It shows how, even though the younger generation that lived in the 60s is older, their ideas and music still live on in their children. The Motown feel of the song comes in as “Heard in Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye plays as each friend finds out that their friend had just killed himself; it effectively plays into what is going on (hearing something through the grapevine) while also bringing each character back to when the song was popular and they were young. The next song, and probably most famous, is when “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stone is played at their friend’s funeral because it was his favorite song.

The film continues with the older music, and not just as part of the soundtrack. As they sit around talking, one of the characters, Harold, insists that they play his music, the older music. Another friend asked if they could play something newer, to which Harold responds “there is no other music, not in my house.” It may argue that Harold does not wish to give up the past life; however, as is learned through dialogue later, it is simply because Harold looks at it as a good time in his life and likes remembering it as that. His friends, on the other hand, view the music and each other as a reminder of who they used to be, compared to the people they are now.

The film does a wonderful job of ushering in the nostalgia that the friends feel by playing the old music they used to listen to as college kids. It’s almost as if the music brings back memories to the characters, and gives the audience a feel of what they used to be like, without even telling you everything.

Pulp Fiction – “Unlike so many soundtracks…”

As it is with many of Tarantino’s films, the music is one of the most important parts. He reminds us of this by putting music into the most important scenes and making it unforgettable music at that. And he does this at it’s best in Pulp Fiction.

The film begins with two small-time crooks robbing a restaurant. Just as the girl crook screams her famous line “any of you fucking pricks move, and I’ll execute every motherfucking last one of you,” the scene ends abruptly for a version of “Misirlou” by Dick Dale. This surfer style song sets the tone for the rest of the film, with its intense guitar and brash sounds; it holds in it the style of Tarantino himself.

Another notable song in the film is “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry, which Mia and Vince dance to in the famous Rack Rabbit Slim’s Twist Contest. Though the song may not fit in well with the other songs on the soundtrack, it is the perfect song for that one scene in the film. It’s 50s style tempo and beat made it the perfect song to dance to in a 50s theme restaurant, and the lyrics of the song itself does a good job of foreshadowing what is to come: “’C’est la vie’, say the old folks, ‘it goes to show you never can tell’.” This could be reference to what will happen in the next scene, when Mia overdoses on heroin. You never can tell what Tarantino’s plot will do.

An article in Time Union on Record Reviews had a beautiful explanation for why the music in Tarantino’s films stuck out more than most:

“Unlike so many soundtracks, which just seem to be repositories for stray songs by hit acts regardless of whether they fit the film’s mood, Tarantino’s use of music in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction exploded with a brash, Technicolor, pop-culture intensity that mirrored the stories he was telling. (1)”

Garden State – “You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear.”

As the directorial debut of actor Zach Braff, the film Garden State was not what people expected it to be. Zach Braff was known for his comedic role in the show Scrubs, so when the melancholy film emerged from the writer, star, and director’s head, people were surprised by its odd style and tone.

The film begins with Zach Braff’s character, Andrew, having a nightmare about a plane crash; however instead of screaming like the other passengers, Andrew sits quietly, unable to react. He wakes up in his cold, emotionless white room to a message from his father telling him his mother is dead. Again, Andrew is unable to react and the film begins with the song “Don’t Panic” by Coldplay. It may seem like a strange song to use, but it fits in perfectly with the scene and sets the tone for the whole movie. As Andrew drives to work, the song plays as if as a reminder that his is not able to panic, and also to argue the main line of the song “we live in a beautiful world.” It’s a world that Andrew really isn’t able to see.

This is until he meets Sam, a young and quirky girl who introduces him to a new band, The Shins. She asks him if he’s ever heard of them and when he says no, she puts her headphones on him, saying “you gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear.” The song that is playing is called “New Slang,” a slow song with guitar and tambourine that exemplifies the original style of The Shins. Andrew seems taken by the song, and by Sam, as he looks at her while the music is playing.

The rest of the film plays host to a strange assortment of songs by artists such as Simon & Garfunkel, Remy Zero, Iron & Wine, and Frou Frou. Separately, they would seem like the strangest songs to put into a soundtrack for a film; however when you sits and watch the film or listen to the soundtrack all together, the music could not mesh more perfectly. They all take on a slow, almost downhearted tone, yet all still have a hint of uplift in them. The film and music shows how shitty life can get, but that there are redeeming qualities that we have to grasp onto.

Jane Eyre – The Song of Bertha Rochester

Another type of soundtrack that is important to discuss is the soundtrack that does not consist of a compilation of songs that are pulled together to fit the film, but has music specifically made for it. This music or score is usually without lyrics and serves to be played throughout the film, in the background, and sets the tone of a film more than any other type of soundtrack. The best type of this soundtrack is the music of the newest film version of Jane Eyre.

The film’s music is dark and depressing to say the least, so that it can show the miserable life of Jane Eyre. The music weaves in between her life without her parents, being bullied by her cousins, living in a strict and religious school, and losing her best friend to illness. The only time that the music changes is when she goes to Townfield hall to work as a governess and meets Mr. Rochester, the man that would change her life. Whenever she is around Mr. Rochester or thinking about him, the music changes to something a little more lighthearted. It reaches its happy climax when Mr. Rochester asks her to marry him. The music that follows during their engagement is of peaceful bliss as Jane is finally given something she loves.

However there is a dark side to the music that the audience may not notice until watching is a second time. A certain song is played throughout the film at certain moments. It is played when Jane arrives at Thornfield, when she hears something outside of her door one night, and when Mr. Rochester plays it half-heartedly on the piano, hitting each key with one finger while lost in thought. We find out later in the film that this dark little melody is actually a favorite song of Mr. Rochester’s secret wife, Bertha. When Jane finally meets her on what she thought would be her wedding day, Bertha hums it softly in a mad daze. The audience finally sees that this song that had played throughout the film not only foreshadowed Bertha’s presence, but showed that Bertha was always there, in the background and in Mr. Rochester’s thoughts.

The film ends on a beautiful song which is completely different from the melancholy music of the beginning or the happy music that played during Jane’s engagement. It is slow and simple and is shown during the scene when Jane and Mr. Rochester are reunited after many years. It may sound in melody, similar to their music during the engagement, yet it is sweeter and softer. It plays like it is their song, yet shows that everything that has passed between them has finally come to an end and they are together without complications. It serves as a happy ending that may not be what the audience thought, but is happy nonetheless.

 

 

Bibliography, for your pleasure:

(1)   http://alb.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=5844843