Movie Marathon!

We have watched a number of films this week, including The Best Years of Our Lives, High Noon, In the Heat of the Night, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and American Graffiti. Each film has its own particular musical feel. High Noon, for instance, has a very Americana feel - reminding the listener of the works of Copland. The Day the Earth Stood Still, however, has a more atonal sound, unsettling the viewers and forcing them to pay attention to the plotline. The dissonance present in its score (the likes of which would not be well received in a concert hall) promise the coming of some great, climactic event. The use of syncopation also builds up the tension in the film, throws the viewers / listeners and pulls them to the edge of their seats. The orchestration of this score is possibly just as alien to its listeners as the visitor from space is to the people of Earth. It is written for thirty brass instruments, four harps, four pianos, electric bass, electric violin, and two theremins. One of my favorite scores from this past week is High Noon. The score is brilliant as it is, with tones sounding for the ticking of the ever present clock (Interestingly enough, the pitch for the clock always started off on the pitch that is last left off at.). The crowning glory of the score is that there are no violins! Good on you Mr. Tiomkin! Prejudice apart, the lack of violins was a brilliant move on the composer's part. It reduced the cost of putting the music together and portrayed the correct imagery. The richer tones of the violas, cellos, and basses made the score darker, which fits better into the overall idea of the film. I also very much enjoyed the fact that the song sung at the beginning of the film gives away the entire plotline, and when one of the major plot points happens, the corresponding section of the song is played as the folks of the not so sleepy town do their business. The viewer knows what is going to happen thanks to the song, but he or she is still on the edge of her seat in excitement towards the end of the film.

Sorry it took so long to get this up properly, Dr. Berry. Internet blog sites and I don't seem to get along too well and I've been out of town where I wouldn't fix anything. Have a wonderful and restful weekend!