Week 1

One of the most fascinating aspects of the reading for this week was mentioned when discussing the shift from silent film to film that included sound, the first of which was The Jazz Singer. The introduction and utilization of sound in pictures was thought of by many as taking away from the “dreamlike” nature of a film. As the author further explains, sound made films less open to interpretation. I found these statements particularly fascinating because I feel that they are extremely indicative of the early twentieth century/modern era. All forms of art, including literature, painting and music experienced a distinct shift in style and approach. The images and elements employed in Siegfried are a perfect example of the abstraction of silent films. By using a more abstract or surreal approach, more emphasis was placed upon the value and importance of personal interpretation in art above all else. As well as having a significant impact on the film music industry, I suppose I never realized the extent to which the addition of sound had on changing the entire film industry. As we witnessed in our viewing of Singing in the Rain, this change unnerved many who believed pictures with sound to be a less legitimate form of art (a theme illustrated in much of the movie, but specifically addressed in the scene in which the party-goers are shown an example of a talking picture). It was interesting to learn that what I had always considered a major and definite advancement was not viewed as such by all.

Though it somewhat embarrasses me to admit because I'm sure its something that other people have probably understood early on, the class discussion that had the most impact on me was learning about the significance of the Major and Minor chords in evoking the emotions of happiness and sadness. Learning about how the use of consonance and dissonance can appeal to the mind and the senses by invoking pleasure or discomfort was also interesting. Discovering the presence of these features in music made clearer so many things I had previously only subconsciously understood. Furthermore, I am impressed by the ability of a film composer to have such a firm grasp of ways in which to manipulate emotions as well as aid the viewer in experiencing a specific feeling. With that discussion, I feel that I better understood the psychology and physiology of music-- or at least the methods used to connect the viewer to the film music.

In keeping with the previous theme, I think that the two movies that played with my emotions the most were Jaws and Carrie. In the scene we watched in Jaws, the shark was not even shown but the music was completely successful in indicating his ominous presence and conveying fear. Though relying more on the dark tone and rapidly quickening tempo of the music accompanying the scene rather than the actual image of the predator, the viewer still feels fear and will continue to associate the shark's leitmotif with this emotion. In Carrie, the film score became most terrifying for me when the melodic music used during Carrie's acceptance of her crown and title as Prom Queen stops abruptly and changes to silence followed by a compulsive repetition of Carrie's thoughts and feelings of embarrassment. The screeching and dissonant sounds intensify as Carrie widens her eyes to pinpoint her target and continues her rampage of destruction and murder. Fear and dread are not only implied by the images of suffering both in the foreground and background, but also increased by the film score.

I know that I've far exceeded the word limit (oops), but I did want to mention that my two favorite movies of the week were The Jazz Singer and Singing in the Rain. The musical aspects that I liked most about the The Jazz Singer were the portions of audible singing and the nostalgic pieces used when the protagonist either wrote or visited home. Moreover, I was really impressed by the subject matter of a young man facing a choice between family/responsibility and his own dreams because I thought was somewhat unexpected and unique, but could resonate with audiences then and today. Singing in the Rain was fantastic and wonderful because of the physicality and energy of the musical numbers and historical aspects addressing the technological and historical revolution of talking pictures.