Summary
The film “Meet Joe Black” follows the character Joe Black (Brad Pitt) who is the embodiment of death, who, through reasons of his own (possibly boredom as indicated throughout numerous instances in the film) has chosen Bill Parish (Anthony Hopkins) as his guide on Earth. In exchange for his services, Bill gets an extension of his life on Earth so long as “Joe” remains entertained and amused by the events that surround the life of a normal person.
As the movie progresses audiences are shown how the gift of life, of the things most people take for granted, are in fact considered special by death since he himself has never experienced such events in the past. While it is obvious to audiences early on that Bill is slowly dying due to old age it is in his interactions with death that he truly shows the age and wisdom that he has garnered throughout his life.
There are two distinct sub-plots in the movie, the first entailing a romance between Joe Black and Susan (Claire Forlani) who is the daughter of Bill. Early on in the story, it is revealed that the body that death currently inhabits was previously alive and that particular person had interacted with Susan the day before and left an impression thus sparking a form of infatuation between the two which progressed in the case of Susan as she thinks that the person she met back then and the person she sees right now are one and the same.
The next subplot in the film involves the hostile takeover of Parish Communications (the company Bill started) by Bill’s right-hand man Drew who, in an underhanded fashion, is trying to subvert Bill’s influence with the company for his own gain. The culmination of the film’s series of events is a positive one wherein death, realizing he can never be with Susan since the one she loves is the body he currently inhabits, helps Bill subvert the actions of Drew and allows him to enter into the afterlife peacefully since not only has his company been saved but his daughter has been given back the love of her life by restoring the man back to the state he was in before death occupied his body.
Theme
While the central theme of the movie is the concept of death it must be noted that this only serves as the top layer of what the movie is truly about. The film explores the concept of life, how ordinary things are taken for granted, and details how love is not about appearances or status but is about sacrifice and dedication.
Exploration of the Content
While it may not be immediately obvious, the content of the movie itself is actually based on ancient Greek mythology, specifically the myth of the Greek God Hades and his abduction of Persephone. For example, when death states to Bill that he plans to take Susan with him when he departs are similar to the abduction scenario where Hades steals Persephone from her mother and takes her with him to the Underworld.
It must be noted that while the theme of the film itself is the concept of death the movie explores through numerous scenes the concept of life. Throughout the film, Bill’s knowledge of his eventual death influences his actions to such an extent that it influences viewers to think of their own mortality and what they themselves would do when confronted with their eventual death. Not only that, it is through the creation of the realization of one’s own mortality that the movie drives the message of the normal acts we take for granted.
The character of Joe Black shows through numerous instances his apparent fascination at the events we take for granted such as family dinners, eating ordinary food, and even the concept of parents. In a sense what the film is to impart is the notion that people should not take what they have for granted. All too often people seem to go through the motions of life seemingly unaware of the value of what they have. It is only when death, is staring them in the face (literally in the movie) that people tend to see the value of what they have.
As such it can be assumed that the movie itself is trying to help people realize the value in everyday life before having to encounter the possibility of death. In fact, it can be stated that the content of the film itself was designed in such a way as to relay the message that people often find regret in the actions they didn’t take when they realize their impending demise. As such, it relays the message that while a person has the time they should accomplish the actions they have neglected so as to die with no regrets since not all of us are as lucky as Bill Parish who was given an extension on his life to die with no regret.
Examining the Music of the Film
The music in the film is characterized by a hauntingly beautiful score as a result of the work of Thomas Newman whose compositions in films such as How to Make an American Quilt and Little Women are characterized by the same melodious and haunting quality seen in “Meet Joe Black”. His music often shows a certain restrained yet intense passion that often brings forth memories of lost loves, missed opportunities, and regret. In fact, it can even be considered that the music of Newman has a certain timelessness to it due to the fact that it is applicable to films in both the classical and new eras of filmmaking.
An examination of the score utilized in the film shows that it has certain dark undertones mixed in with the melodious quality of the song, this particular aspect is even more evident in the scenes involving Brad Pitt. As such it can be assumed that these undertones are a reflection of the fact that it is death himself who is in the scenes, while the film itself is not violent and lacks any portrayal of true fear the fact that such subtle dark undertones are used is to give audiences an indication that all is not what it seems and that there is some form of hidden danger from the scene itself.
It must be noted that the disguised characteristic of death in the film is also reflected in the disguised quality of the dark undertones in the score since it doesn’t outright portray impending doom but rather subtlety hints at it at the very edges of the song. This particular style is all the more evident when showing the mortality of the character of Parish wherein the darker undertones of the score are far more prominent in the scenes where he thinks back on his life and tries to accomplish his final actions in the last days of this life.
Another factor to consider is that along with the dark undertones in the score there is a certain inclusion of a feeling of the mystical and magical in the music. This inclusion is of course purposeful since not only is the movie about the embodiment of death in a human body (which can be considered magical) it is also mystical in the sense that a large part of the plot is based on the ancient Greek mythology of the kidnapping of Persephone by Hades.
The main theme itself contains certain characteristics of being ethereal, earthy, and dark which through the full tones of the theme helps to lay sufficient grounding for the portrayal of the character’s emotions. In fact, it can be said that the main theme of the movie itself provides a kind of thematic link between the various lessons on death, life, regret, and the afterlife that the movie is trying to impart to viewers.
Upon further listening to the various scores utilized in the film it can be interpreted that based on the romance between the characters of Susan and Joe that the score itself is based on classical romantic music. This is evidenced by the usage of deep string music in scenes portraying deep frenetic emotion coupled with the use of bells and horns in order to portray the apparent magic of love in scenes involving Susan and Joe.
It must be noted that the orchestra has a certain frantic action to it wherein the dark undertones mentioned earlier hint at the darkness of Jo and the doomed nature of his love for Susan. Overall the music in the film when the thought of as a whole actually represents the doomed love of Susan and Joe, the magical and mystical quality mentioned earlier is similar to what one would consider love at first sight yet the dark undertones are evidence of the futility of the romance wherein due to impassable barriers and their different natures their love was never meant to be.