It is now widely recognized that music is one of the major constituents in the structure of a movie plot. However, despite its paramount importance, music in cinematography hasn’t been thoroughly studied until the present day, because its relationship with the plot was considered to be rather more complementary than interpenetrating (Cohen 250). Moreover, it was wrongly assumed that the influence music exerts on the viewer was direct, i.e., that it was capable of imposing only the mood that had been predetermined by the director. Attempting to refute this claim, a series of recent psychological research projects have proved that music can arouse a whole range of unpredictable emotions, acting more subconsciously and comprehensively than it was previously supposed to (Ellis and Simons 15-17).
This essay is an attempt to elicit the integral role of music, not only in plot development but also in the audience’s perception of the director’s intention. Thus, the analysis will touch upon the significance of music in creating the overall mood of the movie, as well as its contribution to the movie’s pivotal message. The research will also try to prove the assumption that pictorial stimuli that are supported by carefully selected music can enhance the memorability of the key episodes of the movie, in comparison with the impression produced by the picture alone (Eschrich, Münte and Altenmüller 2).
The decision to choose Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998) for a case study is a nonrandom choice. The significance of both diegetic and non-diegetic music in shaping the plot of this movie is undeniable. Thus, we will try to give a bird’s-eye view of the role of the music in the story in general, and in the presentation of each character in particular.
The movie starts with a picture of the American flag waving in the air, accompanied by a patriotic melody. This technique is used to suggest the necessary mood for the viewer to be properly tuned to the perception of the subsequent scene, for the intensity of the emotional response is enhanced if the music precedes the episode rather than crowns it (Tan, Spackman and Bezdek 151).
The appearance of an old man’s shoes in close-up creates the effect of defeated expectancy, as the viewer cannot help wondering what is so heroic about this picture. Nevertheless, the continuity of the two episodes implies that the shoes here stand for the individual path to victory, patriotism, and happiness. This symbol makes us understand that the war, though a matter of national importance, concerned particular individuals who fought in it and won it.
The family of the man follows him, watching him in reverence, just as the viewer watched the flag. Thus, the director unites the image of the nation with that of the individual, supporting the idea that we should pay tribute not only to the government but to ordinary people who took part in military actions (De Luca 109).
After this introduction, the audience is immediately drawn to the edge of battle. From this time forward we are involved in unceasing military action. A group of soldiers, whose task is to save Private Ryan and return him to his mother (after all his brothers were killed in action), is heading to the destination, continuously followed by music. The pattern of its appearance suggests that the music is associated with femininity and feminine emotions that lead soldiers to deplorable consequences (Winters 240).
To prove this statement, it’s necessary to recollect the episodes in which diegetic music appears. One of the soldiers, Mellish, gets shot after he sings a song to himself, while another member of the group, Upham (actually having a great deal of feminine nuance in his character) fails to save his friends in combat right after the scene in which he translates the lyrics of the (playing) Edith Piaf’s song to the others. He gets engaged with the sublime melody to the point of not being able to perform his duties as a military man.
Another character, Captain Miller, is also haunted by the music (non-diegetic in this case), which appears at the moment of physical and emotional crisis. Clarinet and strings play in every scene that shows the captain losing control over his mind and body. His death is also accompanied by this music. It is neither aggressive nor heroic, though – the melody is rather slow in tempo, and detached, for its main goal is to show the estrangement between a peaceful former school teacher and the hostility of war.
Despite the fact that all the above-mentioned episodes emphasize the significance of the music theme in the plot development, the entanglement seems to be the most demonstrative. The first battle is music-free, but the death of one of the main characters is followed by a low sorrowful piano cluster. After that, we see the beach that is covered in blood and filled with dead bodies and fish – they share the same outcome. Soldiers are lying face down so that the viewer cannot see the agony of death in their eyes – the privacy of fear and suffering remains intact. The music is grand but grievous. Again, we see how the national is combined with the individual. Then the camera moves abruptly to an office, where several women are typing telegrams to the families of the deceased. It is the first time we see that music is incompatible with war and aggression.
This analysis allows us to conclude that music is a powerful constituent of the movie under discussion, whose main task is to emphasize that beauty, culture, and war are mutually exclusive, and that the ultimate goal of each death in the battle is an affirmation of peace and life.It is now widely recognized that music is one of the major constituents in the structure of a movie plot. However, despite its paramount importance, music in cinematography hasn’t been thoroughly studied until the present day, because its relationship with the plot was considered to be rather more complementary than interpenetrating (Cohen 250). Moreover, it was wrongly assumed that the influence music exerts on the viewer was direct, i.e., that it was capable of imposing only the mood that had been predetermined by the director. Attempting to refute this claim, a series of recent psychological research projects have proved that music can arouse a whole range of unpredictable emotions, acting more subconsciously and comprehensively than it was previously supposed to (Ellis and Simons 15-17).
This essay is an attempt to elicit the integral role of music, not only in plot development but also in the audience’s perception of the director’s intention. Thus, the analysis will touch upon the significance of music in creating the overall mood of the movie, as well as its contribution to the movie’s pivotal message. The research will also try to prove the assumption that pictorial stimuli that are supported by carefully selected music can enhance memorability of the key episodes of the movie, in comparison with the impression produced by the picture alone (Eschrich, Münte and Altenmüller 2).
The decision to choose Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998) for a case study is a nonrandom choice. The significance of both diegetic and non-diegetic music in shaping the plot of this movie is undeniable. Thus, we will try to give a bird’s-eye view of the role of the music in the story in general, and in the presentation of each character in particular.
The movie starts with a picture of the American flag waving in the air, accompanied by a patriotic melody. This technique is used to suggest the necessary mood for the viewer to be properly tuned to the perception of the subsequent scene, for the intensity of emotional response is enhanced if the music precedes the episode rather than crowns it (Tan, Spackman and Bezdek 151).
The appearance of an old man’s shoes in close-up creates the effect of defeated expectancy, as the viewer cannot help wondering what is so heroic about this picture. Nevertheless, the continuity of the two episodes implies that the shoes here stand for the individual path to victory, patriotism, and happiness. This symbol makes us understand that the war, though a matter of national importance, concerned particular individuals who fought in it and won it.
The family of the man follows him, watching him in reverence, just as the viewer watched the flag. Thus, the director unites the image of the nation with that of the individual, supporting the idea that we should pay tribute not only to the government, but to ordinary people who took part in the military actions (De Luca 109).
After this introduction, the audience is immediately drawn to the edge of battle. From this time forward we are involved in unceasing military action. A group of soldiers, whose task is to save Private Ryan and return him to his mother (after all his brothers were killed in action), is heading to the destination, continuously followed by music. The pattern of its appearance suggests that the music is associated with femininity and feminine emotions that lead soldiers to deplorable consequences (Winters 240).
To prove this statement, it’s necessary to recollect the episodes in which diegetic music appears. One of the soldiers, Mellish, gets shot after he sings a song to himself, while another member of the group, Upham (actually having a great deal of feminine nuance in his character) fails to save his friends in combat right after the scene in which he translates the lyrics of the (playing) Edith Piaf’s song to the others. He gets engaged with the sublime melody to the point of not being able to perform his duties as a military man.
Another character, Captain Miller, is also haunted by the music (non-diegetic in this case), which appears at the moment of physical and emotional crisis. Clarinet and strings play in every scene that shows the captain losing control over his mind and body. His death is also accompanied by this music. It is neither aggressive nor heroic, though – the melody is rather slow in tempo, and detached, for its main goal is to show the estrangement between a peaceful former school teacher and the hostility of war.
Despite the fact that all the above-mentioned episodes emphasize the significance of the music theme in the plot development, the entanglement seems to be the most demonstrative. The first battle is music-free, but the death of one of the main characters is followed by a low sorrowful piano cluster. After that, we see the beach that is covered in blood and filled with dead bodies and fish – they share the same outcome. Soldiers are lying face down so that the viewer cannot see the agony of death in their eyes – the privacy of fear and suffering remains intact. The music is grand but grievous. Again, we see how the national is combined with the individual. Then the camera moves abruptly to an office, where several women are typing telegrams to the families of the deceased. It is the first time we see that music is incompatible with war and aggression.
This analysis allows us to conclude that music is a powerful constituent of the movie under discussion, whose main task is to emphasize that beauty, culture, and war are mutually exclusive, and that the ultimate goal of each death in the battle is affirmation of peace and life.
Works CitedReferences
Cohen, Annabel J. “Music as a source of emotion in film.” Handbook of Music and Emotion: Theory, Research, Applications. Ed. In Patrik N. Juslin and John Sloboda. Oxford, 2011. 229-272. Print.
De Luca, Kenneth. “Spielberg’S Deus Ex Machina: Saving Private Ryan”. Poroi 4.2 (2005): 106-141. Web.
Ellis, Robert J. and Robert F. Simons. “The Impact of Music on Subjective and Physiological Indices of Emotion While Viewing Films.”. Psychomusicology: A Journal of Research in Music Cognition 19.1 (2005): 15-40. Web.
Eschrich, Susann, Thomas F Münte, and Eckart O. Altenmüller. “Unforgettable Film Music: The Role of Emotion in Episodic Long-Term Memory for Music”. BMC Neuroscience 9.1 (2008): 48. Web.
Tan, Siu-Lan, Matthew P. Spackman, and Matthew A. Bezdek. “Viewers’ Interpretations of Film Characters’ Emotions: Effects of Presenting Film Music Before or After a Character Is Shown”. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal 25.2 (2007): 135-152. Web.
Winters, Ben. “The Non-Diegetic Fallacy: Film, Music, and Narrative Space”. Music and Letters 91.2 (2010): 224-244. Web.