The Kiterunner

I enjoyed Kiterunner. I had heard of the book before but I did not know there was a movie. The movie is filled with Middle Eastern theme music to match the cultural ties, time and place. The music contains authentic Middle Eastern instruments and vocals. I enjoyed these original sounding instruments and vocals and I wondered what instruments were used. The music connects to the setting of markets, the dress and scenery in the film. This music somewhat reminds me of Slumdog Millionaire, with the authentic music matching the time and place. The music is primarily underscore with some diagetic in a movie they watch. The music somewhat moves with the kites and an energetic, moving sound. The music also climbs with the excitement of the boys and the crowds and the mystery of who will win the kite race.
There is a fairly good amount of music as transitions, in exciting and emotional times, when there is no speaking and when the people are moving.

Big Fish

I enjoyed the imagination and adventure of Big Fish very much. Big Fish starts with an orchestral underscore. It builds some the gives a more tense and inclined mood. When he narrates, an underscore plays. When the scene is about the tension between him and his father the music has a tense feel. As he tells the fictional story of his birth, made by his father, the music is goofy with acapella vocals. Underscore music plays through the flashbacks of stories told by his father. The music helps to narrate of the storyline and give excitement, adventure and intensity to the stories. Some of the music within the adventure stories reminded me of Harry Potter and also To Kill a Mockingbird, when Jem and Scout sneak over to Boo Radley’s house. The music during the present time with his dad is mainly string underscore that is more sympathetic and clam. There is a large amount of music, primarily underscore besides the vocal church music and festival country music, throughout the film, giving it a classic Hollywood characteristic.

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves music was written by John Barry and completed in 1990. Dances with Wolves is well-acclaimed for the music score with winning seven Academy Awards including Best Picture Oscar and Best Music Oscar. The film is set during the civil war time in the west. The music portrays traditional western roles. It also helps to portray the Indian, savage image with ritual, tribal music. Costner, the director, researched traditional Native American music in order to accurately represent the Indians. The music does a good job of setting the feel of the Civil War times and conflict between the whites and the Native Americans.

The Color Purple

I enjoyed the movie. It is filled with emotion and drama, filled with African American historical oppression during slavery days. The film started off with a string underscore with a pleasant country theme as the two girls were running and playing through the fields, with their playful giggling. This beginning reminded me of the similar beginning to To Kill a Mockingbird with playful music and giggling. When the scene went into the birth and their father took away the baby the music became dark and sober. This darker music is heard with their master. There was diegetic hymn spiritual music played during the wedding. During scenes with the children when they are learning to read and playing together, the pleasant country music comes back, creating a light, playful, friendly sound. The film consists of a large amount of string underscore. I believe the music creates a county, simplistic theme. The sadder parts of the film have a more dramatic string underscore.

E.T.

I had seen E.T. before, many years ago when I was a kid. It scared me a lot then and it still kind of gave me the frights this time. The movie opens with mysterious, creepy music where you first see E.T. I could imagine that watching this movie for the first time 1982 would be somewhat firghtening and would keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what this story will be about. The music at the beginning keeps the audience curious and interested in creature. I beleive the music fits a beyond-this-world, alien theme.
The music in the film is somewhat childlike, created by orchestral music. Woodwinds are most common throughout the movie. When the movie becomes more exhilarating and axciting, the full orchestra comes in. The music throughout the movie is relatively light and smooth. At the end of the film, an underscore lasts for a long period of time with a wide variety of feelings represented: happiness, sadness, awe and adventure.

The Sting

I immediately recognized a famous Scott Joplin piece during the credits and then throughout the film and ending with the conclusion credits. It faded as the introduction scene began. The ragtime Scott Joplin piano seems to match with the 1930s urban style, sounding upbeat and social and portraying movement, and action. The Scoot Joplin music is stuck in during transitions, making the film more playful and fun. I believe it gives the film as less serious portrayal then it was meant to have. It seems to be too playful for the urban tough-guy trying to make it and gambling storyline. The transitions are then cut off when the next scene begins, rather than fading off. Between many scenes there is no transition music at all. There is racy diagetic music played during the hooker dancing scenes. There is also very quiet, soft diagetic music played while the men play poker which seems to not fit in well. It is too soft and gentle to go with the tough men gambling. The pre-existing music seems to work as a filler to silence in the film and to lighten up the mood of the film.
Scott Joplin’s 1890s ragtime was meant to have energetic rhythms. The spirit and energy in the ragtime is supposed to fit well with the spirit and energy in the film although the 1930s storyline does not match the 1890 ragtime style.

The movie begins with a nice piano medley while a child hums and giggles. This music starts the movie off portraying a childish, calm, family story but with a hint of conflict or drama. The music also sounds like a country or small town sound. A woodwind and piano plays when the children look over at Boo Radley. When they look over at his house an erry repetitive woodwind and piano medley plays. This medley is played during the film to associate with Boo. The music to transition scenes is an upbeat woodwind country tune. While the children challenge each other to go over to Boo’s house an upbeat diagetic, triumphant horn music plays. Once Scout rolls into Boo’s lawn, the music turns darker into the music associated with Boo. This music is heard again at night when the kids are creeping over to his yard. When his house is shown, the repetitive woodwind erry tune is played. This music makes the scene mysterious and frightening. The music moves with the movements of Jem as he creeps up the porch and as the shadow of Boo reaches toward Jem. The music becomes quicker when the kids start to run.
A dark woodwind and high pitch horn music is played when Atticus is visiting the black man’s family and a man comes up to the car where Jem and Scout are waiting. The music reminded me of Psycho during the murder scene with the high pitched strings. As Jem sits on the porch, scared, a dark fast woodwind sound is played making it frightening. There are creeping noises of a crow and a bench creaking. The frightening music is stopped by the innocence tune and Scout’s voice.
The film is filled with music throughout. It is used for transition, and as theme music to Boo and the children. I would describe this music as Bernstein’s.

I had seen this movie before, the original version but is was interesting to watch when I was paying special close attention to the music in it. I was surprised to notice that most of the music in the film is low , frightening and mysterious sounding. There is little music in the film which plays harmonious strings. The short high pitch jumps make the movie into a horror film.
Psycho starts off with dramatic string orchestra. It jumps and has hard accents to make it sound like percussion. The music throughout the film is different from other films we have seen with film noir and classic Hollywood themes. The music in Psycho jumps to different notes, creating an erry feeling and contrasting moods. It keeps the audience tense to the next actions in the scene. While she is packing, strings play with building horns in the backgrounds. Then as she drives to the hotel through the night and during the day, the familiar dramatic string orchestra plays. The music is repetitive and quick and builds up higher. A smoother string sound plays at the end of each build up, creating a transition. Deep building string music plays during other times to indicate the tenseness of the woman because of the stolen money she has with her. High pitch string chords are played during the shower murder scene. These high pitch short string chords make the murder intense and terrifying. This music in the film is similar to film noir in that there is a mysterious feel by the dark, low sounding bassoons and clarinets.

Double Indemnity

It started off with fast paced string and then deepened with horns underscore. It sounded sort of strange and mysterious like the film noir theme. It was a darker sound, matching the detective or crime genre style of the movie. The film noir of sting and horn music in and between scenes adds a detective, mysterious feel to the scenes, causing foreshadowing and the audience to be more curious for what is next. High pitch string underscore is played to present the woman’s entrance into the scene. Deeper, mysterious cues with horns are played with the detective and when the gun is shown. There are very little amount of musical cues; there is a lot less music within this movie compared to others. It ends with slow, dramatic horns.

Anatomy of a Murder

Jazz music plays throughout the movie. Solo horns can be heard. It helps set the mood through the movie of an exciting and scandalous feeling. The music plays at the beginning during the crdits and 3 minutes of the movie, in transitions between scenes and at the end. The music in transitioning scenes helps to set a more risque or racy mood, especially when entering the bar, the jail or a club. It keeps the movie exciting and the audience interested in the next action in the scence. he jazz music correlates well with the murder mystery and sexual tension in the movie. I believe the jazz music was a good choice for the type of music in the film.
More commonly throughout the film, the music is underscore. Several times, the music is diegetic, when Paul plays on the piano and when the record is played in his office. In all instances the music is still jazzy, keeping the music theme constant. I enjoyed the music in the film and thought there was a moderate amount played, not overplaying the jazz so that the music becomes repeatitive and boring.

The Adventures of Robin hood

The music throughout the film follows many of the classic Hollywood style. I noticed sequence, of the same tune building and repeating over and over, in many scenes through the whole film. Some examples of sequence include when the nobles are feasting, the men are climbing the tree and the soldiers are walking through the forest.
I also noticed the mixture of diegetic music and background music in several of the scenes. This occurs in the seen when a fiddle is being played while Robin hood and another man fight on a log but there is also background music playing and the sound of their swords. It is difficult to determine what music is diegetic and what is background music. This mixture also occurs at the celebration when a band of horns is playing but there is also background music.
I also observed theme romantic string music played each time Robin and the Lady are together. This is a cue for the love between them. There is also triumphant horn leitmotif when Robin enters the scene on a horse.
I found the music entertaining but too repetitive and sequential for my taste. The music was too predictive and cliche for the action and romance scenes.

Casablanca

I enjoyed the music in this film. The themes of the film were easy to follow because there was reoccuring music for each theme. Whenever the story implyed love between Ilsa and Rick and when they were together, "As Time Goes By" played. Sam started off playing it on the piano then it would switch to an oboe or strings, making it sound soft and romantic. When Ilsa enters Rick's an abrupt chord occurs. The music comes in well with with the characters. Laszlo has theme music when he enters the scene and also forshadowing him.
The movie started with arabian music and percussion to portray a different culture. Action music played in when there was movement on the streets and it portrayed political action. When the scenes are located in Rick's, the music is upbeat, exciting and entertaining. The music portrays a social place where people can relax, gabble, dance and make deals. Darker music plays when political conflicts happen between men in the bar and when the war was shown. The movie circles to connect again at the end with same music as the opening credits.