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.