MUS 108 Final Exam: Ch. 29-31
Anti-Heroes, Musicals, and Dramas, Chapter 31
Anti-Heroes, Musicals, and Dramas, Chapter 31
Seeking Heroes, Real and Imagined, Chapter 30
Seeking Heroes, Real and Imagined, Chapter 30
during the two world wars and the Korean war, what was Hollywood trying to accomplish?
-Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) tops the 2003 AFI list of 50 Greatest Heroes in American films, followed in succession by Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark), James Bond (Dr. No), Rick Blaine (Casablanca), and Will Kane (High Noon) -in the AFI list, only two superheroes are included, Superman at number 26 and Batman at 46 -during the two World Wars and the Korean War, Hollywood rallied to glorify the US cause -Americans were shown as heroes, and enemies were depicted as savage beasts: villains capable of cold-blooded murder, treachery, and rape -during the Vietnam War, such stories lost their appeal in view of scenes shown daily on television -because of the moral ambiguities of war and a much-needed sensitivity to ethnic stereotyping, it is difficult today for Hollywood to make films about current events
what was the Moulin Rouge?
-Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge is a fascinating example of postmodernism, a movement that freely mixes artistic qualities from diverse time periods -the film's title is the name of a famous cabaret in Paris, known for its dazzling and extravagant stage shows -the characters are drawn from a variety of sources -Christian (Ewan McGregor) and his colleagues parallel the male figures in a popular nineteenth-century story best known in its operatic version, Puccini's La Bohème (1896) -in a distinctly postmodern twist, we see Christian writing the story as it unfolds
what was Birdman (2014)?
-Birdman (2014) won four Oscars, including those for Best Picture and for Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu -entire film is a single shot -the music for the film comes from two sources: adaptations of classical music and the sound of a drum set. both are related to Riggan's fantasies -at one point, he visualizes himself flying over New York streets to the music of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2
what was Batman?
-Christopher Nolan directed a trilogy of action-packed films featuring Christian Bale in the title role: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) -the music for the first two films was a collaborative effort with James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer -Zimmer scored the third film alone -unified musical mood pervades all three films -as in Elfman's score for Batman, the darkness of the bat cave, the sinister villains, and Batman's personality are reflected in the choice of instruments and register -unlike the 1989 film score, these scores contain no unifying melodic idea -there are several leitmotifs and a significant role for electronic music -minimalist action cues prevail, modified periodically by brief melodic ideas -the score is not tuneful, but the cues are effective
what was Inception (2010)?
-Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010) is an imaginative fantasy that explores the dream world -Hans Zimmer's score for Inception is one of the finest examples of the minimalist approach to scoring for an action film: -the sustained sounds and repetitious patterns of minimalism are clearly supportive of this vision of dream worlds -events that the subconscious creates in our dreams occur more quickly than in real life. In the movie, we are given a ratio: five minutes of dreaming produces an hour of real events -typically, the percussion rhythms move at the fastest pace (to generate a sense of excitement), the strings play at an intermediate tempo, and the brasses sustain long chords
what were some Thomas Newman animations?
-Finding Nemo (2003), WALL-E (2008) -Finding Nemo: musical sound that is strikingly different from its other animated films -forgoing the typical melody-dominated score and even the standard theme song-mixes relatively subdued styles, ranging from somber passages to subtle sounds of rock -much of the repetitious thematic material suggests a minimalist approach, but Newman's score maintains variety through changing timbres, as it utilizes a full range of instrumental colors -indulges in musical jokes -the most striking of which is the use of the Psycho shower theme (see VG 17.3) as the leitmotif for the terrifying little girl Darla (1:15:40) -Oscar nomination for the best score!
what is the stereotype of an Anti-Hero in Hollywood?
-Hollywood frequently presents figures that work outside of the law or society's social norms -Michael from the Godfather trilogy is a classic example: someone we know is doing wrong, but we want him to succeed nonetheless -director Quentin Tarantino has excelled in such portraits: Kill Bill (Volume 1, 2003, and Volume 2, 2004), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015) -while his films are full of visions of conflict, callousness, and cruelty, Tarantino's musical choices tend to be popular, run counter to the action on screen, and frequently evoke humor
what was the music in Avatar?
-James Horner's score provides an aural link between the Na'vi civilization and the non-Western populations of our time -a shakuhachi, a Japanese wooden flute similar to the Renaissance recorder, is frequently heard in visions of the forest -ornamental vocal melodies sung with a somewhat nasal tone, choral chanting, and plentiful drumming (especially during action scenes) also contribute to the association of this tribe to indigenous peoples in our world -colorful orchestrations with bells, percussion, harp, voices, woodwinds, and synthesizers match the beauty of the Na'vi forests -minimalism is more prevalent in this score than in the music for The Lord of the Rings, and tuneful melodies are less prominent -many cues consist of extended drumming passages and dark, ominous chords, often with crescendos -Braveheart Sons of Scotland
what was Harry Potter?
-John Williams scored the first three films -chose to preserve atmosphere of children's literature instead of taking a more serious (Star Wars) approach -Hedwig's Theme: Leitmotif for Harry's Owl, also serves as a theme for Harry and as a main theme for the franchise
what was UP?
-Pixar finally won the coveted Oscar for Best Score with Michael Giacchino's music for UP (2009) -included in the film's four other nominations was one for Best Picture, making UP only the second animation to be considered for this award; the first was Beauty and the Beast
what was Monsters Inc.?
-Randy Newman supplied an Oscar-nominated score and an Oscar-winning song for Monsters, Inc. -Newman's music supports the various moods ranging from action to humor -especially noteworthy are the jazz-inspired cues for comic scenes -the amusing trombone and saxophone duet during the opening credits can be heard as representing the two main characters in the story, and it pairs nicely with the duet of John Goodman and Billy Crystal singing "If I Didn't Have You" in the closing credits
what were the principal themes of The Force Awakens (2016)?
-Rey -Kylo Ren -Resistance March -Poe
what was Skyfall (2012)?
-Skyfall (2012) marked the fiftieth anniversary of James Bond's first appearance in a Hollywood movie -this event was not lost on London, as Queen Elizabeth participated in a brief skit with James Bond (Daniel Craig) during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics held in England -Skyfall is the twenty-third official Bond movie, and the fourth of five in the twenty-first century, following Die Another Day (2002), Casino Royale (2006), and Quantum of Solace (2008) and preceding Spectre (2015) -English composer David Arnold, a longtime fan of Bond movies, scored the earlier three films along with two from the 1990s, making him the second-most-prolific Bond composer next to John Barry -Thomas Newman, a newcomer to the series, created the scores for Skyfall and Spectre
what was The Force Awakens (2016)?
-Star Wars sequel -wall-to-wall symphonic underscoring -leitmotifs include the themes from the original trilogy and newly created ones -traditional action music with loud dynamics, fast notes, and syncopated accents -quickly surpassed Avatar as the all-time top-grossing movie in the domestic market
what was The Lord of the Rings?
-The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) -based on books by J.R.R. Tolkein -scored by Howard Shore : 1st and 3rd films won Oscars for Best Music -features wall-to-wall scoring, full symphonic coloring, and numerous recurring themes -distinctive sound, which can partially be attributed to his extended use of voices, both soloists and choruses -singing in Elvish; recording in a Church, new language
what were the Star Wars prequels?
-The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005) -composed by John Williams -John Williams faced a major problem: creating a new sound while maintaining ties to the original trilogy -tradition is followed at the beginning and end of each film, as Williams quotes the original music for the opening credits and the initial section of the closing credits
what was The Social Network (2010)?
-The Social Network (2010) is the first biopic of an historical figure active in the twenty-first century: Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook and the youngest billionaire at the time -Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross provide the music for the film -intermixed with the scoring are numerous moments of source music that are appropriate for college life (mostly rock) -for the most part, though, the Reznorand Ross score exemplifies what is called dark ambient. Although ambient music is not new (see Chapter 20), its use in the film, often with a fast pulse, provides a youthful and energized sound -the ambient sounds, primarily generated electronically, generally feature long sustained tones
what was Wall-E?
-Thomas Newman: Oscar nomination -underlying the movie is a bleak view of twenty seventh-century Earth, covered with trash and blanketed with a dirty sky -although this animation is not a musical, several songs appear as source music and as underscoring -central to many scenes are two songs by Jerry Herman from the 1969 film version of the musical Hello Dolly -film opens with "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," and the multiple reprises of this song-and-dance number are often followed by the duet "It Only Takes a Moment," which serves as the love theme for WALL-E and EVE -Newman also joined with the composer, singer, and instrumentalist Peter Gabriel in creating the Oscar-nominated song "Down to Earth," which Gabriel sings during the closing credits -the main portion of this tune is also used in the score as part of EVE's theme (15:30) -among the other songs used in the film are "La Vie enRose," performed by Louis Armstrong, and Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy." -for the most part, Newman's varied score maintains a mood that is light and fresh -popular musical styles are employed, including several jazz-styled excerpts featuring Peter Gabriel on the flute -two references to 2001: A Space Odyssey: the Blue Danube Waltz (45:00) and Also Sprach Zarathustra (1:22:15)
what occurred in the 21st century regarding the U.S.?
-U.S. dominance -the United States entered the twenty-first century as the dominant political, economic, and cultural force in the world -the first two of these are a natural outgrowth of winning the Cold War and the country's leadership in technology -cultural dominance, however, is a surprise -in seeking a cultural identity, the United States has traditionally turned to Europe
what was Argo (2012)?
-a mixture of cultural sounds characterizes the music for Best Picture: winner Argo (2012) -set during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-81, the film relates the true story of the rescue of six Americans from Tehran through the joint efforts of the CIA and the Canadian government -under the pretense of shooting a movie, a team enters Iran and successfully helps the Americans escape -Argo contrasts the fantasy-making world of Hollywood with brutal reality -Alexandre Desplat's Oscar-nominated score creates a somber tone, incorporating minimalist cues; often dovetailing with ethnic cues and rock -the prevalence of minimalism throughout most of the film sets up the most emotional cue in the film, when an expansive lyric string passage enters joyfully just after the Americans have safely flown out of Iran
what was the music in Sherlock Holmes?
-both new Sherlock films scored by Hans Zimmer: Oscar nomination for the first film -unifying the two scores are three musical elements: -the first is the Sherlock Holmes theme; Zimmer manipulates it well, as clever variations appear frequently, even in action sequences -second is choice of musicale timbres: solo violin, plucked strings: zither, 3rd, especially in 2nd film: Gypsie music -action scenes are supported primarily with minimalist scoring that often incorporates a rock pulse
what is the stereotype of an Superheros in Hollywood?
-created in the mid-1930s, DC Comics, Inc. opened a new division entitled Action Comics with Superman in 1938 -within a year, Batman was introduced, and these two would become the world's most celebrated superheroes, seen in comic strips, comic books, cartoons, television series, and movies -superman was featured in four films with John Williams's exhilarating title theme -Batman followed Superman's lead and appeared in four movies starting with the 1989 Batman scored by Danny Elfman (see Chapter 27) -both series ended with less than memorable productions
what were the key points and principle themes of The Lord of the Rings?
-dark orchestration with use of brass instruments -appearance of numerous leitmotifs -Fellowship -King of Gondor -Hobbit -Ring
what was Sherlock Holmes?
-director Guy Ritchie's films deviate from the traditional portrayals of the brilliant sleuth in two substantial ways -first and foremost, Holmes is now a master of martial arts -second, Dr. Watson, Holmes's assistant and chronicler, is portrayed as intelligent, feisty, and an accomplished fighter, qualities markedly different from the Dr. Watson seen in the classic films from the 1940s -it is unlikely that such changes could have been successful without balancing the dramatic stories and extended action sequences with a keen sense of humor
what was the music like in Skyfall (2012)?
-discussions of music for any Bond film generally center on which elements are new and which are traditional -Newman created a new sound that is less melodic than one finds in Arnold's scores -he does incorporate the traditional Bond theme, as can be heard with the first two chords of the film -other quotes occur during action scenes and, more fully, with references to visual Bond traditions, such as the alto flute version of the Bond theme when Q gives 007 a gun (40:05) and when we see Bond's old car in vintage condition (1:44:00) -also in keeping with the Bond tradition is Paul Epworth's song "Skyfall," sung by Adele during the opening credits -the melody is later assimilated into Newman's score, notably in his cue that combines elements of the song with other Bond motives as James arrives in Macau (54:50)
what was Avatar (2009)?
-eventually overcame Titanic as all time box office winner -critically, it had mixed reviews. some have questioned the message behind the story, which shows a technologically advanced society trying to destroy a peaceful culture for financial gain -nominated for nine Oscars (including Best Score) and won three -scored by James Horner
what was Frozen (2013)?
-in 2013, Walt Disney Animation Studios reasserted itself with the hottest box-office animation of all time, Frozen -harkening back to earlier Disney feature films, Frozen is based on a fairy tale, Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," and it is a musical (the characters sing) -score by Christophe Beck
what was The Avengers?
-in response to DC Comics' success with putting superheroes together in the Justice League, Marvel Comics created the Avengers, a similar group that premiered in 1963 -for the 2012 The Avengers, the creators of the film chose Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye from the Marvel roster -by this time, the first four had already been featured in one or more recent films -indeed, the series of films with Avenger characters has become the second biggest moneymaker for a franchise, led by The Avengers, which by itself is the third-highest-grossing film of all time -in keeping with the spirit of beginning a series, this movie introduces the varied characters and their personal problems
Marvelous Heroes in Hollywood
-in the 1960s, the reign of superheroes from DC Comics came under challenge from a series of action figures appearing in a new publication, Marvel Comics -beginning in 1961, characters such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four gained popularity, leading Marvel to the top position in the comic-book world -while possessing superhuman abilities, most Marvel characters exhibit common human emotions and endure typical human tribulations, making them more identifiable to young audiences
what are some films in the 21st century that showed diverse locations on Earth?
-in the twenty-first century, Hollywood has continued to show us diverse locations on Earth and given us one spectacular vision of the planet as a whole -the musical scores for these adventures reflect a variety of styles and approaches, a consequence of the general stylistic diffusion in recent film scoring: -Gravity (2013): Cuarón Orozco's: Mexico -Babel: Alejandro G. Iñárritu of Mexico -Life of Pi: Ang Lee, Taiwan -Grand Budpest Hotel: Wes Anderson: U.S.A.: Alexandre Desplat
what were some characteristics of big box-office hits of the 21st century?
-many of the biggest box-office hits of the twenty-first century have been action films, as we saw in Chapters 29 and 30 -some of these, especially those emphasizing realism, have modest scores, but most feature wall-to-wall music with varied emotions and fully scored action cues, whether they are in the traditional vein or contain minimalist material -a number of films with simpler scores: those with popular music and reduced ensembles: were also critical successes, particularly animations
what are some examples of expanding minimalism in films?
-music from Lord of the Rings can be heard as a transition from an older and newer approach to scoring -the scores for The Lord of the Rings, like those for the Star Wars and Harry Potter films, are melody-dominated and have memorable leitmotifs that help shape our perception of the stories and are well recognized and enjoyed outside of the films -but, Shore also includes a number of musical passages that consist of a single pitch or chord with a crescendo, one of the characteristics of minimalist film scoring -often played by the low brass, this frequent gesture represents a variety of moods, including danger, suspense, and solemnity -minimalism, with its emphasis on repetitive rhythmic drives and avoidance of tuneful melodies, has become more prevalent in recent action films
Changing Action Music: Bond Movies continued
-previous Viewer guides: VG 9.2 (Korngold's The Adventures of Robin Hood) and VG 21.2 (Williams's Raiders of the Lost Ark) -characterized by a fast tempo, quick rhythmic figures, and hard, syncopated accents -unlike the earlier examples, Newman relies heavily on percussive elements of rock music -Newman's quicker tempos help sustain the frantic pace of the action, and he was able to incorporate ethnic timbres and melodic references of Turkey that identify the location, as well as a few quotations of motives from the traditional James Bond theme (EXAMPLES 18.3-5) -Skyfall is clearly less melodic than action music in earlier films, especially when compared to Raiders of the Lost Ark, and its repetitive qualities can be linked to the minimalist action style that is prevalent today
what was Kill Bill?
-the music for Kill Bill is predominantly borrowed and represents a wide range of styles -some of the musical ideas recur, including a passage composed by Quincy Jones for the television show Ironside (1967-75), which was a series about a detective who, like the Bride in Kill Bill, survived a crippling assassination attempt -wide variety of music used including music by Bernard Herrmann, Nancy Sinatra, RZA, and Ennio Morricone -music is used to create patches of color for individual chapters, and there is little musical connection between the two films
what was the music in The Avengers?
-veteran film composer Alan Silvestri created the music for The Avengers -he included numerous leitmotifs, some of which were borrowed from earlier films, most notably that for Captain America from his own score to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) -the heroic theme representing the Avengers (see EXAMPLE 30.4) is most clearly heard during the titles (11:40), at the conclusion of the film, and when the group of six gathers for the first time (1:52:00)
animations in the 21st century
-while the Disney Studios met with less success in the second half of the 1990s, Pixar (Toy Story, 1995) and DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Shrek, 2001) filled the void with computer-generated animations -most of these movies have fewer songs, as the producers veered away from the Disney tradition of animation stories as musicals -in 2006, Disney purchased Pixar; as a result, the company currently holds two independent animations studios, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios -of the two Disney studios, Pixar has generally been the dominant one, having created a series of animation blockbusters, including Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), and WALL-E (2008)
Blockbusters, Fantasies and Adventures, Chapter 29
Blockbusters, Fantasies and Adventures, Chapter 29