Music History Essay Semester One 2015.

Question: Film Music composers have on many occasions rescued a disastrous

movie by providing an outstanding score. Discuss this statement with reference to
three film scores covered in the lectures and at least one film score of your choice not
included in the lectures.

Music has been proved to have a profound effect on the subconscious, music touches
emotions in a way we do not completely understand, and this is why film scores are so
important to the overall finished product of a film. In the absence of music the emotional ups
and downs of a film would become difficult to follow and the emotional journey one has with
music dwindles dramatically, if it is not lost completely. Music gives the film audience an
opportunity to gain important insight into the characters feelings, actions and intentions
which they would not have given just the sense of sight. Everyone favours different senses,
some being stronger than others, just as everyone learns differently everyone experiences
differently. Blind people for example notice they have higher sensitivity in other senses after
their sight is lost. In film music and picture come together to support each other in telling a
story, it gives the audience more understanding if they can use more than one of their senses
to experience the story.

The Spirit of St Louis (1957) directed by Billy Wilder is a biographical film which depicts
Charles Lindbergs solo flight from New York to Paris.1 This is a film which has definitely
been saved by its film score which was composed by Franz Waxman in 1957. The films
central focus is the emotional journey of Charles Lindberg (in the film played by James
Stewart), without the support of music much of the emotional ups and downs are lost. Stewart
is critiqued for his portrayal of Lindberg, if it wasnt for the music depicting and enhancing
the characters mood swings much of the inner struggle of the character would be lost.
"We see very little of his basic nature, his home life or what makes him tick. As Mr. Stewart
plays him, with his usual diffidence, he is mainly a type. That's too bad, for after all these

The Spirit of St Louis, IMDb, accessed on May 7, 2015, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051003/

years of waiting, it would be interesting if we could see what it was about the fellow that
made him uniquely destined for his historic role."2
The film was not originally received well and was somewhat of a box office flop. The films
production was riddled with overrunning costs, the film cost $600,000,000 to make and only
grossed $2,600,000 in the initial run. Warner said it was the most disastrous failure we ever
had.3 While it is not some of Wilder or Stewarts best work the film score by Franz Waxman
is considered to be one of his finest works. This is a contributing factor to the revival in
popularity of the film over the years.4

Psycho (1960) is a psychological thriller-horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film
is considered to be the mother of all modern horror films.5 Hitchcock was adamant that
Bernard Herrmann write the film score to Psycho despite Herrmann refusal to accept a
smaller fee due to the films low budget.6 Hitchcock was particularly pleased with the
tension and drama the score brought to the film, Hitchcock even said 33% of the effect of
Psycho was due to the music.7 It is clear that Herrmanns score is such a big part of the
films success just by his names position in the films opening credits, Herrmanns credit
appears just before Hitchcocks directing credit. The shower scene is one of the most famous
scenes in Psycho, and Herrmanns music for this scene is considered the most famous and
most imitated film music of all time. Its interesting that Hitchcock originally intended this
scene to be without music.8 Hitchcock was not content with the scene without music however
and once Herrmann played the shower scene music he had created against Hitchcocks
original instructions Hitchcock agreed to use it in the film. This altercation between the two
was the first of two disagreements over Herrmann not following Hitchcocks instructions
which eventually led to the end of their professional collaboration.9 The shower scenes

Crowther, Bosley. "Movie Review: The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)." The New York Times, February 22, 1957.
The Spirit of St Louis, Turner Classic Movies, accessed on May7, 2015, http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/62545%7C0/The-Spirit-of-St-Louis.html
4
Laurence E. MacDonald, The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History (Maryland: Scarecrow
Press Inc.) 129-130.
5
Psycho (1960),amc filmsite, accessed on May 10, 2015, http://www.filmsite.org/psyc.html
6
Steven C. Smith, A Heart at Fire's Center; The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann (Berkeley: University of
California Press) 236.
7
Steven C. Smith, A Heart at Fire's Center; The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann (Berkeley: University of
California Press) 241.
8
Christopher Palmer, The Composer in Hollywood (London: Marion Boyars) 277.
9
Steven C. Smith, A Heart at Fire's Center; The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann (Berkeley: University of
California Press) 192.
3

music is made of screeching and stabbing violins with the microphones placed very close to
the instruments to get a more vicious harsh sound.10 A survey in 2009 for the PRS for Music
indicated that the British public believed the scariest theme from any film was the shower
scene from Psycho.11 The music creates this wonderful sense of tension throughout the film
keeping the audience on the edge of their seats at all times. The first 15-20 minutes are a
great example, as even though nothing shocking is occurring the title music sets a feeling of
impending violence which remains ever present in the audiences mind.12

Jaws (1975) is a thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film ended up going way over
budget and over time due to all the malfunctions of the mechanical sharks, Spielberg decided
the only way forward was to suggest the sharks presence for many of the scenes. It was then
up to the films composer John Williams to create this through music. When Williams first
ran his idea of a two note theme for the shark past Spielberg, Spielberg was said to have
laughed thinking he was making a joke.13 However Williams shark theme which alternated
between two notes became a classic piece of suspense music and earned him an Academy
Award.14 The music really sets the terror of the shark even in its absence. Spielberg himself
expressed that the film wouldnt have been half as successful without Williams score.15
Spielberg, although hesitant at first about Willams creative idea of alternating between just
two notes was blown away by his score even saying:
John Williams has made our movie more adventurous and gripping than I ever thought
possible.
- Steven Spielberg, writing about Jaws in 1975.16
After this Williams went on to collaborate with Spielberg scoring for nearly all his films.17
Williams music of Jaws was equally responsible as Spielbergs imagery for scarring people

10

Christopher Palmer, The Composer in Hollywood (London: Marion Boyars) 277.

"Psycho shower music voted scariest movie theme tune". The Daily Telegraph (London). October 28, 2009.
12
Christopher Palmer, The Composer in Hollywood (London: Marion Boyars) 275.
13
Laurent Bouzereau, A Look Inside Jaws ["Music by John Williams"]. Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition DVD
(2005): Universal Home Video.
14
"The 48th Academy Awards (1976) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
15
Laurent Bouzereau, A Look Inside Jaws ["Music by John Williams"]. Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition DVD
(2005): Universal Home Video.
16
John Williams Recalls Jaws, News Archive, accessed on May 17, 2015,
http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2012/081412.html
17
Lester D. Friedman, Citizen Spielberg (Champaign: University of Illinois Press) 174.
11

for life and scaring beach goers out of the water every summer for years to come. Spielberg
compared Williams Jaws score to Bernard Herrmanns terrifying Psycho score.18 The
dramatic intensity of the music score to Jaws is what has made the film a global
phenomenon. Williams score saved the film when the mechanical sharks malfunctioned and
it seemed like an impossibility, the music implied more than the visual of the shark ever
could and terrified audiences.

A Beautiful Mind (2001) is a biographical drama directed by Ron Howard. The film is based
on the life of John Nash a Nobel Laureate in Economics. Howard frequently collaborated
with James Horner and chose him to score the film because he knew he could keep open
communication with him. The flowing discussion between the two helped the sound track
support Nashs ever changing character and mind.19 John Nash only ever had auditory
delusions, this prompted Howards decision that Nashs delusions should always be
introduced audibly before visually, so the film score reflected this and bought a level of detail
to the film that one only picks up on subconsciously.20 Horner wrote the score specifically
with welsh soprano Charlotte Church in mind, he wanted a vocal color that was half way
between a girl and a woman to capture the innocence and vulnerability of living unaware of
ones own mental illness.21 Church described in an interview that it was one of the most
haunting and beautiful things I have ever performed.22 The score is based around the idea of
a kaleidoscope as the patterns are always moving and changing very quickly we hear these
changing patterns in the music through the piano and vocal line. This constant shifting of
patterns is representative of Nashs mind, as it works in patterns quickly shift and constantly
moving.23 Danny Graydon who reviewed the film score for Empire magazine praised the
score.
this is a clever, masterful and romantic score that captures a brilliant mind in conflict24

Danny Graydon Empire magazine.

John Williams Recalls Jaws, News Archive, accessed on May 17, 2015,
http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2012/081412.html
19
"Scoring the Film", from A Beautiful Mind DVD, 2002.
20
A Beautiful Mind DVD commentary featuring Ron Howard, 2002.
21
"Analysis: Film scores for "A Beautiful Mind" and "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence"" (National Public Radio)
22
Katie Nicholl, "Charlotte Has an Oscar in Her Beautiful Mind" (The Mail on Sunday.)
23
Jon Burlingame, "Magic lies in the methods: This year's crop of possible contenders use mix of traditional and
unusual scoring elements" (Daily Variety)
24
Danny Graydon, "Empire's A Beautiful Mind Soundtrack Review" (Empire)
18

Horners beautiful interpretation of Nashs mind expressed through music earned him
nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score25 and the Academy Award
for Best Original Score.26 The sound track helps the audience connect with the human spirit
of Nash and aids in the understanding of the inner workings of his mind, which without the
music would have been impossible and extremely confusing.

Music has a profound impact on the world of film. A film score can either make or break a
film. Music can be an integral part of guiding the audience through the emotional journey of
the film. It helps us understand on a deeper level and invest emotionally into the stakes of the
visual scene presented before us. The film The Spirit of St Louis (1957) for example was
definitely saved by its film score which was composed by Franz Waxman in 1957. Without
the support of music much of the emotional ups and downs are lost, as the emotional journey
is not always clear in Stewarts portrayal Lindberg. Psycho (1960) is considered one of the
most terrifying films ever made, this is all created by the tension and horror in the music.
Hitchcock originally wanted the famous shower scene to be without music, however the
music that was subsequently used has become one of the most famous and most imitated film
music of all time. The music creates this wonderful sense of tension throughout the film
keeping the audience on the edge of their seats at all times. The first 15-20 minutes are a
great example, as even though nothing shocking is occurring the title music sets a feeling of
impending violence which remains ever present in the audiences mind. Jaws (1975) after
suffering extensive and expensive delays with the mechanical sharks forced Spielberg to
suggest the sharks presence for many of the scenes. It was then up to the films composer
John Williams to create this through music. The implied presence of the Shark through music
ended up being far more terrifying than the actual shark. Williams music of Jaws was
equally responsible as Spielbergs imagery for making the film a global phenomenon. A
Beautiful Mind (2001) has a very interesting film score, which is based around the idea of a
kaleidoscope as the patterns are always moving and changing very quickly we hear these
changing patterns in the music through the piano and vocal line. John Nash only ever had
auditory delusions, this prompted Howard to decide that Nashs delusions should always be
introduced audibly before visually, so the film score reflected this and bought a level of detail
to the film that one only picks up on subconsciously. Horners beautiful interpretation earned
25
26

Harrison Ford To Be Honored At Golden Globes" (The Washington Post)

And the Nominees Are..." (Chicago Sun-Times)

him nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and the Academy
Award for Best Original Score. Without the music it would have been impossible and
extremely confusing to follow the story and characters inner struggle. The music underneath
all films stirs and awakens our emotions and subconscious. Film music can steer the
audiences experience of the film dramatically and can save a film.

References
Websites

IMDb. The Spirit of St Louis. Accessed on May 7, 2015.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051003/
Turner Classic Movies. The Spirit of St Louis. Accessed on May 7, 2015.
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/62545%7C0/The-Spirit-of-St-Louis.html
Amc Filmsite. Psycho Accessed on May 10, 2015.
http://www.filmsite.org/psyc.html
News Archive. John Williams Recalls Jaws. Accessed on May 17, 2015.
http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2012/081412.html

Books

Palmer, Chrisopher. The Composer in Holywood. London: Marion Boyars, 1990.

Friedman, Lester D. Citizen Spielberg. Champaign: University of Illinois Press,
2006.
MacDonald, Laurence E. The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive
History. Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc. 1998.
Smith, Steven C. A Heart at Fire's Center; The Life and Music of Bernard
Herrmann. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.

News Articles

"Psycho shower music voted scariest movie theme tune". The Daily Telegraph
(London). October 28, 2009

"The 48th Academy Awards (1976) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences.
1
Nicholl, Katie. "Charlotte Has an Oscar in Her Beautiful Mind". The Mail on
Sunday. October 21, 2001.
Burlingame, Jon. "Magic lies in the methods: This year's crop of possible
contenders use mix of traditional and unusual scoring elements." Daily Variety,
January 23, 2002.
Graydon, Danny. "Empire's A Beautiful Mind Soundtrack Review." Empire,
Accessed May 20, 2015.
Crowther, Bosley. "Movie Review: The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)." The New York
Times, February 22, 1957.

DVD

Bouzereau, Laurent (1995). A Look Inside Jaws ["Music by John Williams"].

Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition DVD (2005): Universal Home Video.
"Scoring the Film." A Beautiful Mind DVD, 2002.
Ron Howard Commentary. A Beautiful Mind DVD 2002.
Radio

"Analysis: Film scores for "A Beautiful Mind" and "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence""
(National Public Radio)