The Role of Music in the Requiem for a Dream - Movie Review Example

The role of music in the film Requiem For A Dream (2000) Inserts His/Her Inserts Grade Inserts Customer inserts date The role of music in films has always been subjected for serious discussions and majority of the researchers identify the magnificent effect of music as an essential means of communication in films and television programs. At present music has developed a general mode of communication in films such as empirical and theoretical perceptions. Music plays a very significant role as the mood settler of films. Background score helps the movie to enrich its interaction with the audience. The research paper investigates the role of music in films and the relation between sound and image in films, speculating the role of music in the film ‘Requiem For A Dream’. The film ‘Requiem For A Dream’ is based on a novel written by Hubert Selby Jr. Director Darren Aronofsky and sound track composer Clint Mansell have succeeded in implementing music in their movie which discusses various forms of addiction. In recent years film is generally considered as one of the most stunning art forms as it is very close to human life. It is a part of common knowledge that music in films helps to illustrate the emotional content of the story, and it also manipulate the feelings, emotions and sentiments of the viewers. Certain types of background music take the spectators directly to the real nature of the characters. Different types of movies utilize different types of music that are absolutely in harmony with the nature of the movie. For example action movies use very fast moving tone whereas a tragic movie uses a different type of music that is capable of creating a sad and melancholic mood. Analyzing the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’, a viewer can realize that Darren Aronofsky, the director utilizes the possibilities of music completely in his film and it well exemplifies the strong link between music and film. The use of sharp string instruments helps the composer to create a kind of discomforting sound which is very apt for the present movie. The story develops through the lives of Sara Goldfarb, her beloved son Harry, Marion, Harry’s girlfriend and Tyrone, Harry’s friend. The opening part of the film includes fast moving visuals and fast moving characters but the music performs in a slow beat which gives the viewer a sense of gloomy or frustrating atmosphere. One of the striking facts in this film is Sara Goldfarb’s excessive use of drugs and her nightmarish disillusionment. Darren Aronofsky blends her movements and thoughts with discomforting music and it provides a kind of frustration to the mind of the audience. This is an instance from the film that clearly illustrates the elite role of music which can create sad and happy notes simultaneously. The words of Scott D. Lipscomp and David E Tolehinsky are very notable with regard to the influence of music in films. According to them; “Musical sound provides a cue for the listener concerning whether the narrative is intended to be perceived as scary, romantic, funny, disturbing, familiar, ,comforting, other worldly” (Scot & David, n. d.). From their words it is well evident that music can inculcate different emotions in the audience. Analyzing the music in ‘Requiem for a Dream,’ one can see that it is the music which often haunts the audience to the fierceness of the scenes. To make it clear, one can infer that the music in this film kindles or intensifies the actions filled with drug addiction, violence and sex. The characters in this film are inflicted with abuse of drugs where Harry and his friend Tyrone got pleasure in using heroin and they have started the drug trade for fulfilling their dreams. Tyrone is captured in the middle of a gang assassination. Harry forced to spent more money to take bail for his friend. Financial problem led him to become a drug addict. Morion’s sexual intercourses complicate Harry’s life. The director and music composer demonstrate their craftsmanship by implementing various sound techniques in the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’. A viewer or listener can develop a perception that gives a harmonious blending of what he/she sees and hears. Environmental sounds has also used in the film, for example sounds of a busy city is used where Harry and his friend has located for drug trade. The journal article entitled ‘The importance of music within film’ helps one to understand more about the use of music in films. The author Sianne Suicide states; “As well as musical score, there are other elements of film sound design that are incorporated to make up a complete component of the film” (Suicide, 2002). This makes it clear that other musical elements in films like background score have decisive roles in forming the actions. Underscore plays a significant role in the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and it makes a sense of emotional vibration to the scenes without any action or verbal narration. Though the background score, a viewer can comprehend the inner feelings, conflicts and motives of the characters. The night scenes of Sara Goldfarb reveal her frustration and hallucination. The sound of the city disturbs the viewer’s mind just like the inner conflicts disturbs Harry. The use of fast underscore is used in the party scene, when the widow Sara is excitedly cleaning her home and when her son is alone in the apartment. Here a listener can understand the fact that Sara is becoming more forceful as a result of the medicine. Music provides a sense of hurriedness and power to the mind of the viewer and above all it adds new dimensions to the scenes. In the climax, there is the brewing sound of storm when Marion engages in sexual relation with Arnold for money. The storm really inflicts the mind of Harry and the director succeeds in transforming the real feeling to the audience (Suicide, 2002). Besides music certain directors use diegetic sounds that is hear-what- you- see sounds effectively in their films. For example the ringing of the telephone will create the image of the telephone in the listener. Just like that the vision of an eagle will make the beholder remember it’s screeching. Depending on the characters and the scenes the environmental sounds, generally known as ambient sounds can also be used effectively to produce theatrical effects. These underscores are very significant as it can produce an emotive sense to a scene without the use of any action or narrative. Different types of sounds attribute punctuation to various scenes and emphasize plot changes or emotion changes within the film. Character building and introduction of motives and themes are the other areas where music has a vital role to play. Background score can also act as a musical narrative when the film is not supported with any other sound or music. Generally, it is the change in the background score that lets the audience to infer that a scene has been concluded or changes in plot is going to occur. Another very important feature of background score is that it modifies the emotion shifts within the film, that is, a scene shifts from comic to that of serious. For any film, there should be some peculiar or attracting points to capture one’s attention. The film presented for the study highlights the destructive sides of a great evil prevailing in our society that is drug addiction. Harry the central figure in the film, shifts his attention to getting drugs which later take the place of everything important in his life. The important point we are inclined to note in the film is the unwillingness of the drug-addicts to seek assistance to get rid of the difficulty that has caught them. “Requiem for a Dream presents the darkest take imaginable on a story of hopes and dreams shattered by drug addiction” (Berardinelli, 2000). When music and film sequences go hand in hand, a profound effect can be created. In the article, The Importance of Music within Film by Sienne Suicide, the role music plays in a film is clearly shown, and what effect it can create has also been brought out very clearly. “ Music is a structuring in time, and film music is especially good a giving the viewer a sense of time passing, although upon watching a film, the music becomes part of the background and somewhat dissolves into the whole viewing entity” (Suicide, 2002). We will be able to see a how the passage of time and music as presented in the movie, Requiem for a Dream (2000), create a profound effect when we look at the spring chapter of the film, where we see fast moving characters which makes us believe that time is passing very fast, but we notice here that the music moves very slowly and with a slow beat. Here again, we would be taken by surprise if we notice that the slow beat and slower pace have induced in us a sense that the time has passed very slowly. In this part we see slow tempos. But at the same time it should be noted that things like these do not stand apart, but they add to the whole in a beautiful manner, as a part of a single composition. The beauty of the film lies in the application of certain sounds which force us to believe that we actually see what we hear. The film is rich with ambient sounds being used in it. The peculiar beauty lies in the fact that the sounds produce in us a sense of the environment around us and this would help us depict in our mind the back ground of the scenario presented. Such sounds do produce an emotive effect. Such ambient sounds used in the music of the film also have a great sound effect. The sound design in a movie should make the listener or viewer enchanted, and this is the success. But for this, visuals should go along with the music and this will create the desired effect. All this elements can be seen in this film making it a good one which makes the viewers think that they are part of the film, simply because they are very much immersed in it. “…this movie was granted the MPAAs NC-17 "kiss of death" for its uncompromising portrayal of the depths to which some people will sink to get their fix” (Berardinelli, 2000). To conclude, one can infer that music in ‘Requiem for a Dream’ has a dominant role in forming the actions and character formation. Analyzing the role of music in this film, it is understood that music is an essential means of communication which empirical and theoretical perceptions. The music has been noted as a mood settler and it allows an easier interaction between the film and the audience. The music in this film fulfills the prepositions by letting the audience to go deep into each character and their inclinations. While viewing the film, the audience can observe frustration and disillusionment of Sara Goldfarb. Here one can say that the director has succeeded in his attempts to sketch out the discomfort of Sara with the embodiment of discomfort music and sounds. The presentation of Sara provides a kind of aggravation among the audience. In addition to real music, the background score of this film also do much in creating such an emotion and awe among the audience against the abuse of drugs. It also enables the audience to go through the inner feelings, and motives of the characters. Thus, one can conclude that music has a dominant role in ‘Requiem for a Dream’ which flashes to the mind of each and every character and their actions and making it memorable among the audience. Reference list: Scott, D. Lipscomb& David, E. Tolchinsky (n. d). The role of music communication in cinema [Online] Available from: http://www.lipscomb.umn.edu/docs/Lipscomb_Tolchinsky_ICMPC8_proceedings_final.pdf Suicide, Sianne (2002) The importance of music within film [Online] Available from: http://www.helium.com/items/107947-the-importance-of-music-within-film Berardinelli, James (2000) Requiem for a Dream, A Film Review [Online] Available from: http://www.reelviews.net/movies/r/requiem_dream.html%20. Read More