The Power of Music in Film

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how a well-constructed musical score transports us to the reality of the film and allows us to understand the world through the eyes of the characters, while never letting us abandon our own perspective. Through an analysis of the scores of the films, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Iron Monkey", it looks at the full effect of the power of an intelligent and challenging musical score. It also shows how, more than any other element of a film, the music that enters into us and that we carry away with us allows us to merge our inner reality with the subjective vision of the filmmaker.

From the Paper:

"The "Iron Monkey" score, on the other hand, is less effective at connecting the audience to a particular time and place but generally more effective at connecting us to the main character of the film. This is not a criticism of either film, for "Iron Monkey" is less about a particular individual and more about an era while the reverse is true of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (which is about the couple at the center of the story but also about their effacement as well). In each case the score reflects this focus."

More papers on The Power of Music in Film:

• Essay # 24359 : "The Importance of the Study of Music in School"
• Film Review # 106573 : "The Sound of Music"
• Essay # 73357 : "The Popularity of "Casablanca"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: