The Birds is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies. I like it for its story, but that's not why I love it. I love The Birds for the lack of music. Too often I think msuic in movies is abused and overused. When I watch a movie, I don't want music to evoke emotions out of me. I like to feel emotions because I've connected to the character/story on my own. The only types of "music" I can think of in The Birds are the kid's singing and, naturally, the birds. The Birds was released only three years after Psycho was. In Psycho, Hitchcock uses Herrmann's amazing score. In The Birds, Hitchcock uses nothing. Perhaps that's why I have problems enjoying modern, mainstream movies. I dislike how they use music. Music can make a great impact on a movie when used correctly, something Hitchcock and Herrmann knew how to do very well.
For those who have seen Orson Welles' The Lady from Shanghai, Orson Welles had wanted the "mirror scene" to be "absolutely silent except for the crashing glass and ricocheting bullets." Like most of Welles' movies, he didn't get his way in the final cut. Music was added to that scene and I personally think that some of the magic of that particular scene was lost.
Great observation Rachel. It's been a few years sense I've seen it and you're right. The lack of score is downright unsettling.
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with the "Dogma Films"? In 95, in response to Hollywood excess, Lars van Trier took a "vow of chastity" as a filmmaker and a number of others followed. As a whole the result is a mixed bag. But a number of these films are striped down and powerful.
I've never heard of the "Dogma Films" (nothing a wikipedia article can't fix). I love the "vow of chastity" idea. I find that the less extra effects and music there are in a movie, the more I am impacted by it and the more I love it. I'll have to see if I can get a hold of one of the Dogma Films and watch it sometime!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about music in movies this way before, but I believe that you're right, Rachel--music IS often abused in movies now, and the proof is that the music is often louder than the dialogue in a movie, almost as if it's more important. It's frustrating; I'd rather hear the actors speaking than the music playing. Music needs to go unnoticed.
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