O Brother Where Art Thou
1/31/13
Film would be nothing music. Ginnaetti writes that “Music
can serve as a kind of overture to suggest the mood or spirit of the film as a
whole” (Giannetti 213). Music can tap into an audience’s emotion (pathos) but
also can affect our perceptions of the particular scene (ethos). One of my
favorite examples is a scene pulled from the classic George Clooney film: O’brother Where art Thou. While this
film is not a musical, music plays a huge role in advancing the plot and creating
character development.
The iconic song is “(I am a ) Man of Constant Sorrow”
which is a traditional tune that has a country/bluegrass feel to it. This not
only fits well with the characters, as they are all backcountry southerners,
but also somehow matches what is being seen on screen. When I hear the song, I
can just imagine old time, sepia tinted film reels, chronicling the slapstick
adventures of down on their luck rascals. Not only this song, but all the background
music is folk tinged traditional country bluegrass that just really helps set a
mood for the time period and mood of the film. It is upbeat, yet simple; perfect music to
match the characters and the adventure that they go on. The lyrics clearly reflects
the clash of upbeat music to sad lyrics, and this parallel the story, for it is
at heart a comedy, but has a serious side (as it is based on Homers Odyssey).
However, the most interesting scene that utilizes music
to its fullest ability is no doubt a scene where our heroes are being seduced
by sirens. the men come across 2 women bathing in the stream and singing “Didn’t
leave nobody but the baby”. This piece of music is performed by Alison Krauss
and has a haunting country feel to it. Because of Krauss’s recognizable performance
style, the accompanying ethos of gives the audience an immediate sense that something
is out of sorts. The lyrcics and melodys
themselves are hypnotizing and when sung in the tight, acapella harmonies of
the 3 sirens creates a soothing and peaceful mood. However, the interesting part
about this scene is that to the audience, it is clear that these women are here
to seduce the protagonists and are up to no good. Anyone that sings “Come and lay
your bomes on the alabaster stones” strikes me as someone that you’d want to
give some space, but what do I know. Our heroes are caught in the music spell
of the sirens, lacking the perspective of the audience. Lunsford describes “We all
make decisions… based on our feelings “(Lunsford 30) and our feelings (pathos)
are so easily manipulated by just the right music choice. This particular scene,
I believe, deserves 3 tickets because of the instrumental role that the music
plays (no pun intended). The music itself moves the plot along, creates tension
between characters (therefore fostering character development), and gives the audience
mixed feelings. It’s these mixed feelings of soothing calm and building creepy suspense
that earn this scene its 3 tickets.
The use of music in this film, and particularly in the scene
with the sirens, adds dimension and emotion to the film O’Brother Where Art Thou and creates a truly awesome soundtrack to
go with it.
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