The Lord of The Rings Trilogy is undoubtedly known for its
masterful musical scores. The ability for music to so naturally accompany a
scene and evoke a specific mood is truly amazing. The Trilogy has left its mark in the world of
cinematic music, earning three academy awards for scores composed by the great
Howard Shore.
In this review, I have chosen to dissect a song in the third
and final installment of the trilogy, Return
of the King. Although the song is
one of the few that was not actually composed by Howard Shore, I believe it is
the most significant song in Return of
the King, and one of the most emotional songs in the entire trilogy.
The song, “The Edge of Night” was composed and performed by
actor Billy Boyd, who plays Pippin in Lord
of the Rings. King Denethor feasts on food and wine in a lavish dining hall,
and requests that Pippin, his temporary steward, sing him a song. As Pippin
sings to the king, we flash back and forth between the boy singing and the king’s
son, Faramir, who is riding into battle. Faramir is leading a convoy into what
is sure to be a slaughter. He does this in attempt to appease his father, who
resents him for the death of his brother.
The choice to let Billy Boyd (Pippin) sing this song appeals
to both ethos and logos. Boyd is not only an actor, but also a successful
musician. This song is given more credibility and has a more profound effect
because of his status as a practicing musician. It was also an insightful move
to have a true artist perform this song. It is such a quintessential scene in
the movie, that the beauty in the song may have been sacrificed had it been
attempted by an actor without such vocal skills.
The song in this scene is extremely emotional and appeals to
pathos. To begin, Pippin is singing acapella, which is in general a more
personal and emotional form of song. The raw emotion can be easily heard in his
voice, and is logical in setting the tone of the movie. As Faramir and his army arrive closer to the
orcs and to death, some instrumentation is introduced which creates an even
darker, more somber mood.
The song is so peaceful and eloquent, yet it accompanies the
assured slaughter of Pippin’s friends. As stated in Understanding Movies, “music can also provide ironic contrast. In
many cases, the predominant mood of a scene can be neutralized or even reversed
with contrasting music” (p216). While I do not feel that the music undercut the
negative emotion of the scene, I do feel that it shifted said negative emotions
from an aggressive, war-like mentality more toward sadness and hopelessness.
Although it is the king’s son who rides to war, it is Pippen
who is unhappy about the coming fate of Faramir. While he is unable to dispute
the king, he uses the song as an emotional outlet. This concept is addressed in
Understanding Movies: “when actors
are required to assume restrained or neutral expressions, music can suggest
their internal, hidden, emotions” (p216). The music allows Pippin to reveal his
emotions, as well as the overall emotion of the protagonists. Had this scene
not included his song, it would have had a much less effective part in setting
the mood of the movie.
The lyrics assume an equally if not more important roll as
the other aspects of the song. A sort of hopelessness is an underlying theme
throughout Return of the King. This
song is essentially the peak of this realization that the good guys are losing.
The lyrics essentially describe leaving home and being overtaken by darkness.
The last line of the song “All shall fade” is especially important. While the
results of the battle are not learned until later, the lyrics somewhat
foreshadow the coming result of the battle and the fate of Middle Earth.
This song receives five out of five pickles for its
successful use of all three appeals in the movie. The song effectively captures
our attention and sets the mood for the remainder of the movie. It is truly a
beautiful composition alone, but serves an even greater purpose within the
movie.
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