Music in Film

            After watching Phillip’s show and tell presentation on the music used in various films, I started to think about the music chosen for each scene in a movie. I think that great points were brought up when someone mentioned how the music in the Marvel movies can still be great even if they are not memorable. Music can greatly impact the mood and pace of a scene. I watched Winter’s Bone, and I looked at the music chosen for various scenes.

As soon as the movie starts, there is a song that begins to play. It consists solely of one voice. The simplicity of this song reflects the family’s values as they go through their morning routine of making breakfast and hanging laundry on the line to dry. The raw characteristic of the song also reflects the family’s lower class status. The use of one voice without instrumental backing represents how the family is barley getting by through the basic necessities of life.

The next scene that music is presented in is when a cop shows up at the family’s house looking for the father. The cop tells the daughter of the family Ree, that if he does not show up to court, they will lose their house. The sounds of the violins reflect an ominous tone with the question of where her father is. The banjo adds the rural feel to the movie.

Following the scene with the officer, the family’s neighbor comes over to their house with food. The neighbor inquires about the police visit and whether or not the daughter knew where her father was. At this point, the violins start playing with the same ominous tone once again. However at this point, the ominous tone of the violins, as well as the tone of the characters, have the viewer speculating about whether the daughter or the neighbor knows more about the father than they appear to.

            In the next scene, the daughter goes over to a friend’s house to ask about borrowing a car. Before she enters the house, heavy metal music can be heard from the exterior. The friend’s husband tells her that she cannot use his truck, and the friend does not try to fight his decision. This music represents the husband’s controlling behavior towards his wife in the way that the volume of the music is almost overwhelming.

            After her failed attempt at looking for her father, Ree travels to her aunt and uncle’s house. Her uncle gets angry with Ree for continuously pushing him to help her find her father, and he grabs her throat. At this moment, a single not on the violin is played. This long drawn out note holds the suspense of the moment and what his next move is going to be. It is not until he lets go of her that other instruments are introduced.

The music through the movie consistently consists of the violin, banjo, and guitar. The long drawn out notes on the violin creates the suspenseful feeling that leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat. In each scene where the music is reintroduced, it begins with the violin. Depending on the pace of the violin, it is either a point where Ree is on the move, or waiting for answers. When the violin notes are drawn out for longer periods of time, Ree is usually on the move. When the violin notes are shorter, usually a banjo is introduced shortly after the violin. In those scenes, Ree is waiting for answers about her father, usually from a relative. The addition of a banjo to the music adds to the rural setting of the film and the family connections with all of the characters.

            In the last scene of the movie, the police show up to tell Ree that the body that she found was her father’s and that they would be able to keep the house. While she is sitting down with her two younger siblings, her younger sister picks up a banjo and starts strumming out notes. While it is not a perfected tune (seeing as she is only six years old), the movie ends on one last strum of the banjo. This scene emphasizes the finality of the whole situation and things going back to normal with her family. The young girl playing the banjo symbolizes the family going back to their roots and way of life before the hunt for their father began.

In my opinion, I believe that the music chosen for this film fit it well. The combination of string instruments created suspense, while also maintaining the country feel of the film. However, there is one scene where I would have altered the music. In the scene where Ree is finally being brought to her father’s body, there was only a faint violin in the background. I believe that at this point, the music within the movie should have been at its highest intensity, seeing as it was the climax. I believe that with more dramatic music, it could have made the scene more climactic. Without strong music at that point, it made me feel as if that was not an important scene within the movie, even though it was what the whole movie was about.