Sound in two Hollywood films: 'singin' in the rain' and Thelma & Louise

Résumé du document

Singin' in the Rain is a musical created in 1951 by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, Thelma & Louise a road movie created in 1991 by Ridley Scott. These two works could sound different; nevertheless they have a common point, which is the important role of sound, and especially music, within the plot. However both do not make the same use of sound, neither of the sound techniques, and that is what will be analysed in this essay. Firstly, we will describe the different kinds of sound – that is to say music, voice and noise – that these two works contain and analyse them. Secondly, we will try to see what can be learned from this analysis, as far as the notions of narrative and entertainment are concerned.

Extraits

[...] In a musical like Singin' in the Rain on the contrary, what is important is the entertainment and the fact that the audience remains dazzled in front of such a spectacle. The perfection of this spectacle opposed to the imperfection and failure of reality leads us to quote Richard Dyer[2] and his "categories of the utopian sensibility" opposing "abundance, energy, intensity, transparency and community" which are present in Singin' in the Rain to "scarcity, exhaustion, dreariness, manipulation and fragmentation" which seem to be the features of Thelma & Louise. [...]

[...] This is one of the main opposition between the two films: the image of perfection conveyed in Singin' in the Rain contrasts with the true- to-life and then imperfect aspect of Thelma & Louise, as well through music as through other aspects of the films. If we now analyse the different use made of the music between the two films, first of all, we have to notice that music in Thelma & Louise is often present as a background surrounding the plot and as well diegetic often from the car radio as non-diegetic. [...]

[...] Also, the pitch of music seems to depend more on the characters in Thelma & Louise: it is rather high for the two women and lower for scenes with the policemen. Whereas in Singin' in the Rain, the pitch varies depending on the characters emotions: low pitch for calm, serious or sincere talk, and higher pitch for funny or thrilling situations. The meaning conveyed by music in these two films is also different. In Thelma & Louise, the country-western music contributes to the creation of particular atmospheres: for instance, a feminine context with all the female singers at the beginning, or an impression of freedom with the song "No lookin' back" as we see them driving fast in an open space. [...]

[...] Music is a way to convey the interiority of the characters and get the viewer more implied in the story and closer to them. On the contrary, in Singin' in the Rain, music is used by the characters to express themselves, and thus to externalise and display their feelings in front of the audience. As for the voices, there are also considered differently in the two films: indeed, in Singin' in the Rain, the whole plot is about having a perfect voice so this feature is extremely important. The characters' voices except Lina's are always perfectly loud and understandable, with a perfect pronunciation. [...]

[...] Sound in two Hollywood films: singin' in the rain and Thelma & Louise Singin' in the Rain is a musical created in 1951 by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, Thelma & Louise a road movie created in 1991 by Ridley Scott. These two works could sound different; nevertheless they have a common point, which is the important role of sound, and especially music, within the plot. However both do not make the same use of sound, neither of the sound techniques, and that is what will be analysed in this essay. [...]