A movie is incomplete without a good soundtrack. With that said, some soundtracks surpass the original film and often are considered as being so significant in their presentation, they are considered on their own independent of the movie. This has been the case with Conan the Barbarian (1982) when the score by the late Basil Poedouris can best be considered standalone.
Which is where the questions for this topic come in:
1) In which films have soundtracks been underrated due to the movie itself not standing out or being underrated? 2) Can renditions be counted as a part of a soundtrack of films? This question is made relevant when one considers some movies which have different presentations and interpretations of originals, such as the Laura Del Ray version of "Once Upon a Dream", or "Singing in the Rain" as used by Malcolm McDowell in "A Clockwork Orange".
Guidelines are open for this topic.
Along the lines of the example of Kubrick's use of 'Singin' in the Rain' in Clockwork Orange), I have always been interested in how a film's tone can drastically change by soundtrack genre. I recall a short film I once saw that explained this by showing a video of a crocodile walking toward a camera. In one version, an ominous soundtrack was used, causing the sight to be intimidating; in the next, a comical soundtrack was used, and the alligator's short-legged gait became awkward, silly and bumbling. I'd like to see someone write about this, using two different types of music for film clips and see how it changes the tone. – Katheryn9 years ago
The recent Mad Max movie had an awesome soundtrack. Soundtracks that introduce a character always add to the movie. For example, Darth Vader's music has become synonymous with sinister characters. Relating to the idea of becoming synonymous, one of my friends from England once asked me why every rom-com has the song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"? Some soundtracks are overused. – Munjeera9 years ago
Another example which can be quoted as being a soundtrack which is famous, but is almost always associated with a single film/film franchise (alongside Star Wars and Star Trek and Indiana Jones), is the opening song in Kill Bill Vol. 1. of "Bang Bang!" by Sonny Bono. Although there are various versions (Frank Sinatra), this one is iconic of Kill Bill Vol 1. – shehrozeameen9 years ago
It might be interesting to explore Melodrama as a form and how the addition of music to subtend emotion is a relatively new phenomenon in storytelling (though one that's obviously become the norm). – Tiffany9 years ago
One aspect of looking at movie soundtracks might be to see how film reviews or categorization such as nominations changes our perception of the film soundtrack. Quiet often films that are nominated for Oscars, Golden Globe, BAFTA or so on have great soundtracks, or is it that the idea that they are nominated changes our perception of the music to see them as "great"? – Arazoo Ferozan9 years ago
The idea of analysing how a good/bad soundtrack makes or breaks a film with in-depth look at particular examples, this would be interesting. In terms of melodrama, I did this article https://the-artifice.com/are-blockbusters-melodramatic/ which already kind of covers it. – Francesca Turauskis9 years ago
This topic is really interesting to me! it reminds me of when I made the connection in one of my favourite films "Angela's Ashes". The main theme contains only 3 basic chords and they are used to symbolize the father, son and holy ghost. This furthers the connection to the Catholicism in the film and really hit home for me. I do think that music is really important when it comes to films and the emotions they invoke in us as an audience. I believe what makes a good soundtrack/score is the time and place it is used in the film and how the actual notes relate back. – Shannon8 years ago
You use the term 'Importance' in the title which often suggests something is either worth paying attention to or it is not. Perhaps the term 'significance'? It is more suggestive of possible levels of relevance. Also if you are interested in music or sound significance R. Murray Schafer wrote a book titled 'The New Soundscape' and it discusses the significance/relevance of sounds within society today. He also talks about defining music in the contemporary world and compares the rural soundscape with the urban. If you are not familiar with the artist/musician John Cage, please check him out! It would be so worth your time. I hope this helps :) – melpetrinack8 years ago
I think it would be really helpful to this topic to analyze the absence of soundtrack in film. Specifically, I'm thinking of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and Fritz Lang's "M," but I know that there are others. These are movies that really tonally benefit from having no non-diegetic sound in terms of creating mood. Similarly, the Dogme '95 famously demanded that no director was allowed to use diegetic music in their films to make their films more 'realistic.' I often wonder how effective this is. – DerekHorneland8 years ago
Do movies rely too much on shock factor that they lose their purpose or quality? For example, in the timeless movie, "Swing Time," a door would conveniently open in front of the camera to avoid the audience from seeing Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers kiss. Furthermore, homosexuality, cannibalism, and incest are only implied but never explicitly shown or stated in Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift's movie, "Suddenly Last Summer." On the other hand, modern movies and TV shows alike are not only exploiting these kinds of racy subjects but also glorifying them. The TV version of "Game of Thrones" has surpassed the books in some areas and completely gone astray from them in other areas simply to initiate a reaction from the audience. For example, Jamie and Cersei Lannister's relationship is not only developed but given plenty of passionate onscreen scenes all the while their offspring wears the crown. Where movies are concerned, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" displays a blowjob, rape, and several torture scenes explicitly throughout the film. What should the boundaries in story telling be without assuming immoral or questionable affairs simply do not happen? Do these explicit scenes further the story telling and constitute as art, or do they get in the way?
this could also be vital in "click-baiting" on the internet, not with just films but also youtube videos which can be used as a form of storytelling too. – scole8 years ago
Real terror in something like Rosemary's Baby or The a Silence of the Lambs vs. the cheapness of using tense music setting up the viewer for a someone or something appearing as the orchestra hits the home run note. Hemingway used a British officer's polite and understated description of enemy soldiers being "potted" to heighten the sense of war's inhumanity. Implication and allusion are deeper wells than the ham-handedness of statement. – Tigey8 years ago
"A Street Car Named Desire", "Apocalypse Now" and "The Godfather" are some of Marlon Brando's best known work, but why was he such a good actor? What turned him from Hollywood heart throb to Dr. Moreau?
I think the title question is mislead/should be rephrased. The actual description of the topic sounds fine, but "good acting" is very subjective. However an analysis of his career would be interesting – Darcy Griffin8 years ago
How do I edit the title? Marlon Brando: Was he one of the greatest actors, or a very good liar? I could have many different titles, this being my first topic I wasn't sure how to word it properly. – petergeoff218 years ago
Title aside, a cool thing to do with would be to consider how his style would translate to modern film. Was he the perfect man for his era or could his performance transcend the stylistic ravages of time – Dominique Kollie8 years ago
Perceptions of Brando as "one of the greatest actors" were very much influenced by the historical and aesthetic contexts of his career. Streetcar became a smash hit on both stage and screen under the direction of Elia Kazan, who was one of the earliest American directors to adopt (and arguably master) the newly emerging style of Method Acting, as formulated by Lee Strasberg under the influence of the Stanislavsky System that had been taking Russian and European performance by storm since the founding of the Moscow Art Theatre in 1897. Prior to the advent of this hyper-Realist system, acting was either Classical (better suited for the high poeticism of Aeschylus, Shakespeare, and Goethe than for the stark literalism of Ibsen, Chekhov, and Tennessee Williams) or Melodramatic (which heightened emotions beyond anything even remotely believable). Coinciding with this Naturalist revamping of the theatre was the refinement of film technology and the art of cinema, which was capable of replicating the world with photographic precision in a way that theatre simply couldn't. This made it necessary for the acting style to mirror the reality of the mise-en-scene, making the Method the ideal choice for this new medium. Brando's arrival on the screen in 1951 blew spectators away, because never before had they seen an actor so candidly portray real human emotions in such a recognizably realistic fashion. – ProtoCanon8 years ago
I read this quote somewhere: "Brando was troubled, but James Dean was sick." I don't know what to say about Dean, but Brando's sickness - he once said if there were 100 people in a room and didn't like him, he'd want to escape - may have led to his success; I'm pretty sure it led to his famous refusal of an Oscar. This topic may be subjective, but that's not necessarily a flaw. – Tigey8 years ago
The Grimm's Fairytales are a collection of stories aimed at children with the intention of teaching them right from wrong. Disney took its own creative liberties with the stories, turning them into perhaps more-child-suited stories, a lot of which targeted young girls. To this day the cartoons are re-watched, musicals attended with fervor, and now there are increasing numbers of live-action re-makes and spin-offs. As these stories continue to teach children, especially girls, what are the messages being received? To consider: 1) To what extent are the characters (male and female) developed? How does this change in different versions (from Grimm's to today)? 2) The appearance of the characters, especially the actresses chosen for the upcoming remakes (race, body physique etc? 3) The impact of these stories on young children (both boys and girls) – are these characters good or bad role models? 4) What do these stories teach us about behavior, social expectations, and even romance?
I took a class in studying patterns in fairytales, and in terms of gender relations, heterosexual marriage features many times as an end reward for the (often poor) main character, either male or female, and the love interest is often not mentioned much and a member of royalty. This sort of crosses into class issues, but it is an aspect of the societal expectations and what is seen as desirable (wealth and romance that leads to marriage and likely children). – Emily Deibler8 years ago
Taking a cultural perspective on how the lessons in these stories have changed from the original Grimm's Fairytales to the contemporary re-makes would be especially enlightening, as it would illuminate the prevalent cultural priorities and values of our present day. – HeatherNicole8 years ago
Hmmm...what comes to mind is actually Disney's recent film, Zootopia. Totally hilarious, classic Disney fare. But also a pretty clear race allegory, as many reviewers have noticed. Gets to the heart of racialized discourse: are people of certain races (or in Zootopia's case, bunnies) inherently passive, while others (see wolves in the film) are aggressive and still others (see foxes) sneaky and conniving? Of course not, but these are the assumptions we inherit and perpetuate, even on the subtlest levels. Ruminating on these topics in animated form is, I think, rather ingenious. – alissac8 years ago
There are a ton of different ways this could go. Some specification is probably needed: films from a certain era? Country or region? About certain race(s)? Different genres? There are a lot of different factors that will affect the role race plays in a movie. – chrischan8 years ago
Qu'Allah bénisse la France (2014) a French film, shot in black & white that takes a look at the racism, France's well-known unemployment issue as well as heavy drug use and how these factors affect the youngsters in a devastating manner. The film is based on a true story. – oksly8 years ago
I might be interested in this topic. But, in order to give any step further, I am going to need examples, a project with a thesis, an explanation of the relevance of the undertaking, and proof that this idea is original and hasn't been explored before. – T. Palomino2 years ago
Select a few of Shakespeare plays that have been adapted in films and analyse them. What can film techniques bring to the plays? How does it change our relationships to characters? The story? Are there elements that can only be efficient on stage? What do actors who do both (David Tennant, Kenneth Branagh, Ian McKellen etc…) say about the difference between performing Shakespeare on stage and in front of a camera?
Wow, there's a lot here to talk about! I love this topic and am excited to see it. Paring this down into specifics would be easier to write about. For example, Branagh is probably the most prolific in bringing Shakespeare to film, so it might be interesting to choose just one of his film adaptations and write at length about what it brings to (or detracts from) the play. Most directors these days set Shakespeare in different time periods; how does Branagh's version of Hamlet, for example, set a tone that may be different from a displaced staged version? – Katheryn9 years ago
A very interesting concept and will make a great article. There are certainly many things you propose to be discussed here. I think first of all the title should reflect that you are trying to do a comparison or discuss both Film and on stage plays. In addition, it will be beneficial to narrow down the discussion to a degree as it might result in a very long article that would not have coherency and a good flow. Compare and contrast topics are very interesting read and fun to do, but if there are too many elements, the article becomes difficult to follow. – Arazoo Ferozan9 years ago
BBC's Hollow Crown trilogy would be a good adaptation to explore (even though it's a mini-series) as many of the actors in it also did stage work. The recent Macbeth (2015) film would interesting as well given how pared down it was--mostly striking visuals and score, but very little of the play's actual lines. A question, maybe, of conveying atmosphere and tone vs. faithfully sticking to the original. – Tiffany9 years ago
As others have noted, there is a lot to explore/discuss here. There are numerous adaptations of Shakespeare's plays that can lend important insight to your piece - especially if you're thinking about it in a global context. How do adaptations outside of the English language come closer to or further from the original? How do certain cultural or community specific values (i.e. arranged marriages in certain cultures) impact an adaptation's depiction or love, duty, remorse, etc. Maqbool (2004) is an awesome example of some of these questions and issues. If you're thinking of expanding to a more global context that is a great place to start! – GemMarr8 years ago
This is a very broad topic, maybe stick to one popular and well adapted Shakespeare play. Also keep in mind the historical context of live action plays: they were supposed to engage the audience to get involved, for example the well known fact that audiences used to throw tomatoes at actors. But the audience could also contribute real time opinions and feelings to a play, even help improvise lines. Audience participation is something film adaptations lack. I'm not sure if you have studied more modern plays, like Beckett or Susan Lori-Parks, but the trend of post modern plays is to implicate the audience and make us feel culpable. I know this might be going off track, but it would be an interesting research. Good luck! – Rayna8 years ago
What storytelling techniques are used to invoke the feeling of wanderlust in film?
"Midnight in Paris" is one of my favorite movies ever. It deals with time travel and wanderlust. Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) suffers from "golden age thinking," believing he would be happier in another time period than his own. I think this golden age thinking ties in with the setting of the film, i.e. Paris, to where he has traveled. I think that the technique of implementing time travel into a movie about being abroad definitely invokes feelings of wanderlust. – Christina Legler8 years ago
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a very inspirational story about traveling. Even more - this film involves the question of self-estimation. I personally started my own trip after this film. And I strongly recommend to check out this film! Who knows, maybe one day you'll have the same awesome experience.
– Brenda177 years ago
People first need to know what is the relation between the title and the body of this topic. – T. Palomino2 years ago
Look at the differences between the movie Eragon and the book by Paolini. Explore why the book was a relative success but the movie was such a cinematic flop. Areas to explore might include character development, major battles, what was changed and perhaps why (such as trying to keep the rating they wanted).
Adaptation Theory can help immensely with this essay. Linda Hutcheon has a seminal text on the topic. – WALSTIB8 years ago
It could also be interesting to do a general article about where book-to-movie transitions often fail, and use Eragon as a framing device, since it sadly falls victim to many of the pitfalls. I would personally attribute many of the problems in Eragon specifically to an attempt to condense the entirety of a very long and complex book into a single movie; the entire thing felt incredibly rushed. – Connor Gregorich-Trevor8 years ago
