| Series |
Communications and media studies series, 1522-385X ; no. 9
Communications and media studies ; no. 9. ^A441450
|
| Contents |
Interdiscipline and the place of classical music in film studies -- Film music and the musical community -- Sound montage and counterpoint analogies -- Narration, program, and narrative -- Interpreting classical music in film -- Summary, conclusions, and implications. |
| Abstract |
From Chaplin's brilliant use of Wagner in The Gold Rush to the Bach chorale closing Scorsese's Casino, classical music has played a fascinating role in movies. This book provides a fresh critical survey of the aesthetics of classical music in film. Exploring tensions between high art and commercial culture, the author examines how directors quote themes and classical passages in genres ranging from the Soviet avant garde to Hollywood romances. This book explores two major areas of interest. First, the author examines the historical, social, and critical contexts of the debates between music advocates and the music establishment over the uses of serious music in cinema. Next, he elaborates a model for understanding the relationship of film to film music: as film-musical counterpoint, expressed in the Soviet cinematic avant-garde, and as an essential programmatic component to the narrative film. Drawing on a wide range of approaches--in film theory, musicology, and cultural and literary criticism--the author offers a sophisticated critical toolkit for understanding the interaction of classical music with film and film culture. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-201) and index. |
| LCCN | 2003011363 |
| ISBN | 0823222799 (hard cover : alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 0823222802 (pbk. : alk. paper) |
