We know that when analyzing the sound of a movie, it is bound to be analyzed in detail from the historical background, sound effects, music, language and other aspects of the movie sound. However, due to the different types of movies, we will distinguish between musical films and non-musical films when analyzing movies, and the movie we analyze here-"The Shawshank Redemption" belongs to a typical drama film, which belongs to non-musical films, so we only analyze the four films just mentioned.
① Music
At the beginning of the film, as the camera zooms in, we hear melodious male jazz, which is soft and comfortable, and actually lays the foundation for the tone of the film, indicating the gentle rhythm and the healing of the film theme. Later, background music appeared in Shawshank prison. When the picture of the film appears overlooking Shawshank prison from bottom to top, the high notes of the violin and the low notes of the cello unify the sound and picture of the film, and also set a sad tone for the next prison life. When the picture moves from left to right, the participation of wind music and the scheduling of shots are unified, which is the embodiment of the details of a detailed film.
In the background music of the next paragraph, we hear what happened when Rhett helped Andy transport contraband. The fast-paced and lively strings reveal some phenomena of this behavior from behind. One is that this kind of behavior is very common in prisons, and the other is that the fast-paced delivery shows that this process needs skilled people to complete.
In another piece of background music, we began to feel Andy's uniqueness. At the beer party that Andy won through his own knowledge, melodious orchestral music gradually sounded, reflecting Andy's smiling face and connecting the gentleness of orchestral music with freedom in life. Later, in the process of finding a stone for Andy, the prisoners changed to Scottish organ and slow-paced guitar music, bringing out the friendship and cheerful rhythm among the prisoners.
The story develops to Andy building a library. In the process of sending letters, the background music of the film is strongly assumed to be part of the narrative language. In the steady progress, with Rhett's narration, the progress of time is related to Andy's efforts, becoming more humorous and interesting, and the situation is getting better and better.
However, when Lao Bu was released from prison, the story began to change. After Lao Bu was released from prison, his life was an accident. In the slow and unfamiliar piano sound, Lao Bu's lonely life flowed slowly, and Lao Bu finally came to the end of his life in sad self-mockery. ...
Later, Andy won the construction of the library through hard work. The first thing he did was to put an opera on the phonograph. When he turned on the horn of the prison, the sound of freedom in Shawshank prison awakened the beauty in every prisoner's heart. The film powerfully illustrates the great role of sound in this film with such a plot. Rhett's mellow narration also soothes the hearts of the audience in the song.
Before the climax of the film, a strange but calm orchestra sounded, symbolizing the tranquility and unusual before the storm. At the same time, Rhett's monologue announced his inner anxiety and upcoming events, with sudden thunder as a reminder. When Rhett tells the truth, he highlights the climax and the ups and downs of the film plot, which causes the audience to explore the truth. When Andy escaped from Shawshank in orchestral music, the climax of the two parts overlapped, which made Andy's road to rebirth more obvious.
Finally, when Rhett looked for Andy's position, the soft orchestra sounded again, and the sound of harmonica interspersed in the middle also revealed Rhett's harmonica and his theme of redemption. As the strings get louder and louder, Rhett finally meets Andy at the seaside, and that kind of kindness and friendship are fully displayed in the symphony at the end of the film.
Language (dialogue, monologue)
The film mainly tells such a story of redemption with Rhett as the first person. Have to say, Morgan Freeman's tone is really suitable for narrative, gentle and slow, an elder tone. It is really easy to tell such a heart-wrenching story, but it is really difficult for others to do it. In fact, first-person narration is very important for movies. Because the film has a long time span on the one hand and a historical record on the other, it is told in a tone similar to Morgan, which gives the film a heavy sense of history.
There is a scene that highlights the speaker's identity and potential lines in language, that is, the section where the warden gives a lecture. There is no music, only his words resound through the cage, which not only represents the imprisonment of the prison, but also symbolizes the absolute authority of the warden with silent solemnity.
Another thing that deserves our attention is that Rhett applied for parole three times in the film. In the first monologue, we can clearly feel Rhett's desire to go out from Rhett's words, but we don't really care if he has changed. In the second application, Rhett looked calm, gentle and indifferent, but he couldn't hide his despair (although he pretended to be indifferent and sincerely repented in his tone), and the content of his speech only focused on his true confession. Repeated sentences also show that he is suspected of hiding. Finally, this is Red's third application. Why was it approved this time? We notice that in his monologue, his expression and content are completely consistent, and the firmness in his eyes and the toughness in his words have expressed Rhett's complete remorse.
We gradually know Andy's ability in the movie, but what is his ability? I think it can be learned through a discussion between Rhett and Andy about the warden's money laundering. During the conversation, Rhett kept asking Andy a lot of questions in a curious tone, but Andy told Rhett his way in a calm tone, just like talking about housework. This kind of dialogue, in contrast, reveals Andy's calm, meticulous, far-sighted and resourceful image.
(3) Sound effect
This film is also excellent in sound effects. For example, there is a scene in which Shawshank prisoners applaud the "newcomer". Warm applause and mocking laughter overlap with the addition of new prisoners in the prison, which in itself deepens the absurdity of the fragment and satirizes the boredom and waste of time in the prison, especially when Rhett and his cellmate bet on who will cry on the first day, which further reflects the helpless fun in the prison.
Sometimes the sound of animals can also have a considerable effect. For example, the two birds singing in the arms of Lao Bu can explain the problem very well. At the first call, the bird was still a chick, and its shrill and immature call brought a little life to the closed Shawshank prison. However, crying for the second time is a symbol of sadness and loss. Because Bruce wants to leave Shawshank, Bruce, who has been in prison for 50 years, doesn't want to leave. He is not nostalgic for this prison, but used to life here. Instead, he will feel fear and discomfort outside. The original chicken has become an old bird, and the traces of time and the despair of birdsong are deeply pressed in Lao Bu's heart.
Another representative is in the part where the warden plans to shoot Tom. Because of Tom's words, Andy had hope to get out of prison, but at this time it threatened the warden's "corruption plan", and the warden certainly didn't allow it. When Captain Harley shot and killed Tom, four consecutive harsh gunshots and distant dog barks showed the coldness of the prison, the sinister and selfish of the warden in a unique and realistic way. At this time, the silent gunfire and the barking of dogs in the dark are accusing this dark prison and system with silence.
We can also taste the meaning of other small details. For example, when the warden threw a poster with a stone, the echo in the pipeline was that a mosquito flew out of hell, which not only stung the nerves of the characters in the movie, but also stung the nerves of the viewers. When Andy escaped from prison, the sound of lightning that night became his indispensable assistant; When Rhett tells about Andy's escape from prison, the camera stays on Andy's pickaxe, and the sound of the flash highlights the word miracle. Finally, in the scene where the warden committed suicide by swallowing a gun, a deafening gunshot declared that Shawshank's greatest authority was driven off the altar.
The voice of history
In fact, this can be seen in several places in the film, and most of them are also in Rhett's narrative. This has been analyzed in the language part of the film, so we won't analyze it any more. However, there is a piece of music in the film that deserves our attention: in the library established by Andy, Heywood listened to hank williams's records, which found specific coordinates for the historical era of the film, and the description of the Kennedy incident later reflected this sense of the times more.
These are just some meager analyses I have made. In fact, this is just one of the outstanding factors of this great film, but it is precisely this factor that helps this film become one of the greatest films in the world.
Literature source: ① Chapter 5: The Sound by Louis Giannetti.