Text 3 cinema music
From the earliest days of the movies, films have traditionally used music to heighten the drama of the action on screen. The first cinemas were equipped with a piano or an organ, and the silent films of the 1920s had live musical accompaniment. The pianist or organist had to watch the screen closely all the time to make sure that the music he or she was playing matched the action of the film.
With the arrival of sound, it became possible to put music as well as dialogue onto film’s soundtrack. It is difficult to think of a single film made since then without some sort of background music. Film musicals were spectacularly popular from the 1930s to the 1960s. Extravagant screen productions of popular stage musicals such as Oklahoma (1955) and My Fair Lady (1964) was involving hundreds of singers and dancers. Although it became less popular at the end of the 20th century, the film musical has recently been revived through box-office successes such as Moulin Rouge (2001) with Nicole Kidman, and Chicago (2003) with Renee Zellweger.
Film music has also become popular away from the cinema. Many soundtracks become best-selling records, and film scores are now studied seriously and played by classical orchestras and radio stations. The most famous and popular film music in recent years has often been the scores of epic or science-fiction films such as Star Wars (1977), ET (1982), Gladiator (2000) and The Lord of the Rings (2001), many of which have been composed by American composer John Williams.
score – music specially written for the film; to heighten – to make or become more intense;
soundtrack – the recorded version of a film’s sound (especially its music)
Exercise 17. Answer these questions about the text in writing.
1. What sort of instruments used to accompany old silent films?
2. What did the musician have to do while he or she played?
3. When did film musicals start to lose popularity?
4. Which two modern films have helped to make the musical popular again?
5. Which types of film tend to have commercially successful scores?
Exercise 18. Here are the best soundtracks of all times (chosen by listeners of Britain’s Classic FM radio station). Look at the Classic FM list of top ten film scores. How many of the films have you seen? How many have scores written by John Williams?
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1. The Lord of the Rings (Howard Shore 2001) |
6. ET (John Williams 1982) |
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2. Star Wars (John Williams 1977) |
7. Out of Africa (John Barry 1985) |
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3. Schindler’s List (John Williams 1993) |
8. Lawrence of Arabia (Maurice Jarre 1962) |
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4. The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams 1980) |
9. Dances with Wolves (John Barry 1990) |
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5. Gladiator (Hans Zimmer 2000) |
10. Titanic (James Horner 1997) |
Writing task: Write a paragraph about a film that you particularly liked because of its music or its songs. Mention who wrote the music, and how it added to the general effect of the film. Bring a soundtrack to class to enjoy it together with your groupmates.
Exercise 19. Choose the right word.
Films
1. They all sat in the fourth _____________ of the cinema.
a) bench b) line c) rank d) row
2. Lawrence Olivier gave an excellent ______________ in the film.
a) act b) character c) performance d) play
3. There was an interesting _____________ of the film in the paper last week.
a) comment b) resume c) revision d) review
4. What time is the first _____________ of the film?
a) act b) performance c) programme d) show
5. The latest video _____________ contains details of over one thousand films.
a) brochure b) catalogue c) leaflet d) prospectus
6. I found the last scene extremely _____________ and well-directed.
a) moving b) pathetic c) pitiful d) sympathetic
7. This film is not ____________ for children.
a) adopted b) agreeable c) right d) suitable
Exercise 20. Choose the correct words or expressions in bold to complete this text. There is an example at the beginning . At the cinema
Last week I saw an excellent film/ performance at the new cinema on the High Street. It’s one of those huge (1) multi-screen / many-screen complexes where there is always a (2) collection / selection of ten films to choose from.
There was quite a long queue at the box (3) office / kiosk, but I got my (4) ticket / card (which also included free (5) admit / admission to the Museum of Modern Film in London as part of a special (6) promote / promotion) and went into the (7) arena / auditorium, where the (8) usher / porter helped me to find my seat.
The lights went (9) down / up, but before the film started we watched some (10) trailers / previews for forthcoming films, and some (11) promotions / advertisements for soft drinks and fast food restaurants.
The film was a (12) drama / dramatic called “House of the Horse”, and is currently on general (13) release / exhibition at cinemas across the country. It (14) stars / shows actor Brad Gibson in the (15) role / place of a man who loses his job and decides to breed racehorses. Gibson gave an excellent (16) perform / performance, the (17) soundtrack / orchestra was very moving and some of the special (18) effects / affects were great. The (19) audience / spectators enjoyed it a great deal and although I don’t usually like this kind of film - I prefer (20) thrillers / thrillings, (21) horrible / horror movies and (22) comedians / comedies, - I found it very (23) enjoyable / enjoying. Unfortunately the newspapers (24) critics / criticisms weren’t so positive; they thought it was (25) boring / bored and generally gave it very negative (26) reviews / previews.
Exercise 21. FILM. Answer the clues.
1 C __ __ __ __ __ __
2 __ __ __ __ I __ __ __ __
3 __ __ __ __ __ N __
4 __ __ __ __ __ __ E __
5 __ __ __ __ M __ __ __ __ __ __
6 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ A __
1. animated movie
2. translation of the dialogue of a foreign film printed on the film
3. replacing the original voice sound-track of a film with a translation into a different language
4. interesting and exciting adventure film about crime, black magic, etc.
5. a film showing some aspect of human or social activity
6. the script of the film
Exercise 22. Look at the following descriptions of places we go to or things we see during our free time. For each passage, decide what is being described from the box below. Underline the words in each passage that helped you decide. Be careful: there are some things in the box which do not fit in any of the categories. There is an example at the beginning .
Entertainment.
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a party |
a football match |
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a television programme |
a film |
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a play |
a circus |
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a radio programme |
a rock concert |
Model: The floor was packed with people enjoying DJ Catman Morris and his team spinning the latest sounds. Lights flashed as the dancers worked themselves into a frenzy. a night club
1. As the players walked onto the pitch, the spectators went wild, chanting and singing in support of their favourite team. __________________
2. The audience downstairs in the stalls, and those upstairs in the circle went quiet as the curtain opened to reveal the stage. The lights came up and the cast made their first appearance. __________________
3. This has been a major box office success. The special effects are spectacular and the soundtrack is loud and exciting. The director will probably receive an Oscar for his work, and the main actors have received a lot of praise for their performance. It is currently on general release across the country. ________________
4. Good evening viewers, and welcome to a new series of the quiz show that promises to make somebody very rich. Here’s your host for tonight ... Chris Smugman! ________________
5. I love watching the clowns and the acrobats, but I can't stand watching animals being made to perform. I think it’s very cruel. ________________
6. Hello again listeners, and welcome to today’s edition of “On the Air”. In the studio I have with me one of our most famous presenters and broadcasters, Bob Jenkins. ________________
Exercise 23. Choose the right word.
Television
1. Did you see that _____________ about wildlife in Africa on television last week?
a) documentary b) history c) slapstick d) soap opera
2. All three TV channels provide extensive _____________ of sporting events.
a) broadcast b) coverage c) network d) vision
3. We hope to bring you further news of this in our next _____________ at midnight.
a) article b) bulletin c) episode d) piece
4. We covered a wide _____________ of topics in the interview.
a) collection b) extend c) number d) range
5. TVP Channel One tries to _____________ for all tastes.
a) cater b) furnish c) regard d) suit
6. We are interrupting this programme for a news _____________.
a) alarm b) alert c) flash d) signal
7. There are several TV _____________ in Ukraine, and all of them allow advertising.
a) broadcasts b) canals c) channels d) screens
8. Violent programmes on TV may have a bad _____________ on children.
a) control b) influence c) power d) pressure
9. The laughter on many comedies on TV isn't real laughter, it’s _____________ laughter.
a) bottled b) canned c) corked d) wrapped
10. The poor reception on your TV is probably due to outside _____________.
a) interception b) interference c) interruption d) intervention
Speaking task: Test your general knowledge of cinema. What kinds of films are these?
1) Pearl Harbor 2) Frankenstein 3) Four Weddings and a Funeral 4) Silence of the Lambs 5) Die Hard
6) Basic Instinct
Have you seen any of these films? If so, use words and phrases from this unit to describe one of them.