Home Piano © 2011 Rita Bourland
Best Performance in a Movie
And the Oscar for best performance in a movie goes to………the musicians who played background music for The Artist.
I was swept away by soaring violins, soulful clarinets, piano rhythms and suspense-building drums. These extra but unseen actors in the film were present for every scene, creating myriad moods from emotional collapse to the heights of ecstasy.
The music was so good and so seamless that one could be forgiven for not noticing it at all. My awareness sharpened about a third of the way into the film. It didn’t take me out of the action; it enhanced my experience. As I felt the mellow saxophones and bluesy trombones tug at my heart, I watched the actors’ faces and knew they felt it too. The beat of the underlying score made this movie complete in a way we seldom find anymore. By removing the voices, we were given the gift of a sumptuous orchestra to feast upon. And what a feast it was. Oh, those clarinets and oboes were so fine, and what about those muted trumpets setting that jazzy mood? I think I heard a harp plucking at my heart as well; just when all seemed lost.
Thank you, Hollywood. By giving us a movie without voices we ended up with a front row seat to the art of creating sound, which creates mood, which creates great movies.
Go see The Artist. Watch it; be intrigued by it, and occasionally close your eyes and allow the music to wash over you and enthrall you.
To the individuals who wrote the score, arranged the music, did the orchestration and played so masterfully - hats off to you. You may pick up your Oscar as soon as I discuss this new category with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Bravo!
