Psycho

While watching this classic the use of strings was used frequently. The way in which these strings that are used are unlike anything else we have seen in previous films. Strings were commonly used to symbolize love, light, or the female characters in a film. In Psycho, the strings are used in a harsh, almost unpleasant way. The sound is uneven, not constant.

This black and white film was one of the first films to not use the classic hollywood standards for music. I would consider the film Psycho film noir. The use of shadows to convey the killer and the use of light go portray the victum also is classic film noir.

This film has an interesting leitmotif that is unlike any other music that was have seen in a film. It is a harsh sound played by the strings. It is uneven, but remains constant throughout the movie. We would see this suspense filled lietmotif whenever the audience was left guessing about something or unsure of what was going to happen next. This use of hte leitmotif added to the suspense of the movie.

Double Indemnity

I found that the film Double Indemnity had a classic hollywood theme for the credit music, suspense. It started out strong and harsh and pulled you in as you watched it. The sound was dark with lighter strings on layered on top. The harsh music was used to describe the events and the masculine for, but on the contrasting view light music was played whenever a lady was involved to show her soft side.
The use of repetition was also used throughout the film. The same harsh and dark leitmotif was used to descrive the plan and the actions that were carried out.
I also noticed that music played when he was telling the story. The music went along with the narration.

On the Waterfront

When I first started watching On the Waterfront the music sounded harsh. It was loud, strong, and dominant. I suspected that the music would continue this way for the entire movie, but was surprised to discover that the music just stopped in some places, then picked up in a traditional manner again. Another thing thing that struck me as odd was that the music just started, sounded harsh and aggressive. There was no fading in or out of the music. The music simply started and stopped.
Music can make certain important speeches or dialogues in the movie more intense or emotional. The music can influence how the viewer perceives the speech as well. In On the Waterfront there was almost no music during any of the important dialogues.
I found that the music in On the Waterfront did not match any of the other composers that we have studied so far. There was no real leitmotifs or general themes, other than the harsh sounds of the instruments in this movie.