For this Soundtrack Spotlight I have chosen ‘Psycho.’ A film by Indian writer and director Mysskin. Though he only made his directorial debut in 2006 his films have met critical acclaim and he has spanned genres from romance, thrillers, horror and even super hero action movies.
With a soundtrack composed by Ilaiyaraaja, while not specifically a horror composer, certainly a master of the craft with a career spanning nearly four decades with over one thousand film compositions to his name.
The music begins at the climax of the opening scene with a short sharp burst of scratchy strings holding two long droning notes while each bar is interspersed with a higher trill bringing a sense of high tension.
During the next scene in which the parents identify the body, there is a very low single not drone in the background which adds the perfect sense of dread until the body is identified as their child at which point the music stops almost mirroring the numbness of the parents.
During the party scene the music takes on a diegetic approach in the form of a string ensemble playing at the party, this moves into a musical number as is common in Indian cinema.
These first few opening scenes give a representation of the main motifs used throughout the rest of the film.
The next piece of music while Gautham Is listening to Dagini’s radio show is another string ensemble piece with a wind melody played over the top which breaks to silence when the serial killer arrives and then builds to a crescendo after Dagini’s abduction.
While the killer is talking with Dagini the music is again a minimal string ensemble, though this time non-diegetic, until the next scene when the killer plays a CD in his car, this time diegetic but still the same minimal string ensemble. The constant mixture from diegetic to non-diegetic of the same minimal string ensemble is interesting and builds an uneasy immersion for the viewer. However, this technique is not carried on too much throughout the rest of the film, which is a bit of a shame as it makes you feel as though the filmmakers really had immersion in mind.
As the film moves on the music from the opening scene is reintroduced as a theme for the killers’ murders, and as the killer becomes more erratic the piece of music also builds in instrumentation and volume, signifying his loss of control.
Later in the film we are treated to a car chase, that has some pulsing strings along with a horn melody that gets higher in pitch as the chase goes on, the constant elevation in pitch really adds great tension here.
The music becomes more sombre as the chase comes to an end and Gautham’s brother is killed.
Later as we learn more about the killers past and motives there is a ritual scene accompanied by choral vocals with orchestral music to create a religious feeling.
As we reach the final act, we again get some pulsing strings and horns while the killer chases Gautham in the dark.
All in all, the film was enjoyable and the soundtrack kept the suspense even if it did give up on the immersion early on.
Check it out on Netflix (UK) now and give it a listen.
No comments:
Post a Comment