Best use of silence?

[Eric_JWFAN 11]

Call it the John Cage Award if you will. But many movies have had pivotal moments, dramatic action scenes etc where the composer/director chose to use no music at all but rather let the atmospheric sound on its own. Some scenes in Jurassic Park come to mind and of course the famous Luke/Darth Vader duel in ESB.

What other scenes could have had great music but were wisely left unaccompanied?

[robthehand 3]

The cropduster scene in North by Northwest and the subway scene and car chase in The French Connection spring to mind.

I also like the way the music builds up to the bar fight Raiders of the Lost Ark, but the actual fight is unscored.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

Patton

and

Star Wars

come to mind as mong the finest uses of musical absence throughout films.

[indy4 155]

WHen the oliphants are charging at Rohan in ROTK, the music builds up, but stops as soon as the oliphants attack (sort of like RAiders bar scene).

Also, Home Alone 2, when Kevin being chased by the coneirge through the hotel, and he runs in his room to do the whole "TV/tommy gun gag". The music does a wonderful crescendo, then silences.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Saving Private Ryan, the Omaha beach sequence in particular.

Of course it helps that that scene has some of the greatest sound work you'll find as well.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That much is certain.

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

Saving Private Ryan

agreed.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

Perhaps Eric or one of the more classically aware members can enlighten me.

Was 4:33 a joke, or was it a serious thing? I remember back in my high school orchestra class it amused everyone for about a week when we learned about it.

[ChuckM 1]

Spielberg's first movie, Duel. Only about 20 minutes of music in the whole thing, but it works really well.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Was 4:33 a joke, or was it a serious thing? I remember back in my high school orchestra class it amused everyone for about a week when we learned about it.

We went over that a little in a music class I had last year, and it seemed like it was a serious attempt to demonstrate that a musical performance didn't have to be predetermined or limited to what's written on a piece of paper, but rather open to encompassing everything going on in the hall, from the rustles and coughs of audience members to the wind outside or the furnace turning on. Kinda made Cage sound like a douche.

Ray Barnsbury

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

For some reason that reminds me of Goldsmith saying:

"In some concert halls they warn people not to cough, because it distracts the performers. They even have a jar of cough sweets at the door. Isn't that ridiculous! You can cough all you want here. My music is usually drowned out by car chases and the like...."

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I would not pay money to see that in concert....

[Red 75]

Many battle sequences are without music, I guess to add to the visuals.

[Quintus 5,399]

See, I've always felt that the shower sequence in Schindlers List could've benefited from a musical score. The strings build the scene so scarily well that it almost seems a shame that ET's flying theme doesn't kick in at the moment of watery relief.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

EDIT: Oh wait i think that had music over it...

[Koray Savas 2,251]

WHen the oliphants are charging at Rohan in ROTK, the music builds up, but stops as soon as the oliphants attack (sort of like RAiders bar scene).

Yes, that exact scene from ROTK jumped right into my head, great build up to a spectacular battle scene.

Other than that it's hard to think of other particular scenes.

[Omen II 1,236]

A reasonably well-known example is the famous car chase scene in the movie Bullitt. Lalo Schifrin scores the initial cat-and-mouse with the wonderful cue Shifting Gears but the music stops completely when the chase begins in earnest, with only the sounds of the cars' engines and the screeching of their tyres.

[Miguel Andrade 1,272]

From the Williams' canon, the first that comes to mind is Saving Private Ryan.

From the rest, I always admired the use of silence in Kubrick's films.

Alan Silvestri also made great use of silence in Cast Away.

And Herrmann, in several Hitchcock films, the most obvious one being The Birds.

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

From the rest, I always admired the use of silence in Kubrick's films.

I'm sure North does not agree with you about how Kubrick silenced him

[Morlock 11]

EDIT: Oh wait i think that had music over it...

It did indeed. Actually, the sound was muted to let the music crescendo.

[Red 75]

Where is that from?

[Romão 2,276]

Godfather III?

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

Mikey gets it only in Godfather, Part III.

[indy4 155]

And Herrmann, in several Hitchcock films, the most obvious one being The Birds.

I think that the Birds was one of the the slowest moving, most boring movie I've ever seen. The only film I can think of right now that's worse than The Birds is 1941. I think a bit of music could have seriously moved that movie along. IMO, Hitchcock really screwed up there...I mean, there wasn't even an ending! Most of his films can be a bit anti-climactic (or at least, the climax isn't the best part). The Birds, there was no climax!

[Miguel Andrade 1,272]

And Herrmann, in several Hitchcock films, the most obvious one being The Birds.

I think that the Birds was one of the the slowest moving, most boring movie I've ever seen. The only film I can think of right now that's worse than The Birds is 1941. I think a bit of music could have seriously moved that movie along. IMO, Hitchcock really screwed up there...I mean, there wasn't even an ending! Most of his films can be a bit anti-climactic (or at least, the climax isn't the best part). The Birds, there was no climax!

I can understand your feelings towards The Birds... but 1941 is amazing!

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

The Birds was good. Not great but good.

1941 was below average.

[ChuckM 1]

The Birds is awesome! 1941 is pretty good as well.

[indy4 155]

1941 is the worst film I've ever seen. Right in the midst of Spielberg's most popular films, too. Strange.

The only part I lauged at was the Jaws parody and the running trees, and when that guy swallowed the compass in the cracker jacks box.

to think that the man responsible for the complexity of Back to the Future wrote the script, and that the man behind the depth and meaning of Schindler's List directed the movie.

[John Crichton 4]

1941 is the worst film I've ever seen.

Never sat through Santa Claus vs. The Martians, then?

[Red 75]

I'd say it's underrated, but still not a very good movie.

[QMM 4]

Master and Commander has some great silent moments that let the outstanding sound design shine, the beginning especially

[King Mark 3,631]

Film that works the best without much music,I always think of that one:

The Exorcist.

K.M.

[Romão 2,276]

Master and Commander has some great silent moments that let the outstanding sound design shine, the beginning especially

Totally agree. Great use of classical pieces as well.

I would add Munich to the mix.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

EDIT: Oh wait i think that had music over it...

It did indeed. Actually, the sound was muted to let the music crescendo.

Yea, I misread the thread..I thought it was 'silence' as in sound, not music.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

The Unknown Soldier

A Finnish War movie from 1985.

The story is about the Continuation War(1941-44) between Finland and the Soviet Union

as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers.

Very shocking but beautiful film.

The duration is almost four hours and there is

no music at all in this film!!

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Every moment of silence in Michael Haneke's Funny Games has way more weight on it than whatever dialogue you can hear in it.

Watch this movie, people!

[Marian Schedenig 8,248]

I've seen it, it was excellent. I'm not sure I want to watch it again.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

It isn't half as effective, sadly.

[Morlock 11]

The only Haneke film I've seen is Cache, and I can't imagine anything made in that style to be as effective the second time around.

[Guest macrea]

The scene where the Nazis search the graveyard in The Sound of Music. Not only is there no music but the quiet is what creates the suspense. And in a packed house the audience gets just as quiet.

In a Williams score there are several spots in CE3K where he wrote music but it wasn't used. The approach of the mothership is an obvious one, but right after the initial close encounter at the railroad crossing it gets absolutely silent. Originally Williams had music come in when Roy looks up at the dark ship passing over but it was so much more effective keeping it quiet.

[indy4 155]

The scene where the Nazis search the graveyard in The Sound of Music. Not only is there no music but the quiet is what creates the suspense. And in a packed house the audience gets just as quiet.

That is a truly breathtaking scene.

[skyy38 21]

And Herrmann, in several Hitchcock films, the most obvious one being The Birds.

I think that the Birds was one of the the slowest moving, most boring movie I've ever seen. The only film I can think of right now that's worse than The Birds is 1941. I think a bit of music could have seriously moved that movie along. IMO, Hitchcock really screwed up there...I mean, there wasn't even an ending! Most of his films can be a bit anti-climactic (or at least, the climax isn't the best part). The Birds, there was no climax!

There was one good reason why "The Birds" was sans soundtrack-realism. I believe that Hitchcock thought that tension cues and whatever would be totally distracting to the narrative and he also wanted his audience to be smack in the middle of something that could quite possibly happen.Oh yeah,he's a little vague in his intentions,but that's precisely why this movie is one that holds up well on repeat viewings over the years-Every nook and cranny isn't explained to you and you have to think about it each and every time you watch it. I mean is Tippi Hedren "evil" or is it just coincidence?

The reason for the "no ending" ending was to keep everyone hanging and thinking.Is it really the "end of the world" or is it just some bizarre temporal thing?

Hitchcock leaves it up to you to decide,if you ever can.Sorry,can't tie this one up with a ribbon because it's already been shredded by our avian friends..

Music would have done nothing but get in the way.This is a true actors movie and Hitchcock chose his actors wisely.

A lot of people would venture that this movie is an action piece with character bits in between. It's really the other way around....

[indy4 155]

And Herrmann, in several Hitchcock films, the most obvious one being The Birds.

I think that the Birds was one of the the slowest moving, most boring movie I've ever seen. The only film I can think of right now that's worse than The Birds is 1941. I think a bit of music could have seriously moved that movie along. IMO, Hitchcock really screwed up there...I mean, there wasn't even an ending! Most of his films can be a bit anti-climactic (or at least, the climax isn't the best part). The Birds, there was no climax!

There was one good reason why "The Birds" was sans soundtrack-realism. I believe that Hitchcock thought that tension cues and whatever would be totally distracting to the narrative and he also wanted his audience to be smack in the middle of something that could quite possibly happen.Oh yeah,he's a little vague in his intentions,but that's precisely why this movie is one that holds up well on repeat viewings over the years-Every nook and cranny isn't explained to you and you have to think about it each and every time you watch it. I mean is Tippi Hedren "evil" or is it just coincidence?

The reason for the "no ending" ending was to keep everyone hanging and thinking.Is it really the "end of the world" or is it just some bizarre temporal thing?

Hitchcock leaves it up to you to decide,if you ever can.Sorry,can't tie this one up with a ribbon because it's already been shredded by our avian friends..

Music would have done nothing but get in the way.This is a true actors movie and Hitchcock chose his actors wisely.

A lot of people would venture that this movie is an action piece with character bits in between. It's really the other way around....

While that may be true, you can't deny that it's slow moving.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Yeah, what was Hitchcock thinking?

[Alan 689]

For me, one of the most effective uses of musical silence is Schindlers List. It heightens the impact when Williams comes in.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

The moment where the mother ship appears in Close Encounters is only accompanied by a deep rumble. It's a jaw-dropping moment! Gradually the orchestra creeps in until reaching a brilliant climactic cluster chord as the ship begins to turn, but the money shot of the ship rising up behind Devil's Tower is without music. Genius!

The T-Rex attack in Jurassic Park.

Brody's death in Jaws.

The final duel in Heat.

[Neimoidian 14]

Brody's death in Jaws.

Was it after the End Titles?

[Morlock 11]

That was in Jaws 5: Bruce's Revenge.