The Functions of the Minimalist Technique in Film Scores
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Copyright by Rebecca Marie Doran Eaton 2008 The Dissertation Committee for Rebecca Marie Doran Eaton certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Unheard Minimalisms: The Functions of the Minimalist Technique in Film Scores Committee: ____________________________________ Eric Drott, Supervisor ____________________________________ Byron Almén ____________________________________ James Buhler ____________________________________ Edward Pearsall ____________________________________ Charles Ramírez Berg Unheard Minimalisms: The Functions of the Minimalist Technique in Film Scores by Rebecca Marie Doran Eaton, B.A.; M.M. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2008 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank my committee, whose insightful comments have helped me shape this work. Special recognition goes to Dr. Almén, whose copyediting expertise has kept me from committing several grammatical gaffes, and Dr. Buhler, whose approach to film music has informed my own. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Eric Drott, whose keen—and always timely—critiques have steered my dissertation toward one with both breadth and analytical depth. I would also like to thank the entire theory department at UT Austin. Its support though T.A. and A.I. positions has helped me hone my pedagogical craft, while the Kent Kennan fellowship has allowed me to finish my dissertation in a timely manner. Thanks must also be given for the collegial atmosphere—especially amongst my fellow students—which made attending UT a delight. My family, of course, has been the basis for my success. I am blessed to be part of a completely overeducated family of academics: our graduate degrees or professional licensures include ones in botany, art education, marriage and family therapy, hypnosis, information technology, reading, music composition, and now music theory. They have encouraged my intellectual curiosity, instilled a strong work ethic, and have always provided unwavering support. I cannot thank them enough. Thanks are also offered to my best friend, Craig. He has made what could have been the two most stressful years of my life into a joy. iv Unheard Minimalisms: The Functions of the Minimalist Technique in Film Scores Publication No. _____________ Rebecca Marie Doran Eaton, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2008 Supervisor: Eric Drott Minimalist music has now become ubiquitous in film, found in everything from PBS advertisements to big-budget studio movies like A Beautiful Mind. This presents a number of questions: what kind of films use the technique, how does its deployment compare to the classical Hollywood score, and how does it function? This dissertation is intended to address these issues by examining what minimalism has come to mean in films that have become part of popular culture. I detail how the musical technique intersects with the model of the classical Hollywood film score, and, by exploring the film music of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, and “non- minimalist” composers, give a history of minimalism's use on the score from its avant- v garde origins in the 1960s to its commercial appropriations in the 1990s and 2000s. Utilizing Nicholas Cook's idea of “enabling similarity” from his book Analysing Musical Multimedia and Rebecca Leydon's minimalist tropes from her Music Theory Online article “Toward a Typology of Musical Tropes,” I provide detailed analyses of ten films employing minimalist techniques (Koyaanisqatsi, The Terminator, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Solaris, Kundun, A Beautiful Mind, Proof, The Truman Show, Gattaca, and The Thin Blue Line), showing how musical meaning in these films is tied to minimalism's particular stylistic attributes. Through the repeated linkage of minimalism with the Other, the mathematical mind, and dystopia, these meanings have the possibility—like the socially-encoded meanings of the classical score—of becoming enculturated. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv! ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ v! LIST OF EXAMPLES....................................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER ONE —!MINIMALISM AND FILM: CONCEPTS AND MODELS ............ 4! 1.1 Examination of the Discourse................................................................................... 4! 1.2 A Very Short History of Minimalism ..................................................................... 15! 1.3 Characteristics of Minimalism and Postminimalism .............................................. 23! 1.4 Classical Hollywood Film Scoring Practice ........................................................... 26! 1.5 Minimalism and the Model of the Classical Hollywood Film Score...................... 31! 1.6 A Method for Analyzing Minimalist Techniques in Film ...................................... 41 CHAPTER TWO — A HISTORY OF MINIMALISM IN FILM................................... 48! 2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 48! 2.2 Steve Reich ............................................................................................................. 49! 2.3 Terry Riley.............................................................................................................. 54! 2.4 Philip Glass ............................................................................................................. 58! 2.5 Michael Nyman....................................................................................................... 74! 2.6 Minimalist Techniques in Film Music by “Non-Minimalist” Composers.............. 84! 2.7 Why Minimalism? .................................................................................................. 89 CHAPTER THREE — MINIMALISM AND THE MACHINE ..................................... 96! 3.1 Introduction to Chapters Three through Five.......................................................... 96! 3.2 Introduction to Minimalism and the Machine ........................................................ 97! 3.3 Koyaanisqatsi........................................................................................................ 101! 3.4 The Terminator ..................................................................................................... 109! 3.5 A.I.: Artificial Intelligence .................................................................................... 115 CHAPTER FOUR —!MINIMALISM AND THE ALIEN ............................................ 122! 4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 122! 4.2 Solaris ................................................................................................................... 124 CHAPTER FIVE —!MINIMALISM AND CULTURAL ALTERITY......................... 132! 5.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 132! 5.2 Scoring Culture ..................................................................................................... 132! vii 5.3 Minimalism and Non-Western Culture................................................................. 140! 5.4 Minimalist Film Music and Culture...................................................................... 143! 5.4.1 Koyannisqatsi................................................................................................. 145! 5.4.2 Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters................................................................. 146! 5.5 Kundun.................................................................................................................. 148! 5.5.1 Minimalism and Tibet's Other ....................................................................... 154 CHAPTER SIX —!MINIMALISM AND THE MATHEMATICAL GENIUS ............ 162! 6.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 162! 6.2 A Beautiful Mind................................................................................................... 165! 6.3 Proof ..................................................................................................................... 178 CHAPTER SEVEN —!MINIMALISM AND DYSTOPIA ........................................... 186! 7.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 186! 7.2 Minimalism and Entrapment................................................................................. 187! 7.2.1 The Truman Show .......................................................................................... 187! 7.2.2 Gattaca........................................................................................................... 216! 7.3 Minimalism and Anempathy................................................................................. 233! 7.3.1 The Thin Blue Line........................................................................................