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An Evolutionary Study of Soundtracks from DC Comics' Superheroes

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CRESCENDOS OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS: AN EVOLUTIONARY STUDY OF SOUNDTRACKS FROM DC COMICS’ SUPERHEROES Anna J. DeGalan A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2020 Committee: Jeffrey Brown, Advisor Esther Clinton Jeremy Wallach © 2020 Anna DeGalan All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Jeffrey Brown, Advisor With the transition from comics to television shows, and later onto the big screen, superheroes gained their own theme songs and soundtracks that captured the attention of the audience for years to come. From catchy musical themes, from the old television shows, to the masterfully scored music blasting from the speakers of movie theaters all over the world, it was superheroes’ uniquely composed soundtracks (in conjunction with SFX, acting cues, and genre conventions of superhero films) that further crafted the iconography that made each character into the superhero being portrayed on-screen. While much of the focus of past textual analysis of films within the superhero genre has focused on characterizations of heroes, visual iconography, and the logistics of filming or framing a scene, academia has vastly overlooked the necessity of a film’s soundtrack, not only as a basic narrative tool and genre locator, but as a means to further understand how a cultural perception of the material is being reflected by the very musical choices presented on a score. While there has been an influx of research focusing on how a culture perceives its heroes – in this case superheroes – during times of great change within a society (either politically, socially, economically, or culturally; for example, the terrorist attack on American soil on 9/11/2001), I have found there to be a lack of research involving how the musical themes of superheroes reflect our cultural views and feelings at a specific point in time. This phenomenon is in need of further research because there is a need to understand how a culture’s perception of this change can be reflected in musical themes found in a film’s musical score. iv The following thesis is an investigation of the soundtracks belonging to superhero films and television shows in order to examine the cultural shifts in the perception of superheroes in America. I will observe this musical phenomenon in relation to major historical events, by way of using a post-9/11 lens, textual analysis of the music scores, and various camera angles and acting cues that are choreographed to the music found in the original soundtracks. This thesis is a case study examining this methodology, showing a dramatic cultural perceptual change reflected in the scoring of musical themes and songs via a thorough examination of the evolution of superhero soundtrack music within the realms of DC Comics’ Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman characters. v To Kristin. Thank you for helping me every step of the way. And reminding me take a deep breath and to keep moving forward. Forever and always. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My sincerest thanks to my committee for their continued support and encouragement: Dr. Jeffrey Brown, my advisor and committee chair; Dr. Esther Clinton; and Dr. Jeremy Wallach. Their guidance and patience during these uncertain times was much needed and greatly appreciated. Likewise, through their research and combined instructive efforts, my love for music and superheroes was able to be combined into a thesis I could be proud of – and a research field to pursue in my future academic endeavors. An additional thanks is needed for Rebekah Patterson, who helped guide us all and kept everything running smoothing. Thank you to my fellow cohort members and classmates, who pushed me to complete my degree and pursue the research in the field that I love, with the hope that I could one day pass on my knowledge and passion to the next generation. Specifically, my appreciation and respect lie with my unofficial mentors, Leda Hayes and Courtney Bliss. Their kindness, camaraderie, guidance, and advice helped me in more ways than they will ever know. My gratitude also lies with my family and friends, who offered their support and comforting words from near and far. Without such a strong support system, none of this would have been possible. Finally, I cannot express enough gratefulness to Kristin Vadnais who helped make sense of my jumbled words and excited rambles, that were the backbone of this thesis. Your unwavering loyalty, love, and patience is why this thesis made it out of the editing phase. Thank you for everything. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 Welcome to the Silver-Screen: Superheroes from Comics to Modern Films ............... 1 Historical and Cultural Events and Their Impact on the Superhero Genre .................. 3 Shaping a Hero: The Cultural Impact of 9/11 ............................................................... 6 The Sounds of Supers ................................................................................................... 9 Terminology and Logistical Listening Guide ............................................................... 12 Why Study Soundtracks? .............................................................................................. 13 CHAPTER I. SOUNDTRACKS AND MUISCAL SEMIOTICS ........................................... 15 Brief History of Classical Hollywood Music................................................................ 15 Musical Semiotics ......................................................................................................... 18 Diegetic Sound and Sound Design ............................................................................... 20 Musical Semiotics as Metaphor .................................................................................... 24 From Wagner to Leitmotifs .......................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER II. SOUNDS OF SUPERMAN: AMERICANIZATION, PATRIOTISM, AND THE RISE OF SUPERMAN .............................................................................................................45 Wagner to Williams ...................................................................................................... 45 A Hero in the Making: John Williams’ Superman ....................................................... 52 Making Music Memorable: Marches to Love Themes in Superman: The Movie ........ 61 Entering a New Era: Hans Zimmer’ Man of Steel, Superman Returns, and Danny Elfman’s Justice League ............................................................................................... 67 viii CHAPTER III. BECOMING THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD: THE MULTIPLICITY OF BATMAN’S IDENTITY AND MUSICAL THEMES THROUGHOUT THE AGES ........... 85 Batman Begins: The Origins of the Caped Crusader .................................................... 85 The Man Behind the Mask: The Duality of Bruce Wayne and Batman ....................... 89 Batman and Multiplicity: Camp, Reverence, and Revenge .......................................... 94 Return to the Knight: Danny Elfman’s Batman ............................................................ 107 A New Take on the Dark Knight: Hans Zimmer’s Batman .......................................... 112 A Different Kind of Hero: Batman v Superman and the Justice League ...................... 126 CHAPTER IV. GENDER, FEMINISM, AND HEROINES: IDENTITY POLITICS AND MUSICAL MEANING WITH WONDER WOMAN .............................................................. 130 The Wonder Behind the Woman .................................................................................. 130 From Comics and Carter to Gal Gadot: Wonder Woman Through the Years.............. 134 Wonder Woman as a War Film: Gender and Feminism as an Action Heroine ............. 156 Exoticism and Identity Politics ..................................................................................... 173 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 183 The Limits of this Thesis .............................................................................................. 183 Further Research ........................................................................................................... 185 Epilogue ............................................................................................................... 188 BIBIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 191 APPENDIX A. MUSIC SCROES AND TRANSCRIPTIONS ............................................... 212 APPENDIX B. OTHER IMAGES .......................................................................................... 242 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Synchronization equation.............................................................................................. 24 1.2 Saussurean semiotic textual analysis ............................................................................ 25 1.3 Barthes’s model of connotation .................................................................................... 27 1.4 Nattiez’s six analytical situations.................................................................................. 34 2.2 Piano transcription of the theme from Jaws ................................................................
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