Girl(Y) Sounds: Music and Girlhood in Contemporary French Cinema
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Sounding Girl(y), Girl(y) Sounds: Music and Girlhood in Contemporary French Cinema Submitted by Gemma Louise Edney to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Film, September 2018 This thesis is available for library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ……………………………………………….. 1 Abstract This thesis explores the relationship between music and girlhood in contemporary French cinema, arguing that music provides a means of navigating the experiences and sensations of girlhood, while also retaining a certain opacity and privacy for the girl subject. Where current postfeminist media studies present a predominantly Anglo-centric approach to the girl figure, this thesis opens up the study of cinematic girlhood representation into a Francophone context. Music, with its ability to transcend linguistic restrictions and slip between the verbal and the non-verbal, is particularly compelling for this analysis, and has typically been ignored, both in studies of girlhood representation, and in French film studies more generally. This thesis therefore identifies and tackles two main gaps in current scholarship. On the one hand, it addresses the need to move beyond the current Anglo-centric approach to the girl figure, demonstrating the need for linguistic and locational diversity within the field. On the other hand, it addresses the lack of scholarly interventions that deal with film music in a specifically French context, extending and enriching the existing field of film music study beyond Hollywood and arguing that music is highly significant to French cinema. Exploring a range of French girlhood films spanning the decade between 2005 and 2015, the thesis develops detailed case studies to highlight specific modes of meaning and identification. These studies bring together work in both film studies and musicology, presenting an interdisciplinary approach to film music that is rarely seen in scholarship. Asking why these two disciplines so rarely speak to each other, the thesis demonstrates the benefits of combining detailed musicological analysis with film theory and cultural studies, in order to fully examine the different layers of meaning that manifest in film music. By exposing these layers of meaning, this thesis maintains that it is important to listen to, as well as watch, the girl figure. Arguing that music enables a means of girlhood expression that escapes the confines of the body and transcends the verbal, this thesis moves beyond current studies of girlhood representation which focus determinedly on the visible, highlighting music’s vital role in making the girl experience accessible and putting forward a theory of girlhood audibility. 2 Acknowledgements Thanks go, firstly, to my supervisor, Dr Fiona Handyside, who provided the first spark of interest in a third-year undergraduate who was definitely not used to film, and then helped kindle that spark into a flame. Thank you Fiona for pushing me to write as I think; for helping me to not be quite so concise; and for your faith in this project from the beginning. To the Richard Stapley Trust, the Fran Trust, the Santander Research Fund, the Niklaus-Cartwright Fund, and the Humanities PG Research Fund for their generous financial support. In the College of Humanities, to the Grad School team, whose work so often goes unnoticed; and to my friends and fellow postgrads in Offices 1 and C for providing encouragement, support, and a seemingly unending supply of sweets and treats. Special mention goes to Dr Paul Martin and Dr Sam Hayes for providing knowledge, wit, and much-needed mid-afternoon pub trips; and to Dr Sandra Daroczi, my PhD partner-in-crime and “work wife,” for always knowing what to say or when to hug; and for always taking a punt on my crazy schemes. To my PhD sister, Katie Newstead, who has painstakingly proof-read this thesis in the greatest detail (and at the greatest speed). Thank you for the laughs, encouragement, and occasional moan; for the plentiful lunch and coffee dates; and for being there, especially during these last few months. To my colleagues and friends in the exceptional SID Team for their flexibility, generosity, and support, even when there are never-ending enquiries and I do batch-printing on the office printer. To Steve Badger and Chris Radmann, who, perhaps unwittingly at the time, provided me with the skills and initial interests that made this journey possible. To Jenny Rogers, proof-reader extraordinaire, for her seemingly infinite supply of patience and sense of perspective; for her unwavering support even in the most unreasonable of meltdowns; for helping me to believe in myself; and for knowing when to buy chocolate, pizza, or a llama card. Finally, and most importantly, thank you to my Mum and Dad, without whose support I would never have reached this point, and to whom this thesis is dedicated. Thank you for giving me endless opportunities, both in education and outside of it; for allowing me to follow my passions; and for your unquestioning support throughout this journey. 3 Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents .............................................................................................. 4 List of Figures .................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 8 Girlhood and Contemporary Culture ....................................................... 13 Youth and Girlhood in French Cinema .................................................. 18 Feminine Expression in Film ................................................................. 21 Music, Character, and Identification ...................................................... 25 Music in French Cinema ........................................................................ 30 Music and (Female) Youth .................................................................... 32 Why girl(y)? ........................................................................................... 34 Methodology .......................................................................................... 35 Chapter 1: Language Barriers? Song Language, Identity, and Meaning .. 50 Introduction ............................................................................................ 50 Language and Musical Meaning in Respire (Laurent, 2014) ................. 60 Pop Music, Language and Youth in LOL (Azuelos, 2009) ..................... 70 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 84 Chapter 2: Artists, Recognition and Identity ............................................... 87 Introduction ............................................................................................ 87 J. Dash, Noir Désir, and Courtney Love: Masculine Distance and Feminine Closeness ............................................................................... 98 Rihanna and Nina Simone: Specific Feminine Meaning ..................... 109 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 123 Chapter 3: Gender/Genre: Girls, Musical Style, and Emotion .................. 128 Introduction .......................................................................................... 128 Repetition and Remembrance: Folk Music in Tout est pardonné and Un Amour de jeunesse ............................................................................... 139 4 Le “French Touch:” Electronica, Frenchness, and Modern Authenticity .............................................................................................................. 150 Techno, Youth and Gender in the films of Céline Sciamma ................ 154 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 168 Chapter 4: Composing Girlhood ................................................................. 172 Introduction .......................................................................................... 172 What does “Girl” Sound Like? Contrasting “Feminine” and “Youthful” Scoring in Le Hérisson ......................................................................... 179 Musical Liminality: Youthful Sexuality in Jeune et jolie ........................ 187 Belle Épine: Gender Differences in Contemporary Scoring ................ 193 Aural Character Development in Bande de filles ................................. 202 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 207 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 211 French Cinema: A Cinema of Music and Femininity? ......................... 212 The Constraints of Visibility in Girl Studies .......................................... 215 Music and Emotion: Between the General and the Specific