“An epideictic speaker excels at character portrayal.”
– Aristotle
In Bump Halbritter’s article, “Musical Rhetoric in Integrated-Media Composition,” the author argues that a film’s soundtrack (that is, the mix of dialogue, music, and sounds) can convey a director’s rhetoric, and provide meaning in a piece where words spoke by characters may fail. Halbritter examines the use of the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” in 1983’s The Big Chill and a student-produced video of 1999’s Fight Club mixed with the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.”
Below are my sonic annotations for the article.
From Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides (1999) featuring “Magic Man” by Heart
(source: YouTube)
(source: YouTube)
From Woody Allen’s Manhattan (1979) featuring Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin
(source: YouTube)
From Wes Anderon’s Rushmore (1998) featuring The Kink’s “Nothing in This World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl”
Works Cited
Halbritter, Bump. “Musical Rhetoric in Integrated-Media Composition.” Computers and Composition. 23.3. (2006): 317-334. Web.
The Virgin Suicides. Dir. Sofia Coppola. Perf. Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett. Paramount Classics, 1999. Film.
Heart. “Magic Man.” Dreamboat Annie. Mushroom, 1976. Audio.
Rushmore. Dir. Wes Anderson. Perf. Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray. Tombstone Pictures, 1998. Film.
Kinks, The. “Nothing in This World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl.” Kinda Kinks. Pye, 1965. Audio.
Manhattan. Dir. Woody Allen. Perf. Woody Allen, Mariel Hemingway. United Artists, 1979. Film.
Gershwin, George. Rhapsody in Blue. Perf. New York Philharmonic. Audio.