This week I have chosen the movie Godfather to discuss the effects of sound and how they enhance a film. The three basic categories of sound; dialogue, sound effects, and music, are all excellently displayed throughout this movie. According to Goodkoontz and Jacobs (2014), these three categories, “require careful balancing to serve the story” (p. 201). The director of Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, does indeed use dialogue, sound effects, and music, to build up tension and keep the viewer entranced.
Dialogue in a movie is the conversation between characters in a movie (Goodykoontz & Jacob, 2014). For example, the dialogue between the Godfather (Marlon Brando) and his Godson, Johnny Fontane (Al Martino), where Vito Coreleone reassures his Godson that he will take care of Fontane’s problem by telling him, “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Not only is this dialogue famous and instantly recognizable, it shows the viewers the power and trust that the Godfather possess.
Sound effects were originally used in radio make the broadcast more realistic and tangible to the listener and have since then been adapted into films (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014) to enhance experience for viewers by using recognizable sounds from everyday life. Many directors now use over the top sounds in action movies, such as large explosions to keep viewers entertained. The Godfather did not have to rely on such enormous sound effects but it did still rely on smaller sound effects such as the gunfire and breaking glass form Sonny’s, Michael Coreleone’s brother, death scene.
The use of music in a film is also very important to the overall feel of the film. Music can be used to lighten a mood, to build up tension, or to show the anger in a scene. Music is so important to the feel of a movie that it was even used before movies had sound embedded in them (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014) The music in The Godfather was paramount that it could have been a character in the film itself. For example, in the horse head scene, where the Godfather had his consigliere retierate his, “offer that couldn’t be refused,” by leaving the severed head of a prized horse of a movie producer in his own bed, the music is used to build up the tension, anger, and fear of the producer until he, himself, screams.
The sounds in The Godfather are very important to the overall feel of the film; they help to move the story along and sometimes do more to carry the plot than anything else. The movie really relies heavily on its overall tone that is portrayed by its sounds, from the subtle sound effects, to the intense dialogue, to the haunting music. The film, overall, is dark and the effect of the sounds that were included emphasize that as much as every other part of the mise en scene. The film keeps with the gangster film genre, and more specifically the Italian gangster genre, by playing songs that feature long drawn out violins adding to the intense mood of a great deal of the movie. The dialouge also enphasized the Italian gangster genre by infusing Italian words and heavy Italian accents with its characters. I feel that if this film had been made with large sound effects, seen in today’s movies, that it would have detracted from the tense captivation experienced by the viewer.
References
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Movieclips. (2013, March 12). I’m Gonna Make Him An Offer He Can’t Refuse [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmX2VzsB25s
Movieclips. (2011, November 22). The Horse Head [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC1_tdnZq1A
Movieclips. (2011, November 22). Sonny is Killed [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJU2cz9ytPQ
jonathanmyette 