Music in "The Death of A Salesman"

501 Words3 Pages
The Death of A Salesman was a movie with excellent use of music and sounds. These old-fashioned pieces of jazz and chamber music combined with particular shots and camera movements, creating powerful effects on the understanding of character’s thoughts, specific moods and the theme of this movie. In the movie, the feelings and thoughts of Willy Loman, who was the main character of this movie, were presented and magnified to the audience by the effects of music and sounds. An example of the expression of Willy’s complicated minds was when he was at the restaurant with his sons. A close up of Willy at eye level was used as soon as the page’s dim voice was heard. In a sudden, a tracking started on Willy. The jazz music became louder and louder, the page’s voice turned to be hurried and frequent, and the noise in the restaurant was associated with woman’s shrill laugh and his sons’ argument. All these sounds together formed chaos in Willy’s mind. So when the speed of tracking gradually increased, the frame, accompanied with music and sounds, was dazzled, tumultuous and fidgety. Therefore the annoying, ashamed and exhausted emotions of Willy at that particular moment were clearly demonstrated. Following with Willy’s feelings and memories, the mood in this movie was always changing unpredictably. Fortunately, the use of music helped to indicate the mood of each scene. As Willy opened the door of his memory, a piece of romantic and graceful jazz music began with the appearance of the woman in a mid shot. Then it zoomed out to be a long shot, from which the setting of the bedroom could be seen in warm orange lights. The soft lights and elegant music proved that the characters were in an enjoyable state of mind. This cheerful mood stopped as soon as Biff opened the door. Just then, the bedroom seemed to be more serious in silence. In order to make connection with the

More about Music in "The Death of A Salesman"

Open Document