Lights, Camera, Action!

I thought the best thing to do was take a break from all the mayhem and write on a topic that is different and perhaps a little more fun. That is not to say that I wont be back to talk about other things, but for now, I want to talk about the awesome question Al left me with.

As you all know, my favourite movie is, “A Few Good Men”. The dialogue is amazing and the court room scenes are electrifying. What I did not know was just how great they were until I HEARD it. It is one thing to enjoy a movie when you see the subtitles. You get to read the emotions of the actors on their faces, and you get to read along with what they are saying. Unfortunately you miss out on the actual sounds. That’s where it all changes.

When I re-watched that movie having been able to hear, I was amazed. In the opening scene you see a very dressy group of Marines doing rifle drills which are clearly meant for show. I enjoyed the visual the first time, but the second time was special. To hear the clicking of the rifles, the pat-a-pat of the gloved hands snapping into position, the slick clicking and rocking sounds of the rifles being dropped and flipped around. Lastly, the sounds of the crackling of the highly shined boots as they take each step. You can actually hear the leather straining against the foot of the Marine as he goes to take a step. Amazing!

The best was however saved for last. The cocky Daniel Caffee and the abrasive Colonel Jessop going at it in the court room made my skin crawl. When Jessop (Nicholson) breaks into his big speech, his annunciation, the spittle on the edge of his lip, and the masterful way in which he plucks the words out of the air and snaps them back at you reeks of a master wordsmith working his craft like an artisan. We then get the sly Caffee using his lawyer tricks, his oral slight of hand, the polar opposite of Jessop. Jessop is loud, abrasive and overpowering, Caffee is slick, quiet, and unassuming…at least until he demands, “I WANT THE TRUTH”. What a climax to a well crafted scene. You can feel the energy and the on screen chemistry. I think it is perhaps one of the most memorable scenes ever.

The other thing you pick up on is the sounds in the movie. The music, the background sounds etc. All of which seem to be meant to set the mood. From the eerie electric piano to the full drum and brass music at the beginning. It all serves to re-inforce what you are seeing on the big screen. I think a lot of credit needs to be given to the guys who write the music for this stuff cuz its amazing, plain and simple.

It amazing how much you really miss in a movie when you don't hear the music, the sounds, the tone of the voices. If you want to know what it was like to be in my world, turn the volume off, turn on the sub-titles and watch a movie. Then watch it with the sound and tell me you don't get a ton more out of it with the sounds.

All I know is that movies and television in general just have not been the same since I started listening to them, as opposed to just watching. The one thing I will say though is that you don't get to use your imagination nearly as much. Simply, when you cant hear something, you just imagine in your mind, all the things you can't hear. In that sense, watching a movie or a television program was not passive in the slightest.

Thats all for tonight folks...hope you enjoyed this one.

LiveSTRONG!