Every time I watch a new movie and I see or hear something that I find odd or peculiar I write it down. Here are some recent movies that had an interesting use of sound at some point.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
In the opening scene of Moonrise Kingdom, we see the protagonist and her three younger brothers. The younger brothers are listening to a cassette tape of an orchestra demonstration that is teaching them the different parts of the orchestra. The soundtrack is at first solely diegetic but at 1:34 the soundtrack becomes non-diegetic as well so that the viewer can feel the full impact. The score then plays back and forth from diegetic to non-diegetic in a captivating way.
Okja (2017)
Around the midpoint of Okja, the creature that everyone is trying to capture is running away and an animal federation group is trying to help it. In a tense and action-packed scene, Okja eventually runs into a store and right as a huge crash is happening the sound is almost completely filtered out. This allows the viewer to focus on Okja and the federation group, and gives us suspense as to the well-being of both the former and the latter.
Rear Window (1954)
In one of Hitchcock's most well-known and loved movies, one of the characters in the subdivision of the main protagonist is a gifted and trained composer/pianist. Throughout the film, the pianist will play which makes for great diegetic sound, but the score also pulls from his piano motifs in a non-diegetic way as well. In the clip below we can hear piano melodies gliding through the score. Is this the non-diegetic score, is this a diegetic radio, or is this the diegetic piano player?
Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
In this French New Wave classic, director Agnes Varda is all about breaking rules, and breaking them fast. In just the second scene of the film, we see the protagonist walk down some stairs, but it seems that her steps are in sync with the quarter-note beat of the score. Watching it back and you will see that that is precisely what is happening, as the footsteps even match with the score when she does a little shuffle off of the stairs. One of the best uses of sound I've ever seen.
Three Colors: Blue (1993)
This one deals more with the score but is too good to leave off of this list. Toward the end of the film, the protagonist and another character are listening through a composition and trying to tweak it so it can be finished. Director Krzysztof Kieslowski shows the protagonist’s finger hovering over the notes as we hear them in a magnificent scene.
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
In Luis Bunuel's surrealist and satiric comedy there are many instances of "dream sequences" towards the end. In one of the sequences a man is trying to talk to someone on the phone, but we repetitively can't hear him because of an inexplainable phone flying over head. The scene echos the very famous foghorn scene from "On the Waterfront".
Although I couldn't find a video of the scene, the trailer for the film is below.
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