alexander solzhenitsyn (NP)

[jd]

I think that without the music the words would be interpreted very
differently.  A bad example, when someone says "There's someone coming
over the hill", deadpan, and there's silence, a listener is like to
just look at the hill and see what happens.  When it's accompanied by
uplifting music, the listener is more likely to get excited, and when
it's accompanied by dramatic music, the listener is more likely to
expect the worst from whatever is coming up over that hill.  Again,
bad example but I think it gets the point across...  and I think
regardless of message, introducing dramatic music into a documentary
weakens whatever message it is carrying if only because the people
making it don't seem to think that the message is enough.  They need
those trill rings after a statement to make ears perk up, or that deep
bass while the airplanes fly by, making the viewer interpret the
images and words in a less independent manner.

That's just how I feel.  Overall I liked the documentary, I just think
the music thing is a weakness that many documentaries have.  And
anyways all docu-music seems to be so damn similar and it's gotten
boring, beyond my earlier point.

On 6/29/06, Sean Mannion <third_eye_unmoved at hotmail.com> wrote:
> "making points by relying on musical soundbytes (or at least appearing
> to simply by including them) is really weak."
>
>
> It's been a while since I watched that documentary, but I have no idea what
> you're talking about.
> I can't think of one instance in any of the three parts of 'The Power of
> Nightmares' where the incidental music is relied upon for anything other
> than subordinate background effect.
>
>
> >From: jd <wescac at gmail.com>
> >To: p-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> >Subject: Re: alexander solzhenitsyn (NP)
> >Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 02:10:57 -0400
> >
> >oh, and regarding the documentary...  man, I hate all that dramatic
> >music.  You could make the most potent documentary ever but with that
> >overly sappy dramatic music it just knocks it down ten notches...
> >making points by relying on musical soundbytes (or at least appearing
> >to simply by including them) is really weak.  I think the
> >anti-Schindler's List faction would have something to say about that.
> >That said, I love the intro to the program, it's just so darn FUN.
> >
> >On 6/29/06, jd <wescac at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares
> >>
> >>What do you all think of Alexander Solzhenitsyn?  I have only read a
> >>few pages of The Gulag Archipelago...  and then I was watching the
> >>documentary from the above link which mainly deals with showing the
> >>growth of neo-conservatism compared with extremist islamic violence
> >>that we're faced with currently (I'm not saying it hasn't been around
> >>for awhile, for the record).  But in the first segment they show a
> >>clip of Solzhenitsyn that seems to portray him as someone somewhat
> >>mis-led and with incorrect ideals.  Then again, they seem to portray
> >>Nixon and Kissinger as honorable men with honorable ideals.  I'm no
> >>Nixon expert, I could be wrong, but everything that crosses my radar
> >>seems to indicate the exact opposite, so, as with anything, grain of
> >>salt.
> >>
> >>Interested to hear what you have to say about Solzhenitsyn, however.
> >>I've heard he's made many exagerations in Gulag Archipelago but many
> >>seem to think his heart, at least, was in the right place.  What do
> >>you think?
> >>
> >>I think this somewhat falls into the Pynchonian world view, apologies
> >>if it's not appropriate for the list.
> >>
>
>
>