Matthew Browne 11/28/07

The Musical Score to The Shawshank Redemption An Eclectic Analysis

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Director: Fran Dara!ont "o#$oser: %ho#as &ew#an

1. History
It is almost inconceivable that The Shawshank Redemption was considered a box office flop, and won none of its seven Academy Award nominations. Morgan Freeman (Red) even recalls being as ed why he tho!ght that Shawshank had performed worse at the box office than Dumb and Dumber, released the same year ("##$), which had been trashed by the critics." Shawshank wo!ld s!rprise many with its complete t!rnaro!nd after being released on video, gaining worldwide renown and pop!larity and becoming many people%s favorite movie. &his t!rn of events spea s to the tremendo!s power, emotion, and for some even spirit!al significance of this masterf!lly created film. Altho!gh there are a n!mber of 'iblical all!sions in the film, the story transcends any one paradigm thro!gh a compelling treatment of themes li e friendship, imprisonment, a!tonomy, hope, freedom, liberation, and, of co!rse, redemption. &he film is based on the novella by (tephen )ing entitled Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. &he plot covers the *+,year time span that Andy -!fresne spent in the fictional (hawshan (tate .rison in Maine, beginning with his conviction of m!rder in "#$/. &he novella was p!blished in "#0*, b!t was not among the first stories by )ing to be made into films, since it was generally regarded as not well,s!ited to the cinema. Fran -arabont, however, saw its potential1 he wrote the screenplay and directed the film. -arabont and composer &homas

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2ewman did collaborate on the m!sic for the film, tho!gh in 2ewman3s words, 4he was definitely a third,pass g!y5 (meaning that he wo!ld have to listen to something three times before warming !p to it, if he were ever going to).* 2ewman belongs to one of the foremost m!sical families in 6ollywood1 perhaps his greatest connection to film scoring is thro!gh his father, Alfred 2ewman, and he is also the brother of -avid and co!sin of Randy 2ewman. 6e has long been interested in dramatic m!sic, starting mostly from the age of "$ when he became interested in m!sical theater.7 6e received classical m!sic training from 8(9 and :ale. M!ch of the film m!sic he wrote prior to Shawshank was electronic, an experience that prepared him for the challenges of integrating electronic and aco!stic m!sic, both of which are e;!ally important in Shawshank. 2ewman is nown for being especially creative and experimental with electronic so!nds, thro!gh the !se of modified samples of aco!stic instr!ments more than act!al synthesi<ers. For example, in Shawshank he made !se of processed h!rdy,g!rdies and prepared steel g!itar.$

2. Musical and Filmic Syntax

&his analysis will foc!s on the montage beginning with Red3s release from (hawshan to his discovery of the roc left by Andy in the hayfield.

&he c!e begins at *1+01"/, as Red wal s o!t the gates of (hawshan .rison, having finally been granted parole. &he m!sic begins very faintly right at the beginning of the shot, with a soft reverberant chord in an electronic instr!ment, probably a synthesi<er (as it will be referred to here). =ith 2ewman, the line between aco!stic and electronic m!sic is somewhat bl!rred,
2 *

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since he often !ses aco!stic instr!ments and modifies the so!nd electronically, b!t in any case, it is this electronic so!nd which serves as the constant bac drop of this entire c!e, tho!gh it is often covered by foregro!nd material. Altho!gh f!ll of overtones, reverberation, and hints of chromatic movement (see the notes in parentheses in ex. ") the note 4A5 is most prominent. &he synthesi<er is >oined by faded strings. At *1+01$?, a solo piano enters with a motif recogni<able from earlier in the film. &his motif is characteri<ed by open intervals, notably perfect fifths which are arranged in s!ch a way as to s!ggest triads b!t witho!t the third. &he s!ggestion of triadic harmony is reinforced by the soft chord in the synthesi<er, b!t there is never any resol!tion, and the synthesi<er remains steady. Accompanying the brief scene in the grocery store (at *1+#17/), the piano changes from the long, s!stained chords it has been playing to a repetitive pattern pres!mably in ?1$ time (ex. *). At *1"+1+#, a high violin line (ex. 7) enters as Red says, 4&here%s a harsh tr!th to face1 no way I%m gonna ma e it on the o!tside.5 &his line s!bsides as Red loo s at the g!n in the store window, thin ing abo!t ways to brea his parole. 'ac in Red3s apartment, the strings do!ble the piano, and as Red loo s at the compass, and at *1"+1?0 we hear a cadence for the first time, albeit a rather soft and brief one. &he next shot in the montage is of Red hitching a ride in a pic ,!p tr!c , on his way to the hay field. 6ere, an oboe melody enters (ex. $), which is faster,moving and more rhythmic than the material !p to this point. &he piano accompanies with the material from example *, giving additional syncopation. &he melody tapers as Red leaves the tr!c and begins to wal toward his destination. At this point, a f!ller string orchestra becomes the primary foc!s, and we begin to hear more cadences, s!ch as the one at the end of example ?, which are accent!ated by piano. At *1"*1"+, the melody arches to its highest point as the camera pans in a circle aro!nd

Red, followed by a series of half cadences. At *1"*17?, the soft chord in the synthesi<er ret!rns after having been absent since the last shot in Red3s apartment, serving as the bac drop for a new line played by a harmonica. &his is followed by a section of call and response between the strings and the harmonica. 2earing the end of the c!e, the chord in the synthesi<er is once again exposed, and it grad!ally fades away as Red p!shes roc s aside, loo ing for the right one.

3. Sound-in-Filmic-Time
*1+01"/ @Red experiences the world on the outside; he sinks into fear and lon s to return to Shawshank. Red exits the gates of (hwashan . A soft reverberant chord is played on the synthesi<er, then >oined by the stringsA - *1+01$? @In the transition from this shot to the shot of Red riding the b!s to his new life on the o!tside, a solo piano enters, playing a motif !sed a n!mber of times earlier in the film. &his contin!es into the shot of Red in the apartment.A - *1+#17/ @A faster,moving, repeating pattern is played on the piano d!ring the brief grocery store scene.A - *1"+1+# @6igh violin line enters as Red says, 4&here%s a harsh tr!th to face...no way I%m gonna ma e it on the o!tside.5A - *1"+1*+ @Red loo s at the g!n in the store window, thin ing abo!t ways to brea his parole. &he chord in the synthesi<er is exposed b!t only brieflyB piano comes bac inA - *1"+17$ @(ynthesi<er is echoed an octave higher, very softly as Red says, 4&errible thing to live in fear5A - *1"+1?0 @Red says, 4Cnly one thing stops me... a promise I made to Andy5B a close,!p on the compass is mar ed by a s!btle cadence on a ma>or triad.A *1""1+7 @The hayfield. An oboe melody enters as Red rides in a tr!c on his way to the hayfield.A - *1""1$7 @(hift to primarily string m!sic, also with a clear melody, and incl!ding some co!nterpoint. Red is wal ing toward the field.A - *1"*1"+ @Red pa!ses in the fieldB the camera pans aro!nd him and the string m!sic cadences as the melody arches to its highest pointB the melody ;!ic ly contin!es.A - *1"*17? @&he soft chord in the synthesi<er ret!rns as the site of the stone fence comes into viewB the harmonica enters with prominent melodyA - *1"*1?/ @Red searches along the fence for the roc Andy told him abo!t. &he string orchestra reentersB melody in the violins. 9all and response between strings and harmonica.A - *1"71*? @Red sees the spot where he will find the volcanic roc . 9hord in the synthesi<er is exposed as strings and harmonica exit. 6e neels down and starts p!shing roc s asideB the m!sic fades o!t.A

4. Musical and Filmic Representation:

on!entions and

odes

&he soft chord in the synthesi<er at the opening of the c!e is present almost thro!gho!t the montage, a constant bac drop for the foregro!nd material. &his evo es several different emotions, as disc!ssed in the next section. 2arratively, it is important beca!se its electronic so!nd is reminiscent of (hawshan , b!t paradoxically it is open,ended and creates a s!btle anticipation which is neither omino!s nor overtly hopef!l. .aired with the dialog!e, however, it often contrib!tes to the sense of fear that is present thro!gh m!ch of this c!e. &his becomes more obvio!s when Red expresses his longing to ret!rn to (hawshan , 4where things ma e sense,5 b!t the m!sic has been reminding !s from the beginning of the c!e that Red3s life on the o!tside has been accompanied by a constant !nderc!rrent of fear. &he m!sic contrib!tes to this feeling in many ways, not >!st thro!gh the ever,present synthesi<er chord. .erhaps the most important ;!ality is that the m!sic is very reflective, especially in the first half of the c!e. &he material for solo piano is very sparse, and never seems to move anywhere except in circles. &he intervals are widely spaced, ma ing !se of harmonies based more on perfect fo!rths and fifths than on triads, and th!s reminiscent of 9opland. More to the point, the harmonies so!nd distinctly American, which becomes even more effective in the second half of the c!e where Red is in a bea!tif!l hayfield, a wide,open space that is a breath of fresh air after the confining environment of (hawshan . Ret!rning to the first half of the c!e, the repeating pattern in the piano (ex. *) creates a greater sense of forward motion d!e to the change in rhythm, yet at the same time creates a feeling of entrapment1 Red still feels trapped even tho!gh now he is 4free.5 Red p!ts this in star terms when he says, 4$+ years I3ve been as ing permission to piss. I can3t s;!ee<e a drop

witho!t say,so.5 &he violin line in ex. 7 poignantly adds to the sense of fear and do!bt, expressed in Red3s words, 4&here3s a harsh tr!th to faceDno way I3m gonna ma e it on the o!tside.5 At *1"+17+, there is a close,!p on a compass in the store window, next to the g!ns that Red has >!st loo ed at as he said, 4All I do anymore is thin abo!t ways to brea my parole.5 Altho!gh everything seems dismal at this point, the compass foreshadows a t!rnaro!nd, and finally at *1"+1?0 there is a half cadence in the ma>or mode, as Red remembers his promise to Andy and decides to honor it. =e then hear the oboe for the first time (ex. $), mar ing this new development as Red rides in the pic !p tr!c on his way to the hayfield. &he accompaniment in the piano is material borrowed from earlier (ex. *), a logical choice since its cyclic nat!re fits well with traveling. As the string orchestra ta es over, there is a color change as well1 the m!sic becomes more expressive of the sadness that has previo!sly been more in the bac gro!nd. :et the series of half,cadences beginning with the one at *1""1?$ offers hope via the first obvio!s !sage of f!ll, rich, ma>or chords in the strings. &he very f!ll so!nd of these chords is d!e in part to the !se of low bass, which has been absent !p to this point. The sense of arri!al induced by these cadences lasts only briefly" followin the continuous sense of forward motion implied by the !isuals" notably by the camera pannin around Red as he pauses in the middle of the field. 2ewman3s scoring in this segment is obvio!sly infl!enced by the bea!ty of this nat!ral setting, for which the string orchestra fits perfectly. &he o!t,of,doors is certainly associated with stringed instr!ments, s!ch as ban>oes and g!itars, so the !se of a string orchestra, while in some sense might be o!t of place, act!ally fits perfectly for this scene beca!se of its emotional significance. In other words, this bea!tif!l setting ta es on a whole new meaning and depth, commens!rate with the greater richness and depth of a f!ll orchestra.

&he harmonica is also coded with the o!tdoors, partic!larly wide,open co!ntry settings li e this one. -!ring the harmonica melody, the so!nds of nat!reEcric ets, birdsEplay a significant role in their interplay with the m!sic, in fact they become part of the m!sic.

". Musical and Filmic Representation: Textual #nalysis

A cr!cial observation abo!t the m!sic in the first half of this c!e has not yet been made1 it is nearly identical to the m!sic in the very similar montage covering 'roo s3 release and s!bse;!ent s!icide earlier in the film. &he parallel holds e;!ally tr!e for the film itself1 both scenes !nfold beneath a long narration, with the narrators as 'roo s and Red, respectivelyB both former inmates are ho!sed in the same apartment and given a >ob at the same storeB and both live in constant fear and are !nable to cope with being away from the instit!tional environment to which they are acc!stomed. In Red3s case, of co!rse, the scene in the hayfield interr!pts the familiar montage and serves as a ma>or t!rning point. (till, following this scene, even 'roo s3 s!icide is mirrored as Red ta es o!t a nife and carves his name in the ceiling, b!t Red has the co!rage to go on than s to Andy. &he emotional parallel is f!rther strengthened by the !se of directly borrowed m!sical materialB as >!st a small demonstration, the material in examples ",7 was all present d!ring 'roo s3 scene. &he significance of this parallel is that we now that Red3s tho!ghts are headed in a potentially s!icidal direction, and that he, too, was instit!tionali<ed. 6owever, Red3s friendship with Andy has helped him to eep alive a seed of hope, and altho!gh there is certainly no sudden shift in the m!sic as Red travels to the hayfield, the solo oboe line indicates a new direction, and with the entrance of the f!ll strings, FFFF

&he soft chord in the synthesi<er at the opening of the c!e plays several roles. For one, it represents (hawshan 1 thro!gho!t the score, the electronic so!nds are !s!ally !sed for the prison, whereas the aco!stic instr!ments are !sed for the more h!man elements, the character of Andy in partic!lar. (econdly, it is stable and reflective, yet the overtones s!ggest movement ever,so,s!btly. Cne note in partic!lar, 4A,5 is the most noticeable, and this single, persistent note serves as a bac drop for the entire c!e. Gven in the moments when it ret!rns after having been absent awhile, it is as tho!gh it is simply revealed, fading in gently as if it has been present the whole time. &his might be seen as a note of sadness or fearB a s!btle twinge that never f!lly goes away. A third role played by this chord, again d!e to the s!btle motion in the overtones, is to evo e a mystical sense of s!btle anticipation1 there is something ambig!o!s abo!t it, especially when played alone, that can give it this different connotation.