ARE MUSICAL CUES ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND A MOVIE’S NARRATION?
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 erotic drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on Arthur Schnitzler’s novel which is called Traumnovelle (Dream Story). Schnitzler’s story happens in early 20th century Vienna but Kubrick didn’t prefer this time and city. Movie’s time is 1990s and city is New York. The film follows the sexuality charged adventures of Dr. Bill Harford. He believes that women are more faithful than men but with his wife’s tellings he is shocked. “He embarks on a night-long adventure, during which infiltrates a massive masked orgy of an unnamed secret society.” (Wikipedia / Eyes Wide Shut) Despite this movie’s narration, soundtracks have also a narration, they constitutes another narrative way with movies’s story. Kubrick used really wide range of songs such as Shostakovich, Mozart, Chris Isaak… In spite of them he also preferred new songs and he agreed with Pook to be composed new songs. Pook’s four songs that are named “Naval Officer”, “Masked Ball”, “Migrations”, “The Dream” are parts of the film. On the other hand it goes without saying that Kubrick’s classical music love cannot be ignored and he, of course, used various classical music works like in his other films. We will not consider all of songs, but, because some of them has more significant for movie’s narration, we will discuss those important songs which are Shostakovich’s “Waltz 2 from Suite for Variety Orchestra” and Ligeti’s “Musica Ricercata”.
Before we investigate those songs, to glance to movie’s plot might be useful. Dr. Bill Harford and Alice are a young married couple living in New York. They attend a Christmas party hosted by Victor Ziegler, where Bill is reunited with Nick Nightingale, a medical school drop-out who now is a professional pianist. While a Hungarian man named Sandor Szavost attempts to seduce Alice, two young models do so with Bill. They come in their home and Alice asks him if he had sex with the two girls, Bill reassures her that he had not. “She inquires if he is jealous of men who are attracted to her. He thinks women are more faithful than men. She tells him of a recent fantasy she had about a naval officer they had met on vacation.” (Wikipedia / Eyes Wide Shut) With that, Bill begins to query and wants to explore his own sexual essence. He takes a password from Nick to enter a secret and unnamed society. This password is “Fidelio”. (It is obviously important. Fidelio is name of Beethoven’s opera. It means faithful.) Thanks to this password he discovers a sexual ritual is taking place. A woman warns him about a terrible danger and then the master of ceremony asks Bill the second password. Bill says he has forgotten it and the masked woman who had tried to warn Bill intervenes to protect Bill. He come back his home thanks to this woman and he begins to query that ceremony. At the end, he tell his wife all events and the problem between husband and wife is solved apparently.
In opening and closing scene we hear Shostakovich’s Waltz. It can be considered as only theme music at the first glance but it is not. Despite this two usage, Waltz plays one more time in the movie. In this scene, we see Bill’s and Alice’s life routine. Along this song, there are Dr. Bill’s hospital life and Alice’s home life with their daughter on screen. This scene show us that this music represents only daily routine. It is right to some extent. On the other hand, even if it is a dance song, it is not really entertaining for all people. According to various comments this song’s effects on people are sometimes either hopeful or gloomy. Music’s importance becomes more meaningful situation at that point, because in this movie there are not a certain emotion and situation. Moreover, movie’s main fact is that it has no certain aspect. The most distinct evidence of this circumstance is the usage of Shostakovich’s Waltz at this scene. Waltz show us that even if their daily routine seems well, thanks to effects of this song we can see that relationship of Bill and Alice is not good as its appearance. After this scene narration’s first step is over and Bill is in another way of narration. It cannot be ignored that the main duty of Shostakovich’s Waltz can be to show us that there is no certain aspect and emotion in this movie. To illustrate, at the and of the film even if Alice and Bill have solved the problem between each other, Kubrick prefers to use Waltz as ending theme.
At this step, we will discuss Ligeti’s Musica Ricercata. “[It] is a set of eleven pieces for piano by Ligeti. (…) Although the ricercata is an established contrapuntal style ( and the final movement of the work is in that form), Ligeti’s title should probably be interpreted literally as ‘researched music’ or ‘sought music’. This work captures the essence of Ligeti’s search to construct his own compositional style ex nihilo.” (Wikipedia / Musica Ricercata) We hear this music six times. Firstly, in the inquiry of secret ceremony’s master, 2 different times. And then 4 more time in other scenes. Thirdly, when he goes to ceremony place again to investigate that night. Fourthly, before he leaves prostitute, on street, when a man follows him. Fifthly, when he reads on newspaper that ex-beauty queen has died. And lastly, when he come home and see the mask which he had put on in ceremony. All scenes show us that Ligeti’s music associate with sexual ceremony scene. After Bill gives password ‘Fidelio’ like its meaning -faith- Musica Ricercata can be accepted as a leitmotif which reminds Bill’s quest and fault.
Moreover, we can contact a relationship between Ligeti and Bill. On one hand, Ligeti’s musical seeking and exploring his musical essence; on the other hand Bill’s sexual seeking and discovering his own essence.
In a nutshell, when we consider all musical cues in Eyes Wide Shut, we can see that each of them has a meaning associated with movie’s narration but if we also consider only musical cues without movie’s narration, we can give a meaning thanks to all musical narrative. Beyond to examine all musical cues, only two songs can be help us to explain the meaning of movie. It is, of course, Kubrick’s genius and success. All of us are thankful to him for this last grateful work.
