It is easy to forget the impact that a sonic landscape can have on a film. We have become accustomed to film soundtracks being an integral part of storytelling. Music can move us to a wide range of emotions that are intentionally planned by the film director. Music soundtracks have almost become like dramatic training wheels loudly announcing to the audience how s/he should feel at a given moment. If you don't believe me, try watching Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944) and you will experience what a movie is like without the aid of a soundtrack.
During our institute we have had the opportunity to watch some excellent films. The soundtracks to those films had an important role in telling the story, whether it was the exclusive Motown soundtrack for Nothing But a Man or the lush jazz scores that accompanied A Man Called Adam and Sweet Love, Bitter. One other film we watched attempted to combine period jazz interpretation with some influence of modern music scoring: Lady Sings The Blues.
I found myself becoming a fan of Diana Ross. Portraying the ineffable Billie Holiday is an intimidating task. Smartly, the Supreme showed good judgment by resisting to 'copy' Holiday's interpretations. Almost the entire soundtrack featured the music of Billie Holiday and jazz standards from her era. If Berry Gordy made the entire soundtrack consistent with music of that period, the film would age well. However, several scenes break-in with 1970s orchestral sounds that remind you of the time when the film was made and distract from its historic setting. My feeling is that these moments were intentionally planned. The only times in the film when Gordy deviates from the standard jazz soundtrack are the opening credit sequence and every important moment between the characters of Billie and Louis McKay. The weakest moment occurs when the modern orchestra raises the dynamics and intensity in a manner that seems to convey excitement and glory when in fact Billie is experiencing one of her weakest moments in the film as she sit in a doped haze on the bathroom toilet. Perhaps this is something that Gordy would have corrected were it not for schedule and budget restraints.
-- Al Stith
