So I found this video the other day and it really bothers me as a film music composer. Can you guess what I dislike about it?
Well… have you figured it out? I don’t dislike the words Chaplin says, nor do I have a problem with his delivery. In fact, I think both are well done and drive chills down my spine. I even like the subtle camera work and cinematography that’s used.
What I don’t like is the music.
In fact, I think this speech is WORSE with the music as It feels manipulative and shallow. Without it, I think it’s really thoughtful and inspiring.
Why do I think this? Allow me to explain….
The clip is from Charlie Chaplin’s film “The Great Dictator,” which is a comedy that satirizes Hitler and the Nazi Regime. The film mostly consists of slapstick/physical comedy which is highlighted with some light, comedic music.
At the end, Chaplin stops to give a serious and somber speech which contrasts tonally with the rest of the film. In it he asks the audience to pursue kindness and avoid the blind following of leadership (which is poking fun beforehand). In the film, there is no music accompanying Chaplin, as it’s just him speaking, but the lack of music really helps distinguish the speech from the rest of the film.
“Well excuse me Conner,” you may say,“ but that’s what makes the version with music so great! You don’t have to watch the movie to still get the emotional impact that was intended! All someone had to do was to add some cinematic music to make it much more accessible!”
And to some extent, I can see how one would think this. While it makes it more accessible and emotional, I would also point out that it also makes it less understandable.
Here’s a challenge. First, watch the speech again through the link above and try to figure out what Chaplin is trying to communicate. After that, watch the speech through the link below and do the same.
While I feel more… feelings… with the first video, it’s honestly hard for me to actually listen to what Chaplin is saying because I get more caught up in what the music is telling me to feel. This is probably because the music is so loud and ignores the level of nuance that the other elements of the video possess (partially due to the fact that the track is from “Inception” and was not made for “The Great Dictator”).
However, when I watch the music-less version, I feel that I’m able to hear every word he is saying and still get an emotional impact from it. I think that has to do with his great writing and delivery. They are both done with a high level of skill and care, so they deserve to be supported with nuance.
Maybe that is why the camera work is so effective in this context, while the song is not. Again, it is very subtle and doesn’t do much, but very effective in supporting what Chaplin says. In the beginning, it stays relatively still, but as he rises in intensity, the camera moves closer and closer to him to match that.
And this is what is the type of nuance a scene like this needs. If I had to put music in it, I’d want something custom made for the scene. Particularly something that compliments the particular nuances of Chaplin’s speech, rather than slapping on an epic track just for the sake of epic-ness.
This is what highlights the importance of the job of a film composer. It’s not my job to just fill the film I’m scoring with music. Rather, it’s my job to figure out which parts would benefit with music, and which parts would be better off silent. If I carelessly filled the film with music, I might add more of an emotional response, but it would be at the cost of the film’s story and message, and potentially harm an otherwise well done project.
Conner Baumgardner 