Cinemusical meanings in motion pictures: commerce, art, and Brando loyalty … or … De Niro, My God, To Thee

Abstract

The theme of art‐versus‐commerce has surfaced in many motion pictures but serves here to juxtapose three otherwise disparate films that draw upon the power of jazz as a force toward the dramatic development of character, plot, central themes, and other cinemusical meanings. Specifically, via the significance of its ambi‐diegetic music, New York, New York (1977) shows the elevation of artistic integrity (Robert De Niro as Jimmy Doyle) over commercialism (Liza Minnelli as Francine Evans). In Heart Beat (1980), the raw honesty of a committed‐but‐doomed creative genius (Art Pepper) provides nondiegetic music that signifies the self‐destructive degradation of a key protagonist (Nick Nolte as Neal Cassady). Finally, in The Score (2001), the appealing nature of diegetic jazz in a cinemusically‐enriched nightclub environment helps to explain why a soon‐to‐be‐ reformed criminal (Robert De Niro, again, as Nick Wells) would risk everything in collaboration with two bizarre partners (Marlon Brando as Max Baron and Ed Norton as Jack Teller) in hopes of a payoff big enough to allow him to retire from a lucrative career in crime in order to run his legitimate jazz venue and to settle down with his true love (Angela Bassett as Diane Boesman). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Markets, music and all that jazz

“…Our focus on artist rather than the arts has been taken up elsewhere and applied to other genres (e.g. Holbrook, 2007, applied to film).…”

A cinemusicaliterary analysis of the American dream as represented by biographical jazz comedepictions in the golden age of Hollywood biopics: Blow, Horatio, Blow; O, Jakie, O; Go,Tommy, Go; No, Artie, No

“…) In my own work, I have defined ambi-diegetic film music as that in which a character performs a tune or song on-screen (as in diegetic music) in a way that furthers the film's dramatic development by adding depth to that character through persona-related associations, by elaborating on thematic aspects of the plot, or by advancing relevant symbolic identifications so as to enrich the meaning of the scene (as in non-diegetic music). (For the development and applications of this definition, please see Holbrook, 2003Holbrook, , 2004Holbrook, , 2005aHolbrook, , 2005bHolbrook, , 2005dHolbrook, , 2006aHolbrook, , 2007a; also Altman, 1987;Atkins, 1983;Biancorosso, 2001;Chion, 1994;Hagen, 1971;Kassabian, 2001;Rosar, 2002;Smith, 1998. ) In short, ambi-diegetic film music is performed on-screen but plays an important role in the film's dramatic development.…”

Morris B. Holbrook: an historical autoethnographic subjective personal introspection

“…In other words, I cared mostly about how marketing imagery and consumption symbolism could elucidate the meanings of artistic offerings such as films, plays, novels, and so forth. Later (Holbrook, 2003a), I applied a similar logic to interpreting the role of jazz as film music in motion pictures such as Sweet Smell of Success (Holbrook, 2004a); High Society (Holbrook, 2005a); The Fabulous Baker Boys and The Talented Mr. Ripley (Holbrook, 2005f); Young Man with a Horn, Paris Blues, and Mo' Better Blues (Holbrook, 2005b; Heart Beat, The Score, and New York, New York (Holbrook, 2007a); Lady Sings the Blues, 'Round Midnight, and Bird (Holbrook, 2007h); Pete Kelly's Blues, The Cotton Club, and Kansas City (Holbrook, 2008c); and The Fabulous Dorseys, The Glenn Miller Story, The Benny Goodman Story, The Five Pennies (based on the life of cornetist Red Nichols), and The Gene Krupa Story (Holbrook, 2009a). Ultimately, I revised and collected these interpretations in a book about jazz in films entitled Music, Movies, Meanings, and Markets: Cinemajazzamatazz (Holbrook, 2011).…”