In today’s films, sound has become an integral to getting the audience completely engrossed in the action. Sounds within a film can be either diegetic or non-diegetic with diegetic sounds being the ones that are happening within the scene such as conversation or music that the characters can hear. Non-diegetic sounds are sounds, such as the Jaws theme song, that enhance the mood but are not part of the world within the film (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). The three categories of sound are: dialogue, sound effects, and music. Dialogue is the conversation between characters or voiceover providing narration of what is happening. Sound effects help enhance the drama unfolding on the screen and often become an important part of the movie. For example, The Grudge, one of my favorite horror movies has become known for the croaking sound made by the ghost that helps make the film creepier. Because of its effectiveness in eliciting an emotional response, music, whether diegetic or non-diegetic, also plays a huge role in enhancing film. For example, in The Silence of the Lambs, the haunting chords of Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus add to the desperation of Catherine Martin and to the creepiness of Buffalo Bill as he does his dance.
Within The Godfather, music is used on several occasions to provide a mood. During the wedding, a fast paced waltz is played that sets an upbeat mood. As Tom Hagen travels to Los Angeles to secure Johnny Fontane’s movie contract the slower music that is played gives the viewer the feeling that it is just another regular day for him. In one of the most famous scenes, the baptism scene, we hear orchestra music as we see the gunmen preparing to shoot the heads of the Five Families. The use of parallel scenes along with the orchestra music perfectly channels how far Michael has come in embracing his role as the Godfather.
Sound effects are also used throughout the film. As Jack Woltz tells Tom Hagen why Johnny will not get the part the sound effect of him throwing his fork on his plate adds emphasis to his words. The next morning as he is screaming because of the severed horse’s head he finds in his bed the camera cuts to a shot of the sunrise on the outside of the house with the sound effect of birds chirping that shows the serenity of the world continuing in spite of the violence that had just happened. Immediately after Vito Corleone gets shot you hear the sound of a baby start to cry effectively portraying the tragedy of the scene. One of the sound effects heard many times is gunshots which is a key component of gangster films however it is not indicative of the gangster genre. Another example of good sound effects is just before Michael heads out of the restroom to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey, we see him clutch his head and hear a rush of white noise that effectively conveys the pressure and nervousness he is feeling. This noise starts up again as he pulls out the gun and shoots them.
Much of the dialogue throughout the film is somber and serious without background noise to distract the viewer from what is being said. All three categories of sound, dialogue, sound effects, and music, were put together very well to create just the right atmosphere for this movie. Without even just a part of one the categories the film might not have had the effect on viewers that made it one of the greatest films of all time.
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Ruddy, A. (Producer), & Coppola, F. (Director). (1972). The Godfather [Motion Picture]. United States: Alfran Productions
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