**SPOILER ALERT**
Are you familiar with film director Terrence Malick? In 2011
he released The Tree of Life, a film
that polarized viewers with his incorporation of enigmatic spiritual symbolism.
Malick’s use of a compilation score including excerpts from Zbigniew Preisner’s Requiem for my friend and Hector
Berlioz’s Requiem is
significant to understanding underlying thematic elements of the film. A
compilation score can be defined as a film score that uses various pre-composed
works not originally composed for the film. Malick’s careful placement of each
requiem depicts the dichotomy between physical and spiritual death and life
inherent throughout the film, augmenting the symbolism to convey a message to
viewers.
Zbigniew Preisner’s
“Lacrimosa” from his Requiem for my
friend occurs at the beginning of The
Tree of Life during the creation sequence. Visually this scene depicts the formation
of physical life while musically it depicts spiritual death. The translation of
“Lacrimosa” cries out to God for mercy in anticipation of Judgment Day. You can
watch this scene here:
Hector Berlioz’s Requiem occurs at the end of the film
during a scene visually implying the physical death and spiritual life of the
main character (Jack). The specific use of the “Agnus dei” from the Requiem is significant in that it
musically conveys God’s forgiveness of sin and this theme of spiritual life. You
can watch the eternity scene near the film’s ending here:
What do you think? Can you
think of a film that uses a compilation score, allowing the music to imply a
deeper meaning?
