Persona/Bach/Yanagita

  I wonder sometimes how costly a small lapse in judgment can be.  If a 20 minute piece of music is excellent save one goofy 30 second passage, is it still excellent? Can one small gaff in taste by an artist reduce a work to shambles? For instance, one might agree that Persona is Bergman's masterpiece, with every frame from beginning to end being visually stunning.   And the same for its script, cinematography, etc...

Now, just for philisophical purposes, let's consider one particularly memorable scene towards the beginning, where Elisabeth (Liv Ullman) is laying alone her hospital bed.  The room is dark and Bergman's lighting is focused exclusively on Elisabeth's face.  All of a sudden she hears Bach (second violin concerto) from her bedside radio where she turns to the camera, without a single blink, and loses herself in the music.  She then awakens and turns back away from the camera, with the Bach adagio still resounding morosely in Elisabeth's now silent world.  (The shot has always been a favorite of my father's. )

But now, do you think Persona would retain its celebrated reputation amongst film schools and aeshetes if, for instance, Bergman's choice of music for that scene would have been "Für Elise?"

Something for you to mull over this weekend.

In other news, man of steel AC Douglas has gone Mike Yanagita on us:

AC:  Hey Alex, ya know I always liked ya.

Alex:  Oh, thanks AC.  I alwa...

AC: ... I always liked ya so much. 

Alex: It's okay AC.  Do you think we should get together another time, ya think?

AC: No, I'm so sorry.  It's just...just....you were such a super boy!

;)

Comments

[Susan]

hi bryant!

your question is kinda like asking "would strawberry shortcake still be a great dessert with mustard instead of whipped cream?"

whipped cream and mustard are both great condiments, in their respective places.......it wouldnt occur to me to put mustard on strawberry shortcake because it just doesnt "go"......same with fur elise in persona....it wouldnt have occured to bergman to do that

come to think of it, matching music to mood is usually something that even the worst filmmakers get right......can anyone think of an example where this doesnt hold true?

speaking of strawberry shortcake....its great to see CHOWHOUND as one of your links!

susan

[bryant]

The music to mood example I used was only an instance of many possible variables. It was only intended to get a point across. Again, does a lapse of bad taste ruin an otherwise tasteful work?

i know bergman would never use fur elise, given his extensive knowledge and passion for classical music. But fur elise, tacky as it is NOW, certainly belongs to a mood conducive to that particular scene i pointed out. put it into the hands of a director who only has a few classical greatest hits discs, and "fur elise" becomes a very real possibility.

[Susan]

oh.....i didnt see fur elise as capable of creating the same mood at all.....

in answer to your underlying question, "does a lapse of bad taste ruin an otherwise tasteful work?".....i think that every artistic work falls on a continuum....

from
"a masterpiece" - the artist did EVERYTHING right - pretty much everybody agrees

to
"a representative work" - the artist demonstrated moments of their own personal best, but might have had a slip or two that allow critics an opportunity to debate

to
"a poor example" - an artist had a bad day