Free For All Friday!

Hello all!

Clearly I forgot to update Top Ten Tuesday this week, which probably doesn't bode well for those of you reading this. Fear not! I will not forget next week!

Today I am starting Free For All Fridays which is where I put my iTunes on shuffle and the first soundtrack that pops up gets a blog review dedicated to it. On we go!

Atonement (Dario Marianelli)

The track that popped up was Denouement. Observe:



This particular soundtrack is made up of 15 gorgeous tracks that all clearly indicate the four-part movie.

Part One:

This part of the movie details the introduction of the story and characters and then builds into the rape of Briony's cousin. The rapist is generally unknown, but Briony accuses Robbie (her sister Cecelia's love interest) because she witnessed him and Cecelia having sex against the wall of their father's library. Now, earlier in that day Briony had also witnessed an odd exchange from her window where Cecelia and Robbie wrestle over a vase near the fountain. The vase breaks and Cecelia strips down, dives in, and emerges sopping wet in her now see-through clothes. This creates the sexual awakening between Cecelia and Robbie. Robbie goes home and writes two letters to Cecelia. One is his typed fantasy where he tells her how he longs for her cunt. The other letter is handwritten and a more traditional, heartfelt, love letter. He folds it up and delivers it to Briony, asking her to take it to Cecelia. As she runs off, Robbie realizes that he's given her the typed letter, but it's too late. Briony runs off, reads the letter, and gives it to Cecelia. When Robbie arrives for dinner at their house, Cecelia scolds him about the letter and leads him to the library where they profess their discovered love for each other and hence, have at it against the wall. The first part of the movie ends with Robbie being taken away by the police.

The first part of the soundtrack is written mainly from Briony's point of view, who is an aspiring writer. The music is percussive: it's heavy with piano, contains short, harsh beats from string instruments, and typewriter sound affects. The typewriter indicates Briony's point of view and creates the center for the typewritten letter Robbie writes that will lead to his undeserved downfall. The beats are short and emphatic, which creates a stomping, somewhat anxiety-producing tone that also lends itself to the upper-class 1930s English culture.



Part Two:

This part is told from Robbie's perspective. It's years later ( 7 or 8) and he's fighting in France during WWII. He explains to one of his friends that he was given a choice to stay in prison or join the army, which updates the audience. He and his band are looking for one of the French beaches where the English are supposed to be arriving with assistance. Robbie is injured and as their journey progresses he becomes increasing weaker and more feverish. The climax of this part is when he comes across a neatly-lined row of bodies in a field. When they arrive at the beach, hundreds of British soldiers are milling around waiting for the English. There's only alcohol to drink and at this point, Robbie is going mad with infection and thirst. He and his friend find a place in an alley to bunk for the night where he had a fever-induced dream about Cecelia. This parts ends when his friend wakes him up to tell him that he's been shouting in his sleep.

The music in this part is more somber and devoid of percussive instruments. This part is string-heavy and includes wind instruments. The only inclusion of piano occurs during the climax. The music is more hymnal and introduces a somber, reflective mood for the audience. It also represents a feeling of hopelessness that Robbie feels when they arrive to the beach only find that the soldiers their are as aimless as his band.

The hopeless climax:


The more somber tones.


Part Three and Four:

This part of the movie is told from Briony's perspective. She's older and working as a Red Cross nurse. She understands what she did to Robbie when she was younger and feels great remorse for her actions. She is working on a novel called Two Figures By The Fountain, which is rejected for publication. To make matters worse for her, she is instructed to sit by a horrible injured French soldier who mistakes her for a friend of his. He reminisces about fun and romantic times they had and she plays along tearfully. When she adjusts his bandages, she finds that part of his brain is exposed and realizes that he only has moments to live. As he dies she bursts out to tell him her first name, which goes against Red Cross rules for anonymity but she still receives sad approval from her superior. On her day off, she goes to visit her sister and Robbie to make amends. On the way there she stops in a church and observes a wedding where her cousin is marrying the man who raped her. When she arrives at her sister's flat, Robbie rages at her and then tells her she must bear witness to try to clear his name. However, the man can never be convicted because of their cousin's marriage.

The last part of the movie is told from Briony's perspective as an old woman. She is publishing her final novel before she succumbs to dementia. We find out that this the novel she was writing while stationed with the Red Cross. In her interview, we find out that the meeting between her, Robbie, and Cecelia never happened. Robbie died of septicemia in France, and Cecelia died during the bombing of London when the Underground station flooded. The book she wrote was her atonement where she was able to give the ending that Cecelia and Robbie deserved but could never have thanks to her.

The music is this scene is a combination of the percussive music used at the beginning and the somber tones used for Robbie's story. This is a coming together - a finale of sorts for all of the characters.