Colour Me Kubrick #2: Music

Stanley Kubrick is a director with a very distinctive style. He is one of the few directors to almost exclusively use classical music in his soundtracks. This has the effect of making his movies timeless. They are not just fashion, they transend it.

On the other hand, the soundtracks are also used ironically. Most of the time, Kubrick uses the song that is very inappropriate for the scene. the juxtaposition beween the classical opening to a future sceince fiction movie as used in '2001' is obvious as is the jarring use of 'Singing in the Rain' in the disturbing break-in scene in Clockwork Orange.

This is the end scene of Dr. Strangelove where the nukes go off around the planet and the song 'We'll Meet Again' is being played in the background. See how it contrasts the depressing mood the scene shows while the song plays.

Dr Strangelove: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEi8Mj6WDKM

This scene is from 'Clockwork Orange'. Pay attention to the song that one of the intruders is singing while performing some shocking acts. Beware, the video you're about to see is very disturbing.

Clockwork Orange (NSWF): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faML0QvVb2A

This disorientation between the action on the screen and the digestic soundtrack makes the audience feel anxious, even queasy, while giving an insight into the mentality of those commiting the abuse. Just like the break-in scene, Kubrick is showing how those criminals view their actions, as if they were treating it like one of their casual playing times.