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This essay examines the usage of sound in the second talkie directed by Yasujiro Ozu: What did the Lady Forget?(1937). This essay is just one part of a large-scale series titled Structure and Function... of Sound in Yasujiro Ozu’s Talkies. It is also a continuation of the analysis of Ozu’s first talkie, The Only Son, in which 11 songs are used for background music, all of which belong to different genres of music. However, in What Did the Lady Forget? Ozu uses only 10 songs for background music and also reduces the scope of the score to only five different genres of music. What he is actually doing is incorporating a leitmotif function into the music. In The Only Son, the story is divided into different sequences, which are separated by a fade-out and subsequent fade-in. What Did the Lady Forget? by contrast, is completely devoid of any fading whatsoever; instead, music is used to separate the different parts of the story. One important sound in the film emanates from a large clock sounding the time: it is the sound of the bells of Big Ben. Throughout the story, this sound is heard a total of six times-all during scenes related to the lead actress. Big Ben’s bells function as a symbol and leitmotif in the film for the oppressive way in which the actress reigns over her household.show more
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