Happy Birthday, Antonio Bay!

 

"Eleven fifty-five. Almost midnight. Enough time for one more story. One more story before twelve, just to keep us warm. In five minutes, it will be the twenty-first of April. One hundred years ago, on the twenty-first of April, out on the waters around Spivey Point, a small clipper ship drew toward land. Suddenly, out of the night, the fog rolled in. For a moment, they could see nothing, not a foot ahead of them. And then, they saw a light. By god, it was a fire burning on the shore, strong enough to penetrate the swirling mist. They steered a course toward the light. But it was a campfire, like this one. The ship crashed against the rocks. The hull sheared in two. The mast snapped like a twig, and the wreckage sank with all the men aboard. At the bottom of the sea lay the Elizabeth Dane with her crew, their lungs filled with salt water, their eyes open and staring into the darkness. And above, as suddenly as it had come, the fog lifted, receded back across the ocean, and never came again. But it is told by the fisherman and their fathers and grandfathers that when the fog returns to Antonio Bay, the men at the bottom of the sea, out in the water by Spivey Point, will rise up and search for the campfire that led them to their dark and icy death. Twelve o'clock. The twenty-first of April."

The Droning

Here's a look (more of a listen, actually) at excerpts from the scores of two movies set in New York. Both passages accompany relatively low-speed street chases and are also similar in their use of what could be described as a drone — an almost constant low note which serves as foundation for subsequent layers of musical sound. In each case, the inexorable quality of these tones complements the motion of the films' characters and builds suspense on the way to each scene's conclusion.

The first example is from Escape from New York (1981, music by John Carpenter with Alan Howarth), when The Duke first arrives and is pursued by Snake, Brain, and Maggie to the derelict train cars where the kidnapped president is being held. On top of the low synth sound is the persistent rhythm of drums and bass, creating a relentless pulse as the protagonists drive through a gauntlet of street people and smash through a barrier of stacked cars, all the while intent on their goal of reaching the train.



Second is an example from Crocodile Dundee (1986, music by Peter Best), from the end scene where Sue runs to catch Mick before he departs for good on the subway. Once again, the drone (ostensibly played on the native Australian didgeridoo) reflects Sue's determination to reach Mick, and then Mick's will to make his way though (and over) the crowd to reunite with Sue.