Thursday, 4 December 2014
Because the music is effective to humans it is effective to robots.
In the film WALL-E, music plays a prominent role in expressing the emotions and feelings of characters, and a means of conveying the message to the audience. Because of reduced communication between the characters, music stimulates emotion in humans. For robots, the sounds acts as a medium for them to experience human-like emotions. Since robots do not communicate through language, music has become symbolic for love. Music plays an extensive role in the film, as it is able to affect humans as well as robots.
Throughout the film, the viewer is exposed to humans living an extremely sedentary life, never engaging in face to face communication. Due to the disconnect of society, the music acts as a means of passage back towards the true characteristics of humans. In the film, humans show characteristics of robots, rather than that of people. When they hear the sounds, the humans once again embody people, and engage in meaningful connections. After being exposed to the auditory sounds of music, the humans regain the ability to communicate with each other.
Music also plays another role in personifying the robots. WALL-E’s sole purpose is to clean up the mess of humans, and is heavily stimulated by the sound of music. One of the features of the robots is that they possess the ability to record small segments of sound within their memory and play it back with the push of a button. WALL-E has a small segment of music recorded in his memory that it plays when it feels alone, or sad. Both WALL-E and the viewer experience a sense of nostalgia when this occurs, displaying a vital connection between the robot’s emotions and music. The fact that the music stimulates WALL-E shows that it exhibits human like qualities.
After generating recognition, the music that WALL-E shows EVE becomes a symbol of love. WALL-E, after rescuing EVE from a storm, tries to play the robot a clip that shows a Hello Dolly! video that shows humans engaging in song and dance. Eventually, EVE recognizes the emotions that WALL-E is portraying, and they engage in what appears to be a romantic relationship. Once seen by other humans, it makes a couple exhibit the same sorts of emotions towards each other. Because of the feelings expressed by both humans and robots as a result of listening to music, it is a symbol of love.
Through the many examples seen throughout the film, it becomes evident that music plays a significant role in affecting both humans and robots. Whether it is reconnecting a society, emotional connections, or a symbol of love, there appears to be no limitations to it’s effects. This plays a significant role in the development of the characters, and adds another dimension to the film itself. It also relates to how the viewer can watch the film and grasp some of the emotions that the characters feel. Overall, WALL-E is able to overcome the reduced amount of dialogue, and use music to fill the void.
Concluding Remarks
The irony in the film is that the humans over-reliance on technology had led to its very demise. It depicts that love and nature ultimately triumph over the inventions of mankind. Its results have been proven to be a dystopian society. The film also captures the emotions and feelings of the audience through the use of music. Overall, WALL-E induces fear and pity into the audience by showing what the world will look like if humanity continues to rely on technology to solve our problems.
References
Corrigan, T. (2004). A Short Guide To Writing About Film (Fifth ed., pp. 42-44). New York,
NY: Pearson Longman.
Stam, R. (2000). Film Theory: An Introduction (pp. 212-223). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Dick, B. F. (1978). Anatomy of Film (pp. 70-82). New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, Inc.
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