Dramatic Vocalise Database
Elfman, Danny (b. 1953)
Men in Black (1997)
In Men in Black, a galaxy contained within a vessel only as big as a marble is attached to the collar of the cat Orion. As medical examiner Dr. Laurel Weaver (Linda Fiorentino) looks into the vessel she sees the galaxy within. The accompanying dramatic vocalization serves to reinforce the sense of astonishment that Dr. Weaver feels. The only other use of dramatic vocalization in the film occurs at the end when the camera zooms out, showing first Manhattan, then our planet, and eventually the entire Milky Way contained within a marble—just one piece in a larger game played by aliens.
(Nauman 2009, 256)
Examples | Comments |
| The Galaxy [1:08:38–1:08:55] There is a tritone relationship in the bass line that is reminiscent of “Saturn” from Holst’s The Planets, but with added chorus, a tad different from the final movement “Neptune.” | ||
| Other Galaxies At the end of the movie, immediately preceding the ending credits, after the final dramatic structural cadence (meaning that the story is over, the movie is done) a little gag set-piece is added on before Will[ard] Smith busts into his pop-hit single “Men in Black” as the ending credits roll by. |