In ‘Love,’ the Bard’s Words Are Music Enough
Unlike Ross Duffin, I don’t believe music of the period is a prerequisite for films depicting times past, such as “Elizabeth” and “Shakespeare in Love,” which I saw recently (“Early Music Gets Short Shrift in ‘Elizabeth,’ ” Counterpunch, Dec. 21).
The creation of film coincides with the later period of the Romantic movement of music and, I think, shares its grandiose sensibilities and a focus on stories regarding the continuing emergence of the individual in society.
Moreover, since its inception, film music has been written in the Romantic style, which is still prevalent in today’s films. So, the incorporation of ancient music in a period film can in itself be an anachronism.
However, with “Shakespeare in Love,” which has moments of brilliance and moved me greatly, Hollywood again showed that it does not seem to trust Shakespeare: In the moments of the film when the Bard’s incomparable lines are recited, there was accompanying music, unnecessarily covering the muse of arguably the greatest writer of the English language.
The music is not needed and, no matter how great, only creates discord as Shakespeare’s writings are music enough.
MATTHEW HETZ
Los Angeles
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