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3.1.19 The music
** Has the soundtrack been released?
The soundtrack has been released in Europe and in Australia (see 5.6.1) and is
presently available in North America as an import.
** What are the pieces on the soundtrack and
film?
Here are the appearances of music in "Heavenly Creatures" in the order
they appear, along with a description of/quote from the accompanying scene.
X= Not on soundtrack
(X) "Just A Closer Walk With Thee." As the two girls separately head off to school - and their first meeting.
"Be My Love." Pauline swoons with furious delight to the sound of "The World's Greatest Tenor"... "Murray O'Lanza"?
"Bad Chests and Bone Diseases." Pauline & Juliet share war stories of youthful illnesses (seen in flashback). "It's all frightfully romantic!"
"The Princess of Ilam." Pauline's first dip into Juliet's enchanted world.
"The Donkey Serenade." A wonderfully giddy set-piece of the spiralling friendship.
"The Shrine." First mention of the Fourth World, the "Saints", and Orson Welles (and his dim chances of Sainthood).
(X) "Deck the Halls" to "Gloria, In Excelsis Deo" medley. Christmas 1952 at the Riepers'.
"Meet The Riepers." Wherein Juliet does just that. There's a nice, brief darkening of the musical mood as Honora reaches out to her guest for a handshake. [The title is a play on Jackson's hit cult film "Meet The Feebles." jp]
(X) "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window." (plus dramatic instrumental music) Easter at Port Levy, culminating in Charles' "ravishing" of Deborah on their wedding night in the sand castle!
"The Fourth World." Juliet's anguish leads her and Pauline into a vision of the land of unicorns, giant butterflies, and impeccable gardening.
"Life in Borovnia." Juliet's parents abandon her again "for the good of her health" - and the letters from Borovnia begin. The scene ends with the ill-fated approach of Rev. Norris.
"Funiculi, Funicula." Pauline's traumatic night with John-the-lodger crossed with her mental escape to Borovnia. A disturbing highlight.
"Two Dutiful Daughters." Poem "The Ones That I Worship" is heard - as Dr Hulme's suspicions darken. He stares disapprovingly as they clasp hands in the car or sleep in each other's arms (as the discordant final note plays). Interesting how the poem adulates him as their "father" just as he is plotting to separate them...
"E Lucevan le Stelle." Pauline sinks into solitude and despair. "My motto now is, eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may be dead!"
"To Hollywood." ...with the aid of the Hulmes' valuables. "They'll blame the bloody housekeeper! She nicks stuff all the time!" (see "Daughters of Heaven" described in 6.1).
"Divorce." It's a dark and stormy day as Dr Hulme shares the bad news with Pauline & Juliet. "We none of us know where we're going, and a good deal depends on chance..."
"For The Good of your Health." Juliet: "I'm not going to England without Gina!" Hilda: "You're not going to England, darling..."
"The Loveliest Night of the Year." Or, the Last Waltz, perhaps. "We are both stark raving mad!"
"The Most Hideous Man Alive." A dangerous run-in with the diabolical Orson Welles as Harry Lime. "I have never before seen anything in the same category of hideousness - but I adore him!"
"A Night With The Saints." Acting out "how the Saints would make love" - and providing us all a source of endless discussion, analysis and debate. "We have now known the peace of the thing called Bliss... the joy of the thing called Sin!"
"The Pursuit of Happiness." Juliet & Pauline seal their pact over a sacrifice of Mario Lanza records as unicorns graze peacefully on the Ilam grounds...
"Juliet's Aria." ...as sung with great beauty from the Hulmes' balcony. We also see one more vision of The Ship, at this point still sailing out with all safely on board. And then, there is that kiss...
"The Humming Chorus." In which Honora is in grave danger, but so is the audience - the unbearable dread and suspense may well kill us too!
"You'll Never Walk Alone." We are cruelly plunged into the cold darkness of the credit roll.
"Pauline & Juliet." As played by composer Peter Dasent on an old piano (you can hear the pedal creaking if you listen closely). It's quite lovely - but doesn't appear in the film.
** At what stage of production was the music
introduced?
A working draft of the script builds a number of critical scenes around the use of
specific Mario Lanza recordings. The later use of opera, however, with the exception of
the aria from "Tosca," is not as well developed at this stage. As it happens,
Pauline Parker actually mentioned in her diary the specific piece of opera used in
"Heavenly Creatures," though not at that corresponding point of the story. So
Pauline Parker actually chose the music for this part of the film, forty years ago.
Jackson and Walsh would have known from the start of the project about the girls' fixation
on and fascination with Mario Lanza, from the published trial proceedings. ref: Heavenly
Creatures, Draft #5, February 7, 1993, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA. [Hereafter HC Draft #5, AMPAS]
** Is there only prerecorded music in the score?
No. Peter Dasent wrote the mesmerizing original score. In the second half of the
film, particularly, Dasent's score builds tension and a tremendous sense of momentum.
Jackson and Dasent augmented the score with a shrewd choice of prerecorded music, the
importance of which is emphasized by reference in the script. (ref. HC Draft #5, AMPAS).
** What is the opening choral piece?
In the initial musical motif, the framing reference of the divine is established
under the opening titles, with the traditional hymn "Just a Closer Walk with
Thee," crisply elocuted by a girls choir. The hymn's lyric foreshadows Pauline and
Juliet's association, emphasizing a strong element of longing:
"Just A Closer Walk With Thee" [dj] (traditional, words anonymous, Mosie Lister arr.) [kr]
Chorus: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
v.1. I am weak but Thou art strong. Jesus, keep me from all wrong. I'll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
v.2. Thro' this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
v.3. When my feeble life is o'er, Time for me will be no more. Guide me gently, safely o'er To they Kingdom's shore, to thy shore.
Quoted from: "Baptist Hymnal" (1975 Edition), Convention Press, Nashville, Tennesee. [dj]
The arrangement of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" used in "Heavenly Creatures" is: Chorus, verse 1, verse 2, chorus. Verse 3 is not used. Also, the first line of verse 1 was changed to:
Now, I am weak and Thou art strong.
** What is the origin of "Closer Walk?"
"Just A Closer Walk With Thee" is an American traditional hymn with
origins in the American South and whose author is unknown. It is a favorite funeral hymn
in the American South; Dixieland funeral processions often feature this hymn and are
traditionally led by an opened black umbrella. There were many popular recordings of the
hymn made in the 50s and 60s, by country music artists in particular. Some of the more
popular recorded covers of this hymn are by:
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee (in "Best of...") [es] Van Morrison ("Hymns to the Silence") [gb] Tennessee Ernie Ford [wh] Loretta Lynn [wh] George Martin ("Live & Let Die" soundtrack, inst.) [cs]
It can be found in the following hymnals and song collections:
"Hymns for the Family of God" "Glory and Praise" songbooks from North American Liturgy Resources. "Songs of Zion," Abingdon Press, 1981. Hymn #46. The purpose of this volume is "to develop a songbook from the Black religious tradition to be made available to United Methodist Churches." [from introduction] "Baptist Hymnal" (1975 Edition), Convention Press, Nashville, Tennesee.
** What is unusual about the use of "Closer
Walk?"
Clearly the filmmakers chose "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" because it
introduced into the film several key themes which would reappear throughout the narrative.
However, the hymn is not part of the body of hymns which would have been sung by the
students of Christchurch Girls' High School in 1952. The girls' school was set up
according to a very slightly- modified English school system. It has been established
elsewhere (see 5.4.4) that the whole Christchurch community maintained very strong
cultural ties with England. This means that the school would have been tied in
religious/cultural matters predominantly to the Anglican Church, i.e. the Church of
England. Consequently, during morning assembly, the girls would have sung hymns selected
and adapted from "Prayers and Hymns for Use in Schools," the 'official' hymnal
approved by most school Education Authorities in Britain and used throughout the British
Commonwealth for many years prior to 1952, or "Hymns Ancient and Modern
(revised)." [a] Both "Prayers and Hymns for Use in Schools" and "Hymns
Ancient and Modern (revised)" contain a set of hymns deemed "most suitable for
Young People" abstracted from the following source:
"Songs of Praise," Enlarged Edition. Percy Dearmer (Words Ed.), Ralph Vaughan Williams and Martin Shaw (Music Eds.). Oxford University Press, London. (c) 1931. reprinted unchanged to at least 1969 (21st impression).
According to the book's Introduction, these hymns were chosen specifically for their cultural relevance to England. "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" did not arise from English cultural roots and it is not contained in "Songs of Praise." Hence it would not have been contained in "Prayers and Hymns for Use in Schools" in 1952, and this has been confirmed [mc,maw]. The school's song was Blake's "Jerusalem"... "And did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's mountains green?..." [note: A more English hymn than "Jerusalem" could not be found. It was and still is absolutely standard fare at morning chapel in English Public Schools. For another first-rate film which also opens very pointedly to a school chorus of a hymn--"Jerusalem," in fact--see Tony Richardson's extraordinary adaptation of Alan Sillitoe's "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner." jp] The most commonly-sung hymn at CGHS in the early 60s would have been "The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want..." though plenty of others were sung, too. We also went in for the "Gaudiamus Igatur..." hymn which used to be sung at Oxford University, I believe. I liked "Morning has broken..." by Christina Rossetti. I never sang the hymn used in the film. The hymnbook I used was the same one that had been used for years and years at CGHS. [maw] It is conceivable that the filmmakers were familiar with popular recordings of "Closer Walk" and recognized that a wide audience would also be familiar with this piece. They may have chosen to use it over some other more 'authentic' hymn because of "Closer Walk's" familiarity, or because they were unable to find an 'authentic' hymn which fit as well with the film's motifs. However, all of this evidence of deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers definitely makes "Closer Walk" worth examining in more detail (see 3.1.5).
** What are some of its foreshadowing and
allusions?
The opening and closing pieces to the film form a symmetric pair. Both mention
'walking together,' as a literal image of a spiritual concept, in their lyrics.
"Closer Walk" is a supplication made by a sinner to a higher authority. The
chorus, as mentioned above, is a longing plea for closer association with an object of
reverence, and the emotional tone of the piece supports this overall feeling. It is easy
for us to imagine Pauline singing this plea to the object of her reverence, Juliet and not
Jesus, sometime in the future. But look at the words. The first verse, is full of irony in
the context of "Heavenly Creatures." Her knitted, sceptical brow makes the
confession of weakness and the plea "keep me from all wrong" into more of a
challenge than a request, and turns "I'll be satisfied as long as..." into
something of a veiled threat. The second and third verses (third not used in the film) are
also full of ironic significance to the story. In the second verse, she sings there is
noone else who cares, noone who can relieve her burden in "this world of toil and
snares." Juliet is the only one who can save her from a life of drudgery and
persecution. And to where can she look for peace, for this better life? Why, "to thy
Kingdom's shore." To Juliet's world, to the bright and gentle paradise of the Fourth
World. Pauline rejoins the singing in the final chorus after being rebuked by the
headmistress and she sings "Let it be." At the end of the film, we are reminded
of all these things, painfully and bitterly, through the supremely ironic closing song.
Consistent with the circular 'wraparound' timeline of the film, listening to the closing
piece we can't help but think back to Pauline's opening hymn, pleading for a "Closer
Walk." The closing piece chosen by Dasent and Jackson would have been such a
wonderful, perfect response from Juliet. A prayer made, and a prayer answered. The
crushing of Pauline's dream is emotionally wrenching for the viewer--the dashing of dreams
always is--and this feeling is amplified by the diabolical pairing of the opening and
closing pieces. Together, they say "if only..."
** How are Mario Lanza's popular tunes used in
the film?
A distinctive musical motif is established with the boisterous popular tunes of
Mario Lanza, who is revealed in the opening scenes to be Juliet's idol. Lanza's singing
comes across as antiseptic but rousing "pop opera," particularly in contrast
with the later use of Puccini arias. Pauline enthusiastically adopts Juliet's perspective
of Lanza as "the world's greatest tenor" and she sees this shared love of his
music to be a kind of confirmation that Pauline and Juliet are spiritual sisters. Lanza's
tunes are used as a barometer of Pauline's emotions, in her initial captivation with
Juliet (prophetically, with "Be My Love"), in her wavering uncertainty and giddy
acceptance of Juliet's flights of fancy ("The Donkey Serenade" from the 1940's
musical "Firefly"), in Pauline's dawning awareness of her desire for Juliet
through her misguided night with John-the-idiot- boarder (in the faint dementia behind
"Finiculi, Finicula") and in Pauline and Juliet's eventual delerious, romantic
consummation ("The Loveliest Night of the Year").
** Is Mario Lanza's popular music used as a
"Red Herring?"
Mario Lanza's popular music may be another "red herring" from Jackson
regarding Pauline and Juliet's relationship (see 3.1.11.4). Lanza's popular music paints
an emotional tone with very broad strokes indeed, so the romantic target may be obscured.
All of Lanza's lush, popular tunes are used in connection with Pauline's visits with
Juliet at Ilam. Hence the emotional connection being illustrated may be Pauline's growing
friendship with Juliet, or it may be her true romantic love for Juliet, or it may be her
captivation with the freedom, culture and refinement represented by Ilam and Juliet.
"Finiculi, Finicula," which accompanies Pauline's night with John-the-lodger,
stands in contrast to this theme, but it is not a love song. Maybe Jackson intended
Lanza's songs to be "red herrings" but I must admit they got under my skin and
set me up for the emotionally devastating music in the second half of the film.
** What song does Mario Lanza sing over the end
credits?
Lanza's return over the end credits with "You'll Never Walk Alone"
provides a powerful backdrop (its spiritual tone concluding the reverential thread) that
elicits a particularly ironic pathos after the desolation of the final scenes. And it
forms a symmetric counterpart to the film's opening hymn. This recursive symmetry at the
film's beginning and end is also reflected in the key 'ship' scenes (see 3.1.16.13). The
silent epilogue preceeding the final song informs the viewer of the girls' sentence:
incarceration in separate institutions and eventual release on the condition that they
never have contact with each other again. And there is a haunting residue that lingers
after the film: what if Mario Lanza is singing on behalf of Honora? What if this is her
promise to the girls?
** What is the origin of "You'll Never Walk
Alone?"
"You'll Never Walk Alone" is from Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Roger's
"Carousel"(1945). The song is sung by the ghost of Billy Bigelow when he finally
accepts that his beloved wife, Julie [nice parallel with Pauline's name for Juliet], has
managed to rebuild her life without him. Although Julie reveres his memory, she is, in
fact, better off without his disruptive presence. This acceptance of her independence
allows him to move on and assume his place in the afterlife.
"You'll Never Walk Alone" Oscar Hammerstein (Lyrics) from "Carousel" (1945) Richard Rodgers (Music) (c) 1945 Williamson Music Co.
When you walk through a storm Hold your head up high And don't be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm is a golden sky And the sweet silver song of a lark. Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain, Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown, Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone, You'll never walk alone! Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain, Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown, Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone, You'll never walk alone! Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain, Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown, Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone, You'll never walk alone!
** Where and how is opera used in the film?
The musical shift to opera in the second half of the film makes reference to
dramatic predetermination. The lighthearted or melodramatic romance of Lanza's "pop
opera" gives way to a more sombre, powerful and genuine emotional tone in the second
half of the film. And the clues from the filmmakers contained in the music become more
subtle and possibly more significant because of their disguise.
** How is opera used to show Pauline's growing
despair?
When Honora threatens to keep Pauline from Juliet, in despair, Pauline contemplates
suicide. During these key scenes, Cavaradossi laments his own imprisonment and impending
death, on Pauline's phonograph, from Puccini's opera TOSCA: ("my dream of love is now
destroyed forever, my hour is fleeting and I must die despairing!"). This exact piece
was mentioned by the real Pauline in a diary entry (see 7.4.3). In a striking spiritual
parallel with the film, the opera TOSCA ends with Cavaradossi lingering in prison as his
lover Tosca murders Scarpia to set him free, only to have her plan backfire when
Cavradossi is nevertheless executed. This prompts Tosca's own suicide.
"E lucevan le stelle "And the stars shone brightly E olezzava la terra And the air mild and fragrant Stridea l'uscio dell 'orto- The garden gate was opened, E un passo sfiorava la rena And footsteps approached so lightly Entrava ella, fragrante, She stood before me, radiant- Mi cadea fra le baccia. In my arms I held her. O! dolce braci, Oh fond embrace, o languide carezze oh languorous caress Mentr'io fremente My heart was trembling La belle forme Enraptured by the wonder disciogliea dai veli! of her glorious beauty! Svani per sempre My dream of love il sogno mio d'amore, is now destroyed forever, L'ora e fuggita, My hour is fleeting, E muoio disperato! And I must die despairing! E muoio disperato! And I must die despairing! E non ho amato! How cruel is Death! Mai tanto la vita, Ah, life was never sweeter, tanto la vita!" never sweeter!"
[TOSCA, Giacomo Puccini, English Translation - Joseph Machlis]
Taking the association between Cavaradossi and Pauline literally, this piece is a strong clue in favor of a desperate romantic attachment between Pauline and Juliet, the tragic object of her desire. It is particularly affecting to know that Pauline Parker really did turn to this piece in her bedroom when she was alone, in moments of despair.
** What does Juliet sing from the balcony of
Ilam?
The headlong rush of the film's narrative is ruptured at a critical point by
Juliet's poignant a capella rendering of Puccini's "Sono andati?" from LA
BOHEME, sung by Kate Winslet. At this point Juliet has agreed to help Pauline murder
Honora and there is at last a calm sense of complete inevitability introduced by this
piece. It is as if the girls have finally given up all thoughts of fighting their destiny,
and once again there is a strong sense of predetermination, which continues in a quiet,
chilling way for the rest of the film. Juliet's singing begins off-screen with a close-up
of Pauline, which fades into a split-screen image with Juliet, followed by a very slow
dissolve of Pauline. This sustains the dynamic that the narrative remains from Pauline's
point-of-view, and that she is imagining Juliet as a tragic-romantic heroine, singing to
her. Also, significantly, the second ship scene, so key to understanding Jackson's view of
the girls' relationship, is interleaved with this piece. In the opera LA BOHEME, the
declaration of love is sung by the consumptive, tuberculin Mimi (another striking parallel
with Juliet, see 3.1.8) to Rodolpho, knowing she is near the brink of death:
"Sono andati? "Have they gone? Fingevo di dormire I pretended to be asleep Percho volli Because I wanted con te sola restare to be alone with you Ho tante cose I've so many things che ti voglio dire to tell you O una sola Or one thing, ma grande como il mare as huge as the sea Como il mare, Deep and infinite profunda ed infinita as the sea Sei il mio amor I love you - e tutta la mia vita." - you're all my life."
[Giacomo Puccini, LA BOHEME, English translation - William Weaver]
Taken literally, this striking image and these beautiful, tender and tremendously sad words form a strong statement in support of Pauline being deeply, romantically and desperately in love with Juliet.
** What is the haunting piece used in the final
scene?
For the final scene, Jackson and Walsh use Puccini's serene "The Humming
Chorus" from MADAME BUTTERFLY. The tone of the piece is an extrapolation of the calm,
peaceful resignation conveyed prior to this scene by Juliet's aria. Coupling "The
Humming Chorus" with the premonition of the violent and bloody murder is ironic in
the extreme; the effect is an almost intolerable heightening of anticipation, dread and
suspense in the viewer. The piece begins quietly, as the girls pause for a "last
supper" with Honora in the Victoria Park teashop, and continues as they accompany her
down the muddy path in extreme slow motion, almost floating, serene and dreamlike. The
piece finally ends and there is a brief silence. Then the girls tearfully bludgeon Honora
to her death. In a shocked stupor after the real-life murder, the girls stated to
witnesses at the tearoom that everything seemed like a dream, and they would soon be
waking up. "The Humming Chorus" occurs late in the third act of MADAM BUTTERFLY,
as Butterfly waits up thorugh the night, alone, anticipating the next day to bring
romantic fulfillment. Instead it brings her only bitterness, and death.
** Is Jackson using opera as another "red
herring?"
Probably not. Although the chosen pieces are charged with emotion, there is nothing
light or 'camp' about them. In every case, there are enormous parallels between the
original context of the pieces and their context in "Heavenly Creatures." And
the lyrics are not used ironically or in any way with tongue in cheek. These pieces paint
a consistent picture, both in emotional tone and in explicit lyrics, namely that of a
deep, romantic and tragic passion experienced by Pauline for Juliet. These pieces say that
Pauline was desperately in love with Juliet.
