David Shire's The Conversation

Nominated for three Academy Awards in 1974, including Best Picture and Best Sound, Francis Ford Coppolas The Conversation is regarded as the archetypal achievement in weaving together a balanced blend of dialogue, cinematography, sound effects, and music. For the film, composer David Shire created a score that challenged preconceptions of the musics function within film. Featuring a jazz-infused piano score with pioneering excursions into electroacoustic techniques, Shires music provides depth and meaning to the soundtrack by establishing a musical/narrative metaphorical correlation that traces the main characters psychological journey. In David Shires The Conversation: A Film Score Guide, Juan Chattah draws on extensive interviews with the composer and includes numerous examples from his manuscripts to provide aesthetic and critical insights into the compositional process. The book fleshes out a multifaceted framework that reveals layers of meaning that permeate the score, delving into David Shires life and musical upbringing to trace the development of his compositional techniques. The author also investigates the films critical and historical contexts and ultimately presents a detailed analysis of the complete soundtrack to the film. Proposing an innovative analytical methodology that intersects semiotics and cognitive psychology, this volume offers a unique insight into the film and its music. As such, David Shires The Conversation: A Film Score Guide will be of interest to film scholars, music scholars, and fans of the composers work.