Intimidation (1960)

Intimidation (1960)

I would like to begin Criterion Improvisations with a look at the 28th Eclipse set, The Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara. This week we look at the soundtrack to the first film in the set Intimidation, released in 1960.

The music in this film is composed by Masuro Sato, who may not ring a bell at first but is actually very important in the world of Japanese film. He attended school at National Music Academy where he studied with Fumio Hayasaka. Hayasaka did the scores to many of Akira Kurosawa’s films including Rashomon (1950) and Seven Samurai (1954). When Hyasaka died unexpectedly in 1955, Sato took over for him and worked with Kurosawa for the next ten years, scoring such classics as Throne of Blood(1957), The Bad Sleep Well (1960) , High and Low(1963) and Yojimbo (1961). Sato also composed scores for Kenji Miziguchi and did several of the Godzilla movies as well. In all, he wrote the film scores to over 300 films before he died in 1999.

Eclipse collectors have had a chance to see one of Kurohara’s films before in the set Eclipse Series 17: Nikatsu Noir (another great box set), which contained the film I Am Waiting, an earlier film from 1957 starring Yujiro Ishihara.

Before you read any further, go watch the film, especially if you are sensitive about “spoilers.

The score to this film is probably the least adventurous of all the films in this Eclipse set but nonetheless expertly done. One thing all of Kurahara’s films have in common in this set is the way they only use music very sparingly at very specific points in the film. Most of this film, the only soundtrack is the dialog and effects track.

The film starts and ends with a train whistle and the same music. The first train begins the downfall of Japanese business man Kyosuke and the train at the end seals his fate (I won’t give that away). One underlying sonic theme I noticed was the sounds of loud whistles, buzzers, phones and alarms throughout the film. The very dissonant score reflects this as well. During the credits we have strings playing aggressive chords in a rhythm that recalls Psycho (which was released later the same year) accompanied by a chromatic and angular melody in the brass. Most of the musical ideas within the film are presented over the credits. The rest of the film simply recasts these ideas with different orchestration and variations. When the opening music is brought back at the end of the film it gives the film a musical continuity that is probably only subconsciously felt the first time through.

When the protagonist starts to formulate a plan to rob his own bank, we hear pizzicato violins playing minor seconds quarter notes in counterpoint to a trombone playing the melody from the beginning of the film. The use of dissonant harmony throughout the film seems to reflect the sound effects, creating a recurring feeling of unease throughout the film. The same music returns again as he begins his robbery of the bank, giving the viewer a hint that this robbery will not go as planned. Most of the robbery itself has no music at all, effectively increasing the sense of tension with sound effects brought up loudly in the mix and with no dialogue. The opening melody played by the trombone is taken up by an unaccompanied muted trumpet later in the film when the protagonist meets his blackmailer and ultimately kills him.

The orchestration of the score reminds me of Kurosawa films, with the use of marimba wood blocks, strings and brass instruments. I am reminded of the staccato use of the marimba in the soundtrack to Yojimbo, which I recently listened to. This wasn’t apparent to me until I listened to the score without the picture, which I would suggest doing, especially over the opening credits.

Overall, the score to Intimidation is pretty conventional. You might never notice the subtle use of music and sound effects as you watch the film. However, I guarantee to you will notice the music in the next film in the series which I will look at next time. Until then, I would recommend you take a second look at Intimidation and note the effective use of sound and silence throughout the film.

NEXT TIME: The Warped Ones