The Kite Runner

The music in The Kite Runner works primarily as underscoring to establish the Middle Eastern location and the mood. Typically Middle Eastern music plays during the opening credits and again during the scenes when the children are re flying kites in Afghanistan. This underscoring also helped give a sense of nationalism during the contests. Midway through the film, the mood undergoes a change from childish happiness to sadness as the father and son are forced to leave Afghanistan because the Russian Communists are coming. When in the scenes move to America the music changes out of its Middle Eastern influence and begins to sound more generic. It is peaceful underscoring without alluding to anything great or exciting happening.

When the son returns to Afghanistan the Middle Eastern underscoring returns but it is still melancholy and it not nearly as energetic as when he was a child. When in the marketplace and the son is looking for his nephew there is music and sound coming from all of the activity and the chaos reflects what is in his mind while he is frantic looking for the boy. Finally, back in America the more generic music returns with a happy tone. When the boy Sohrab flies the kite in the closing scenes the underscoring perks up and indicates a hopeful future.

Big Fish

The music to Big Fish could almost be described as classical in that it is played almost continuously throughout. The music was generally used as underscoring during the story-telling parts of the movie and served as a bridge into the fantasy world. The contrast between the music-less real life and the musically rich world of fantasy in his father’s stories is most prominent in the last few scenes. As Edward’s son tells him the story of taking Edward out of the hospital, the music is grand (almost like a awe inspiring scene in an epic) while the image is of the story; while there is no music as you flash back to reality in the hospital.

There was also that could be called diagetic, however it is actually underscoring. One example of this is when "I’m All Shook Up" is playing as Edward’s father jumps from the plane. One more time was when the song "Together we stand" played as he robbed a bank. All of these songs though oddly fit the situation. There was some use of diagetic music, such as at the dance, when the fiddle is playing.