I've never understood this choice of music as the theme. It seems out of character with the rest of the film, and while it's a heavy film, and maybe gothic in its themes, but I just don't get it.
Anyone have any thoughts?
Looking at some analyses of this music, some describe it as a piece that depicts a storm. The director may have used this to highlight the clash between individuality and corporate one-ness.
Or... the director has said that classical music helps reduce the tendency for a film to become dated over time (like 2001). And he looked around for some classical music that hadn't been used in a movie yet.
He was probably trying for the former.
On the commentary, Jewison said he wanted to avoid his film being dated; hence, classical music instead of contemporary. Similar to Kubrick using Zarathustra in his 2001 movie. I forgot about it until a recent viewing, and it was awkward having to listen to it again. Gothic is a good word, depicting music that belongs in a medieval cathedral, not a futuristic movie. Too bombastic and drew too much attention to itself. This is where a musical director comes in with a selection that blends in with the visuals instead of overwhelming it; still a good movie, though.
shareFor me, this music, when I hear takes me back to the midSeventies watching Rollerball for the first time on Cable. At the ending, its heaviness just embodies that Jonathon did not win even though he defeated the Corporations by surviving and winning the game.
The movie is not subtle about what it is about, and neither is Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Some great answers.
Gives the film a timeless quality for sure.
Also, it is typical for corporations to take a classic piece of music and re-package it as "The Corporate Anthem".