How Leitmotifs are Used in Film Scores

How Leitmotifs are Used in Film Scores

A Leitmotif is a short musical phrase that is repeated throughout the film or series of films to emphasize recurring people, places, objects, ideas, emotions etc. Some of the best uses of leitmotif in cinema, in my humble opinion, come from film series with long run times where the scores for all of the films are composed by the same composer.  The length of the series allows the composer to…

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Crack theory: Sins of the dead

@stainedglass-wings had some late night thoughts and shared them on another post, and it got me to thinking. I still think the last initials of the lockets could represent musical notes, and the order could represent a leitmotif.

However, this new idea would shed light on the motives for their deaths, since I think we can probably all agree they didn’t die simply from natural causes. And then Yana-san had to choose specific words for these things, so that the initials could still represent musical notes and not repeat each other (wouldn’t be confused which locket was for which thing).

But what do I mean by “things”? Sins. Cardinal or deadly sins. This would be another parallel to s1’s Ash Landers’ obsession with purging the world of “impure” humans. And it would work very well, if John Brown turns out to be an angel or something bent on a deranged version of divine justice.

Ok, so here are the lockets again, with their order:

Emile C.–Lust. The “C” could stand for “cravings”. Lust is sometimes thought of as a type of gluttony, and “cravings” (as well as “appetite”) can describe aspects of one’s libido just as well as one’s desire for food. So, this Emile fellow (if Yana-san isn’t playing with name genders again) could have been killed for the sin of lust. And considering I’ve long thought the “C” might be for the name Chambers (the Viscount of Druitt’s family name), this would make sense. The Chambers line could have a particular penchant for the more lustful or hedonistic pursuits.

Oliver A. –Avarice. That’s an extreme form of Greed. I have no idea what last name this would be or where they might fall into place within the narrative, but this Oliver dude might have been seen as far too greedy for his own good.

Alex B.–Blasphemy. It’s not what’s typically listed as one of the “seven deadly sins”, but it’s considered one of the unforgivable ones. I came to this one because I couldn’t think of a “b” word for Wrath. However, when our earl watched his older twin being stabbed to death, his unbridledanger led to him making a blasphemous statement. That blasphemy is apparently what really interested the demon that was summoned.

So, Alex could have been blasphemous and/or wrathful. Again, I don’t know what last name the “B” might be.

Cloudia/Claudia P.–Pride. We know the Phantomhives can be a prideful lot, and Vincent says the Phantomhive women tend to be particularly strong-willed. Apparently, Undertaker repeatedly warns them about it, too… saying they keep losing touch with the fact their power comes from support they receive from others, and how they will fall if they lose that support. Our earl wearing that ring like a collar around his neck by his own volition also seems to be a matter of pride, and Undertaker warns it could end up “choking” him someday. So, perhaps our earl’s grandmother was a particularly prideful sort of person. Vincent might have been, too. Francis/Frances sure seems to be….

Molly/Mally G.–Gluttony. No idea who she is, but she’s the one who died first, among the people represented by lockets. I’m reminded by some old research I did on Queen Victoria and her early scandals, back when she was new to the throne. She ascended the throne in 1837 (coronated in 1838), and an early scandal involved a female servant whom Victoria accused of getting pregnant out of wedlock. Her belly was so swollen that she looked pregnant, but it turned out to be a horribly large tumor in her abdomen. I had once wondered if Molly/Mally was a Kuroverse version of that unfortunate woman. The possible “sin of gluttony” reminded me of that swollen belly mistaken for pregnancy. And pregnant people are said to be “eating for two”…. It’s a long-shot, but she could have been a royal servant repeatedly caught stealing food, or something? Accusations against her could have been some huge misunderstanding, too, particularly if Victoria acted against her before John Brown was by her side… or if he was there and knew the truth but did the queen’s bidding anyway. It seems like a weak motive to kill someone, but the queen might not see it that way. Not if she truly believes the person is committing a deadly or unforgivable sin.

Gilbert D.–Dejection. That’s the term sometimes used by the orthodoxy instead of Sloth. Gilbert could have been someone who was too overcome by depression or even just apathy. If we are talking about someone who specifically pissed off the queen, it could be that he neglected to follow her orders. I used to think the “D” could stand for Dalles/Durless, which is apparently Madam Red’s married name. If the death was in 1885, it could have been Madam Red’s husband, supposedly killed in that carriage accident, but I don’t think the accident was really an accident. He was the Baron of Burnett, and he showed deep affection for his wife and unborn child, despite the fact Madam Red was still in love with Vincent. If it was him (another long-shot), then he could have been killed for not giving a toss about the queen’s intentions or goals. If the death was in 1862, as one image of the locket shows, then who knows. March 1, 1862 was a few months after Prince Albert died, so it could have something to do with Albert’s death. Like a physician whom the queen blames for not doing enough to save her beloved Albert’s life. This is me using a lot of words to say idk who Gilbert is.

Harry E.–Envy. How Harry’s envy leads to him being targeted for death, idk. I also have no clue who he might be. Perhaps he was envious of the queen herself. There were many attempts on her life, especially early in her reign. I found a total of 8 known attempts on her life, committed by 7 different people (one failed twice), but none of them happened in 1851. However, Vincent was born in 1851. Harry could have been involved in some plot to kill or overthrow the queen. Otherwise, I got nothin’.

Well, I don’t know if any of this will pan out, but it sure is an interesting idea! Also, it doesn’t take anything away from my leitmotif theory, so I kind of like it. We all want to know why and how these people died, right? Deeply hidden clues about their “sins” is a cool concept, and I think it’s still worth pursuing, even if their last initials don’t end up being that clue.