Music and Sounds effect our emotions - Review includes a "spoiler"

Rating: Null/10 (29 April 2017)

Review includes a "spoiler". The filmmakers of the film Cast Away illustrated a plethora of different sound effects throughout the film. Some examples of these sound effects are the noises of the waves, the rain, the thunders, the wind, the horns of the ships, the crackling of the wood, the coconut droppings, even the removal of other sounds you would expect to hear on an island, music and much more. The film Cast Away is about loneliness, relationships, and hope - sound effects are used to demonstrate these effects.
In the film Cast Away, Tom Hanks as Chuck Noland is FedEx executive that is very punctual and almost neurotic about time. This behavior is displayed at the beginning of the movie while he is Russia. He returns to his girlfriend Helen Hunt as Kelly Frears in Memphis, Tennessee. He shows up at her place of employment and greets her in the copier room, glad to see each other, they hug and kiss. She says, "You are home, I love that you are home" and they begin to dance. Chuck and Kelly then attend a Christmas dinner party that is cut short. Kelly gives Chuck a family heirloom pocket watch with his favorite picture of her in it as a gift for Christmas. Before he leaves, he gives her an engagement ring, she says, "I'm scared." He walks away saying, "I'll be right back". These scenes are used to illustrate to the viewers how much Kelly and Chuck love each other and how much Chuck has to lose. He has successful career, girlfriend, friends, and family.
While flying over the Pacific Ocean the plane goes through a thunderstorm and crashes into the sea. Chuck the lone survivor was saved by an inflatable raft. He drifted away from the flames of the crash into the dark sea. MUSIC?? He wakes in the morning to find himself alone and on a deserted island. While on the island Chuck uses his primal instincts to survive. He had to find shelter, food, water, and even companionship. The companion was a volleyball, he called Wilson, but it was a companion. The lack of music, background noise, helped to reinforce seclusion of the island Chuck was stranded on. There are several times in the film that off-screen or invisible sounds were used and effectively employed to enlarge the boundaries of the visual frame or to create the mood and atmosphere. One example of off-screen or invisible sound was during the coconut dropping scenes. It wasn't until something fell out of the tree right in front of him that realizes it was coconut. The sad truth was he is alone and had just been hearing coconuts fall. I believe these sounds along with the others helped in aiding the authenticity of the island environment and the feelings of loneliness and fear felt by Chuck. I believe without the sound effects throughout the movie it would have been significantly different The pocket watch gave Chuck hope while he was there for four years. Like we stated earlier he is very neurotic about time, Chuck used hash marks on the wall to track time, which ultimately saved him from the island. Yes, he was faced with and had to overcome demands of physical and emotional strength but without know the time and when the waves would change he would have never been able to get through the tides.
After his escape from the island, Chuck is floating in the Ocean and experiences another thunderstorm, when he wakes up he discovers he has lost his companion, Wilson. The somber music that played will bring tears your eyes. Chuck has lost everything that was something to him from the last four years. Once Chuck returned home he discovered the Kelly had moved on and was married, ironically to his oral surgeon, and she had a child with him. After a dramatic re-connection and what seems to be a start to rekindling their romance, Chuck realizes he has lost her all over again, once again it is raining and storming. You hear what seems to be the same somber music that was being played when he lost Wilson. If I were Chuck, I would steer clear from all storms, he seems to lose everything during them.
During a monologue scene, Chuck explains to his friend Nick Searcy as Stan. "I've got to keep breathing. Because tomorrow, the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?" Again the lack of sound in this scene connected you to the emotions being felt by Chuck.
While on the island there was one only package he had not opened, it had angel wings drawn on it. In the closing scene of the film, Chuck delivers, on a sunny bright day, this package in Texas. The package is being returned to the sender, he knocks on the door and no one answers so walks around sees a sculpture of the same angel wings in the yard. No one is home so, Chuck props it on the screen and leaves a note, which reads "This package saved my life." Chuck leaves and stops at a crossroad to look at a map and a friendly, pretty lady about his age stops and says "You look lost." She gets out of her car and she explains to him where all the roads and intersections lead, he thanks her and then she drives away. Chuck notices the same angel wings are painted on the back of her truck. He looks down at his map and then walks to the center of the crossroads and uplifting music begins to play as the camera focuses on his face and he smiles.
Music and lack of music play an important part of this film and is used appropriately. The music changes and puts you in the emotions of the Chuck and reinforces the loneliness and hope throughout the movie. This is by far one of my all-time favorites.