Effects of sound in The Grand Budapest Hotel

How is sound in The Grand Budapest Hotel different from sound in other films?

"Movies of every genre-westerns, disaster films, science fiction films-relied on music from the beginning. Often this music contributes to categorizing such films as genre films." (Corrigan and White, 196) Throughout most films, the music that is played corresponds to the scene that it is being played in, however, in the film 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' directed by Wes Anderson it is not only the current scene that defines the type of music that is played but also that movie as a whole. By this I mean that the music in this film is different from most other music played in movies, it still fits the purpose of deepening emotional response, however, it carries a kind of distinct Wes Anderson 'feel' about it that can be seen throughout many of his films. This 'feel' is unconventional, fast paced, and at times even comical and matches the form of his films in general which also follow this pattern, "The conventions of musical scoring, composition, orchestration, and mixing contribute to a particular kind of experience at the movies." (Corrigan and White, 196) A scene in the film which shows this best is the scene of Jopling's death. In this scene, Jopling is standing over Gustave hanging off a cliff while he stamps at the ground to loosen it and cause Gustave to fall. The music here is juxtaposed to the scene as it is somewhat reserved, while Gustave faces impending death. However, Zero comes up behind Jopling and forces him off the cliff. The music then picks up and is back to the fast paced, upbeat style as usual. The music in its form is different to that of other films, as that is linked to the general style associated with Wes Anderson. We are able to notice a reoccurring theme of speed which is accentuated also through the cinematography, tracking and panning shots ect. The music in function however, serves the same purpose as other films in the way that it engages the audience, evokes emotion and makes the scene more interesting as a whole. "Music is often used to carry a film's emotion. Dialogue and action fall short in their capacity to convey not only particular feelings but also the experience of feeling itself" (Corrigan and White, 199). In the film 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' this is exactly what is done. The dialogue and action don't so much fall short but instead work in unison with the music to create the full film experience. "We are aware that the practice of scoring films with music that has no source in the story violates verisimilitude, and yet we readily accept this convention." (Corrigan and White, 196) This means that we know that the non-diegetic music has no source in the film, however, it enhances our experience emotionally and we therefore benefit from it in our viewing experience.