'I Just Put a Drone under Him...': Collage and Subversion in the Score of 'Die Hard'

'I Just Put a Drone under Him...': Collage and Subversion in the Score of 'Die Hard' Author(s): Robynn J. Stilwell Source: Music & Letters, Vol. 78, No. 4 (Nov., 1997), pp. 551-580 Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/737639 . Accessed: 02/05/2013 02:09 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

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COLLAGE 'I JUST PUT A DRONE UNDER HIM...': AND SUBVERSION IN THE SCORE OF 'DIE HARD' BY ROBYNNJ. STILWELL Hard was regardedas just anotheractionfilm,albeit a whopping good one. Time has proved that it was somethingmore significant:Die emergedas a virtual Hard was not the firstgreatblockbusteraction film,but it swiftly templateforthose that followed.As with Singin' in theRain (1952) forthe musical, however,therewas enough historybehind Die Hard forthe filmboth to epitomizeand to commentupon the genre. Action filmstend to be based on simple juxtapositionsof hero and villain. As in musicals, so much of the film'srunningtime is taken up with set pieces-songs and dances, chases and demolitions-that a fairlyschematicplot, individualizedonly by local detail,is essentialfornarrativeclarity.But whilethe identitiesofthe keyplayersin Die Hard are clear,just who is antagonistand who protagonistis not so clear, and music is one ofthe primaryelementsundercuttingthe nominal hero and elevatingthe 'villain'to anti-hero.Yet, as has been pointed out time and time again, approaches to filmhave traditionallybeen veryvisually orientated.'Even though film-makershave oftencompared theirwork to music,2scholarlyanalogies have been to photography, paintingand sculpture.This approach tends to negate music, not onlybecause music is aural ratherthan visual but also because it evolvesthroughtime. In the past ten to fifteen years,more attentionhas been givento sound, but largelyconcerningthe voice and usually in highlytheoreticalterms,drawingheavilyon the formulationsof Freud and Lacan.3 Althoughthese psychoanalyticalmethodshave shatteredthe hegemonyof the auteur-basedtheories of early film studies and have focused attentionon the receiver-subject,theyare based on highlycontentioustheoriesthatare at the veryleast deeply ingrainedwithpatriarchaltendencies.Even withinthe studyof 'sound', sound effectsare generallyignored,and music tends to be separated fromsound altogether. While protestingagainst the visual bias of filmstudies,many scholarsof filmmusic make the same mistakein reverseand examine only the music. In the past decade or so, therehave been some attemptsto deal with the interactionof sound and vision,

WHEN IT WASreleased in 1988,Die

I would like to thank Nicholas Cook, Peter Franklin and Claudia Gorbman fortheirthoughtfulcomments on draftsof this essay, Philip Tagg forhis encouragement in its early stages, Victoria Vaughan fortipping me offabout the Nick Hansted article in The Guardian,and the anonymous reader forMusic & Letterswho provided the Kamen interviewin theMovies.Various versionsofthis essay have been read as papers at thejoint meetingofScreenand IASPM in Musiscfrom Glasgow on 2 July 1995, at the 'British Musicology' conferenceat King's College London on 20 April 1996 and at the conferenceon 'Cross(over) Relations: Scholarship, Popular Music and the Canon' at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester,NY, on 27 September 1996. ' A concise critique of the visual bias of filmstudies may be found in Rick Altman, 'Introduction: Cinema Sound', rale FrenchStudies,xl (1980), 3-15. 2 For a historicaloverview, see Chapter 3, 'Musik des Lichts', ofHelga de la Motte-Haber & Hans Emons, Filmmusik: Beschreibung, Munich & Vienna, 1980; fora more philosophical approach, see David Bordwell, 'The Eine systematische Musical Analogy', rale FrenchStudies,xl (1980), 141-56. 3 Representativeworks include Mary Anne Doane, 'The Voice in the Cinema: the Articulationof Body and Space', and Cinema, rale FrenchStudies,xl (1980), 33-50; Kaja Silverman, The AcousticMirror:theFemale Voicein Psychoanalysis Bloomington,1988; and Amy Lawrence, Echo and Narcissus:Women'sVoicesin ClassicalHollywoodCinema,Oxford, 1991.

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althoughthesehave been somewhatgeneralin scope and isolatedin detail,and in any case they have rarelybeen verymuch concerned with music. Two of the best such SoundTrackand Michel Hitchcock's studiesare ElisabethWeis's TheSilentScream:Alfred Weis's studyis bounded by the auteurtheory,as Chion's Audio-Vision:Soundon Screen.4 can be seen in its subtitle,and it is musicallyrathernaYve,but thiswas an admirable earlyattemptat integration;Chion's work is more sophisticatedin theoreticalterms, but it deals verylittlewith music and concentrateson single eventsratherthan on large-scale structuresover time. In contrast,Claudia Widgery provides a detailed analysis of the kinetic, rhythmicinteractionof music and film,but since she is examiningdocumentarieswith a particularpolitical outlook,she touches only upon musical and film-musicalrhetoricand not narrative.5It seems that many of the methodologicalpieces ofthe analyticalpuzzle are presentbut are hardlyeverbrought together. Although integratedanalyses of film with music are still rare, there has been somethingof a revolutionin this area in the past decade, particularlyby way of the workofClaudia Gorbman and KathrynKalinak,6who have combined music analysis with filmanalysis, explicatingin some detail how musical and narrative-cinematic processes interactin classical film practice (roughly in the period 1930-60 and predominantlyin Hollywood). Discussion of the interactionof filmand music has been conditionedby the theoriesof SergeyEisenstein,7polarizingmusic traditionally thatis parallelto (in agreementwith)the image and thatwhichis in counterpointto it (contradictingthe evidentmeaning of the scene). Although scholars have frequently noted the unsatisfactorynature of this duality, it has persisted with only slight modificationsince the dawn of the sound era. The theoreticalweakness of this duality is in some respects a result of the modernist,auteur-basedapproach of film studies (and musicology) given that it focuses on the point of creation rather than reception. The receivergets all the codes-audio and visual-at once, and the impact of the compositeis more complex than a simple additivefunction:it involvesthe dynamicinteractionofboth sound and duality.How can one image,whereinlies the slipperinessofthe parallel/counterpoint the determinantsof of one is music the when from 'counterpoint' distinguish'parallel' the in process, the one at film-making point least at But of the scene? the meaning into come indeed play: at does however slippery, and counterpoint, dualityof parallel everything of sense broad the in use 'scoring' music (I the of scoring the stage required to provide a filmwith its musical score). Composers are in an intriguing positionin the creationof a film;most of the time,theysee the filmas a complete or nearly complete visual statement,if oftenlacking sound effectsand special photographic processes. They then have to decide whetherto reinforceor to contradict what theysee on the screen. Their perceptions,and the way theyrespond to a film, stand betweenthe visual-dramatic textand the audience, at least as a filteror a lens. Die Hard is an excellentexample: like any filmscore,Michael Kamen's forDie Hard is of the filmand a part of the completetext.As I shall show,an both an interpretation ed. & trans. SoundonScreen, NJ,1982;Audio-Vision: SoundTrack,Rutherford, Hitchcock's Alfred TheSilnt Screen: 1994. New York, Gorbman, Claudia of 1930's America(unpublished of Music and Film: ThreeDocumentaries Interaction and Temporal 5 The Kinetic 1990. ofMaryland, University dissertation), theScore: 1987;KathrynKalinak,Settling FilmMusic,Bloomington, Narrative Melodies: Unheard 6 Claudia Gorbman, Film,Madison & London,1992. MusicandtheClassicalHollywood ed. a Theory ii: Towards ofMontage, Works, Selected Montage'in SergeyM. Eisenstein, and 'Vertical 7 See '[Rhythm}' 227-48. 1991, pp. London, Michael trans. Glenny, Taylor, & Richard Glenny Michael

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examinationof the scoringstrategiesin the filmreveals an unusual emphasis on the nominal villain,assistingin a subversionof the dominantnarrativelaid in the textby themselves.The music also highlightsa networkof issues in and of the film-makers the filmcentredon class but complicated by national identity,gender constructions and filmhistory.But in orderto understandthe score's operationsin the film,it is first necessary to understand, as far as possible, what Michael Kamen saw before he responded to it musically. WHAT MICHAEL

KAMEN SAW: 'DIE

HARD

WITHOUT

THE MUSIC

Die Hard is set in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. A New York policeman, John McClane (Bruce Willis), has arrivedto spend the holidays with his estrangedwife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and theirtwo small children.He goes to her officein the huge, newlybuiltNakatomi Plaza onlyto discoverthatshe has revertedto her maiden name, Gennaro, because the Japanese company where she works does not favourmarried about her name and women. Their reunion is prickly,with an angryconfrontation the countrywhile his across her move necessitated has about the successfulcareerthat thathe could implied it is York-although New in him keeps career not-so-successful interrupts secretary Holly's way. in the stood not had if his pride with her moved have the argument: Holly is required to put in an appearance at the Christmas party. McClane sulks in her office. During the party,a dozen men descend on the building like a well-oiledmachine, hostage. They are led by an elegantGerman intellectual,Hans takingthe party-goers Gruber (Alan Rickman), whose chiefsidekicksare a chattyyoung African-American computerspecialist,Theo (Clarence GilyardJr.),and a sullen, gracefulGerman,Karl (Alexander Godunov). The terroristband is composed primarilyof Europeans of nationalities,but it also includes an Asian-Uli-and Eddie, who seems to different hail fromthe American Southwestand who looks like the rock singerHuey Lewis. His plan is also brilliantlyconceived; Hans is evidentlyan equal-opportunitiesterrorist. he and his band seek to heist $640,000,000 in negotiable bearer bonds fromthe works his way through six of the seven security Nakatomi vault. Theo efficiently barriers,but he warns Hans thathe cannot disengage the last one: thereis no way to cut the electromagneticlock locally.But Hans has his angles covered: in the case of a attack,all powerto thebuildingwill be cut by the FBI and the electromagnetic terrorist lock will fail-this explains the cover of terrorismtaken by the thieves.As the film's advertisingcampaign proclaimed, the only thing Hans 'hadn't figuredon is John McClane', who escapes up into the unfinishedfloorsof the building above the vault. The filmevolvesin a seriesofcat-and-mouseencountersbetweenthe two,mediated by hand-held CB radios and escalatingin the amount of damage caused to property Sub-plotsabound: McClane's friendshipwiththe offand to Hans's band ofterrorists. duty police officerAl Powell (Reginald Veljohnson), also conducted by CB radio; Karl's desire for revenge when McClane kills his brother; an arrogant television reporter'sruthlesspursuitofthe story;the incompetenceofthe deputypolice chief;the rivalrybetween of two hot-doggingFBI agents; interdepartmental short-sightedness who almost executive a of cocaine-snorting the police and the FBI; the machinations and appreciation out growing Holly's alive; of the getting hostages destroysany chance of her husband's derring-do.This dramatic structurediffusesthe central conflict of the subplots and the mediationof McClane and Gruber's throughthe intertwining confrontation. interactionby CB radio, delayingtheirface-to-face Die Hard has an unusually complex narrativeforan action film,and indeed it is 553

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by RoderickThorp, LastsForever somewhatmore complexthan the 1979 novel,Nothing oftencontradictory and abundant of narrative-the 'surfeit' on whichit is based. This why the filmhas of the reasons one be well film-may sets of codes operatingin the to draw upon. of elements a variety wide imitators emergedas so influential,giving A entitled'If at chart very quickly. emerged formula Hard' 'Die However,a schematic of Empire issue 1996 May in the appeared Die Again' Firstyou Don't Succeed, Die, always must 'that rules five into the formula down breaking I), P1. (No. 83, p. 117; see hostage; [blank] take [blank]s renegade in which a plot peril; in be obeyed': a location a misunderstoodhero; a 'cerebral but demented villain (preferablyEnglish)'; and a distinctive,soon-to-be-soiledgarmentforthe hero. Although the chart lists sixteen films,it only includes the most blatant copies.8 A certainamount of fading has set in with all these copies. Bruce Willis's John McClane was an unusual action hero, neitheran obviouslysuper-developedphysical specimen like Schwarzeneggeror Stallone nor specially trainedlike James Bond, a Green Beret or a martial-artsexpert,although he has become more invinciblewith each sequel. But the mostprofoundinfluenceofDie Hard,reachingbeyond the blatant copies, was Alan Rickman's portrayalof Hans Gruber.Hans is intellectuallybrilliant, ruthlesslyefficientand disarminglycharming.But unlike his many imitators,he is neither psychopathicnor immoral; he is the amoral embodiment of Will. In an ambiguous conflationof actor and role, the criticNick Hansted remarkedthat 'he anarchic,not pausing foran agenda, relyinginstead on charisma'.9 was refreshingly Bruce Willis came to the role of John McClane with an established persona as a By contrast,Alan wisecrackingdetectivefromhis hit televisionseries Moonlighting. Rickmanwas makinghis screendebut as Hans Gruber; he was a veritableblank slate to filmaudiences. His only exposureto Americanaudiences had been as the seductive and the Vicomte de Valmont in the Broadway productionof Les liaisonsdangereuses, with that of the Royal audience of Die Hard was unlikely to overlap significantly were quick to creditthe debutant with Shakespeare Company. But the film-makers creatingthe most imitatedcharacterin moderncinema. Accordingto the script-writer ofDie Hard,Stevende Souza, 'Alan Rickman was just fascinating.You can't take your eyes offhim,and that'sveryimportantin these films[thatimitateDie Hard],whichare drivenby the villain."0The producerof Die Hard,Joel Silver,was even more specific: 'We werevery,veryluckywhen we gotAlan, because it . .. set the stageforthatkind of evolutionof the bad guy'." Indeed, Rickman has become the touchstoneforvillainy, thoughvillainywith depth. Quentin Curtis noted thatJeremyIrons's Simon Gruber (1995), is, (ostensiblyHans's brother)in the second sequel, Die Hard witha Vengeance 'like so many villains before him, a pale shadow of Rickman','2and withouteven mentioningthe Die Hard trade name, Mark SalisburycommentedthatJohn Travolta a band ofterroriststaking 8 The 1974 thrillerThe TakingofPelham1-2-3 has a plot similarto that ofDie Hard, with in its 1970s-stylerealism, lacks the a subway train hostage for one million dollars in ransom. But the earlier film, Walter Matthau's world-wearyhero is spectacular frictionbetween the antagoniststhat drivesthe engine of Die Hard. active Willis's Bruce physical presence; and although the lacking centre, a communications in virtuallyimmobilized he lacks Alan Rickman's aesthetic demented and (and English), cerebral head baddie Robert Shaw is appropriately flair. 'The Crazy Gang', The Guardian,1 July 1996, ii. 10. MovingPictures,BBC2 television 19 March 1995. 1994. The post-Die Hard villain may The 'LateShow' Special: Truly,Madly,Alan Rickman,BBC2 television,3 October as the Sheriffof Nottinghamin his performance flamboyant Rickman outrageously himself; have reached its peak with starKevin Costner had the titular the that audiences with preview RobinHood: Princeof Thieves(1991) proved so popular filmrecut to remove a significantproportionof the sheriff'sscenes. 20 August 1995, p. 14. on 2 'Flash Bangs Go up in Smoke', The Independent Sunday,

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as thevillainofBrokenArrow(1996) was 'unable to make an Alan Rickmanout ofhis ... baddie'.'3 The two antagonistsare diametricallyopposed. Whereas Hans is articulate,well proletarianMcClane, educated and elegantlydressed,he is pittedagainstthe distinctly who is shown to be unable to express himselfverballywith his wifeand who is left barefootin his vestearlyon.'4 Both prominentlyengage in humour,but Hans's is the arrogant wit of control, McClane's the flippant wisecrack of the subordinate.'5 McClane, in short,is a classic underdog. One can argue that Hans's dominance merelygivesthe hero more to surmount,makinghim thatmuch morethe hero. But de Souza statedunequivocallythatHans Gruberwas the protagonistofDie Hard.16It is his plan whichdrivesthe film,and the audience is giveneveryopportunityto read the film againstthe grain,to rootforthe villain;as Nick Hansted noted, 'Rickman's agendaless appeal [is] at the heart of his film'smomentum'.'7Each of McClane's attacksis met fromHans-it is his minionswho fail-and plan ofcounter-attack witha calm, efficient the sevensecuritybarrierswhich must be breached to open the vaultresonatewiththe Theo may actually mythologicalseventasksfaced by the heroes of so many fairy-tales. holds the secretHans and breakdown thebarriers,but onlyunder Hans's direction, the magic key-to the finalbarrier. Even the film'sconventionalresolutionseems to protectHans's statusas an anti-hero ratherthan a villain.If we followde Souza's indicationsof his dramaticintention,the vault-breakingsequence is the structuralclimax of the film:Hans's goal is achieved and is not thwartedby the 'hero'. This scene is certainlycelebratedmusically,as we shall see below. Classic Hollywood closure, however,demands two things:thatHans die, and that Holly and John McClane are reconciled.This, of course, happens, but throughthe most strained of plot contrivances;Hans seems no more likely to be distractedby McClane's tritetacticsthan does Holly in capitulatingto her husband's heroism(in fact,despite the 'happy ending' in thisfilm,Holly is stillnot back 'in her place' in the sequels). But these conventionallycrucial plot points are echoed more dramaticallyin anotherdeath and reunion.The resolutionof McClane's conflictwith meetingbetweenMcClane and Karl, resultingin Karl's death,and the firstface-to-face musical and incendiary with and greater detail in more Powell are both dwelt upon as indeed does the ondeath, Hans's of the impact to is mitigate bombast. The effect as any normal villain floors, 29 than Rather plummet screen depictionof that event. No. 83 (May 1996),31. Empire, Arrow', 'Review: Broken carriedoutat one levelofremove.Williswas a television The high-lowclasssplitis even,perhapsunconsciously, himfromcomiclead to actionhero;Rickman,however, untilDie Hardtransformed starwhosefilmcareerwas faltering intotheRoyalShakespeare Artsand wentdirectly Dramatic of the Academy Royal from medal a gold wth graduated theBol'shoyBallet. from defector a Alexander Godunov, is by Karl, portrayed Company.EvenHans's sidekick, sortsofreasonshe can all for Califomia hates He water. of out fish McClane is shownas a '5 Fromthebeginning, but the underlyingreason is name (the sultryChristmasweather,the uninhibitedbehaviourof the natives), to the film,he dislikesthe Nakatomibuildingand its complex More immediately Holly's'defection'. undoubtedly thesiegebegins,he is showneitherin darknessorin After name him to change. reveals Holly's which system computer and roof,and elevator floors, unfinished offices, the empty lightas he creepsthrough building's harshfluorescent bright, On three suite. executive Nakatomi the of the in lights glowing is seen soft, Hans,on theotherhand, shafts. ventilation tellsus whois in charge.In thefirst occasions,McClane and Hans are in thesameplace,and,eachtime,thelighting to findoutwhatis goingon. floorofan office the is McClane along crawling arrive, 'terrorists' the after just sequence, ofthefilm,thetwomeetfaceto facefor end the Near offices. sanctum inner these in subdued and warm is The lighting American he is notsurewhohe is,and Hans's masterful time,butMcClane has neverseenHans's face:at first thefirst unfinished an on is it first meet, When terrorists. the from they another offas escapee accentallowshimto passhimself and control, theymoveintoa brightly is softened bysteam.As McClanegainsconfidence floorwheretheharshlighting takesplace in darkness,McClane's 'lighting'. The finalstand-off litoffice. 19 March 1995. BBC2 television, Pictures, 6 Moving Hanstedawardspossessionofthefilmto Rickman. 7 'The CrazyGang'. Note,too,that 13

14

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would do, Hans floatsdownwardsin slow motion,seen fromabove in an extremehighangle shot superimposedon a matte paintingof the greatdistance he has to fall; we neversee the body hitthe ground,nor do we see it afterwards:18his death is neitheras and thus it is easier to disregard as thatofthe otherterrorists,'9 messynor as gratifying emotionally. THE COWBOY

AND THE

CORPORATE

PIRATE

Die Hard is unmistakablya product of the socio-politicalatmosphereof the USA in 1988.It was an electionyear: the selectionofRonald Reagan's successorwould be seen or a rejectionofthe policies ofa presidentwho was at once one as eitheran affirmation of the most loved and one of the most loathed in American history,and, it must be remembered,a president who had been one of the most popular film stars in Hollywood, an actor who specialized in playing such archetypalAmerican good guys as cowboys. By 1988, American politics and the movies had blended into one, rathersurreal ethos. Hollywood in the 1940s, the era of Ronald Reagan's heyday there-an era ofWesterns,ofWorldWar II moviesand ofmotherswho cared fortheir children in patriarchalhomes behind white picket fences-was melded with conservativeRepublican concernsofthe 1980s.In Die Hard,the distrustofbig government while the need for agents as buffoons,20 is evidentin the portrayalof law-enforcement the economic protectionismof business is embodied in the nationalitiesofthe villains. America's biggest competitorsin the world marketswere Europe, particularlyWest Germany(Hans is explicitlyWestGerman), and Japan: near the beginningofthe film, the Nakatomi executiveJoe Takagi jokes that since Pearl Harbor 'hadn't worked', Japan would conquer America with tape decks. In a resonantcircularreference,the veryfactthatHans is German harksback to WorldWar II, as does the ominous hivelike presence of the japanese-owned Nakatomi Corporation.2" thebalconyofa Los Days(1995),thevillainhangsfrom tothefilmStrange similarresolution comically 18 In an almost joke about the expenseand the holdingon to the hero'stie. The herocuts his tie (a running Angelesskyscraper, as Holly'swatch(see below)),causingthevillainto fallto hisdeath in thetiemakesitas significant invested personality ofhisdeathwitha shotofthebrokenbody.In anotherblatantcopyof in realtime.The audiencereceivesconfirmation by Ian McKellen,fallsin slow III (1995),theking,portrayed (or homageto) Die Hard,RichardLoncraine'sRichard is This reference on a fiery background. motionto his(unseen)deathin thesameoverheadcamerashot,superimposed by Rickman'sassociationwiththeroleofRichardIII datingfromhisRADA auditionand madeevenmoreinvoluted in RobinHood:Prince ofThieves ofNottingham to pitchtheSheriff in hisstatedintention carriedthrough mostobviously Powellin theDailyMail,2 August1991,citedin withJeff 'betweenRichardIII and a rockstar'(interview as somewhere London,1996,p. 127).Hans Gruber'sfallmayitselfbe a Biography, theUnauthorized MaureenPaton,Alan Rickman: in thelinernotestothelaserdisc(Die Hard, (1942),as is suggested Saboteur homageto theclimaxofAlfredHitchcock's FoxVideo8905-85,1995). Argyle.In unscathed,knockedunconsciousbya punchfromthechauffeur, Theo emergesrelatively '9 Intriguingly, canceleach otherout,removedfromtheaction blackcharacters twosubsidiary an apparentfitofpoliticalcorrectness, butneitheractingupon,noractedupon by,whitecharacters. the is glossedover:he givesawaythepolice'splanofstorming 20 Atleastoncein Die Hard,McClane'sownstupidity have because the terrorists withPowell,althoughperhapsthisbungleis mitigated buildingin his CB conversation it out. alreadyfigured are theuntidytracesofVietnam,Duringthehelicopter amidtheWorldWarII references 21Sittinguncomfortably partner, ofhisyounger whoops'JustlikeSaigon!'totheamusement FBI SpecialAgentJohnson assaulton thebuilding, AgentJohnson,whoremindshim,'I was in juniorhigh,dickhead'.Inside,a batteredMcClane thrashesthroughan systemshowersthe as thebuilding'sactivatedsprinkler indoorwatergardenlushlyfumishedwithtropicalvegetation undercut yethe is immediately theattackis clearlya heroic'JohnWayne'moment, scenewith'rain'.For'Big'Johnson, aremerely laughable;and McClane forwhomsuchmoments a manofa generation of'Little'Johnson, bythecynicism ofthe thefutility on theground,abandonedbothbythegung-hoheroesand bythosewhowouldprotest is Everygrunt couldnotcontainVietnam:theycould ofthesemomentssuggeststhatthefilm-makers The interaction heroicgesture. ofthe On thewhole,thefilmis a celebration is ambiguousand contradictory. yettheutterance notleaveitunuttered, sortofheroismforwhichBigJohnsonstandsand an accusationoftheinactionofLittleJohnson(whois comfortable yetbothofthemcrashto theirdeathsin the per centofthe hostagesin a firefight), withtheidea of losingtwenty recall strongly positioning momentsafterthecrucialexchange.Here McClane's appearanceand narrative helicopter

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The film'sovertawareness of Hollywood conventionis establishedalmost immediately.Upon deliveringMcClane to Nakatomi Plaza, the chauffeurArgyleexpressesthe McClanes' reconciliationin classical Hollywood terms:he says that'you run intoyour lady's arms, the music comes up, and you live happily ever after',which recognizes scoringclichesas well as narrativeones, the upward-surgingflourishof stringsas 'The End' is superimposedoverthe finalclinch in any number of Hollywood classics from Westernsto so-calledwomen's picturesor melodramas. McClane may be a policeman in the story,but he is reallyan older hero type,the cowboy-not the historicalcowboy, In theirfirstradio conversation,Hans accuses of course,but the Hollywood version.22 McClane of being 'Just another American who saw too many moves as a child? Anotherorphanofa bankruptculturewho thinkshe's JohnWayne?Rambo? Marshall Dillon?' McClane replies,'I was always kinda partialto Roy Rogers, actually.I really with these liked those sequined shirts.'Not only does he not deny his identification movie cowboys; he also chooses, howeverironically,to be identifiedwith the most artificialkind of move cowboy of all, the singingcowboy in the sequined shirt.His is a referenceto Rogers's cowboy partingshotto Hans, 'Yippee-kiy-ay,motherfucker!', his yodel. And Hans deliversthis line back to McClane in the final confrontation, ironies-the precise diction casting both the yodel and the profanityin multiple foreignnessof both kinds of expression to his vocality,the resulting shock and ridiculousnessof his speaking them, and dramatically,the reversalof theirpositions at thatpoint,withHans in control,his gun to Holly's head. McClane commentswith grudgingadmirationthat Hans would have made 'a prettygood cowboy', but Hans demonstratesthat he is unworthyof survivalby displaying a faultyknowledge of Hollywood history:he confusesJohn Wayne and Gary Cooper in his movie analogy, and McClane shoots him. Strikingas he is, the characterof Hans, too, has a classical Hollywood lineage. The elegant European aesthete is a stock villain type of the 1940s, usually played by the English actors Claude Rains or Basil Rathbone, and Alan Rickman-also Englishcombines Rains's petulance and meticulous, almost prissy,attentionto detail with Rathbone's gleeful menace and swashbuckling flamboyance, overlaid with Paul Henreid's sophisticatedcharm. Hans, like McClane, associates himselfwith a hero, but one befittinghis classical education, Alexander the Great. However, despite his and despite the overtonesof demonstrableskill at marshalling men and mat6riel, Nietzsche'sSuperman, anothercanonical archetypeseems more apposite: Hans is far more the fallen angel than a militaryhero. He is Lucifer: intelligent,elegant and seductive,with a hint of sexual deviance in his androgyny.His appearance-neat beard, greyingtemples, light hazel eyes overemphasizedby eyeliner,and beautiful clothing in shades of grey-and his slightlytwitchyway of moving reinforcethe traditionalimage (see P1. II, below), and Hans's final appearance in the film is a long fall.23 withoutassistance from-and even anotherReaganite hero, Rambo, tryingto extricateprisonersfroma hostile enemy A distinctivefeature from-government agencies which one would expect to help him. experiencingactive irnterference would imply deep patriotismand of 1980s Republicanism is the inherentcontradictionbetween 'traditional'values that focus of loyaltyand honour-and respectforone's elders and forinstitutions-all conspiringto make the governmenta government'. a distrustof centralized 'big and its score ('Die Hard: the Original', Film ScoreMonthly,No. 58 22 Mark J. Durnford's briefanalysis of the film Durnfordcasts McClane (1995), 16) is a varianton the dominant reading, with McClane reclaimingAmerican 'space'. on a basic level, the historical as an 'Indian' engaging in guerrillawarfareagainst foreignincursion; while acceptable and racial implications mean that this interpretationcannot be sustained. around Alan Rickman, going back at least to the London Times 23 Reptilian adjectivesand analogies clusterstrikingly In the entryon him in the as 'reptilian admirer' in Les liaisonsdangereuses. criticIrving Wardle's description of him

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This film'sregressiveconservatismis as obvious in its gendercodes as in itspolitical ones. Although the treatmentof the film's one main female and film-historical characterat firstseems progressive,it is, in fact, a way of reassertingpatriarchal values. Holly's success in her career is mitigatedby her apparentunhappiness in her privatelife;and the strengthshe shows withHans is containedby the way she goes all gooey over her husband's physical braveryand revertsto his name at the end of the film. The way the two men react to Holly defines them as well. McClane is a completelyphysicalcharacter:almostall his actionsare defensiveratherthan offensive, even with Holly. He is angered by her independence and by her unwillingnessto conformto his idea of what theirmarriageshould be; even the momentthat should have been theirreconciliation-his admissionthathe was sorry(not thathe was wrong, but that he was sorry)-turns into a male-bondingmoment as it passes throughthe intermediaryof Powell on the CB. In contrast,when Holly defies Hans, the latter responds with growingadmiration and respect,renderinghim complicit in female independence. And Hans's death and Holly's containmentare achieved in one fell swoop. A watchgivento her as a bonus fromher libidinouscolleague Ellis-thereforea to othermen-literally symbolboth of her business success and of her attractiveness becomes Gruber's downfallas McClane stripsit fromHolly's wrist. The male charactersare just as circumscribed.Susan Jeffordshas discussed the mannerin which the muscular male body constructsthe masculinityconditionedby and reiteratedin Hollywood filmsduring the Reagan era,24 and this is graphically 'Reaganite' representative representedin Die Hard.John McClane is one ofJeffords's built.The slimly is rather tall and hard bodies; but in reality,Willis is not particularly fifteen the first in vest to his strip filmemphasizes his muscularityby havingMcClane in but substantial; not muscular, minutes.His ally Powell is a rotund,jolly black man, nonand he is chubby white however, his 'superior', order not to overshadow threatening,although his male potencyis establishedthroughhis unseen, unnamed wife,who is characterizedonly by her pregnancy.In contrast,the three primary villains-Hans, Karl and Theo-are all tall, but very slender. Although they are by theyare each suggestiveof emasculationor effeminacy individuallyquite different, wire-rimmed in a as nerd, computer is typical Theo represented standards. Reagan-era glasses,jumper, jeans and tweed jacket. Karl, played by the ballet star Alexander Godunov,appears somewhatgangly:his muscularityis hidden by a loose black sweatsuit which makes him look much thinnerthan he really is. And with his elegant double-breastedsuit accentuatingthe extremenarrownessof his body,Alan Rickman portraysHans Gruber as a fashionmodel; he is interestedin clothes and concerned about his appearance, and even his neatlystyledhair becomes a symbol of control.25 Actors(London, rev.edn., 1995), Rickman is alliterativelycharacterizedas 'lightof Character Directory Quinlan'sIllustrated No. 28 haired and lizard-lidded'. Duncan Fallowell refersto his 'reptilianauthority'('Closing his Eyes to Fame', Premier, (May 1995), 66); Allison Pearson describes him as an 'icebox lizard' in Die Hard ('The Prince of Darkness', The on Sunday,30 August 1992, p. 16); and the directorDavid Giles praised his 'snaky sexiness' in the role of Independent (quoted Chronicles AnthonyTrollope's 'slithytove of a cleric', Obadiah Slope, in the 1982 BBC production of Barchester by Pearson). Pearson, it mightbe noted, describes him in the same role,withsome approval, as an 'upended cockroach', and the titleof her profileof him is an epithet synonymouswith Lucifer. 24 Hard Bodies: Hollywood Masculinityin theReagan Era, New Brunswick,NJ, 1994. 25 As small a detail as Hans's hair shows how tightlyconstructedDie Hard is. Throughout the film,the state of his hair indicates the state of his control,only becoming ruffledwhen his control slips, as in the vault-openingsequence when it is blown (see Plate II, below) by the air rushing out of the vacuum vault (an apparent continuityerror:the air should be rushing in). This sign of vulnerabilityis amplified in the firstconfrontationscene. When Hans is caught unarmed, but anonymous, by McClane and pretends to be another escape fiom the party,his hair flops down in his face as he fallsto the floorand begs McClane not to kill him; almost immediatelyupon regainingthe upper hand, he runs his fingersthroughhis hair, restoringits order.

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All these men also exhibit a grace at odds with McClane's forcefulbut awkward chargingor Powell's solid stasis.Theo is controlled,athleticand rathergymnastic.Karl like a snake striking,or he glides: his stalkslike a panther.Hans eithermoves swiftly, confidentstrolldown the Nakatomi corridorswithhis hands in his pocketsis the strut of a catwalkmodel. The Reaganite aspects of Die Hard seem so integralthatit is surprisingthat it was based on a book published in 1979. Some of the unimportantdetails are remarkably similarbetweenthe book and the film(such as McClane's spectacularleap fromthe rooftied to the firehose),while other,more substantialfeatureshave changed radically, reinforce and many of the ways in which the filmdepartsfromthe book significantly In the novel,the company under siege is Klaxon Oil; in the Reaganite interpretation. the film,the Nakatomi Corporationevidentlydeals in banking-American economic The archetypal insecurityin each decade is highlightedthroughits chiefvulnerability. qualities of the two antagonistsare heightenedeven by theirnames: in the novel,the charactersare called Joe Leland and Anton 'Little Tony' Gruber,while in the film, bothmen are giventheverycommon,almostblank nameJohn(Hans is the diminutive ofJohannes,the German equivalentto John; note thatthe diminutiveis retainedeven to call Rickman-at thoughthename is changed). Other thanthe factthatitis difficult reason to change no over40 yearsold and over six feettall-'Little Tony', thereseems the characters'names unless it is to achieve some sortofsymbolicparity.Joe Leland is althoughhe lacks the physicalstaminaofJohnMcClane, a securityexpertin his fifties; and therefore who is in his thirties,he is able to respondintellectuallyto the terrorists, of the contrast than oppositesat the centre the matchis more a contestbetweenequals of the film, with brute force and native cunning (McClane) versus intellectual sophisticationand aristocraticeducation (Gruber). Some ofthe moststartlingchanges fromnovelto filmare in the charactersofGruber and of the femalelead, whose fatesare intertwined.In the novel, Stephanie Leland at the climax, Gruber kills Steffie,provokingLeland to Gennaro is Leland's daughter; kill Gruber. By turning Holly Gennaro into McClane's wife and changing the daughter's married name to the wife's maiden name, the film makes explicit the threatto the American nuclear familyby foreigneconomic powers and by female independence.Moreover,the relativeindependenceofthewomen in the novelextends to Gruber's troops,which include several females. Leland also displays anguish at while in the filmMcClane displaysno regret killingboth male and femaleterrorists, 'deserved it'-and he is never given the clearly whatsoeverat killinganyone-they terrorist simplybecause no hero could be female a killing over foranguish opportunity Gruber'sband in the filmseems in terrorists female of seen killinga woman. The lack a largernegationwithinthe but women towards of his attitude not to be a reflection have been male terrorists the even then, but be to political;26 ability filmof women's in character underdeveloped rather a is he Although beliefs. their of political stripped planning terrorist, a is Gruber genuine Anton a pages, few on only appearing thebook, to steal six milliondollars fromKlaxon Oil and to 'redistributeit to the people' rather thanhave it used to pay forweapons bound forChile (anotherpoliticalresonancewith the 1970s). Hans Gruber is a 'grownup' Tony,accordingto Republican ideals, a onetime left-wingradical who is 'conservatized'by becoming a thief.In the Wall Street greed-is-goodatmosphereof the 1980s,he has givenin to the allure of money. is a beautiful,gracefuland charismatic Simon Gruber's sidekick in the second sequel, Die Hard witha Vengeance, mutilated so that she cannot speak, a been has she but Sam a Phillips), by singer, woman (played, intriguingly, character. remarkablyblatant and literalmanner of silencing a strongfemale 26

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McClane and Hans, then, representthe two sides of the Reagan era, the cowboyhero and the corporatepirate. While we are conditionedto admire the former,the latterusually comes out on top. In Die Hard,it seems thatonlyHans's bad luck keeps him fromwinning:ifJohn McClane had not happened to be there,he would have pulled offa breathtakingheist.Althoughthe conventionsofthe actionfilminterveneat the last momentand Hans is stopped duringhis get-away,we are giveneverypossible to read Hans as the hero ofa caper film.And as we shall see, the music is opportunity certainlyon his side. THE MUSIC OF 'DIE

HARD

When the composerMichael Kamen firstsaw the filmin roughcut,he reactedas both an audience member and a member of the creativeteam: aboutJohn Die Hardwas aboutthisphenomenalbad guy,AlanRickman.Itwas peripherally ducts... I mean,AlanRickmanwas as bad as you McClanein a bunchofairconditioning so manyfunnylinesand sucha get.He was a deliciousbad guy.He had suchpersonality, greatattitude.You were reallysorryforhim to go because you knewthatwas the end ofhim.27 Kamen's response is deeply imprintedon his score: the music is farmore concerned withHans Gruberthan withJohn McClane, even thoughit is clear thatKamen knew that,in the end, Hans would have to go. The score ofDie Hard containshardlyan originalnote ofmusic in thematicterms.It is a collage of quotations froma wide varietyof sources. At the most obvious, even banal level, the holiday season is evoked by the use of several Yule-tide songsnone of them religiousand all of them evokinga snowylandscape that significantly, could not occur in the Los Angeles setting.The song 'Jinglebells' is heard only once, as McClane whistlesitto himselfnear the beginningon his way to the Christmasparty, but orchestralsleigh-bellsare prominentin the percussion throughoutthe score; in fact,theyare theveryfirstmusical sound in the film,heard as McClane's plane lands at Los Angeles InternationalAirport. The opening phrase of the seasonal favourite 'Winterwonderland' (by Felix Bernard and Dick Smith) appears in a minor-mode as a brass fanfarethat occurs during suspensefulsituations;it is not transformation associated withany particularcharacter,but withthe actions of the baddies. The last holiday song to be introduced is the most prominent,and it is associated with Al Powell,McClane's policeman friend.'Let it snow,let it snow,let it snow' (by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne)is firstheard on Muzak as Powell goes intoa conveniencestoreto buy Twinkiesforhis pregnantwife,and he singsit to himselfseveraltimesthroughout the film.Vaughn Monroe's familiarversionappears at the end ofthe filmas the credits begin to roll; at that point, papers and glass fromthe finalexplosion rain down over Nakatomi Plaza, providingthe only kind of snow possible-or at least probable-in Los Angeles. Hans's appealing sidekick,Theo, also has a prominenttheme, 'Singin' in the rain' by ArthurFreed and Nacio Herb Brown. This theme is put througha number of played in the minor mode, subjected to octave displacements,and transformations, as the four-notedescending motif is sequenced in quasi-Baroque Fortspinnung transposeddown by successive major sevenths(see Ex. 1). In keeping with Theo's 27 'Kamen Hard: Interview appearedonly No. 58 (1995),13. This interview by Will Shivers',FilmScoreMonthly, a numberofideasI had fearedmightbe too faritconfirmed duringthecourseofmyworkon thisessay:remarkably, ofHans in Kamen'smusicalconceptionbut also the includingnotonlythe centrality to proveconclusively, fetched discussedbelow. Orange to A Clockwork connections

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Ex. 1

of 'Singin' in the rain' Some of the transformations

Jsi. r> i w..

I version original A

version(horn) fanfare 'A

~

al

version escape-note' !4*--~~~~~~-L i I A-;:

Fortpinnung

humorous runningcommentaryon the police's effortsto combat the 'terrorists',a shoot variantof the fanfareversionsounds like laughterat the police as the terrorists whose characters, other out the spotlightstrained on the building. But unlike the sub-vocal) singingstamps theirownershipon a song-theme,McClane's (significantly fact,John In underscore. the whistledattemptat 'Jinglebells' fallsnoticeablysilentin McClane has no theme at all. He has a fewmusical associations-a guitar strum,a and pedal in the low brass-but these are ofverylow-musicaldistinctiveness rhythmic of the third the first about film, after applied. (The guitardisappears are inconsistently and the pedal is a generaltension-buildingdevice.) Indeed, McClane is accompanied largely by such stock suspense signifiersas low, indeterminaterumblings,string but percussiveoutburstsand screechingbrass interjections, tremolosand figurations, be to seems he almost siege, in the At one early as a fanfare. point, nothingso dignified in of An American a version like minor-key sounds suspiciously a which acquiring theme could is not pass easily theme (it this profiled highly very Ex. However, 2). Paris(see unnoticed as simple tension music), and it is heard only three times in quick to Holly as she watches Hans and Karl succession,with the last iterationtransferred Then the theme arguingand deduces thattheyare upset overMcClane's interference. of classic filmin terms powerless McClane essentially leaving altogether, disappears music syntax;this vacuum is highlighted,ratherthan filled,by his panicked banter. Ex. 2

inParis'theme' McClane's AnAmerican

inParis AnAmerican

arco

McClane's'theme'

arco

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But by farthe most prominentthemebelongs to McClane's nemesis,Hans Gruber; it is notjust a Christmassong, either,or even a jolly Hollywood classic, but the 'Ode toJoy' fromBeethoven'sNinth Symphony,one ofthe fundamentalworksin the canon of great classical masterpieces. The 'Ode' is firstheard being played innocently enough by the stringquartet at the Nakatomi party in a simple, straightforward arrangementsimilar to the section around bar 140 in the last movement of the symphony,but transposed to E flat and with a rhythmicizeddominant pedal. However, Hans wrests control fromthe stringquartet even before his appearance on screen. The bad guys arrive,bringingthe underscorewiththem: untilthismoment,except for the aforementionedsleigh-bellsand a few almost subliminal stringharmonics underneathMcClane and Holly's tense reunion,all the music has been source music. As the quartet plays at the party,fragmentsof the 'Ode' theme, augmented and played in the lowestregionsof the orchestra,formthe basis of the suspense music as the terrorists invade Nakatomi Plaza. Beginningon C (settingthe theme in a melodic A flatmajor, althoughsupportingharmoniesare not presentor are contradictedby a minor setting),the theme is largelylimitedto the opening three pitches(C-Da-E5). The greatlyaugmented 'Ode' motifservesas a drone throughmuch of the opening siege, supportinga texturein which the melodies of the 'Ode', of 'Singin' in the rain' and of the 'Winter wonderland' fanfareintertwinealmost parodically, rendering escapades ofthe terrorists balletic as the music sculptstheirprecise,silentmovements into dance. Perhaps the most intensemomentof the firsthalfof the filmcomes when Hans pauses at the frontdoor ofthe Nakatomi building,the electronickeypoised over the latch as he surveyshis surroundings;his power is demonstratedby the sudden cessation of movement among the terroristsand a long pause in the music, as if everyone,including the non-diegetic orchestra,were holding their breath. Then, decisively,Hans swipes the key downwards,spinningto toss it to a henchman as the bass dronereturns,and the camera pulls up and back in a graceful,superiormove that disperse purposefully holds Hans in the centreof the rounded foyeras the terrorists under his controllingeye. The camera angle shiftsto the opposite end of the corridor leading towardsthe heart of the Nakatomi Building, and Hans turnson his heel, his hands pushing back his long coat as he slides them into his pockets and strides confidentlytowards the floor-levelcamera to the sinisterstrainsof the 'Ode' in the basses. The twoversionsofthetheme,thediegeticstringquartetplayingin E flatand thenonemergeintothe party diegeticsuspense music in A flat,come togetheras the 'terrorists' fragmentedto the firsttwo notes (a technique (see Ex. 3). The C-D6-Et motifis further in the certainlyassociated with Beethoven),the Dl servingas a sortof breath-marker Ex. 3

The bad guysdisruptthe party

et Strquarkt

b

F

i

__ ,90 D,6. ^, ~~~~~I __^ x,i i t Ii

J

0-

f

A;SUbU

EJ

t? I

I

I

,

IJfl J J

d

I

Orch.bass

gunshots start

?

i~ I

[

~ ~~ I

J

S7~~~~~~~~~~~~~(inaudible)

~

I

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I

dissonance pedal C.28The sustained C fromthe orchestralbasses createsan affective withthe pedal B6 in the stringquartet,but it also formsa link betweenthe two: Da is the flatseventhof E flat,and in the symphonythe theme is harmonized by a flat seventhin thisverybar, althoughfromitsbeginning.The 'right'harmonyappears, but out ofstepwiththetheme,creatinganothersortofdissonance.Dramatically,thisscene formsa strikingcontrastto McClane's earlier,hesitantentryfromthe same elevator. He was obviouslyuncomfortableand intimidated,and the classical music was one of the thingsthat alienated him. Hans, however,enterswith amused self-satisfaction, bringinghis own music with him and overpoweringthe music thathad overpowered McClane. Hans jauntilysingsthe tune himselfwhile toyingwithTakagi, but the complicityof the 'Ode' with Hans's controlof the film'smajor narrativedrive is most strikingly demonstratedin the two ends of the centraldramaticarch. The set-upis Hans's first a rare look at the vault. This is an intimatemomentbetween audience and terrorist, Hans's to voice 'Ode' gives the playing bass solo The face. vulnerableexpressionon his version feelings,not onlythroughdramaticassociation(the prevalenceofthe low-string by also but directed those and by him) activities his with of the theme in connection instrument the subtle: more and literal more both way of a semiotic association coincideswiththe registerof Rickman's voice, and the musical dispositionofthe bass reflectsHans's own personal state.This 'voice' is quiet, resoluteand solitary,as well it mightbe, forat this point Hans is the only one who knows his plan. While Theo at thevaultas the outerdoors outlinesthe securitysystem,Hans gazes contemplatively rollback. Distractedby Theo's practicalreminderthatthe seventhlock cannot be cut locally,Hans smiles calmly at his colleague and says: 'Trust me'. The scene builds froma comes when his intricateplan reaches fruition. The pay-off reiterationof the solo double-bass statementof the theme. The theme's connection withHans's strategyis now made explicitas Powell commentsangrilyoverthe CB to McClane: 'That's the FBI. They's got the universalterroristplaybook, and they're runningit step by step.' The FBI may be followingtheirplan, but we know that in is cut in responseto the doing so theyare followingHans's plan too. As the electricity 'terrorist'incident,the emergencysystemscome on line. Theo warns 'It's gonna go! It's gonna go!', then thrustshis firstin the air and shouts 'Yes!' as the lock fails.The clankingsounds of the vault as it begins to open and Theo's rhythmicspeech build withthe music towardsa fullorchestralstatementofthe 'Ode' in itsfamiliarBeethoven harmonies.A klaxonprovidesa dominantpedal, and, shotfroma low,powerfulangle, his hair in the halo ofthe Hans risesslowly,awestruck,to his feet,a littlebreeze ruffling as the lightsfrom satisfaction with brilliantemergencylight(see P1. II).29Theo smiles a rest between a in Christmas' 'Merry he and whispers inside the vault cross him, extendedas we is briefly dominant This chord. a and dominant dominantpreparation breaks into orchestra the then and outside, victory see the FBI arrogantlyproclaiming while the 'Ode' the of variation march' 'Turkish of the version an instrumental terroristsgleefullygo through the vault's contents(which include Degas paintings and Asian statuaryas well as the bonds) under Hans's complacenteye.30Althoughthis as it is clearly themeis probablycoincidental, 28 The similarity oftheD-ES motiftoJohnWilliams'sfamousJ7aws thesiegesequence.However,giventheprevalence shortened through derivedfromthe'Ode' theme,whichis gradually discussedbelow,it no doubt struck to Hollywoodscoringconventions of quotationin the scoreand the reference Kamenas fortunate. fromthelaserdisc (Die Hard,FoxVideo8905-85,1995). 2 PlateII has been captured of ofthevaultand theorientalism betweentheexoticcontents todrawa connection itmightbe tempting 30 Although but theTurkishmarch,I wouldnotliketo presstheissue:as a musician,Kamenwouldbe awareoftheimplications,

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PLATE II

Hans Gruber(Alan Rickman)beforetheopenvault sequence sounds as though it is a directquotation fromthe symphony,it is not. The bars accompanyingthe opening of the vault formthe only section of the filmwhich seems to have been cut to pre-existingmusic, but it is actuallyan extremelysensitive example of post-scoring,with Kamen arrangingBeethovento fitthe dramaticaction. The 'Turkish march' accompanying the riflingof the vault has been recomposed, eliminatingthe voices and dissolving subtly into the more tenuous underscore as dialogue returns. This is easily the musical highlightofthe filmand-largely because of the musicperhaps its singlemost memorable moment,and yetthe 'hero' McClane is stuckin a dark bathroom,completelyout of the action. Taken out of context,one would think thatthis scene must belong to the hero of the film.The fullorchestraswellswith the loudestmusical sequence in the body ofthe film,and throughthe music, the lighting, the camera angles and even the expressionson Hans's and Theo's faces,the audience is invitedto share in the exhilarationof their success. This scene clearlyconstructs Hans Gruber as a sympathetic,heroic figureas aural and visual cinematiccues and narrativedrivecome together.We, like Kamen, may recognizethathe will eventually have to go, but the filmmakes that as easy to negotiateas possible. Even the endcreditsallow him his positionas tragichero,witha fullchoral renditionofthe 'Ode to Joy'. Hans Gruber may be dead, but his triumphantmusic plays the audience out. The film'stitleappears with the final,forcefulcadences of his theme, emphatically weldingthe two together.31 FORMAL CONVENTION

AND DRAMATIC

SUBVERSION

Kamen may admitto having'grow[n]to love the bad guy',but he stillseems somewhat unaware of,or at least disingenuousin, his partin underminingthe good guy: '[Willis] got a lot ofmusic, Rickman takes verylittle... I just put a drone under him, and he's it hintsthat as bad as he needs to be.'32This commentis intriguingon twocounts: first, Kamen feltthatWillis's performanceneeded some shoringup, althoughclearlyhe did and timbral rhythmic thesoundis probablynotexoticenoughto modernaudiencesto be an overtsignal.The stirring to explainKamen'schoicehere. in themselves qualitiesoftheTurkishmarchare probablysufficient usedthe'Ode in 1993,theadvertisements was shownon Americantelevision 31 Indeed,whenDie HardII: Die Harder toJoy'eventhoughit is notheardat all in thatfilm. toMovies,New York,1994,p. 18. Listening 32 Quoted in FredKarlin,

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this with volume and business ratherthan with thematic material; and second, it suggeststhathe was unconscious of the extentto which he was in factrespondingto Rickman'sperformance,and not merelyon a large-scalethematiclevel.33For the truth is thatHans is nevermerelygivena drone. Althoughthe filmis scored almost end-toend, and thereforemost speeches are underscored,the volume is oftensimplyturned down beneath the other characters.But Hans's speeches are scored as if theywere operaticrecitatives.The most strikingoftheseoccursthe firsttimewe hear Hans speak (see AppendixI, below).34Althoughthe musical accompanimentis tenuous and would on its own, when placed in the contextof the speech it is seem quite fragmentary almosthypnotic withtherhythmic, remarkablysensitive,respondingto and interacting delivery,and even mickey-mousingthe actors' movements. Hans addresses the assembled hostages with the cadences of an Anglican priest but effective (somethingof a slip foran English actor portrayinga German terrorist, are the hostages where area nonetheless); the top of the steps above the sunken serves his contains plan, assembled servesas his pulpit,and his Filofax,whichevidently as his Bible. Withthe C-D; movement,the notes changewitheach ofhis raised hands as if he were conductingthe non-diegeticorchestra,leading dramaticallyto his first utterance.As he speaks ('Ladies and gentlemen'),a rich,surprisingD; chord supports his legato deliveryon a clearf%This is the firstreal major triadicsonorityin the entire underscore,and it recallsBeethoven'sdramaticshiftto the flatsubmediantin the 'Ode to Joy' at 'vor Gott', resonatingwith Hans's priestlydemeanour. The chanted pitch 35 shiftsdown to e6on the second 'Ladies and gentlemen',suggestinga C minortriad, by the stringinterpolationofthe 'Ode' motif althoughthisimplicationis reinterpreted the accompanied recitativebecomes a secco opening, arresting After this in A flat. to explainhis purpose. As he threatensto for Hans aroundf) recitative(predominantly the word 'real' special vocal emphasis Hans gives of use power', 'real the demonstrate an emphasis silence afterwards), short a and flex a downwards, pitch accent, (a stress amplifiedby the C in the strings,which momentarilyseems to be a pedal pointbut is as the firstnote of a repetitionof the 'Ode' motifin A flat.Therefore, reinterpreted althoughthe stringmotifis repeated,both times it is introduceddeceptively. Much of the recitative'sorchestralaccompanimentnot only punctuatesthe spoken monologue; it also kineticallyimitates,or mickey-mouses,the movementsofthe actors and even of the camera. The pulse on the downbeat ofbar 12 picks up Hans's twitch; the flute-stringinterjectionin bar 13 echoes the camera's trackdown to show Holly's hand tighteningon Takagi's arm, and the downward tumble in the low strings graphicallydepicts Hans's downward step and the convergenceof the otherterrorists in bar 14 and theirmonophonicecho in bar 15 intothe frame.The pseudo-hornfifths underlinethe similarrhythmicstructureof the two spoken phrases and build tension as Hans moves throughthe hostages.As he 'gets into the groove'of his recitation,the basses play throughthe firstphrase of the 'Ode' themebeginningon D (i.e., in B flat, one step higherthan the previousmotifs),thoughwith syncopationsat the beginning and end: the opening syncopationpicks up the camera's stop withHans and his eye contact with a Nakatomi executive; the more extensive syncopation at the end, intervallicallyintensifiedby the augmented second, highlightsthe more charged " Another possibilityis that Kamen feltthat Rickman only neededa drone but that he enjoyed writingsomething much more complex forhim, although it is still not clear why he would not say so. vocal set piece in establishingHans's (and Rickman's) villainythatin 1996 it featured 3' This scene is such an effective in a BBC Radio 2 tributeto great filmvillains. the vocal shiftto e. I owe this detail of the reading to the sharp ears of Victoria Vaughan, who firstpointed out 3

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contact between Hans and the petrifiedEllis, the staccato final note catchingEllis shaking his head. The descending part of the theme coincides as well with Karl's apparent motion along the shoulder of a foregroundhostage. The next two musical phrasesbuild intensityto the high stringiterationof the 'Ode' motifbeginningon B (i.e., in G) and Takagi's interruption.The sustained dissonances in the last fewbars also build tension,the firstresolveddeceptivelywithHans's sudden smile,the second accentuatedby Karl's and Takagi's motion throughthe frameand resolvedwith the eye contactbetweenHans and Holly. The suspense builds throughthe rest electrifying and the edit,and the stinger(a shortmusical attackemphasizingan on-screenaction) accentuatesthe subtlestof contemptuousgestures,the almost imperceptible,dismissive flickof Hans's eyelashes as he looks away fromHolly. By the most sparing of musical means, Kamen draws attentionto the musical qualities of the actor's speech and respondsto small but tellingphysical gestures. The camera movementand editing during this sequence, while unobtrusive,also help to generatea musical structure,though one far more rigid than the throughcomposed recitative.A staticshot,a high angle shotand a more animatedreturnto the originalshot 'cadences' withan insertofHolly and Takagi (Shots 1-4). Then the high angle shotreturns,animated by more movement,and again comes to restwitha static shot of Holly and Takagi (Shots 5-8). The next phrase is characterizedby inexorable motionto the right,punctuated by Karl's descent to the leftand Hans's pause near Holly,and finallythe whole sequence cadences witha staticbut dramaticallycharged of all these characterstogether(Shots 9-15). This is basically a shot/reverse-shot/shot Bar form. This recitativeis soon followedby what, to develop the operaticanalogy,mightbe termedan 'aria' in whichHans revealsmuch ofhis character(see Appendix II, below). jazzed-up versionof Hans entersthe Nakatomi boardroom humminga rhythmically the 'Ode' over a bass pedal; he possessivelycaresses the tables bearing the ambitious architecturalmodels, and long, cantabile phrases of the 'Ode to Joy' in the basses chuckleas underpinhis arrogantyetcharmingspeech, even imitatinghis self-satisfied the theme disintegrateswith the same augmented second thatdissolvedthe theme in the recitative.In contrastto the short,contained shots of the recitative,the camera followsHans in long, flowingshots analogous to the musical phrases. The aria is in a littleda capo form.In the 'A' section,thethemeis in thebass as Hans expounds upon Alexanderthe Great,while the 'B' sectionis the more agitatedmove to the model on the table (at 'Oh! That's beautiful!'). The camera, which has been followingHans, now shiftsintocountermotion,stillholdinghim centrebut movingleft as he moves right.A briefinterruptionfocuseson McClane skulkingin the corridor, but the da capo (not transcribed)bringsa returnofthe themein thebass (and a return to the camera's followingshot) as Hans puts his hand on Joe Takagi's shoulder,says, engagingly,'Mr. Takagi-I could talk about industrializationand men's fashionsall throughthe officedoor. day,but workmustintrude. . .' and thenpushes Takagi firmly This aria, likethe recitative,fulfilsnot onlythe technicalrequirementsofthetraditional form(ABA') and musical content(positive'A' section,more agitated 'B' section) but also the dramaticconvention:it elaboratesHans's characterthrougha juxtapositionof his overweeningsense of superiorityand expansive,theatricalcharm (A) against his love of detail and meticulous planning (B), all strungtogetheron the thread of his aestheticsense. While the recitativeand aria are perhapsthe mostconspicuous musical structures,these scenes are typical of the eloquent way in which Hans is scored, particularlyin the fineinteractionbetween music and speech. 567

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Kamen's score,while drawingon the high-artformsofballet and opera, also shares in the film's self-consciousawareness of Hollywood conventionand film history. Perhaps the most obvious musical model is that of cartoons. The technique of quotationcollage, the mickey-mousingand even the themeofthe huntedwho outwits the hunterrecall in particularBugs Bunny;meanwhile,McClane survivesthingsthat should have killed him and, like Wile E. Coyote, he devisesfiendishlyclevertrapsfor his prey,leaving the relativelyunperturbedHans Gruber to get away like the Road As in the Road Runnercartoons,then,we admire Runner untilthe last confrontation. the elusivenessof the Road Runner while sympathizingwith the coyote's intricate plans. Beyond this,however,Hans's physicaland temperamentalsimilarityto elegant 1940svillainsis emphasized by scoringstrategiesdrawn fromfilmsof thatearlierera. His ownership of the 'Ode' and its deployment in the score recalls the use of 'Deutschland, Deutschland uiber alles' in films like Casablanca or Night Train to Munich,a noble anthem of classical provenance only partly transmutedinto an ominous march forthe villain. Hans's thematicprominenceallied with his Lucifer aspectalso recallsanti-heroessuch as Dracula inspiringfear,fascinationand sympathy. But another,more recentand more surprisingcinematicconnectionis made through the villains'music. WHY BEETHOVEN?

Hans's and Theo's themes both come to Die Hard with a complex of associations Orange(1971), based on the novel filteredthroughStanleyKubrick's filmA Clockwork A ClockworkOrangehas a liberal violent, terribly by Anthony Burgess. Although a raucouslyviolent,right-wing for source a curious it making message ofanti-violence, fromGene Kelly36through routed is rain' in the 'Singin' Theo's Hard. filmlike Die narrative.The first the of centre at the Burgess-Kubrick youth 'ultra-violent' the Alex, of the Nakatomi out the guts is he ripping the song, Theo singing we hear time mainframecomputer,kickingin its panels and pulling out its wires as sparksshower over him; this stronglyrecalls the scene in which Alex beats a man while imitating Kelly. Theo often hums the song at the computer keyboard as he knocks down dismemberingthe computer,a securitybarrieraftersecuritybarrier,stillfiguratively Orange.But of technologicalequivalent of the adolescent 'ultraviolence'in Clockwork Orangeis withBeethoven, course the most famousmusical association ofA Clockwork whom Alex adores with the fervourwith which a Midwestern metalhead adores Megadeth, and in Die Hard Hans Gruber is intimatelyidentifiedwith Beethoven,a music which not only gives him voice in the underscorebut to which he also gives voice on screen. Orangeconnectionwas initiatedby the directorof Die Hard,John The Clockwork McTiernan. Kamen had originallyresistedMcTiernan's suggestionto use Beethoven in the score: 'When he said he had a notionto use Beethoven's9th forthe bad guys,I was flabbergasted.I actually said to him, please, if you want me to fuckwith some German composer,I'm veryhappy to take Wagnerto pieces. I'll do anythingyou like inParisand 'Singin'in therain'-maywell 36The presenceoftwothemesassociatedwithGene Kelly-AnAmerican one forDie Hard.Not onlyis Kellya Hollywoodicon;he was also the butit is a highlyappropriate be a coincidence, toHollywood.In theambiguouscharacter ofPal Joeyon Broadwayand brought title-character ofthe'heel-hero' creator 1943)Cheer, (FormeandmyGal, 1941)and a deserter(Thousands his firsttwomusicals,he playeda draft-dodger in musicals-and in thedramaticfilm fora leadingman in theWorldWar II era,particularly characters surprising vaguelyhomosexualserialkiller,an earlyappearanceofthe Robert,a charming, (1944)he portrayed Holiday Christmas Kellyembodiedboththeflawedheroand thelikeable foundin muchmorerecentfilmslikeBasicInstinct. stereotype playedagainsteach otherin Die Hard. villain,twosideswhichare schematically

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to Wagner but can't we leave Beethoven alone?'37But in the end, Kamen feltthat McTiernan's vision of the bad guys as lineal descendants of the adolescent gang members in A Clockwork Orangewas 'so cool that I had to go with it', and he then insistedon also using 'Singin' in the rain'.38However,the use ofthesemusical materials in Die Hard is quite different fromthat in A Clockwork Orange. StanleyKubrick is famous,ifnot notorious,forusing 'temp-track'scores.Temp[orare compilationsofrecordingsused to score workingcuts ofa film,oftenso ary]-tracks as to give the composer an idea of what the directorwants. Kubrick frequently eliminatesthe composer by scoringhis filmshimself,using recordingsin the styleof a temp-track,and he has been the target of a great deal of animosityfromfilm composers, and even film scholars, for this practice. The argumentsagainst temptrackinghave been numerous: it does violence to the originalmaterial; pre-existing music will neverbe appropriateto a purpose forwhichit is not written;familiarmusic draws too much attentionto the music, which should be 'invisible'to the 'spectator' (note the visual bias of the classical filmterminology);using the culturalconnotations accrued to pre-existingmusic is eitherimpossible, because music is supposed to be it above suchworldlyconnections,or a cheap prefabricated effect;and, morepractically, eliminatesa job fora composer. With the possible exceptionof the last, realistically legitimateobjection,theseargumentsare clearlyrootedin modernistconceptionsofthe autonomouswork,both the originalpiece ofmusic composed foranotherpurpose,and the film which should create a self-containedworld of its own. This modernist perspectivewas emphaticallyarticulatedby Theodor W. Adorno and Hanns Eisler in book on film theirbook Composing fortheFilms(1947), fora longtimethemostinfluential both directorsand composers,and filmscholars.However, music among film-makers, an obvious crackin Adorno and Eisler's logic appears withtheircomplaintabout film and music's relationship'which requires continual interruptionof one element by anotherratherthan continuity'.39 The possibilityof interaction,ratherthan interruption,betweenfilm(visuals and sound) and music does not seem to occur to them. Postmodernistconceptionswhich move fromthe autonomous work to the text-a nexus of culturalprocesses only loosely bracketedby the boundaries of the 'work'neutralize these objections to the use of pre-existingmusic. Even the distinctions betweenthe separate objections disintegrate.If the originalmaterialis a potentialfor interpretation,rather than a monolithic authorial statement,then its use in an unfamiliarand unexpected contextis merelyanotherinterpretation; thus, there can be no violenceto the originaland the questionof'appropriateness'does not reallyarise. Because music does interact with other cultural manifestations,including other elements of the cinematic apparatus, and because the accrual of meaning is a recognizedfunctionof this process, using a familiarpiece of music shoulddraw the attentionof the viewing/listeningsubject, for those accrued meanings are being referencedwhetherintentionallyor not and new meanings are generated fromthe juxtaposition.Relyingon these meanings foreffectis not a cheap stuntbut is the very reason why the textpresentsitselfforuse, because, in contrastto the concept of the autonomous art work, it is impossible forthe textnotto have accumulated cultural connotations,since the textis actuallya nexus of culturalprocesses.This argumentis not so much circularas a black hole in which the carefullyconstructededificeof 'the work' collapses under its own weight. 3 'Kamen Hard: Interviewby Will Shivers', p. 13. 3 Loc. cit. 3 Composing fortheFilms,London, 1947 (repr. 1994), 5.

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One can easily anticipatethe objection thatBeethovendid not writehis symphony in a postmoderncontext,and thereforethat it is inappropriateto apply such criteria. However, the Ninth Symphony has not existed in a vacuum over the past two centuries,and given that it still functionsin present-daysociety,it has become, in a sense, a postmoderntext.Or perhaps it is perched on the event-horizonof the black hole, held in stasisbetweenitsexaltedpositionas perhapsthecorner-stoneofthe canon ofWesternartmusic's 'masterworks'and itspopulistpositionon the footballterracesof the 1996 European Cup. As Nicholas Cook has demonstrated,' an internaltension betweenthe overtmeaning carriedin Schiller'swords and the musical processesofthe ofthe meaning settinghas always caused a fairamount ofconflictin the interpretation tune and the incantatorywords have of the 'Ode to Joy', but the simple, forthright tiltedreceptiontowardsthe celebrationof unityand brotherhood,exemplifiedby its consecrationas the anthem ofthe European Union. Kamen himselffeltuneasy about using the theme in Die Hard specificallybecause of these connotations.He recalls saying to McTiernan: 'This is one of the greatestpieces of music celebratingthe nobilityof the human spiritof all time and you want me to aim it at a bunch of gangstersin an American commercialfilm[?]'.4" Accordingto Kamen himself,it was the intertextualconnectionwithA Clockwork Orangethatconvincedhim to go along withMcTieman's idea. Yet the operationofthe When Beethoven's Ninth was used in A music in the two filmsis quite different. Orange,it was bracketed in huge quotation marks. The music is clearly Clockwork identifiedas 'Beethoven',a symbol of high art perverted,or at least endangered,by Alex's apparentlyinexplicable identificationwith it (yet the identificationis not so inexplicable if one recognizes the sheer kinetic power and drive of the music-a of the rampantmasculinityfoundby Susan McClary in her interpretamanifestation tion of the symphony42-orthe possible Fascist implicationsof a piece so strongly Germanic in origin and style). More prosaically, the music is excerpted from recordings;thereforeits placement in the filmis literallya quotation. Another sort of quotation occurs in the infamoustorturescene in which Alex is forcedto watch violentfilms:Alex's 'glorious Ninth' is subjected to the ignominyof a synthesized versionby Walter Carlos. Even 'Singin' in the rain' is an obvious parody of Gene Kelly's well-known performance,a connection the audience clearly is expected to make. It is always dangerous to underestimatethe knowledge of an audience-and stupidby Hollywood Americanaudiences in particularare oftenconsideredinsultingly to discernhow much the studioexecutivesand European filmcritics-but it is difficult audience was intended to comprehend musically in Die Hard. Kamen obviously recognized the cultural weight of the 'Ode to Joy), but McTiernan seemed mostly Orange.Yet that filmis not common concerned with the connectionto A Clockwork currencyin the United States,43at least among the young male audience at which blockbusteraction filmslike Die Hard are primarilytargeted;but thenagain, Die Hard "' See NicholasCook,Beethoven: 1993,fora historical No. 9 ('CambridgeMusicHandbooks'),Cambridge, Symphony overview. 41 'KamenHard: Interview byWill Shivers',loc. cit. Genesis Down offtheBeanstalk:thePresenceofa Woman'sVoiceinJanikaVandervelde's 42 See McClary's'Getting in herFeminineEndings:Musi' Gender,and Sexuality,Minnesota& Oxford,1991,pp. 112-31,esp. pp. 128IT, reprinted 30. The earlierversionof thisessay,whichappearedin MinnesotaComposersForumNewsletter(February1987),was withrape,an oftheNinthSymphony movement ofthefirst moreemphatic,equatingtherecapitulation considerably wouldhaveappealedto Alex'sbrutalsexuality. thatcertainly interpretation evenmoretenuousin thismarket. was bannedin theUnitedKingdom,makingtheconnection 43 The film

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enough filmto draw a wideraudience, even ifthatwas notimmediately is an intelligent obvious fromthe publicityon its initialrelease. If the audience missed the extra-filmic connections,then at least they are cued to the music's high-artstatus by its first intelligiblepresentationby the stringquartetat the party. The variationin the methods of quotation between the two filmsis not merelya technical,musical choice but is also a dramaticone, servingboth narrativedriveand characterization.In A ClockworkOrangethe quotations are, in a sense, islands of withthe originalmusic makes it familiar,an stability;the relativelack of interference emblem.When we hear a portionofthe music,we-at least,those ofus who know itare aware ofwhat follows,and because the quotationis so direct,we do not expect,nor do we receive,any musical surprises.This shiftsour attentionto the disturbingacts on screen,emphasizingthe ironyof the juxtapositionof Beethoven's'sublime' creation and Alex's vile destruction.The quotation technique in Die Hard is more subtle and acts morelike a classical Hollywood filmscore-as a character'sthememanipulatedto arrangementof the 'Ode' is its most fitthe dramaticaction. Thus the string-quartet adaptationin Die Hard,but it is interruptedand immediatelyco-opted straightforward For the rest,Kamen uses only the melodies of the 'Ode to Joy' and by the terrorists. altered.The climactic 'Singin' in the rain'; even theiroriginalharmoniesare frequently could be a directquotation, it as though sounds it pastiche: a clever is vault sequence but it is not. The only appearance of Beethovenas Beethovenis in the end-credits,the itswords (but in German). Kamen has used one timewe hear his chorusand therefore the themeas his basic materialforthe score, subjectingit to Beethovenianfragmentationand motivicdevelopment.' Furthermore,the familiarmotifsrecurin fragmentary variantsthroughoutthe score, coalescing towardsthe 'full' presentationin the vault sequence (and the end-credits),much as Beethoventreatsthemes fromthe firstthree movements of the Ninth Symphony in the orchestralintroductionto the finalmovement'Ode'. It is pastiche,but at a more sophisticatedlevel than stylisticparody. in the quotationtechniquebetweenthe two films One could interpretthe difference as a measure of maturityor sophisticationin the characterswithwhich the music is associated. Alex revelsin pure Beethoven,but he is in an infantilestate of repetition, and one way or another,the music controlshim: in his normalstate,it is catharsisand incitementto violence; afterhis conditioning,it has been turnedon him and provokes only revulsion. Hans, however, has so completely absorbed the music that he is capable of fluentlyrecomposingit to suit his actions,subordinatingit to his own will. Dramatically,however,the conceit of allying Hans with Alex does not quite work. Hans has fartoo much intellectualdepthand disciplineto have been Alex or one ofhis ilk. Whereas Alex was a pure sensualist-raping, torturingand killingforpleasureand wastes no more than the count of threeon torture.Hans's Hans kills efficiently pleasure comes, one mightsay, fromhis superiorsense of style;when Holly accuses him ofbeing nothingbut a common thief,he loses his composureforthe onlytime in thief,Mrs. McClane'. He assertshis class in all the filmand snarls'I am an exceptional things-if he is going to be a thief,he is going to be an exceptional one-and the 4 In the finalepisode of the short-livedcartoon series The Critic,the composer Alf Clausen extended this technique even further.In Die Hard, Kamen had created a distinctivehorn orchestrationof the three-noteopening motifof the 'Ode to Joy',and to score The Critic'sparody ofDie Hard, 'I Can't Believe it's a Clip Show', Clausen shortenedthe motif to the firsttwo notes with the same distinctivehorn orchestration.The subtletyof the musical parody is not out of keeping with the clever episode, which includes a villain (clearly drawn to resemble Alan Rickman) whose German accent occasionally slips into an English one, and which featuresa scene in which the villain literallysteals the show, wrestingcontrolofthe microphone fromthe 'hero' and wringingtears and a standingovation fromhis hostages through his moving performance.

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Orangereinforcehis point ofview in the structureofthe film. referencesto A Clockwork withvillains,by allyingthem While givingus yetanotherroute into the identification Orange(and by extension,withGene Kelly),itis also a withtheanti-heroofA Clockwork very'classy' referencefora blockbusteraction film,and it once more emphasizes the aestheticbent we are led to admire in Hans. But how we reactto thisdepiction-and how much we recognizeits construction-is in turna functionof 'class'. in America and Europe. To couch it in termsof a Class is constituteddifferently grossgeneralization,one mightsay thatin America class is a resultof money,styleand money,styleand education. In contrastto education,while in Europe class generates countriesin whichthe traditionof aristocraticrule establishesupper-classtastesas the norm,in America the egalitarianideal has ensured a veryambivalentfeelingtowards 'high class' pursuits. ConservativeAmerican society has always had a mistrustof an association reinforced classical music in particular,associatingit with effeminacy, by the images of the male charactersin Die Hard. (It is also noticeable thatthe film's one substantialfemalecharacter,Holly, is not allowed to have her own theme but is forcedto share her husband's, such as it is.) This ambiguityand mistrustof 'class' is exemplifiedin the currentdebates in Congress about the importanceof the arts to 'average'Americansand the demonizationof the so-called 'cultural elite' in the 1992 presidentialelection. The musical class-splitis introducedat theverybeginningofthe film.On arrivingat limousine driverArgyle,a young black the airport,McClane is met by the first-time uncomfortablewith the luxuryof the both are They a man who used to be cabbie. withthe driver,in the work-spaceof front up sit to chooses McClane limousine,and of his McDonald's meal, joking the remains away clears Argyle to speak. the car, so that the car implies but that affluence an to referring off', day the [maid's] that 'It's When McClane requests financial limitations-deny. tastes-or culinary Argyle's a by Run-DMC. Although rap in Hollis', 'Christmas plays Argyle music, Christmas McClane questions its appropriatenessto Christmas,he does not complain about the music itself.At the Nakatomi Christmasparty,however-where McClane can findno place wherehe doesn't feellike a fishout ofwater-the stringquartetis playingBach's Third BrandenburgConcerto. Classical music is inextricablyassociated with wealth in the United States, for withoutgovernmentsubsidies it is predominantlythe wealthywho patronizeconcert Classical music is also explicitlyassociated with halls, both literallyand figuratively. moneyin Die Hard,both withHans and withthe Nakatomi Corporation,whichmight be viewedas the onlyunequivocal villainin the film.While Nakatomiis representedby polite chamber music-depicted as pretentious,stale and suffocating-theterrorists practicallyeruptwithmusic: theyare unable to restrainthemselvesfromsinging.Even the sullen Karl hums, if tunelessly;and Hans may be associated with the loftiestof classical music icons, Beethoven,but he has no compunctionabout 'jiving'Beethoven in the liftwith Takagi. Like Alex in A ClockworkOrange,Hans does not regard museum artefact;it is a living,joyfulthing. Beethoven'smusic as a stuffy THE COMPOSER

AS LENS

Nick Hansted in the GuardianremarkedofAlan Rickman in the role of Hans Gruber that 'Like Die Hard itself,he was intelligent,spectacular, and empty'.45Conflating of Rickman with Gruber-an understandableconsequence of Rickman's redefinition 4 'The Crazy Gang'.

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the role of villain-Hansted also conflatedthe actor and his role with the film.An implicitequals sign stands betweenthe 'Die Hard' and the 'he'. The intelligenceofthe filmdoes indeed reside to a large degree in the intelligenceof Hans Gruber,his plan, his wit,the complexityofhis personality;in fact,the filmis most stupidwhen it has to get rid ofhim forgenericreasons. The filmcertainlyis spectacularin its extravagantly explosive set pieces, but it is no less so in Hans Gruber's plan and its execution. However, Hansted's notion of emptiness is questionable. Perhaps Hans is indeed empty; it is difficultto conceive of him outside the role of megalomaniacal mastermind. Only his charged encounterswith Holly give any hint of a personal existence, although the sparks are generated by her challenge to his powers. Yet however proscribedthe character,there is great depth withinthat narrowscope. And a film that speaks so stronglyof a cultural moment as Die Hard does, no matter how unpleasantor vacuous one mightfindthatmomentitself,can nevertrulybe considered empty. of possible readings,all withenough coherence Rather,the filmoffersa multiplicity to providesatisfaction,and this must be at least part of the reason forits success. Of course, most of the audience, especiallythose to whom the filmis primarilytargeted, good- versusbad-guy story.Yet, and despite are likelyto read it as a straightforward The the dangers of sounding elitist,there are other,more complex interpretations. politicalstrainsmay be obvious enough, but the notion of reading Hans as the hero requires subversion, conscious or unconscious. This may be a response to his aristocraticaestheticsor even his easy amorality,but it could just as well stem from resistanceto politicaland culturalconservatism.Eitherway,such a subversivereading places one solidly in the ranks of the liberal 'cultural elite' (the same cultural elite attractedto A ClockworkOrange?)demonized by Reaganite Republicans. But no positionexists'outside' the text,in fact,forthe undeniablybrilliantconservativecoup de gradce of Die Hard is that the Reaganite message is inescapable. Those whose intellectual,aestheticor liberal leaningstend towardstheirinclusionin a culturalelite (itselfa termthe evidentmeaning of which has been subverted)may enjoy the illicit delightof rootingforthe elegant villain(himselfa memberof thatelite),but theywill also findthemselvesin the positionofcheeringthe 'real' Reaganite hero. The paradox at play may be pleasurable or painful,but recognizingthatparadox is likelyto require the sortof culturalcapital that would lead one to the subversivereading in the first place. The cowboymay be foregroundedas the archetypalworking-classhero,but the aristocraticcorporatepirate is celebrated with glee, and with a great deal of music. Part of that celebration is purely kinetic. In the vault sequence, for example, practicallyany simple anthem-liketune building to a rousing 6/8 march variation against those images would create an exhilaratingeffect,but the 'Ode to Joy', of course, is not just any tune. As with all the major musical themes in Die Hard, it comes with considerable cultural baggage which ratheruntidilycontains-or failsto contain-American anxieties about the economy,class and gender roles, and about how those have been constructedand constrictedby the movies. Like all filmcomposers,Michael Kamen stands betweenthe film-makers'concepStevende Souza, tion of the filmand the audience. ProducerJoel Silver,screen-writer directorJohn McTiernan and composer Michael Kamen all admit to perpetratinga wilfulsubversionin the structureof the film,but it is perhaps Kamen's contribution that most affectsour perceptionof the charactersand events.This argumentis, in an extensionofthe auteurtheory,shifting the role fromdirectorto composer,but effect, I want to emphasize thatthe assignmentofthatrole is onlya practicalone. In fact,this 573

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analysishas turnedout to be a moreauteur-basedprojectthanI everexpected,but only that I derivedfromwatchingand listeningto the filmwas because the interpretation themselves.' Kamen happens to laterreinforcedby statementsfromthe film-makers have admittedto fallingin love withthe bad guy; but ifhe had neveradmittedit, or nevereven realized it,the evidence is stilltherein the score,and it is the music which and focusing affectsthe audience. Kamen's readingofthe filmacts as a lens, refracting he drawsheavilyon the cultural whatwe see on the screen.To make his desiredeffect, connotationsof the music that servesas his raw materialand on conventionsof film scoringthatwe have absorbed in the mannerofArgyle,who constructsthe McClanes' reunionin termsof the classical Hollywood filmscore. The hero always has a theme; the characterswho controlthe music are the heroes.Are theynot? But Hans therefore has the power even to controlthe non-diegeticmusic like a conductor,which seems a verydangerouspowerto giveto a villain,no matterhow charming.That 'misassigned' powercan lead us to question the verybasis ofthe action film-who is the villain,and who is the hero? JohnFiske has describedthe trulypopular textas one whichoffersmultiplepointsof referenceto its audience, one which containsinternalcontradictions,one thatis 'in a In its dominantnarrative,Die Hard is clearly veryreal sense, beyond its own control'.47 a conservativedocument, but it is one which also offerstremendous scope for a subversivereading: in the structureof the filmby givingthe villainthe activerole and assigningthe reactiverole to the nominal hero; in a complex and appealinglydrawn villainamplifiedby a particularlycharismaticperformance;and, notleast,in a scoreby a composer who was seduced by that performance.Like Kamen, those who would resistthe overtmessage and the obvious physicalhero may escape by cheeringon the intellectualwho, in the end, is onlybested by a strainedcontrivanceofthe script.The score, in turn, reinforcesthose elements by shifting,or reorientating,conventional textis one that scoringtechniques.This demonstrablypopular,and hugelyinfluential, is 'beyond its own control'by design. is anotherstatement byKamenthat'In factvery On theotherhand,runningcounterto thecomposer-as-auteur wound up in therightscene.John a written for actually was given sequence that and 3, 2 1, Hard Die in music little whoyouwillmakea cue forand he'llsaythat'sgreat,and he'lltakeit,and chopit, McTiernanis one ofthosedirectors MichaelKamenwitha leastofall me . . .' (JasonNeeds,'Interview: and moveitaround.And nobody'scomplaining, to assess.I wouldfinditalmost quantity MusicfromtheMovies(Summer1995),7). 'Verylittle'is a difficult Vengeance', foranothersequence,giventhatthe Hans's speecheswas everwritten tobelievethatthemusicunderscoring impossible loud actionother are there scenes-particularly however, is so intricate; music and voice between interaction sequences-whenearliercues are repeated(and thereare a numberof cues fromthe originalDie Hardrepeated the whether itdoes notmatter on theaudience,however, In termsoftheeffect wholesalein Die Hardwitha Vengeance). forothersequences, werewritten ofHans's 'recitatives' sequenceor not.Ifstretches fora particular musicwas written them. ear in transferring thenone can onlymarvelat JohnMcTiernan'sremarkable Boston,1989,p. 104. PopularCulture, 4 JohnFiske,Understanding 46

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