Atonement (2007), directed by Joe Wright, brings actress Keira Knightly and composer Dario Marianelli back for another compelling period piece after the success of Pride and Prejudice (2005). The film tells the life story of Briony Tallis from the fateful day that her false accusation of a crime irreversibly changed many lives, including her own. As a young girl, Briony misinterprets the love affair between her older sister Cecilia (played by Keira Knightly) and Robbie Turner (played by James McAvoy) after accidentally reading a dirty letter that Robbie wrote to Cecilia, convincing the naive Briony that Robbie must be a deranged sexual deviant. When Briony’s cousin Lola (played by Juno Temple) is later raped at a dinner party, Briony concludes that it must have been Robbie because of his inappropriate letter and sexual thoughts. Taking this into consideration, she then falsely accuses Robbie of the crime, forever ripping Cecilia and Robbie apart once the police take him away. Compelling, tragic, and heart-wrenching, Atonement was nominated for 7 Oscars, including Best Picture, and it won the Oscar for Best Original Score. The composer, Dario Marianelli, had received several nominations prior to this, but his work on Atonement made for his first Oscar win. A true talent, he writes beautiful melodic pieces typically featuring the piano. What made his Atonement score so unique though was his interesting variations of repeated ominous, sad, and even haunting melodies and the use of the typewriter as a motif.
The film opens on Briony finishing a play she has been writing on her typewriter. The viewer then follows her as she runs throughout her house searching for her mom in order to show her this new achievement. During this scene, a much more serious and ominous song plays, beginning with the sounds of Briony’s typewriter in Briony (song link 1: Briony). An eerily calm melody then joins the ensemble as the typewriter becomes the song’s beat. As the song progresses, the typewriter enters as a driving force with frantic strings and other wind instruments. This song sets up the seriousness of the story while simultaneously introducing the importance of the typewriter and the reoccurring melody, which will come back to haunt Briony as more and more devious and damaging events occur down the road, all triggered by her one fateful decision. The melody and its precise typewriter beat describe Briony’s cold and unloving personality.
Marianelli masterfully uses familiar melodies to conjure memories and feelings from earlier spots in the movie. For example, every time the Briony melody comes back in another variation, the audience gets the feeling that something bad or devious is about to happen, that the plot is moving forward. Marianelli also created a second melody to evoke a different feeling, tragedy and deep sadness. This melody was featured most prominently when Robbie was wrongfully arrested and taken from Cecilia on the night of the dinner party. The song, Farewell (song link 2: Farewell), marks the beginning of the film’s heart-wrenching tragedy. This dramatic melody first appears in Robbie’s Letter (song link 3: Robbie’s Letter), but the fully developed version appears in Farewell and later in The Cottage by the Beach (song link 4: Cottage by the Beach). Its connection to Robbie’s love letter and dream to be with Cecilia connects this song to Robbie and Cecilia’s complicated relationship and develops the tragic sadness of their separation through song.
One scene and song in particular helped to grab this score the Oscar. This famous song is the Elegy For Dunkirk (song link 5: Elegy For Dunkirk). Without spoiling how, Robbie eventually becomes an English soldier in World War II and ends up on the beaches at Dunkirk. In an amazing five minute tracking shot of the beach where the evacuation from Dunkirk took place, the beautiful and emotional Elegy For Dunkirk softly plays. With the soldier’s beautiful hopeful singing and the progressing string voices, the song provides closure for the battle and a touching emotional experience as the next part of the tragedy unravels.
Besides the familiar motifs from beautiful melodic music, Marianelli also used the typewriter as a motif in the score. Marianelli made the crucial decision to feature the typewriter in his compositions because of its role in the film. The typewriter helped Briony write her stories and eventually her biography, and Robbie wrote his fateful love letter on a typewriter. The key item which drove the plot also drives the score, an excellent parallel which connects the music to the film’s themes and atmosphere. Throughout several of the songs, the typewriter is featured heavily as background sound or the beat and percussion. This helped Marianelli create drive in his melodically dramatic and flowy music. The weight of the heavy typewriter clicks pushes the music forward and makes the listener’s heart beat just a bit faster.
Thanks for reading this post! I realize that I mostly focused on the music this time instead its role in the plot, but I purposefully made this decision since not knowing the plot before was so crucial to enjoying this film as intended. There’s a dramatic tragedy, some philosophical questions, and a huge unexpected twist within the story and I did not want to spoil anyone’s enjoyment. Take some time to watch this one and maybe Pride and Prejudice too. See you next time on Scoring the Score!
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