When Daniel Mason travelled to Southeast Asia to study malaria, as a young medical student, not one dreamed that when he returned, he would bring with him the beautifully written novel that is The Piano Tuner. As a person reads, he or she can feel the heat of the Burmese sun and see the Salween River flowing by their feet. Unfortunately, readers do not have the opportunity to truly see these things in the context that Mason wished, as a film adaptation of The Piano Tuner has not yet been completed. Admirers of this work often wonder what will happen when the film is finally completed by director Werner Herzog. In the meantime, admirers of this story imagine what creative decisions they would make if they were directing the film. I personally will be exploring the possibilities of sound, costume, and camera views and how they could be applied to The Piano Tuner.
From the very beginning of the novel, the item that draws confusion and ridicule from the War Office is an 1840 Erard grand piano (Mason 7). This establishes without a doubt that music and sound will be vital to the themes of the story. When creating the film adaptation of the book, the main music throughout will be the piano. During the opening credits, a fugue will begin, with a single phrase of music established as the main theme of the entire film. This piece will be continued throughout the entire film, with other instruments added at times to correctly portray the mood of the scene.
When Edgar’s journey begins in England, the melody established during the opening credits will be the main song. The piece will be very structured, showing the rigidity and seriousness of the people of England and their ideals. Ambient sound will be used frequently while Edga...
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... and gradually bringing the treetops of the jungle into view. The camera will focus and begin to move in on the moon over the trees, as a voice-off begins, speaking the words of Edgar’s letter to Katherine, with the piano music fading away into the night.
The novel The Piano Tuner has such great potential when considering the ways that it may be adapted into the movie. The person chosen to direct such an adaptation has a great responsibility; they must make sure that the message and beauty contained in the novel are reflected on the screen. The areas of sound, character appearance, and camera views are all extremely important parts of creating a successful film, and hopefully Werner Herzog will take particular care with these areas as he creates his masterpiece.
Works Cited
Mason, Daniel. The Piano Tuner. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. Print.
In the film the music is very important. At the beginning it is set at
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