# Movies with little to no music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761 "2009-03-08T20:44:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/1 "2009-03-08T20:44:40Z")
For no real reason, I was thinking about movies that have no music or very little music. [This](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071030200922AACLsz1) Yahoo Answers topic lists several. In addition to that list, I think _All the President’s Men_ only has a little music in the parking garage scene, but nothing elsewhere (unless my memory is playing tricks on me). The linked list includes _Dog Day Afternoon_ and _Network_, neither of which I remember well enough to say if there is any music in them or not. So, what movies fit the bill (either no music at all, or unusually little music)? Let’s ignore silent movies. The Yahoo Answers list doesn’t list any movies past 1977. Have there been more recent examples? A related topic – list some movies in which all the music comes from sources in the scene. I forget the word for that – the music isn’t a score over the scene, but comes from a radio or something present in the scene. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/2 "2009-03-08T20:48:03Z")
\*No Country for Old Men \*had no music - very unusual for a Coen Brothers film, as they generally choose terrific soundtracks. Of course, in this case it worked. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/3 "2009-03-08T20:53:21Z")
Do electronic beeps count? **Forbidden Planet** used them instead of music. I would assume that **[Give 'em Hell, Harry](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073053/)** had no music score. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/4 "2009-03-08T20:55:02Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > A related topic – list some movies in which all the music comes from sources in the scene. I forget the word for that – the music isn’t a score over the scene, but comes from a radio or something present in the scene. The music in Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” is all source music. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/5 "2009-03-08T21:20:43Z")
There are a LOT of movies with no soundtrack score; the list would be WAAAAAY too long for any thread. Thousands at least. ---
**Author:** ![equinoxi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@equinoxi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/equinoxi)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/6 "2009-03-09T02:30:18Z")
the china sydrome (1979) ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/7 "2009-03-09T02:33:29Z")
_Castaway_. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/8 "2009-03-09T02:43:09Z")
Not a movie, but in 60 hours over the course of five seasons, HBO’s _The Wire_ used only situational music, except for the opening and closing themes, and a montage that closed each season. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/9 "2009-03-09T06:42:39Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > A related topic – list some movies in which all the music comes from sources in the scene. I forget the word for that – the music isn’t a score over the scene, but comes from a radio or something present in the scene. I think diegetic is the word you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/10 "2009-03-09T12:15:48Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > I think diegetic is the word you’re looking for. That’s it! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/11 "2009-03-09T13:23:29Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > I think diegetic is the word you’re looking for. Really? I thought it was source music. Dog Day Afternoon, indeed, has no score. I remember combing through it years ago specifically to listen to the score. What I gat was a lot of plot. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/12 "2009-03-09T13:24:29Z")
12 Angry Men Failsafe ---
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/13 "2009-03-09T13:40:11Z")
The Blair Witch Project ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/14 "2009-03-09T15:39:31Z")
[Dogme 95](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogme_95) films use only diegetic music (except for the ones that cheat), and many have none at all. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/15 "2009-03-09T22:45:14Z")
Richard Linklater’s _Before Sunrise_ had music during the opening and closing credits, but other than that it’s all diegetic (i.e., the characters can hear it). I don’t recall if the same is true of _Before Sunset_, but I suspect it is. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/16 "2009-03-10T18:15:10Z")
_The Emerald Forest_ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/17 "2009-03-10T18:19:01Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > _The Emerald Forest_ [Not true.](http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Forest-Original-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B00000153W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1236709105&sr=1-2) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/18 "2009-03-10T18:24:51Z")
> [@Engineer\_Dude](#): > > The Blair Witch Project It did have a score, but it only played during the end title. And it wasn’t anything that you could really hum. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/19 "2009-03-10T18:45:19Z")
> [@The\_Superhero](#): > > The music in Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” is all source music. Except for the opening credits. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761/20 "2009-03-10T18:50:30Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > [Not true.](http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Forest-Original-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B00000153W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1236709105&sr=1-2) I sit corrected. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-little-to-no-music/488761.md?page=2)