# Interstellar: observation/question/short analysis about the music!



## jmiliad (Dec 1, 2014)

Hello everybody!

This is my first topic since my introduction to the forum and I am here now to share and discuss with you an observation I did while I was watching the "Interstellar" of Christopher Nolan with music by Hans Zimmer.

So basically while I was watching the movie in the cinema at times, there was that sound like a ticking clock. And then as the music proceed it seemed to me like the tempo was the same. 

So what I did was get out my watch (no light, I didn't bother anyone else  ) and counted the tempo which seemed to me like it was exactly at 60bpm! And by 60bmp I mean 60 beats per (an Earthly) minute (if you saw the movie you totally get why I say "Earthly").

So the tempo of the music was exactly as the seconds were counting back in Earth, like a reminder of "home" flowing in the Universe. I totally lost it there, I was too excited and it made the movie even more intense to me. It was like a reminder that (SPOILER ALERT) in every minute the astronauts were away in space, time was still going naturally in Earth and they were losing time with their families each second/beat.

So finally, that 60bpm tempo totally changed when (SPOILER ALERT) the astronaut entered the five-dimensional environment where the "second" was either "insignificant" (since they mastered spacetime) or it can be that the astronaut was so close to his daughter that time was not counting against him anymore.

Anyway that's my analysis on that matter. I only watched it once (many more to come) since now so I may have gone all wrong about this... I TOTALLY recommend you to watch it. Great experience.

Anyway, what's your thoughts on that?

P.S. English is not my native language so if I messed something up, please ask me to rephrase it 

- John


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## Matt Hawken (Dec 2, 2014)

I think you're definitely onto something, John. I noticed the same thing and it's not the first time that Hans/Nolan have pulled the same trick.

In Inception, where there is a similar amount of time travelling and relativity, the 'trigger' song, _Non, je ne regrette rien_ appears as a background rhythm in the score, slowing down the deeper they go (until it eventually turns into the BRRAAAAAHMS we know and love!).

I saw it in the cinema with mates and while they were bamboozled as to the plot line, I found I could follow it fairly easily using the score as a guide.

So good spot, it's a great example of film music doing exactly what it should do - add another level of meaning and tell its own story.


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## jmiliad (Dec 3, 2014)

Hey Matt!

Thank you, I should definitely watch Inception again, after that. I haven't watched again it since it first came out 4 years ago. o-[][]-o


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## Qomodo (Dec 3, 2014)

God that's brilliant, good find!

-D-


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## Rctec (Dec 3, 2014)

Well Spotted! Now tell me in what piece we consolidate the ideas of Time, Gravity and Quantum-mechanics..
-Hz-


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## Matt Hawken (Dec 3, 2014)

Wait, you're telling us that you have the answer to the *Theory of Everything*? This could be big!  

Is it _The Wormhole_?


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## jmiliad (Dec 4, 2014)

@Qomodo thank you! 

@Rctec thank you, I appreciate it 

I totally have an analysis on that too, a really twisted one. :twisted:


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## mt108 (Dec 6, 2014)

Rctec @ Wed Dec 03 said:


> Well Spotted! Now tell me in what piece we consolidate the ideas of Time, Gravity and Quantum-mechanics..
> -Hz-



Unless I've misinterpreted some themes, Time and Gravity seem to come together in the second half of S.T.A.Y., but I'm not sure about the quantum-mechanics part... I'll go ahead and guess that's in there too and I just haven't noticed it yet!

Hmmm, maybe the recurring, rumbling low pianos (and carillon?) that I've started thinking of as a giant cosmic grandfather clock represent quantum-mechanics....


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## Guy Bacos (Dec 7, 2014)

I'd be curious to know from Hans if the 2nd half was inspired from "Melancholia".


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## jmiliad (Dec 7, 2014)

mt108 @ Sun Dec 07 said:


> Unless I've misinterpreted some themes, Time and Gravity seem to come together in the second half of S.T.A.Y., but I'm not sure about the quantum-mechanics part... I'll go ahead and guess that's in there too and I just haven't noticed it yet!



but... WHY you say that? I'm not telling you're right or wrong, I just say that you forgot to mention the most important and exciting fact: the philosophy behind your suggestion!  

-----------------------------------------------

So I'll throw a little of my view here...

Let's talk about...
...Quantum mechanics: _Atmospheric Entry_

Why? You can hear the same frequency existing in two different states. Two states that are opposite from each other but theoretically they're the same note. I'm talking about these two notes that you can listen though out the piece. The bass one and the really high one. 

Rings a bell? Schrodinger's cat. The famous paradox referring to Quantum-mechanics. I'll talk about it as simple as I can. In that paradox, we have a cat in a box with a bomb that has 50% chances to detonate. So until we open the box we don't know if the cat is alive or dead. The odds are 50%. So until we do open it we can assume that the cat is at two states (alive-dead) at the same time. The cat is in a _"superposition"_. Btw if we do open it and the cat is dead one can tell: curiosity killed the cat  .

Anyway, I can't help but observe a reference on that matter. Same note. Two opposite states, coexisting through time (time: the development of the song, imagine it as a chart).

It's a little stretched, but you never know. It may not be it, but I really like that it makes me feel that it is. Like the other clues, they make the score, and the movie much more intense to experience.

Damn...I love film music and how they communicate! 8)


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## Rctec (Dec 7, 2014)

Guy, what's "Melancholia"? Actually, the only inspiration I can think of is Mahler...


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## jmiliad (Dec 7, 2014)

Rctec @ Mon Dec 08 said:


> Guy, what's "Melancholia"? Actually, the only inspiration I can think of is Mahler...



Mahler actually was concerned about metaphysics matters and stuff, as far as I know.

But I can't believe it, even from you, the composer itself, that it's not a lot deeper than that...  

Having inspiration is one thing, expressing something using that is another...

I don't actually mind. I like the mystery on that... and as I said before: curiosity killed the cat. o-[][]-o


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## marclawsonmusic (Dec 7, 2014)

Rctec @ Sun Dec 07 said:


> Guy, what's "Melancholia"? Actually, the only inspiration I can think of is Mahler...


I believe Guy might be referring to the Lars von Trier film --> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527186/

I have not seen the film so I don't understand the connection. I'm not even sure who did the music for it.


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## germancomponist (Dec 7, 2014)

jmiliad @ Mon Dec 08 said:


> Rctec @ Mon Dec 08 said:
> 
> 
> > Guy, what's "Melancholia"? Actually, the only inspiration I can think of is Mahler...
> ...



Listen again to the work of Mahler! I think I know exactly what Hans is saying... .


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## jmiliad (Dec 7, 2014)

Alrighty! Thanks for that, will do (one can never have listened to Mahler "a lot")


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## Hans-Peter (Dec 7, 2014)

Melancholia => repeating snippets from Wagner's Tristan & Isolde. 

Really great movie! Believe me, it's about time watching it ...


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## Guy Bacos (Dec 7, 2014)

That's right, Melancholia's soundtrack revolves around Tristan und Isolde in a very effective way, brilliant choice of this music by Lars von Trier, and the climax, last scene of the film, will give you goose bumps every time. 

While I was watching "Interstellar", in the 2nd half, I was was getting flashbacks of "Melancholia" hearing that quasi Wagnerian style, I thought it leaned more towards Wagner, but Mahler, ok, which ever. Anyway, it worked great in "Interstellar" as well, and had that Hans Zimmer touch, so was very intense and effective, but the parallel was striking, at least to me.


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## Connor (Dec 8, 2014)

Haven't seen this yet, but may have just been given a good reason to, not to mention a reason to rewatch Inception.


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## Qomodo (Dec 9, 2014)

mt108 @ Sun Dec 07 said:


> Rctec @ Wed Dec 03 said:
> 
> 
> > Well Spotted! Now tell me in what piece we consolidate the ideas of Time, Gravity and Quantum-mechanics..
> ...



I think so too! And the first half is, I think, the theme Hans wrote about what it means being a father. Can anyone confirm this?

-D-


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## Frankly-h (Jan 27, 2015)

I guessed Wagner too. The track 'I'm going home' was really beautiful. The chromatic melody and harmonic resolutions really reminded me of Tristan and Isolde's prelude.


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## marclawsonmusic (Oct 11, 2022)

Rctec said:


> Well Spotted! Now tell me in what piece we consolidate the ideas of Time, Gravity and Quantum-mechanics..
> -Hz-


I am re-watching the movie years later and it has to be 'Stay' - where Coop leaves home (and Murph) and drives away in tears. 

So many different musical ideas, all intersecting. The crux of the story is about Coop and Murph and that was such a key moment for them.


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