Film music in comparative analysis

¶ … music in the films "The Preacher's Wife" and "The Bishop's Wife." Specifically it will compare and contrast the two scores for the films. "The Bishop's Wife," made in 1947, uses music from that period, and so, today, the soundtrack sounds dated and old-fashioned. In effect, the soundtrack to "The Preacher's Wife," made in 1996, was more a gospel vehicle for the film's star Whitney Houston, and so, the music played an actual "role" in the film. While, in the earlier film the music was strictly in the background, except for the angelically beautiful boy's choir scene, where the music played a pivotal role in the story.

Each of these films revolves around music of some sort. The original 1947 version uses period music throughout the background of the film, and when music comes to the forefront, it is always angelic and larger than life, such as Dudley's harp playing that changes the face of the bishop's cathedral and its' major donor, and the Mitchell Boys Choir singing "Noel" a cappella in beautiful, angelic, youthful harmonies. This film attempts to celebrate the joy of belief and spiritual guidance, while the remake is much more involved with Whitney, who instead of simply being the "Bishop's Wife," is the choir director of a local church in a downtrodden neighborhood.

The "Who Would Imagine a King," sung with the Preacher's Wife Choir, is similar in some respects to the "Noel" piece in the earlier film. However, for the most part, the earlier film uses the relationships between the characters to make its points, while the newer version uses the music to reach the audience and develop the relationships between the characters. In fact, the music is a vehicle for Houston's performances, and the ultimate message of the two films is different, as well. "The Preacher's Wife" is more a love story between Dudley and Julia, while "The Bishop's Wife" is more a story of spiritual guidance and support. Music plays a minor role in the first film, because the characters and their many diversities are the important thing. Music is another character in "The Preacher's Wife" because it helps bring Dudley and Julia together, but it also defines her character and makes her who she is in the film. It is interesting to note that the soundtrack for "The Preacher's Wife" is one of the best-selling gospel albums of all time, and it is what the film is most remembered for, rather than the story or the acting.

Of course, the sound quality is drastically different between the two films. The early version is presented in monaural sound, as sound is not the most important aspect of the film. Because of this, the music is a bit tinny and one-dimensional, not nearly as pleasing to listen to as in "The Preacher's Wife." All of the songs in "The Preacher's Wife" are extremely easy to listen to, and they are mixed well. Of course, they are also quite spiritual, and the musical quality is so much better than the original film, due to digital recording and many other technologies, that it is difficult to even compare the two in terms of aural quality. Houston's singing is superb, and the gospel choir backgrounds add an energy and joy to the film that is difficult to match. The music in the two different films is difficult to compare, because it serves different purposes, but the music in "The Preacher's Wife" is far more enjoyable, listenable, and geared to play again and again, because of its harmonies, lyrics, and rich gospel traditions.