Great Film Cue: Elegy For Dunkirk
Film: Atonement (2007) | Director: Joe Wright | Composer: Dario Marianelli
This terrific cue/scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QijbOCvunfU) takes place in the film Atonement (2007), an epic period war drama based on the book by Ian McEwan. It is about the tragedy of two young lovers split apart by a serious lie, and the lasting consequences of it. The scene depicted is a famous event during World War II, known as the Battle (or Miracle) of Dunkirk which took place in Dunkirk (Dunkerque), France. The battle was fought between the Allied forces and Nazi Germany, which was essentially a rescue mission/evacuation of British and Allied forces from the coast of Dunkirk to Britain, from May 26 – June 4, 1940. The cue and piece of music is entitled, Elegy for Dunkirk, which serves as a moment of reflection and heartfelt tribute to the soldiers, nurses, and civilians who lost their lives during this battle – a moment of peace among brutal violence.
The instrumentation of this cue consists of strings, featuring a searing solo cello, and a small men’s chorus. The music begins with a melancholic, soft sustained string texture with a simple musical motive, before the solo cello smoothly joins in and embellishes the melody, a combination of sorrowful, haunting, and hopeful. The harmonic progression is emotive and effective. Next, the faint sound of the men’s chorus gradually comes in, building up with the strings. The general form of the musical piece begins with the string texture, then the voices gradually blend in, and then they fade out until it is only strings again to conclude the piece.
I love several things about this scene and the music – the religious/spiritual sentiment that is reflected by the lyrics and uplifting melody of the chorus, elevating this moment from simply just another tragic, sad war scene to a universal moment that we can all feel as part of the human condition – suffering, sacrifice, and ultimately liberation. I also love way the source music (the soldiers singing) and underscore (background strings) merge in such a seamless and harmonious way, which I don’t recall having witnessed before on film.
The soldiers sing an excerpt from a hymn entitled, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqOnjmr9Ah0) Text by John G. Whittier from the poem, The Brewing of Soma (1872), and music by Garett Horder, arranged 1884.
Drop Thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace, The beauty of Thy peace
Breathe through the heats of our desire, Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm! O still, small voice of calm!