Interesting, I didn't know about the musical etymology of melodrama. Makes a lot of sense in context of the performance arts.BIL wrote:Rhetorical music in documentaries. Serious matters speak for themselves and should be presented sans affectation. Not incidentally, the term of scorn "melodrama" literally translates as "drama set to music."
Case in point, that auld favourite the chomo copper is back onscreen once more. As with the late Bill Conradt, an assistant DA who put a moon roof in the back of his head when rumbled - the subject speaks for itself. Position of authority + predator = headfirst into an industrial shredder positioned directly over an incinerator that's rigged up to a leaf blower. Dust, wind, or the nearest civilised equivalent thereof. Adding babby's first frootyloops horror BGM just gives bang-to-rights piggus unearned wriggle-room.
I find TV charity ads suffer similar - almost every serious and noble cause is backed by a soundtrack so melancholic that it flies straight past plucking at your heartstrings and instead uses them to shred out a facemelting Malmsteen solo.
It's a bit self-defeating when you're too busy exclaiming "Oi, gerroff me emotions!" to engage with the underlying message.