WEEK 6

*What were the common instruments found in all three scenes? How were they similar and different in each scene? Can you compare them to other instruments we studied from other parts of Asia? The director was trying to demonstrate how the "gypsies" absorbed the various music cultures they encountered into their own music. How did the director depict this? What else about this film interested you?

In the opening scene, the young boy was singing as he was clapping two flat pieces of wood together. The sound of this instrument was similar to another instrument later introduced. This instrument was played by a woman from the scene where she is dancing in Egypt, but instead of being two flat pieces of wood, it was two tiny cymbals on each hand. These two instruments sounded similar and the manner in which they were played was also similar (hitting them against each other).

Also, in the scene where the families united to celebrate under the moon, there was a man who was playing a chordophone that produced sound by using a bow. This instrument reminded me of the Chinese erhu. This similarity in instruments between two different cultures exemplifies the inevitable adaptation of different cultural tendencies when people are allowed to travel the world.

The director demonstrated this adaptation of differnt cultures by following the main family through their journey. He/she follows them when they spy on others who are dancing differently, playing differently, or singing differently than they normally see. However, the director mostly emphasizes on the reactions of the children. The children are fascinated by the cultural differences so much that they begin to imitate all of the differences they encounter. For example, the young girls who imitate the women dancing, or the young boys who imitate the music.

I was mostly amazed by the music because I have never heard music of that category. I love to dance and the music they played was meant just for that. I was also amazed at how different cultures can have similar instruments but they each individualize it to their own culture, making it have certain meanings, or certain structures as to how to play it, when to play it, and who can play it. This goes back to identity by individualizing yourself but also connecting yourself to a larger group/category.