| Description |
| On-screen: |
Starring list and lightning strikes |
| Description: |
This transitional music was re-used from the 1939 film Dust Be My Destiny, but Steiner revises it to fit the length of the transition in this particular film; as the four starring roles are listed separately on the screen, the music moves through an ascending sequence, generating excitement: first in two measure units, then one-measure units, accelerating to an unexpected A minor triad that accentuates a flash of lightning (with a lightning sound effect), at which point the music cuts out to a low timpani roll; there is a second lightning strike as well (because that is the title of the film!) |
| Music annotations: |
[m. 3] con moto / ff; [m. 5] 1/2 tone up; [m. 8] one tone up; [m. 10] tremolo?? / ff / arp / one man / both / fff / sfz; [m. 11] fffz / ff / ticks out / (sound effect of lightning over this) / rit |
| Film annotations: |
[m. 3] Todd; [m. 5] Roman; [m. 7] Mercedes; [m. 9] Scott; [m. 11] Lightning |
| Orchestration annotations: |
[m. 9] gong / tutti / pianos / W.W. / strg / ob dr roll (2 sticks) |
| Analysis: |
Features sequential rising modulations through Eb, E, F, and G; ends with a dark A minor sonority |
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| Tags |
acceleration | dramatic | lightning | lightning effect | opening title sequence | prison | self-borrowing | sequential modulation | starring list | transition
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