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epresentation of its characters, implies the avoidance of mechanisms that could cue strong
identification, or allegiance in Murray Smith's terms (Smith, 1995: 84-85), between viewers
and characters; in affective terms, the techniques used by Bertolucci appear designed to elicit
only transitory responses from viewers ranging from sympathy to estrangement.
The cognitive and affective function of the music
Instrumental in eliciting this measured reaction from viewers is the non-diegetic music
accompanying each character. At times it is expressive to give viewers a momentary
awareness of the characters' state of mind, by reflecting their mood; at other times the music
takes on a more metadiegetic function, aiming to distance viewers from the narrative events.
Similarly, music is also used simply as a 'denotative tag' (Gorbman, 1987: 28) to create
associational recognition on the viewer's part. The music from the four sequences set in the
narrative nucleus of the prostitute's room covers all three functions. It is a medieval theme
which, at a surface level, blends with the rain outside and the woman's solitude to cue
melancholy, but the refrain also evokes a sense of the ancient, emphasizing elements such as
the outdated decor of her home (another instance of Italy's economic miracle bypassing the
sub-proletariat), and the sense of drudgery emanated by the prostitute herself, who has none
of the post-war vitality with which certain films (including Fellini's Le notti di CabirialTlie
Nights ofCabiria, 1957) depicted such characters, and who seems trapped within the eternal
subjugation of her 'profession'. The refrain, when heard, also creates an immediate diegetic
association in the viewers' mind, therefore it can be said to fulfil functions that are primarily
intellectual and structural, rather than emotional.
The episode featuring Canticchia is complemented by two motifs, the first punctuating
the beginning and end of the episode as he leaves and later returns to his house, and it is
designed to emphasize narrative mood. It is a lyrical melody using a flute, which initially
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