Before a balding, distraught father utters the opening lines, “I believe in America,” there is the trumpet soloist playing the famous melancholy bars of the “The Godfather Waltz,” which develops gradually with the addition of the accordion and clarinet. Nino Rota’s score to the classic mobster movie “The Godfather” is essential to creating the schizophrenic mood that follows Michael Corleone’s descent into crime.

Noah Jodice | Student Life

Experiencing the film at home or in a theater is one thing, but this past Friday night, I had the opportunity to see “The Godfather” at Powell Hall, with a live score played by the STL Symphony.

This event is one of the movie screening/live music combinations the Symphony occasionally undertakes at Powell Hall. The theater projects the movie on a large screen on stage with nothing changed—except that the music has been taken out. The Symphony then plays the exact score originally found in the movie, with the same timing and cues.

The first time I went to one of these events was last semester, when Russell Crow epic “Gladiator” was featured. The experience was made instantly more dramatic with the addition of live music. You feel as if part of the movie has entered into reality, breaking the fourth wall between viewer and screen. I knew that I wanted to come back for a second time around, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy Award-winning masterpiece was simply an offer I couldn’t refuse.

The movie itself can go at once from being moody and folksy to ominous and grave. It at one point juxtaposes a silent, violent strangling with an upbeat Christmastime scene. The musical accompaniment is stirring in its melody, as well as its silence.

Even the venue contributes to the mood of the experience. It’s a regal room for the bloody drama. Its red-and-gold aesthetic, crystal chandeliers and almost 3,000-seat capacity makes it a premier St. Louis destination. Washington University didn’t book quite as good seats for “The Godfather” as it did for “Gladiator” (which was counterintuitive to the greater ticket price), but this did not make the experience less enjoyable.

The STL Symphony, one of the greatest orchestras in the country, did the fluid score justice. With both “Gladiator” and “The Godfather,” it went above and beyond, adding several behind-the-scenes photos at the end of the films’ credits. The Symphony does this so it can play the score to its entirety, giving you your money’s worth in music and visual splendor. The most memorable of the photos featured Marlon Brando (who stars as Vito Corleone) laughing from inside his prop grave.

All in all, movies with live music by the Symphony at Powell make for wonderful evenings. For those movie-lovers looking to enhance their watching experience, I highly recommend attending one of its events.