Sound in ’pi’

I chose the film "Pi" for this semiotic analysis for one simple reason: it is one of my all-time favorite films. I tend to like films that involve several layers of meaning or genres. "Pi" is a work of science fiction based on a more than 2000 year-old Jewish legend. But it is also a psychological thriller. It exhibits many features of gothic film: a dark claustrophobic quest, full of contrast, that leads into insanity.

I'll discuss the use of sound in terms of subjectivity later on, but I must first address the issue of the narrative’s sound design and musical support. First, the score composed by Clint Mansell creates the atmosphere and the perfectly captures the protagonist's personality. Amplification is used for impact not only here, but also throughout the entire film. On the one hand, the tracks reflect Max’s paranoia; on the other, the music accompanies and determines the pace of images and narration. Because there is a connection created between Max’s quest and the musical score at times serves a diegetic function, even though it is a basically non-diegetic element. The high degree of subjectivity also seems to lend a diegetic element to the music. I will point to one prominent example: Whenever a migraine attack looms on the horizon, the little melody of the score is heard, followed but the song itself as soon as the actual migraine starts. This creates the specific atmosphere of persecution and therefore reflects Max’s