levels of narrative in the diegesis , embodied through its nondiegetic music . Arguably , the nondiegetic musical themes in Catch Me function on a separate level to the rest of the narrative , they are perhaps not intrinsically part of the diegesis , but instead could be perceived as being in the narrative space that belongs to the two protagonists , FBI agent Carl Handratty and con-artist Frank Abagnale Jr .
To illustrate this , I will now explore examples from the film . In the title sequence we hear the ‘ chase ’ theme , also known as the ‘ Closing-In ’ theme . Associated with Carl ( and later the FBI ), it could be interpreted as a musical signifier of moments of epiphany , often bearing the narrative reference of Carl discovering information that brings him closer to finding and catching Frank . The ‘ success ’ theme , otherwise known as the ‘ Float ’ theme is associated with the young conartist , Frank Abagnale Jr . The theme sounds at moments of his con-artistry and epiphany , where he is devising or achieving something , often acting as a musical signifier of
MUSI370 Film Music of John Williams
SOTA Anthology 19 / 20
Frank ’ s many false personas . Gorbman claims that themes can be economical , their very repetition can ‘ subsequently recall the filmic context ’ ( 1987 ). We see this at work in the film – each time the ‘ success ’ theme recurs , it pre-empts to the viewer that Frank is teetering on the edge of devising or achieving something , recalling the context of the theme . Gorbman further iterates that music is nonrepresentational in itself , yet the music acquires meaning when occurring in conjunction with representational elements in the film ( images , dialogue etc .) ( 1987 ). This is certainly a truism for this film , Williams purposefully times the exact moments of arrival of the themes ( and repetitions ) against the visual action , in many cases it warrants the interpretation of the themes representing the protagonists ’ inner thoughts . For example , during the scene where Frank is impersonating a Panam airline pilot , having a uniform fitted by a tailor at the Panam uniform warehouse . The tailor says , “ you ’ ll have to fill in your employee ID number , then I ’ ll bill Panam ” and up until this moment there is no music . As the tailor says , “ they ’ ll take it out