By: Lexi Frazier
January 31, 2017
Rating:
The genius of the film
Ferris
Bueller’s Day Off is that Ferris takes
what may have been just an ordinary, humdrum day and gives it a twist, or in
this case a
“Twist and Shout.” No scene better epitomizes this
carpe diem theme than the parade scene,
during which Ferris manages to sneak his way onto a parade float and dazzle
Chicago urbanites with a show-stopping performance of this Beatles hit. This
song sets an upbeat, carefree mood that ripples through the sea of spectators,
leaving not a soul unmoved by its infectious rhythm. Everyone, from the lady
German dancers to the marching band to the construction workers to rock star
Ferris (with his hilarious, spot-on lip-syncing), all unite in an electrifying display of
excitement. At the song’s end, the crowd erupts in applause, balloons soar into
the air, American flags wave frantically, and the viewer is left comically
entertained by the idea that one boy could stir up such a frenzy.
Since Ferris proves throughout the film to be a spontaneous,
charismatic, free spirit, this fun and lively song serves to characterize him.
Rather than being background music, it is significant that the song is at the
forefront of the action and that everyone on screen is singing along. Prior to
this song, Ferris is on the German-themed float lip-syncing a calmer, low-key,
and ironically funny “Danke Schoen.” This provides contrast for the upcoming
“Twist and Shout” number, where the volume, tempo, and overall energy of the
actors are extremely amped up, evoking a happy, ecstatic mood for the viewer. The volume increases throughout the song as
the triumphant brass instrumentation of the marching band and the joyous voices
of the crowd join in. This both builds the viewer's enthusiasm and conveys a sense of unity, showing that everyone needs to cut
loose sometimes. As with many larger-than-life musical numbers, there are parts of the
scene that make it unrealistic. From the entire premise of Ferris taking over
the parade without objection from any authorities to the choreographed
dance troop on the stairs, the likelihood of such a musical masterpiece taking place is far-fetched, but
that’s part of what makes it so hysterically epic.
The selection of
this particular song for the scene makes an ethos argument because “Twist and
Shout” is by the Beatles, the undisputed most legendary boy band of
all time. Thus, choosing a song by such renowned artists, who have sold over $170 million in the U.S. alone, makes a statement about
the quality of the song (and, by extension, the scene it accompanies) and
appeals to devoted Beatles fans worldwide.
Lunsford states in her book Everything’s an Argument, “If you strike the right emotional note,
you’ll establish an important connection.” Since “Twist and Shout” was such a popular song at the time, it makes
such a pathos argument because a lot of people had already formed a positive
emotional response to this familiar tune. Music has the power to transport us
to another time and place, which explains why familiar songs, such as this one, can provoke strong emotions. Thus,
using music to strike an emotional chord makes people feel connected to the
film and overjoyed to recognize a favorite tune.
Finally, this song appeals to our sense of logos through its
lyrics. With words like “Shake it up baby, C'mon twist and shout,” the song encourages the idea of
shaking up the routine, seizing the day, rebelling against authority, and
adding a dash of spontaneous fun to life. These implications are consistent
with the message of the film. Ferris and his friends will be graduating soon
and moving on; they will never be this young again. Hence, Ferris refuses to
waste this precious time in school, so instead he fakes an illness so that he may make the most of his fleeting youth and truly seize the day. And seize
it he does! Rather than listen to the monotonous voice of his teacher call out
“Bueller” in the classroom, Ferris rocks the city of Chicago on a parade float!
Ferris teaches us all the importance of grabbing life by the horns and making
the ordinary extraordinary, and this carefree, vivacious song reinforces this
lesson. It’s just as Ferris says in his iconic monologue: “Life moves
pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss
it.”
the story. The
films soundtrack does not fall short in helping them to achieve this feat. The
main character Johnny Utah is an FBI agent who is supposed to be investigating
a gang of robbers who perform quite the original crimes. These villains are
extreme athletes, much like Johnny himself, who partake in 8 ordeals called the
Ozaki
8 to try and reach Nirvana. One scene that goes a little against the theme
of action and adventure that the whole film encompasses is a swimming/diving
scene between Johnny and a female character from the gang named Samsara. The
music for this scene is a song titled Warm by SG Lewis. This is the first time
that Johnny has ever met Samsara. He walks out of a huge party to find her gazing
out over the sea. In a matter of minutes, she dives off the yacht and into the
open ocean, and so like any man drawn to a woman, he jumps in right after her.
Right as he dives into the ocean the music begins. As the scene of them
swimming and swirling around each other moves on the music depicts the feelings
of the scene. They are no words because 
