If you were to ask anyone who the best screenwriter of our generation is, the chances are they would say Aaron Sorkin. The Academy Award-winning writer behind films such as A Few Good Men, The American President, and Moneyball, and the creator of television shows The West Wing and The Newsroom, Sorkin is a master of his craft. When it comes to dialogue, nobody does it better than Sorkin. His characters speak at a mile a minute, spitting out witty one-liners and complex monologues with equal ease.
In his 2010 film The Social Network, Sorkin took his trademark rapid-fire dialogue and added a unique twist: he set much of it to music.
The Social Network is the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and the lawsuits that were brought against him by his former business partners Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). It’s a fascinating look at the birth of a social media empire, and how greed and betrayal can tear even the closest of friendships apart.
But what makes The Social Network truly special is its musical dialogue. Set to a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, much of the movie’s best scenes are punctuated by classical pieces or original songs written specifically for the film. These songs add an extra layer of emotion to already powerful scenes, enhancing their impact and making them even more memorable.
One of the most memorable examples comes early in the film, during a scene in which Zuckerberg is arguing with his girlfriend Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) about whether or not she’s interested in him. As they argue, we hear snippets of “In the Hall of the Mountain King” playing in the background. The music builds as the argument escalates, until finally we hear an eruption of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” as Erica throws a drink in Zuckerberg’s face and storms out. It’s a perfect example of how music can be used to heighten tension and emotion in a scene.
Later in the film, there’s a scene set at an Ivy League college rowing competition. As Zuckerberg rowed for Harvard, we hear classical music playing in the background once again. This time it’s “Requiem for a Dream” by Clint Mansell, which perfectly encapsulates the intense pressure that Zuckerberg was under at this point in his life. As he rows harder and harder, trying to win at all costs, the music becomes more frantic and discordant, until finally he collapses from exhaustion just before crossing the finish line. It’s an incredibly powerful scene that wouldn’t be half as effective without Mansell’s brilliant score.
The Social Network is full of scenes like these; scenes that are made even more impactful by their accompanying musical scores. It’s clear that Aaron Sorkin understands how powerful music can be when used correctly in film. He has said that he “wanted [The Social Network] to feel like a modern day Greek tragedy with lots of classical music woven into it”, and he certainly succeeded in doing just that.
