Finding Bullitt through OneKLIC

By Dwight Hunter

I searched our one-stop library search portal, OneKLIC, recently and found a surprise. When I typed in "bullitt" into OneKLIC, I got two library results.

One result was expected - a movie on DVD starring Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Robert Duvall, and Jacqueline Bissett. Bullitt was a 1968 police drama thriller based in San Francisco. The well-received movie was a switch-and-bait type of drama -- the major story line became the minor one and the minor storyline the major one, which in question was, what was in the soul of Lt. Frank Bullitt's world (McQueen). (See picture of KLIC's DVD cover)

The surprising OneKLIC result?  An audio recording - or more precisely -- an album accessed online through our online music database from Alexander Street Press.

What I love about cataloging details is that it gives you curious tips within the subjects. One of the subjects found for the audio recording was soundtrack music. So this online recording was the soundtrack from the movie Bullitt. The next two subjects were truly unexpected, especially, from a police thriller drama based in 1968 San Francisco that had a major car chase scene. Those two subjects were Jazz; Jazz Music.

That's right, the movie that set the standard for crisp dialogue, by the book procedures in police work, hospital ER work, and morgue work; and of course, a car chase setting the standard for other movies after it, had a jazz soundtrack.

In fact, the Bullitt soundtrack is listed as one of the top essential jazz soundtracks. And you have access to it through the OneKLIC search portal as a student, faculty, or staff.

Not surprisingly then to know that Steve McQueen loved jazz music and attended jazz concerts.

So, I watched the movie again and this time paid attention to the jazz interaction. I'll note three moments in the movie. In the beginning of the movie, the jazz track brought thrilling, exciting, dangerous and a dark mood. At the coffee cantata, the shadows of lingering looks between McQueen and Bissett eating with another couple is punctured with the jazz sounds of Meridian West. Meridian West has a cameo appearance because McQueen happened to attend one of their concerts.

And of course, the prelude to the car chase. A prelude build up. Ok, I love all kinds of car chase scenes, but this one is a classic. The prelude is like the ultimate build up -- the hunter becomes the hunted, the click of the seat belt, and of course, the jazz soundtrack building the suspense.

KLIC has the soundtrack recording through our Alexander Street Press database resource. This resource can be accessed by validating your Chattanooga State status through the library's proxy server. And the library has the movie DVD. The DVD can be checked out like any other library physical resource at the service desk. Bullitt DVD

Bullitt soundtrack source citation:
Schifrin, Lalo. Bullitt. Rec. 14 Sept. 2010. Aleph Records, 2010. Music Online: Jazz Music Library Database. Web.