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ASTASPEAKS 69
is devoid of expression and because it nevertheless is in active movement, it often appears grotesque. This disadvantage meant that we had to abandon those close-ups which threw a light into the microphysiognomic depths of the human heart, at least while a character on the screen was speaking.
But even so every speaking face on the screen retained an expressiveness just sufficient to render unpalatable the synchronized substitution of another language for the original. Not only because every word of the dubbed text had to be adapted to the movement of the speaking mouth, often resulting in a ridiculous and unnatural phraseology — there is also an inevitable inartistic, sham quality in all synchronization, because every language has inseparably pertaining to it a play of features characteristic of the people speaking the given language. To speak English and accompany the speech with Italian gestures is a monstrosity and the audience felt this. It is for this reason that dubbing has been abandoned more and more in favour of translated titles.
ASTA SPEAKS
In one of her old silent films (Vanina or The Wedding under the Gallows) Asta Nielsen attempts to deliver her lover from prison under sentence of death. She has obtained the keys, she is in his cell, the road to freedom is open. But only for a few minutes. The lover is lying in numb despair on the straw and refuses to budge. Now Asta begins to talk to the prisoner, putting all her own energy and determination into her words. She speaks rapidly, desperately, with furious ardour. We cannot hear what she is saying. No title tells us. There is no need for it. The situation speaks for itself. It is obvious that she is trying to put heart into him and repeating again and again: 'Come, there is no time to lose, come or we must both perish ! ' This is not the real text of Asta's tremendous, visible exhortation— the real text is the fierce struggle between love and fear which no words could express. Seeing her as she speaks makes a deeper impression than if we saw her tear her hair or claw her face in despair. She speaks like this for a long time; and so much audible speech would have been quite unbearable.