Theory of film : the redemption of physical reality (1960)

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DIALOGUE AND SOUND 111 Calling Car 18 18/ etc., etc. . . ."17 Now these "choruses" may be inserted in such a way that it is they rather than the synchronized visuals which captivate the spectator— or should one say, listener? Being all ear, he will not care much about what the pictures try to impart. On the surface, this use of speech seems to go against the grain of the medium by disregarding the visual contributions. And yet it is cinematic by extension. The voice patterns brought into focus belong to the physical world about us no less than its visible components; and they are so elusive that they would hardly be noticed were it not for the sound camera which records them faithfully. Only in photographing them like any visible phenomenon— not to mention mechanical reproduction processes outside the cinema— are we able to lay hold on these transitory verbal conglomerates. The fact that they palpably form part of the accidental flow of life still increases their affiliations with the medium. An excellent case in point is Jungle Patrol, a Hollywood B picture about American combat fliers in New Guinea. This film culminates in a sequence of terrific air fights which, however, are not seen at all. What we do see instead is a loudspeaker in the operations hut hooked in to the planes' inter-coms. As the ill-fated fights take their course, different voices which seem to come from nowhere flow out of the radio set, forming an endless sound strip.18 To be sure, we grasp the tragic implications of their blurred messages. But this is not the whole story they are telling us. Rather, the gist of it is the constant mutter itself, the fabric woven by voice after voice. In the process of unfolding, it sensitizes us to the influences of space and matter and their share in the individual destinies. Manner of synchronization RELEVANT CONCEPTS A. Synchronism— asynchronism Sound may or may not be synchronized with images of its natural source. Example of the first alternative: 1. We listen to a speaking person while simultaneously looking at him. Examples of the second alternative: 2. We turn our eyes away from the speaker to whom we listen, the result being that his words will now be synchronized with, say, a shot of another person in the room or some piece of furniture. 3. We hear a cry for help from the street, look out of the window, and see the moving cars and buses without, however, taking in the traffic noises,