The Voice in Cinema

How can a voice whose source is never seen—such as Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey or the mother of Norman Bates in Psycho —have such a powerful hold on an audience? When does "synchronized sound" fail to link bodies to their voices, and how do such great stylists of sound film as Jacques Tati, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Marguerite Duras deploy the power of the voice? In this brilliant essay, Michel Chion, internationally cited authority on the history and poetics of film sound, examines the human voice in cinema. The Voice in Cinema begins with the phenomenon of film's hidden, faceless voices and their magical powers, particularly in the context of Lang's Testament of Dr. Mabuse . Chion then explores subjective voices, bonding and entrapment by telephone, voice-thieves, screams (male and female), siren calls, and the silence of mute characters-all uniquely cinematic deployments. In conclusion, Chion considers "the monstrous marriage of the filmed voice and body" as embodied in Norman Bates. Claudia Gorbman's fluent translation retains Chion's sophisticated and accessible style, introducing readers to a distinct and paradigm-changing voice on film. Columbia University Press "How can a voice whose source is never seen--such as Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey or the mother of Norman Bates in Psycho--have such a powerful hold on an audience? When does "synchronized sound" fail to link bodies to their voices, and how do such great stylists of sound film as Jacques Tati, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Marguerite Duras deploy the power of the voice? In this brilliant essay, Michel Chion, internationally cited authority on the history and poetics of film sound, examines the human voice in cinema. The Voice in Cinema begins with the phenomenon of film's hidden, faceless voices and their magical powers, particularly in the context of Lang's Testament of Dr. Mabuse. Chion then explores subjective voices, bonding and entrapment by telephone, voice-thieves, screams (male and female), siren calls, and the silence of mute characters-all uniquely cinematic deployments. In conclusion, Chion considers "the monstrous marriage of the filmed voice and body" as embodied in Norman Bates. Claudia Gorbman's fluent translation retains Chion's sophisticated and accessible style, introducing readers to a distinct and paradigm-changing voice on film." -- Publisher's description How can a voice whose source is never seensuch as Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey or the mother of Norman Bates in Psycho have such a powerful hold on an audience? When does "synchronized sound" fail to link bodies to their voices, and how do such great stylists of sound film as Jacques Tati, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Marguerite Duras deploy the power of the voice? In this brilliant essay, Michel Chion, internationally cited authority on the history and poetics of film sound, examines the human voice in cinema. The Voice in Cinema begins with the phenomenon of film's hidden, faceless voices and their magical powers, particularly in the context of Lang's Testament of Dr. Mabuse . Chion then explores subjective voices, bonding and entrapment by telephone, voice-thieves, screams (male and female), siren calls, and the silence of mute characters-all uniquely cinematic deployments. In conclusion, Chion considers "the monstrous marriage of the filmed voice and body" as embodied in Norman Bates. Claudia Gorbman's fluent translation retains Chion's sophisticated and accessible style, introducing readers to a distinct and paradigm-changing voice on film. Cover......Page 1 Copywright......Page 4 CONTENTS......Page 7 Author's Note......Page 9 Editor's Note......Page 11 PROLOGUE. RAISING THE VOICE......Page 17 I. MABUSE: MAGIC AND POWERS Of THE ACOUSMETRE......Page 31 ONE. THE ACOUSMETRE......Page 33 TWO. THE SILENCES Of MABUSE......Page 47 THREE. THE I-VOICE......Page 65 II. TAMAKI: TAlES Of THE VOICE......Page 75 FOUR. THE VOICE CONNECTION......Page 77 FIVE. THE SCREAMING POINT......Page 91 SIX. THE MASTER Of VOICES......Page 97 SEVEN. THE MUTE CHARACTER'S fiNAL WORDS......Page 111 EIGHT. THE SIREN'S SONG......Page 125 III. NORMAN; OR, THE IMPOSSIBLE AHACOUSMETRE......Page 139 NINE. THE VOICE THAT SEEKS A BOOY......Page 141 TEN. THE CONFESSION......Page 170 EPILOGUE. CINEMA'S VOICES OF THE 'BOS ANO '90S......Page 179 Index......Page 191 Michel Chion argues that watching movies is more than just a visual exercise - it enacts a process of audio-viewing. The audiovisual makes use of a wealth of tropes, devices, techniques, and effects that convert multiple sensations into image and sound, rendering - instead of reproducing - the world through cinema Chion Analyzes Imaginative Uses Of The Human Voice By Directors Like Lang, Hitchcock, Ophuls, Duras, And De Palma.