| The Voice in Cinema Contributor(s): Chion, Michel (Author), Gorbman, Claudia (Translator) |
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ISBN: 0231108230 ISBN-13: 9780231108232 Publisher: Columbia University Press OUR PRICE: $29.70 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: February 1999 Annotation: How can a voice whose source is never seen--such as Norman Bates's mother in "Psycho" or Hal in "2001: A Space Odyssey"--have such a powerful hold over an audience? And how have such directors as Fritz Lang and Alfred Hitchcock used "the being heard but not seen" to build suspense in films since the advent of "talkies" in 1927? In a brilliant exploration of a subject no one else has written on at any length, one of the foremost experts on film sound explores the mysterious power of the human voice-particularly the disembodied voice-as deployed in cinema. Michel Chion, author of "Audio-Vision," analyzes imaginative uses of the human voice by directors like Lang, Hitchcock, Ophuls, Duras, and de Palma. The first part of "The Cinematic Voice" considers the hidden, faceless voice and its magical powers, particularly as used in Fritz Lang's "Testament of Dr. Mabuse." Chion sees this film, produced at the dawn of the sound era, as a template for the voice in cinema. The middle section's five essays explore entrapment by telephone, voice-thieves, screams of terror, siren calls, and the silence of mute characters. Finally, Chion looks at "the monstrous marriage of the filmed voice and body" as figured in "Psycho's" Norman Bates. Claudia Gorbman's fluent translation introduces readers to Chion's sophisticated and accessible analysis in a work that established his reputation as a major voice in French film criticism. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Performing Arts | Film - History & Criticism |
| Dewey: 791.430 |
| LCCN: 98019048 |
| Physical Information: 0.51" H x 6.04" W x 8.97" (0.63 lbs) 208 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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. |