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.