Narrative cinema’s “sounds of silence”: variations on the POA

Abstract

Cinema has often depicted situations in which a character encounters silence, but almost never are these depictions actually silent. The complete muting of a soundtrack is a gesture so disruptive of the movie-going norm that filmmakers, wisely, have seldom attempted it; filmmakers seeking to depict a dramatically meaningful absence of sound have often relied extensively on a sonic presence. This essay focuses on three cinematic tropes in which the idea of silence, or “quasi-silence”, is communicated by means of sound. One of these tropes deals with “quasi silence” caused by environmental factors. Another trope, usually associated with fictional characters who experience high trauma, deals with psychologically induced “quasi silence”. The third trope, widely varied in execution yet consistent in affect, represents the point of view – or, rather, the point of audition – of filmic characters whose “quasi silence” has neurological causes.