This week we discussed the adoption of sound into films. In lecture we have went over the sound revolution in USSR, Japan, Britain as well as the USA. There was always huge debate on the use of sound after the introduction of silent films. Rene Claire, the French filmmaker has argued that cinema must remain visual at all costs while Gilbert Seldes, an American critic, believes that sound cinema is a regression to theatrical mode. Catherine Turney believes that what sound offers is that while you were in there, you were in another world. Sound films have aroused fierce debates among critics.

Sound recording is regarded as a two-edged invention and it satisfies simple curiosity. Even though some think that sound will destroy the culture of montage and broadening and strengthening montage methods is considered as the future development of cinema, sound can be directed along its distinct non-synchronization with visual images. This leads to an orchestra counterpart of visual and aural images. Sound should be treated as new montage element, which will introduce new means of enormous power to expression and will give greater possibility throughout the world of filmically expressed ideas.

There is a great difference between technical development of sound and its development as means of expression. Sound should be used to augment potential expressiveness of film’s content and this is seen exactly in the film Casablanca by Michael Curtiz. It is a great film and Michael Curtiz has utilized sound effects to add certain effects to the movie. This is what sound brings to movies. For example, the raining scene arouses sadness from the audience. Also, Curtiz utilizes different tones for characters and this had different effects. In the ending scene Humphrey and police man was using a slow and quiet tone, showing the audience that they are comfortable with what’s happening.

Different from silent film, sound film we can cut into association with image selected sounds that reveal and heighten the character of each. Sound can reveal the inner content. Sound can be made correspondent to the objective wordl and man’s perception. Sound expresses the subjective appreciation of objectivity and images are the objective part. The counterpoint is built through medium of sound which reveals the deeper potential meaning. Michael Curtiz has portrayed the Rick’s café scene where the German party starts singing a Nazi song while Victor begins to play French patriotic song. The contrast in sound demonstrates the competition between the two group and it wasn’t done with any images or dialogue. The use of sound highlights the ongoing conflict during war times. And it arouses subjective reaction from the audience towards the scenes.