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Sound is an integral part of the cinematic experience, but certain movies put extra emphasis on sound as a crucial part of the plot, or in some cases as a character in its own right.
Whether its a commentary on voyeurism, a subtle breaking of the fourth wall of cinema, or just a deep look at the intensely human act of “listening,” films presenting the invisible element of sound on screen are always exciting to watch.
If you’re obsessed with sound and scoring (like we kinda are), and you’re craving a flick that gives it the focus it deserves, here are five films are sure to perk up your ears.
The Conversation (1974)
Probably the definitive “film about listening,” The Conversation concerns a freelance private investigator named Harry Caul who specializes in bugging and wiretapping. Working for a mysterious client, Caul records a couple’s conversation in a crowded San Francisco park from multiple perspectives, then filters and combines the recordings to reveal an ambiguous but sinister exchange.
Much of the film takes place in Harry’s office, a locked cage full of tape machines and electronic processors inside a warehouse. As the plot progresses, the paranoid Harry, haunted by a past job that ended in multiple murders, continues to filter and refine his tape to reveal more clues. As he falls deeper into a dangerous web of deceit and murder, Harry begins to question his policy of neutrality and takes matters into his own hands.
It’s got a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s worth every second of your time.
+ Read more on Flypaper: “The Cutting Edge: 10 Film Scores That Push the Boundaries of Composition”
Blow Out (1981)
No doubt inspired by The Conversation, Brian De Palma’s Blow Out is a neo-noir thriller that features John Travolta as Jack Terry, a “sound man” tasked with recording sound effects for a campy sexploitation slasher flick, yet who witnesses (and records) a car accident that kills a presidential candidate.
After rescuing an illicit passenger from the wreck, Jack listens back to the tape, revealing a gunshot just before the accident. As Jack and his new companion get to know each other, the plot thickens and becomes a game of tape editing, copying, and evidence tampering.
Blow Out may not get everything right about sound effects editing (or police investigations), but what it lacks in authenticity, this fast-paced thriller makes up for in style and tension.
Slick cinematography in key scenes emphasizes the feeling of sound more than the actual sound effects do, and there’s plenty of vintage audio gear to drool over.
Memoria (2021)
As if you needed another reason to watch Tilda Swinton in a movie, Memoria is just as much a treat for the ears. After being startled awake by a loud noise that no one else seems to have perceived, Swinton’s character, Jessica, becomes obsessed with figuring out its source.
After hearing about a mysterious excavation project, Jessica enlists an audio engineer in an attempt to recreate the sound and figure out its provenance.
Sound designers will be delighted by (and maybe a bit critical of) the scenes where the engineer brings Jessica into a studio and uses synthesis and effects to approximate the sound Jessica can only vaguely describe — a familiar and often frustrating exercise for sound designers. But there’s much more here than mucking about in iZotope Ozone.
Memoria is an intriguing mystery full of excellent sound design that is sure to keep you watching — and of course, listening.
The Wolf’s Call (2019)
It could be said that the entire genre of submarine movies is fundamentally about listening – but The Wolf’s Call is unique in that it centers on a sonar technician (nicknamed “Socks” by his fellow seamen). Affectionately referred to as the ship’s “golden ear,” Socks displays an uncanny ability to distinguish different types of propulsion, tell fishing boats and marine life apart from military vessels, and even identify helicopter rotors above the waterline.
A tense and action-packed thriller, The Wolf’s Call has no shortage of sweat-inducing scenes featuring Socks pressing a pair of headphones to his ears as he uses the ship’s passive sonar system to “hear through” the hull and into the ocean beyond.
Is it propaganda for the French Navy? Maybe. Is it Das Boot for audio nerds? Kinda. Is it still entertaining? Definitely.
+ Read more on Flypaper: “10 Films and TV Shows With Distinctive Sonic Worlds”
The Stone Tape (1972)
The least plausible but possibly most entertaining entry on this list, The Stone Tape concerns a team of technicians working to develop a new recording medium — in a haunted Victorian mansion, as one does.
After hearing strange noises in an unrenovated room and receiving visions of a woman’s death, the team realizes that some horrible event has been preserved by the very walls of the building: a kind of stone tape, if you will.
Though the film is more than a little dated and can be quite cheesy at times, Doctor Who fans will appreciate the charmingly stuffy British dialogue, heaps of technical jargon, and retro sci-fi technology augmented by some seriously awesome analog sound design courtesy of the sonic pioneers at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
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