Sound Technique in a Sequence from Godards Alphaville :: Godard Alphaville Essays

Sound Technique in a Sequence from Godard's Alphaville What is love? It is an abstract concept, a feeling, a sensibility. Perhaps it is impossible to explain without defining it through observable examples. In film, this is often the way in which the concept of love is explored: definition is established through the words, the looks, and the touches of couples who are engaged in love relationships that are identified as such by a narrative. However, such definitions are bound within the narrative spaces in which they are established; they do not convey a general understanding of what love is. In order to develop a more general definition of the concept, a film must illustrate and discuss it in a manner that transcends narrative boundaries. A sequence in Godard’s Alphaville does this very successfully. Various formal techniques, particularly in the sound track, are employed to remove this sequence from the narrative flow, and the discussion of love that takes place in this part of the film occupies a space that is shared between th e characters, filmmaker, and viewer. The context of this discussion is such that the definition of love is granted a generic currency. The sequence serves as an interlude in the diegesis of the film in which the filmmaker attempts to explore and express a universal truth. The interlude begins with silence. This is the major feature that distinguishes the sequence from the rest of the film: as Natasha turns her gaze to the window all ambient sound dies down, and as it diminishes, so too does the sense of narrative space that has been maintained up until this moment. At this point we experience a suspension of our presence within the narrative space, and we are relocated to a position of distant observation. Soon, a woman’s voice begins to utter lines of poetry. We assume it to be the voice of Natasha, although we do not see her speaking. The voice is rhythmic and languid, and it seems to be very close to us. The voice gives the impression of direct address: it seems to be speaking to us. This sense is supported by the images that compose the visual track: in these, no listener is identified. The images seem to illustrate the information being presented in the audio track. Shots of Natasha and Lemmy are edited together and lit in such a way that they seem to disappear and reappear in a rhythm that mirrors the verbal pulse of the voiceover: ‘Light that goes†¦light that returns. Sound Technique in a Sequence from Godard's Alphaville :: Godard Alphaville Essays Sound Technique in a Sequence from Godard's Alphaville What is love? It is an abstract concept, a feeling, a sensibility. Perhaps it is impossible to explain without defining it through observable examples. In film, this is often the way in which the concept of love is explored: definition is established through the words, the looks, and the touches of couples who are engaged in love relationships that are identified as such by a narrative. However, such definitions are bound within the narrative spaces in which they are established; they do not convey a general understanding of what love is. In order to develop a more general definition of the concept, a film must illustrate and discuss it in a manner that transcends narrative boundaries. A sequence in Godard’s Alphaville does this very successfully. Various formal techniques, particularly in the sound track, are employed to remove this sequence from the narrative flow, and the discussion of love that takes place in this part of the film occupies a space that is shared between th e characters, filmmaker, and viewer. The context of this discussion is such that the definition of love is granted a generic currency. The sequence serves as an interlude in the diegesis of the film in which the filmmaker attempts to explore and express a universal truth. The interlude begins with silence. This is the major feature that distinguishes the sequence from the rest of the film: as Natasha turns her gaze to the window all ambient sound dies down, and as it diminishes, so too does the sense of narrative space that has been maintained up until this moment. At this point we experience a suspension of our presence within the narrative space, and we are relocated to a position of distant observation. Soon, a woman’s voice begins to utter lines of poetry. We assume it to be the voice of Natasha, although we do not see her speaking. The voice is rhythmic and languid, and it seems to be very close to us. The voice gives the impression of direct address: it seems to be speaking to us. This sense is supported by the images that compose the visual track: in these, no listener is identified. The images seem to illustrate the information being presented in the audio track. Shots of Natasha and Lemmy are edited together and lit in such a way that they seem to disappear and reappear in a rhythm that mirrors the verbal pulse of the voiceover: ‘Light that goes†¦light that returns.