Use of Sound in Sous Les Toits de Paris
The coming of sound, although it was very popular with the audience, was not welcomed by everyone. Many saw the technical innovation as a barbaric intrusion to silent cinema. Among those people was Renée Clair, a French director of the thirties, extremely popular internationally. Like many others, he dreaded the arrival of sound however, because the public’s demand for talkies was so strong, he had no choice but to adapt to modern times. However his use of sound is quite particular and very interesting to consider in relation to his view on the subject matter. For this essay we will explore his first talking film, Sous les toits de Paris (1930) that illustrates very well the director’s critical attitude towards sound. To get a broader understanding about what the filmmaker was trying to achieve, we will look more deeply into one sequence of the film. The chosen extract takes place late in the film, when Albert gets into a fight with a gang in the dark streets of Paris. We will analyse the relationship between sound and image and draw conclusions on Clair’s particular use of sound.
The arrival of sound was massively successful, talkies becoming a huge business, millions and millions being invested in the industry of film. Renée Clair foresaw it; there was no going back and no one could stop the “triumphant march of the talking film”.1 Originally the French director though the film sonore was the best approach to filmmaking. According to him, these films could “create an illusion of “reality” less harmful for the art than the talking film”.2 This notion of realism brought by sound was what the public demanded, however some filmmakers perceived it as a danger to the imagination usually fostered by the world of moving images. Unfortunately for these people, because films sonore were only half using sound, the public was only half satisfied. Economic reasons forced Clair to use sound, however he managed to do it in a way quite different from his counterparts’. His
The arrival of sound was massively successful, talkies becoming a huge business, millions and millions being invested in the industry of film. Renée Clair foresaw it; there was no going back and no one could stop the “triumphant march of the talking film”.1 Originally the French director though the film sonore was the best approach to filmmaking. According to him, these films could “create an illusion of “reality” less harmful for the art than the talking film”.2 This notion of realism brought by sound was what the public demanded, however some filmmakers perceived it as a danger to the imagination usually fostered by the world of moving images. Unfortunately for these people, because films sonore were only half using sound, the public was only half satisfied. Economic reasons forced Clair to use sound, however he managed to do it in a way quite different from his counterparts’. His
Bibliography: Clair, René. “The art of sound” in ElisabethWeis & John Belton. (eds). Film Sound (NY: Columbia university press, 1985): 92-96 Filmography Under the roofs of Paris. Dir. René Clair. Boying, 1930. Film