1931
Voices · Off-screen worlds · Recording & playback
M
Directed by Fritz Lang
A murderer's whistle enters the film before he does; voice, repetition and off-screen sound turn recognition itself into suspense.
Way of listening
Recording & playback.
What changes when a sound is captured, replayed and interpreted?
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1974
Recording & playback · Subjective listening · Distortion
The Conversation
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
A recorded sentence changes meaning each time it is filtered and replayed; surveillance sound becomes an unstable projection of the listener's guilt.
1981
Recording & playback · Subjective listening · Sound–image contradiction
Blow Out
Directed by Brian De Palma
A gunshot hidden inside a tyre blowout becomes audible evidence; recording, synchronisation and editing turn listening into political investigation.