Bazin Article

Since I would like to pursue a career in sound editing for film, Andre Bazin's article, "The Evolution of the Language of Cinema," actually made me angry as I read it. His main argument is that montage is the most effective means of emotional conveyence within film itself, and all other elements are subordinate. In making this argument, I felt as if Bazin severely downplays the signifigance sound can have in film, and especially in conveying the films emotional state. He states himself that, "the cinema has at its disposal a whole arsenal of means whereby to impose its interpretation of an event on the spectator." My argument is that these means are not more important than one another, but rather, to use Eisenstein's metaphor, bricks making up a wall. Each piece, from music, to montage, and even what Bazin refers to as the "plastic" play a role in the overall meaning of the film. My best example is where would suspense or horror films be without sound? Everyone knows the sound of films like those are one of the most important aspects, and I felt as if Bazin fails to recognize this. This is only represented by his line, "sound could only play at best a subordinate and supplementary role: a counterpoint to the visual image."