article-a defense of voice-over narration

8/10/2019 Article-A Defense of Voice-Over Narration

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http://www.criterionco.com/asp/in_focus_essay.asp?id=14&eid=354

Focus Index

A Defenseand Historyof Voice-Over Narration

By Sarah Kozo!

In Spie !on"e#s $%%$ 'm (daptation) the principa' character)*har'ie +aufman ,-icho'as *ae) oes to a 'ecture onscreenwritin i0en y popu'ar authority and rea'2'ife ureoert c+ee) here impersonated y the actor rian *o6. c+eede'i0ers the standard diatrie aainst 0oice2o0er narration:

7(nd 8od he'p you if you use 0oice2o0er in your wor) my friends.8od he'p you. 9hat#s accid) s'oppy writin. (ny idiot can write a

0oice2o0er narration to e6p'ain the thouhts of a character.7

In the mo0ie) no one has the uts to deate this sweepindenunciation;c+ee is portrayed as a u''y who roos no


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pu'' up a chair in the midd'e and proceed to recount anemedded ashac or i''ustrati0e ta'eE some narratecontinuous'y.

In a sense) 'm started with third2person 0oice2o0er narration.

-ineteenth2century maic2'antern shows had een presented y'ecturers. Furin the medium#s 0ery einnins in the 'ate 1GC%s)when mo0ies consisted of Hust one unroen tae and proramswere structured y strinin se0era' of these toether) e6hiitorsa'so emp'oyed 'ecturersJ to pro0ide runnin commentaries tothe audience. (t the turn of the century) as 'ms rew 'oner andmore comp'e6) the need for 'ecturers rew rather than dec'ined.Kecturers were a standard component of no0e'ty tra0e'ine6hiitions such as the popu'ar La'e#s 9ours) which started in1C%5. 9hey reached their pea of popu'arity in the Mnited States

in the ear'y 1C1%s) ut they were soon made oso'ete yintertit'es;which a'so ser0e to narrate;as production companiesstro0e to standardi"e e6hiition practices.

Bhen sound came to the (merican cinema in the 'ate 1C$%s)roadcast radio pro0ided the immediate mode' for 0oca'narration. 9he rst sinicant use of the soundtrac for 0oice2o0er narration was in newsree's: in !anuary 1C3%) Mni0ersa' hired8raham c-amee) a prominent radio announcer andsportscaster) and too out a fu''2pae ad in Nariety addressed to

e6hiitors: -ow you can present the wor'd#s most famous radioroadcaster as the 9a'in eporter in Mni0ersa' -ewsree'.JMni0ersa'#s 'ead was soon fo''owed y other newsree' companies)most inuentia''y y 9he arch of 9ime) which started on radio in1C31) mirated to 'm in 1C35) and co0ered wor'd e0ents in itsinimita'e sty'e unti' 1C51. Its narrator) Bestroo Nan Noorhis@pictured 'eftD) ecame the archetypa') third2person 0oice of8od.J

9he ear'iest e6tensi0e use of 0oice2o0er narration in (merican

ction 'm was in 1C33#s 9he Oower and the 8'ory ,written yOreston Stures) in which a character named Lenry) uponreturnin from the funera' of his est friend) 9om 8arner ,Spencer

9racy) sets the action oin y te''in his wife the story of8arner#s 'ife) recounted o0er a series of achrono'oica'ashacs. Lenry narrates e6tensi0e'y) ridin e''ipses)commentin on e0ents) e0en speain the characters# dia'oue


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for them. *ritics and audiences at the time hera'ded the 'm#soriina'ity. (nd in her artic'e aisin +aneJ ,1CP1) Oau'ine +ae'arued that 9he Oower and the 8'ory was one of the mode's for*iti"en +ane ,1C41.

+ane inc'udes a wonderfu' parody of 9he arch of 9ime ,9hen)'ast wee) as it must to a'' men) death came to *har'es >oster+aneJ) ut in fact this 'm uses 'ess 0oice2o0er thancontemporary studio 'ms. >o''owin the 'ead of such creati0eradio dramatists as -orman *orwin) (rch Ao'er) (rchia'dacKeish) and Be''es himse'f) studios in the 'ate 1C3%s eanmain 0oice2o0er narration an intera' part of their storyte''in.(daptations of Butherin Leihts ,Bi''iam By'er) 1C3C) eecca,('fred Litchcoc) 1C4%) Low 8reen Bas y Na''ey ,!ohn >ord)1C41) 9he anicent (mersons ,Arson Be''es) 1C4$) !ane

Qyre ,oert Ste0enson) 1C44) and others used narration torep'icate the no0e's# narrati0e structures.

In the 1C4%s) women#s 'msJ and 'ms noir used 0oice2o0er toe6press their protaonists# suHecti0ity) oth enres einconcerned with the eect of the past on the present and theircharacters# radua' attainment of now'ede. In that samedecade) war 'ms adopted 0oice2o0er narration as a means ofcon0eyin oth e6position and mascu'ine authority. Oostwar)narration was particu'ar'y we'comed in a cyc'e of modest semi2

documentariesJ;such as !u'es Fassin#s 9he -aed *ity ,1C4G;and) con0erse'y) in the e6pensi0e) randiose epics 'ie Q' *id,(nthony ann) 1CR1 that tried to 'ure 0iewers away from theirte'e0ision screens with their amitious wanderins o0er historyand eoraphy.

Quropean directors) such as >rit" Kan in 8ermany) Kuis uue' inSpain) and Sacha 8uitry) !ean *octeau) and a6 AphT's in >rance)had emp'oyed 0oice2o0er si''fu''y in the decades after thecomin of sound. ut the -ew Ba0e mo0ements) with their

emphasis on rechtian techni


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1C51E ( an Qscaped) 1C5R) *hris arer ,Ka !etUe) 1CR$E SansSo'ei') 1CG3) >ranVois 9ruaut ,!u'es and !im) 1CR$E 9wo Qn'ish8ir's) 1CP1) ('ain esnais ,Liroshima) mon amour) 1C5CE Kast

ear at arienad) 1CR1) !ean2Kuc 8odard ,and of Autsiders)1CR4) pictured 'eftE 9wo or 9hree 9hins I +now (out Ler) 1CRP)

Inmar erman ,*ries and Bhispers) 1CP$) 9omWs 8utiUrre"('ea ,emories of Mnderde0e'opment) 1CRG) !irX en"e' ,*'ose'yBatched 9rains) 1CRR) and others used 0oice2o0er e6tensi0e'y)and the emrace of these auteurs e'e0ated the techniiht *'u ,1CCCE pictured riht) and(me'ie ,$%%1.

So why are we sti'' deatin the 'eitimacy of 0oice2o0er? Kiethe techni


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(rnheim) *har'ie *hap'in) Serei Qisenstein) and enU *'air)arued aainst the use of synchronous sound when it emered inthe 1C$%s) seein in speech the death of 'm art. Q0en today)reference oos and te6toos repeat ad innitum that ecause'm is a 0isua' art) speech shou'd ne0er ha0e a 'eadin ro'eE

dia'oue must a'ways e minimi"ed;ept in its p'ace.

-oZ' *arro'') for one) has cha''ened the asic assumptionsehind the specicity arument in Ohi'osophica' Oro'ems of*'assica' >i'm 9heory. ('thouh artistic media o0ious'y re'y upondistinct sin systems) this shou'd not restrict their reach. ('onwith spoen dia'oue) theater may fruitfu''y emp'oy 'ihtin) setdesin) printed sins) Hust as no0e's may uti'i"e raphic 'ayout,thin !ames !oyce#s M'ysses or i''ustration ,Ficens woredc'ose'y with his i''ustrators. any of us 0a'ue the cinema#s rane

;its ai'ity to incorporate so many aspects of other art forms.9he cinema is enriched) not watered down or po''uted y) theartistic techni


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9he e'ief that incorporatin narration is a cheap way ofpanderin ures stron'y in critica' discussion of the 1CC$director#s cut of 'ade unner ,1CG$E pictured 'eft) whichfamous'y e'iminated the 0oice2o0er added y the studio fornarrati0e c'arity o0er id'ey Scott#s oHections when the 'm was

oriina''y re'eased. 8re So'man) writin in >i'm *omment) wasone of the few re0iewers who defended the oriina' 0oice2o0er asusefu') indeed essentia') c'aimin that we can on'y understandthe new 0ersion ecause of the information we rememer fromthe studio 0ersion.

9he supposed contrast etween showinJ and te''inJ has apo'itica' dimension. Oroa'y ecause of its association withauthoritati0e) 0oice2of28od narrators) 0oice2o0er has eenchared with enforcin ideo'oica' iases) restrictin the 0iewers#

ai'ity to interpret onscreen e0ents free'y for themse'0es. 9hus)durin the apoee of direct cinema)J inuentia' documentarytheorists and 'mmaers threw o 0oice2o0er as inherent'ypatriarcha') mono'ithic) and coerci0e.

*ontemporary documentary theorists such as !erey oude'manand i'' -icho's) howe0er) arue that in many circumstancesnarration is a more forthriht) honest approach to the suHectmatter than pretendin that the represented scenes spea forthemse'0es or that editin is noncoerci0e. In this 'ine of

arument) they echo the thinin of 'iterary theorist Bayneooth) who wrote in 9he hetoric of >iction ,1CR1) Since>'auert) many authors and critics ha0e een con0inced that[oHecti0e# or [impersona'# or [dramatic# modes of narration arenatura''y superior to any mode that a''ows for direct appearancey the author or his re'ia'e spoesman. Sometimes . . . thecomp'e6 issues in0o'0ed in this shift ha0e een reduced to acon0enient distinction etween [showin)# which is artistic) and[te''in)# which is inartistic.J ooth ri''iant'y demonstrated)howe0er) that reducin o0ert mars of narration or hidin the

author#s hand are Hust 0ariant rhetorica' strateies: ShowinJ isHust as manipu'ati0e as te''in.J Qrnest Leminway is uidin hisreaders Hust as much as 8eore Q'iot;on'y more surreptitious'y.

Noice2o0er narration is no more or 'ess inherent'y 0a'ua'e orcinematic then any other e'ement of 'm. (nd when this de0ice iswe''2e6ecuted) it opens up inimita'e a0enues for 'mmaers.


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Noice2o0er is notorious'y usefu' for e\cient'y con0eyine6positiona' or historica' information) for instance. 9he Fa0idc*u''ouh2narrated seor instance)in $%%$#s (out a oy @pictured rihtD) Bi'' ,Luh 8rant) a se'f2asored ache'or) une6pected'y nds himse'f in0o'0ed with anerdy youn oy) arcus) and his manic2depressi0e mother. (fterthe rue'in e6perience of tain arcus#s mother to the hospita'after her suicide attempt) Bi''#s thouhts;in content andmetaphor;re0ea' a reat dea' aout his sha''ow se'shness:

9he thin is) a person#s 'ife is 'ie a 9N show. I was the star of 9he

Bi'' Show. (nd 9he Bi'' Show wasn#t an ensem'e drama. 8uestscame and went) ut I was the reu'ar. It came down to me andme a'one. If arcus#s mum cou'dn#t manae her own show) if herratins were fa''in) it was sad) ut that was her pro'em.M'timate'y) the who'e sin'e mum p'ot'ine was a it comp'icatedfor me.

Indeed) narration is such a powerfu' de0ice for deepenincharacteri"ations and 'eadin 0iewers to share a character#sperspecti0e that some 'm theorists see the 0oiceJ as a

counterpoint to the a"e.J *ertain'y) narration can e a too' forrantin those who historica''y ha0e een oHectied y thecamera;e..) women or minorities;the chance to spea forthemse'0es.

Noice2o0er narration can a'so add a 'e0e' of poetry to a mo0ie.ichae' Lerr#s phrasin in >rancis >ord *oppo'a#s (poca'ypse -ow,1CPCE pictured e'ow is inherent'y poetic) and artin Sheen#ssoft) itter de'i0ery maes 'ines such as) Q0eryone etse0erythin he wants. I wanted a mission) and for my sins) they

a0e me one)J memora'e and e0ocati0e.

ecause 0oice2o0er narration automatica''y creates a dou'e2'ayerin of commentary o0er 0isua' trac) it is unpara''e'ed as amechanism for creatin distance and irony. In 'ms such asad'ands ,1CP3 and aisin (ri"ona ,1CGP) 'mmaers use thecharacters# enihted comments aout their situations to point


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up their 'indness and 'imitations. Ar a third person 0oice2o0ercan spea with ironic authority aout a tria' 'ind spots) as in

9he (e of Innocence ,1CC3) when the narrator remars: It waswide'y nown in -ew or) ut ne0er acnow'eded) that(mericans want to et away from amusement e0en more i'm at Nassar *o''ee and the authorof In0isi'e Storyte''ers: Noice2A0er -arration in (merican >iction>i'm and A0erhearin >i'm Fia'oue.

article-a defense of voice-over narration

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