Having seen some examples of early sound film, like clips from The Jazz Singer and Dames, what did you think of this shift? Was it hard to watch the earlier silent films in comparison to the sound films?

Recently, we began talking about sound film. Sound, though non-visual, greatly impacts cinematic style — elements of mise-en-scène are activated by sound or produce sound; we can see it affect editing style through cutting on sound, etc. (*Remember, the sound in the earlier films we watched would have been played live by musicians in the room. There was no assurance that the right — or even appropriate — music would be played.)

Having seen some examples of early sound film, like clips from The Jazz Singer and Dames, what did you think of this shift? Was it hard to watch the earlier silent films in comparison to the sound films? Were they easier to watch to your modern eye (or ear)? Or did you enjoy the change? Did you have to get used to not having synchronous sound? How does sound impact Citizen Kane? Can you imagine it as a silent film? What would be lost? What might be the benefits of silent cinema as opposed to sound?

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