To speak is to reveal one’s presence. A character held captive like Fontaine in Robert Bresson’s A Man Escaped (1955) evades detection by remaining as quiet as possible. For the film’s Criterion Commentary David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson write:

"At certain points in A Man Escaped, Bresson even lets his sound technique dominate the image. Throughout the film we are compelled to listen. Indeed, Bresson is one of a handful of directors who created complete interplay between sound and image."

The centrepiece of *Rififi* [1955] dir. Jules Dassin is a 30-minute long heist sequence notable for its lack of dialogue or music.

Reflecting off surfaces, vibrating through walls, sound desires to free itself in space. It reveals presence.

To attempt to mute any audible activity is to inevitably enter into a tension between a person and the immediate environment they inhabit. In such film scenarios the spectator is invited to actively listen to the character’s own causal listening - they’re listening of themselves and the space around them. This heightens the spectator’s sensitivity to what is audible in the film world.

Film Selection:

In a Quiet Place [2018] dir. John Krasinski
Room [2015] dir. Leonard Ian Abrahamson
Zen for Film [1965] dir. Nam June Paik
A Man Escaped ([955] dir. Robert Bresson
Rififi ([955] dir. Jules Dassin