The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk Backdrop Blur
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk Poster

The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk

Film historians, and survivors from the nearly 30-year struggle to bring sound to motion pictures take the audience from the early failed attempts by scientists and inventors, to the triumph of the talkies.

Top Cast

  • Scott Eyman

    Scott Eyman

    Self

  • Rudy Behlmer

    Rudy Behlmer

    Self

  • Robert Gitt

    Robert Gitt

    Self

  • Jonathan Kuntz

    Jonathan Kuntz

    Self

  • A.C. Lyles

    A.C. Lyles

    Self

  • Ben Burtt

    Ben Burtt

    Self

  • Leonard Maltin

    Leonard Maltin

    Self

  • Vince Giordano

    Vince Giordano

    Self

  • Rose Marie

    Rose Marie

    Self

Overview

Film historians, and survivors from the nearly 30-year struggle to bring sound to motion pictures take the audience from the early failed attempts by scientists and inventors, to the triumph of the talkies.

Rating

7.0 / 10
5 Reviews
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Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.

Visions of Light

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