THE SOUNDMAN plods along with a mercifully brief look at the origin of sound in the movies with some actual scenes of early talkies and how a few of them were made. Funniest bit shows the actors (playing criminals)gathered around a table where the mike is hidden inside a telephone. Lines are delivered very slowly and actors react in dumb fashion to the plans. Then the first western to use sound, IN OLD ARIZONA with Warner Baxter and a slew of other films like THE JAZZ SINGER and LIGHTS OF NEW YORK.
Technicians are shown playing with the various controls and knobs that separate the sounds for individual control before being aligned on one strip of film.
Summing up: A clumsy attempt to show how sound is produced on film and not particularly engaging.
Technicians are shown playing with the various controls and knobs that separate the sounds for individual control before being aligned on one strip of film.
Summing up: A clumsy attempt to show how sound is produced on film and not particularly engaging.