Bergman's Persona - Opening Sequence

An excellent example of the additive power of sound is Ingmar Bergman's film Persona.



The opening 5 minutes of Persona is analysed in Michel Chion's book Audio - Vision. I highly recommend this book as it has helped me appreciate all the different relationships that can be constructed between sound and image in film. In this sequence Chion makes a particularly strong case for sound's strength in creating an unsettling and disturbing mood, when accompanying the images. The fact that most of the sound through this sequence is asynchronous to the image is a perfect example of enticing audience participation in building the relationships between sight and sound, and in my view, this gives a real emotional depth to the piece through active listening and viewing.

This sequence is deffinately a good example for me to study for Broken Bottles as all of the sound in Broken Bottles is asynchronous, so creating relationships between the images and the sound is a key component to the strength of this film. The shots in Broken Bottles are beautifully composed, so I have to be really sensitive with the choice of sounds and to the wishes of Gary the director.

Btw, Chion, in his book, didn't mention that dong that pops up, but then again, blink and you'll miss it. Reminds me of David Fincher's Fight Club.