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Silence Studies in the Cinema and the Case of Abbas Kiarostami

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Silence Studies in the Cinema and the Case of Abbas Kiarostami SILENCE STUDIES IN THE CINEMA AND THE CASE OF ABBAS KIAROSTAMI by Babak Tabarraee M.A., Tehran University of Art, 2007 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Film Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) January 2013 © Babak Tabarraee, 2013 Abstract This thesis is an attempt to formulate a systematic framework for ‘silence studies’ in the cinema by defining silence in pragmatic terms and suggesting different forms of filmic silence. As an illustration of my model, I examine the variety of silences in the works of Abbas Kiarostami, a notable figure of Art Cinema. The analytical approach suggested here can further be applied to the works of many other Art Cinema auteurs, and, by extension, to other cinematic modes as well, for a better understanding of the functions, implications, and consequences of various forms of silence in the cinema. Chapter 1 provides a working and pragmatic description of silence, applicable to both film and other communicative forms of art. Chapter 2 represents a historical study of some of the major writings about silence in the cinema. Chapter 3 introduces, exemplifies, and analyzes the acoustic silences in the films of Kiarostami, including the five categories of complete , partial (uncovered; covered with noise, music, or perspective), character/dialogue , language , and music silences. Chapter 4 introduces the concept of meta-silence and its trans-sensorial perceptions in communication and in arts, and then defines the four categories of the visual , character/image , narrative , and political silences in Kiarostami’s oeuvre. In the conclusion, some of the powers of silence in the cinema of Kiarostami are discussed. The narrative, ethical, philosophical, and aesthetic dimensions of silence in Kiarostami make it possible to define his cinema as one based in, and dependent on, silence. ii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Pictures .............................................................................................................................. vii List of Diagrams ........................................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION: Art Cinema and the Art of Silence .........................................................................1 The Art of Silence ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Art Cinema ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Silence Studies in Practice: The Structure of the Thesis ........................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 1: What We Talk About When We Talk About Silence .................................................... 11 1.1 Towards a Working Definition: Silence Impossible ........................................................................... 12 1.2 Definitions: Semantics and Etymology ............................................................................................. 16 1.3 A Pragmatic Overview ....................................................................................................................... 19 1.3.1 Emerging from the Void ................................................................................................................. 19 1.3.2 Jakobson’s Legacy .......................................................................................................................... 26 1.3.3 Markedness Theory ....................................................................................................................... 29 1.3.4 Recent Approaches: Kurzon and Ephratt ....................................................................................... 33 1.4 Looking for a Definition ..................................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 2: Silence in the Cinema: An Acoustic Overview ............................................................. 40 2.1 Formal Silence: Intentional and Systemic ......................................................................................... 41 2.2 Silence in Cinema: A Brief History ..................................................................................................... 43 2.2.1 Cycles of Dominance ...................................................................................................................... 43 2.2.2 Silence in Film Theory: Early Manifestos ....................................................................................... 45 2.2.3 Sparse Views and a Lack of Coherent Theories ............................................................................. 48 2.3 Michel Chion’s Project ...................................................................................................................... 53 2.3.1 Silence and The Voice in Cinema ................................................................................................... 54 2.3.2 Audio-Vision: Sound Zones, Acousmêtre, and Listening Modes ................................................... 55 2.4 Jean-Luc Nancy’s Listening ................................................................................................................ 59 2.5 Theory in Practice: Two Examples of Using Silence as the Main Approach in Writing on Cinema .. 61 2.5.1 Sample 1: Silence in an Auteur’s Oeuvre ....................................................................................... 61 iii 2.5.2 Sample 2: Silence in a Single Film .................................................................................................. 64 2.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER 3: Acoustic Silences in the Cinema of Abbas Kiarostami .................................................. 70 3.1 The Significance of Abbas Kiarostami ............................................................................................... 71 3.2 Complete Silence ( The Chorus , Homework , Close-Up ) ..................................................................... 73 3.3 Partial Silences .................................................................................................................................. 81 3.3.1 UPS: Uncovered Partial Silence ...................................................................................................... 81 3.3.2 CPS: Covered Partial Silences ......................................................................................................... 82 3.3.2.1 Noise CPS .................................................................................................................................... 83 3.3.2.2 Music CPS .................................................................................................................................... 84 3.3.2.3 Audio/Visual Perspective CPS ..................................................................................................... 86 3.4 Character/Dialogue Silence ............................................................................................................... 88 3.5 Language Silence ............................................................................................................................... 91 3.6 Music Silence..................................................................................................................................... 92 3.7 Conclusion: The Diagram of Acoustic Silences and the Case of Taste of Cherry .............................. 93 CHAPTER 4: Non-Acoustic Silences in the cinema of Abbas Kiarostami ........................................... 97 4.1 Meta-Silence ..................................................................................................................................... 98 4.2 Meta-Silence in Kiarostami’s Poems and Photographs .................................................................. 101 4.3 Kiarostami on Kiarostami: Authorial Silence ................................................................................... 106 4.4 Visual Silence................................................................................................................................... 113 4.4.1 Complete Visual Silence ............................................................................................................... 114 4.4.2 Partial Visual Silence .................................................................................................................... 116 4.5 Character/Image Silence ................................................................................................................. 118 4.6 Narrative Silence
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