The Soundtracks of Australian Transcultural Cinema: Re-Sounding the Past
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The soundtracks of Australian transcultural cinema: re-sounding the past Anne Barnes A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Arts and Media University of New South Wales Australia 2014 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Barnes First name: Annette Other name/s: Louise Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: Arts and Media Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences Title: The soundtracks of Australian transcultural cinema: re-sounding the past Abstract This thesis addresses a gap in current scholarship on Australian cinema by highlighting the role of the soundtrack in what I call an Australian transcultural cinema. I argue that the iconic sounds belonging to the national cinema from the 1970s and 1980s are variously repositioned, silenced and manipulated in the more recent transcultural cinema in ways that critically re-sound Australia’s history. I develop three concepts – the sonic fetish, sonic artefact and sonic spectre – that codify and help explain why sounds hold certain meaning and are stored in bodily ways and in memory. Providing a method for listening to the soundtracks of transcultural cinema, I argue that soundtracks need to be broken down and listened to as sound events and that silence should be recognised for the powerful role it plays in a film soundtrack. By examining the development of the film sound industry in Australia, I highlight the reasons why the soundtrack is an integral element in recent Australian films. My argument is supported by interview material from interviews I conducted with some of Australia’s most respected filmmakers, sound professionals, educators and industry personnel for this project. To support my find- ings I provide a series of close listenings of films that include: Walkabout (Roeg 1971), Picnic at Hanging Rock (Weir 1975), The Sound of One Hand Clapping (Flanagan 1998), Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy (Moffatt 1989), and Samson and Delilah (Thornton 2009b). I conceptualise Australian transcultural cinema as a genre that draws from global and cultural influences, where boundaries are blurred and meanings take on new shapes and forms. I highlight how this cinema makes use of the sonic semantic markers and syntactic elements of the road movie, melodrama and Gothic genres to tell stories that cut across the Australian landscape and chal- lenge ideals and representations of Australian society, home and family. I argue that the Gothic, operating as a mode and generated by the soundtrack, underpins the melodrama and the road movie in Australian transcultural cinema. Through my examination of sound in Australian cinema, I argue that, largely driven by the soundtrack, Australian transcul- tural cinema generates and can resurrect sociological hauntings and in doing so, sounds out Australia’s ghostly remains. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in DissertationAbstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). ………………………………………………… ……………………………………..…… ……….……………………... Signature Witness Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: Originality Statement ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of mate- rial which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribu- tion made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….................. Copyright Statement “I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International. I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.” Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….................. Authenticity Statement “I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.” Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….................. Abstract This thesis addresses a gap in current scholarship on Australian cinema by highlighting the role of the soundtrack in what I call an Australian transcultural cinema. I argue that the iconic sounds belonging to the national cinema from the 1970s and 1980s are var- iously repositioned, silenced and manipulated in the more recent transcultural cinema in ways that critically re-sound Australia’s history. I develop three concepts – the sonic fetish, sonic artefact and sonic spectre – that codify and help explain why sounds hold certain meaning and are stored in bodily ways and in memory. Providing a method for listening to the soundtracks of transcultural cinema, I argue that soundtracks need to be broken down and listened to as sound events and that silence should be recognised for the powerful role it plays in a film soundtrack. By examining the development of the film sound industry in Australia, I high- light the reasons why the soundtrack is an integral element in recent Australian films. My argument is supported by interview material from interviews I conducted with some of Australia’s most respected filmmakers, sound professionals, educators and industry personnel for this project. To support my findings I provide a series of close listenings of films that include:Walkabout (Roeg 1971), Picnic at Hanging Rock (Weir 1975), The Sound of One Hand Clapping (Flanagan 1998), Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy (Moffatt 1989), and Samson and Delilah (Thornton 2009b). I conceptualise Australian transcultural cinema as a genre that draws from global and cultural influences, where boundaries are blurred and meanings take on new shapes and forms. I highlight how this cinema makes use of the sonic semantic markers and syntactic elements of the road movie, melodrama and Gothic genres to tell stories that cut across the Australian landscape and challenge ideals and representations of Australi- an society, home and family. I argue that the Gothic, operating as a mode and generated by the soundtrack, underpins the melodrama and the road movie in Australian transcul- tural cinema. Through my examination of sound in Australian cinema, I argue that, largely driven by the soundtrack, Australian transcultural cinema generates and can resurrect sociological hauntings and in doing so, sounds out Australia’s ghostly remains. I Acknowledgements I would like to thank Jodi Brooks for the quality of her supervision, including her generosity and exacting, challenging and rigorous mentorship. I am also grateful for the encouragement of Jane Mills whose tutorage, enthusiasm for this thesis and fresh ideas were beneficial and welcome in the final stages of my thesis writing. My thanks go to Greg Dolgopolov for our shared conversations and his questions and ideas in the early stages of this work. Chapters four and five could not have been written without the generosity and expertise of the sound professionals, filmmakers and industry personnel who shared their time, ideas and knowledge with me. I acknowledge with warmth and respect those who have made and continue to create the soundtracks of New Zealand and Australian films; many of my original ideas were generated by conversations with, and the mentorship I received from, these skilful and diligent filmmakers. This thesis has benefited from the patience and critical eye of Marie-Louise Taylor and from her scrupulous and precise copy-editing skills. Special mention goes to Rosita Rawnley-Mason who offered her graphic-design skills and has formulated this thesis into a well-presented and cohesive document. The support and patience of my family, friends and work colleagues over the years needs to be acknowledged with deep thanks. Finally, I wish to thank my partner, Shirley Hamilton, for her continual support over the time I have been writing my thesis and for taking on the role of PhD widow with little hesitancy and such grace.