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BRIGHTON FESTIVAL: 32 Sounds – Brighton Corn Exchange

Reviewer: Thom Punton

Directed and presented by: Sam Green

With a film that celebrates the wonder of sound, it feels entirely apt to listen to it, as we did tonight, through a pair of headphones ; even better, to get to share this experience with a theatre of others, the film projected on a large screen, with the filmmaker himself providing live narration. It may be the perfect format for a beautifully shot, pensive and personal exploration of the audible world.

32 Sounds by Sam Green is a lyrical portrait of all the different forms of information our ears take in. It explores the stories and science behind our hearing apparatuses, from humble ears to high-tech recording and playback methods, using the loose framework of 32 particularly meaningful sounds. These include a recording from within the womb (where it all starts), the plaintive mating call of the last known bird of a particular species, recordings of answer phones messages, church bells, crashing waves, buzzing drones, but we lose count as we linger on the people Green has met along the way. It’s just as much about the people who resonate with the vibrations of the sounds as the sounds themselves.

The role of the filmmaker in the piece is of course prominent tonight because he is there providing the voiceover live. We also see him interviewing composers, an American exile in Cuba, a foghorn enthusiast, and there’s an almost shy presence of Green’s personal life peeking through alongside, but never overshadowing, the people who have a connection to the sounds he’s spotlighting. Green’s voice is soothing and crystal clear in the headphones provided. He’s friendly and conversational but everything he says is precisely timed with the film. It gives the effect of something that has been lovingly crafted, and it feels like he really wants us to have the best experience of his stunning documentary. There’s even a brief recess while the audience is invited to come up to the stage and experience the power of his subwoofers through the medium of I Feel Love by Donna Summer and some thundering dub.

The headphones come into their own in particular with the binaural recordings. These are recorded with microphones that mimic exactly how a human receives soundwaves, and in the headphones you get a real sense of directionality that you wouldn’t get in any normal cinema, no matter how surround sound the speakers are. In fact, it’s a much better way to watch a film – perfect audio without the distracting rustling and bustling of the people around you in the theatre.

There’s a Koyaanisqatsi feel with montages of shots from around the world with twinkling music provided by JD Samson. In fact Philip Glass appears looking moody at various points in the film without actually saying anything. Maybe he had nothing interesting to say? We do meet, however, plenty of people with emotionally resonant insights on the majesty of sound. It’s a charming and profound film, and it’s a pleasure to experience it in such high fidelity.

Reviewed on 22 May 2024

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Profound sound

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