Du dépouillement surgit le silence : une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuel

Taking up the cause of Cormac McCarthy’s rigorously ascetic style in No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers’ adaptation offers several sequences where, due to the absence of words, the economy of extradiegetic music and the rarefaction of noises, the spectator finds himself confronted with a (rel...

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Main Author: Louis Daubresse
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses universitaires de Rennes 2023-02-01
Series:Revue LISA
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/15171
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author Louis Daubresse
author_facet Louis Daubresse
author_sort Louis Daubresse
collection DOAJ
description Taking up the cause of Cormac McCarthy’s rigorously ascetic style in No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers’ adaptation offers several sequences where, due to the absence of words, the economy of extradiegetic music and the rarefaction of noises, the spectator finds himself confronted with a (relative) cinematographic silence in which the slightest sound, usually imperceptible, is likely to become intelligible. We will examine in turn the dramaturgical role that this silence from the Coen movie plays in the fictional universe of No Country for Old Men, and the primary space in which it unfolds. We will also examine how the silence initiated by McCarthy is translated into audiovisual terms. We will thus study how, during the passage from the written word to the screen, certain properties are abandoned in order to better fuel others. Thanks to this film aesthetic which relies on a very limited number of attributes, our ears are pricked up, tracking down the slightest signal, while our eyes are focused on faces, bodies and setting elements which then take over the entire frame, reverting to cinematic foundations. Strictly necessary visual and auditory elements hence stem from the constancy of such poetics of minimalism: they are more than enough to create sensation and to satisfy our desire for understanding.
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spelling doaj-art-675b24a14e7d47ee8660f913ec4f6fde2025-08-20T02:45:23ZengPresses universitaires de RennesRevue LISA1762-61532023-02-012110.4000/lisa.15171Du dépouillement surgit le silence : une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuelLouis DaubresseTaking up the cause of Cormac McCarthy’s rigorously ascetic style in No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers’ adaptation offers several sequences where, due to the absence of words, the economy of extradiegetic music and the rarefaction of noises, the spectator finds himself confronted with a (relative) cinematographic silence in which the slightest sound, usually imperceptible, is likely to become intelligible. We will examine in turn the dramaturgical role that this silence from the Coen movie plays in the fictional universe of No Country for Old Men, and the primary space in which it unfolds. We will also examine how the silence initiated by McCarthy is translated into audiovisual terms. We will thus study how, during the passage from the written word to the screen, certain properties are abandoned in order to better fuel others. Thanks to this film aesthetic which relies on a very limited number of attributes, our ears are pricked up, tracking down the slightest signal, while our eyes are focused on faces, bodies and setting elements which then take over the entire frame, reverting to cinematic foundations. Strictly necessary visual and auditory elements hence stem from the constancy of such poetics of minimalism: they are more than enough to create sensation and to satisfy our desire for understanding.https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/15171silenceMcCarthy Cormacfilm adaptationCoen Ethan and Joelnoisescinematographic space
spellingShingle Louis Daubresse
Du dépouillement surgit le silence : une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuel
Revue LISA
silence
McCarthy Cormac
film adaptation
Coen Ethan and Joel
noises
cinematographic space
title Du dépouillement surgit le silence : une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuel
title_full Du dépouillement surgit le silence : une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuel
title_fullStr Du dépouillement surgit le silence : une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuel
title_full_unstemmed Du dépouillement surgit le silence : une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuel
title_short Du dépouillement surgit le silence : une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuel
title_sort du depouillement surgit le silence une adaptation sous couvert de minimalisme audiovisuel
topic silence
McCarthy Cormac
film adaptation
Coen Ethan and Joel
noises
cinematographic space
url https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/15171
work_keys_str_mv AT louisdaubresse dudepouillementsurgitlesilenceuneadaptationsouscouvertdeminimalismeaudiovisuel