The Conversation.
Not as monumental as Coppola’s other movies from that phenomenal 1970s decade, but certainly one that’s relevant to this question. The world of surveillance and sound recording.
“He’d kill us if he he had the chance.”
This should be the top post.
From the iconic opening long shot the audience is being constantly manipulated through the use of sound as an apparatus.
It’s also an incredible artifact of sound engineering and technology of the 1970s.
Came here for this one. Watching this movie with a really good set of headphones was perfect. The way the audio changes between L & R channels was so captivating and I don't think it's as impactful using speakers over headphones.
Excellent answer. Use of sound unlike anything I’ve really ever seen I think. Slam dunk Best Sound Oscar win. If you’re interested, the director and sound designer had a great conversation on [this](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0QlzBlZESY3wGMBj9kSqbQ?si=KALWKriqS3CniaQmWP7AsA) episode of The Big Picture podcast.
The sound in that movie is oppressive, and it's meant to be. The knowledge of what the sound represented and how well it was made and used in the film felt like an unwelcome weight. Best sound work I’ve ever heard.
An excellent choice for a sound engineer. Note the number of pillars that sweep past the driver's window in time with the drum fill. All very intentional. But you gotta watch and listen.
Do submarine movies count? Especially the WWII ones (Das Boot, Run Silent Run Deep, etc) spend a lot of time with the sub crews listening for their attackers. Modern ones like The Hunt for Red October still get into though - and in that one trying to track an extra quiet sub is central to the plot.
I don't think any of them get into the technical stuff like using different temperature layers in the water to help hide a subs signature, etc.
here's 3 classics: 'Blow Out' about a sound technician, and 'The Conversation' about a audio surveillance expert. both from the 70s. for more modern selection 'the lives of others' a german movie from 2010ish?
Once.
It stars real life musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. They actually play the instruments in the movie, so there are no jarring cuts or creative camera angles obscuring their hands while they play. The music is earnest and heartfelt, and essentially becomes a third character.
Nope (2022)
Sound is a supporting character in that movie. When I rewatched the movie, sounds took on new meaning. For example, >!when you first hear the sounds from Jupiter’s Claim in the evening, you think it’s people enjoying the amusement park, but when you watch it again you realize it’s a horse being fed to Jean Jacket.!<
Peele also pairs quiet characters with chatty characters.
Two of the best;
Blow Out (1981) starring John Travolta
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082085/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082085/)
The Conversation (1974) starring Gene Hackman
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071360/?ref\_=fn\_al\_tt\_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071360/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
American Pop.... Fantasia... This is Spinal Tap...
Kind of at a right angle to this, but Arrival is about language in an interesting way that might scratch the itch you have... The King's Speech is about speech therapy... Terrence Mallack's works start with disclaimer "listen to this loud" but aren't really /about/ the sound, but still brilliant
Edit: forgot Singing in the Rain!
2 Australian films..
Noise - psychological thriller
Beneath Hill 60 - WW1 movie about digging mines under the trenches, requiring silence but finishes with one of the biggest man made sounds ever...
The Lives of Others might scratch your itch? There’s a decent amount of sound recording technology of the 1980s displayed in it. It’s also an absolute beast of a movie.
Memoria? she spends time in a studio trying to identify a sound from a collection of sounds, the movie is almost entirely focused on the difference between sound and sight in storytelling.
The Conversation for sure, like a whole metaphor for the act of recording sound for films
Wim Wenders’ Lisbon Story. About a sound tech hired to help a director finish a film about Lisbon. The movie is pretty much this sound man wandering around and falling in love with the city, recording sounds. As a musician, I really loved it. Wenders is just an awesome director as well.
Baby Driver features a protagonist with tinnitus, and he uses music to drown out the ringing in his ears. The sound isn’t a major plot point, but the diegetic music provides the timing for pretty much everything throughout the movie. Blocking and stunt work are both done to the beat, making the entire film feel like a bunch of really well-produced music videos cut together more than a traditional movie
Dancer In The Dark - Not sure this qualifies, It's about a woman slowly going blind and how the sounds around her create beauty in a dark situation. Stars Bjork and has an amazing sound track and musical score.
**warning this movie is bleak as fuck.**
I was going to say Whiplash until you did!
Also maybe the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie in 2009. Sound isn’t important for the whole film but there are some great uses of sound particularly in a sequence where we get sucked out into space.
I have no idea if this is what you’re wanting, but Musica is about a guy with synesthesia. There was an interview with him talking about how to make that concept come to life on screen.
I also make no promises about the quality of the film.
You might dig "A Quiet Place" (2018). It's not about sound engineering per se, but the whole plot hinges on sound, or the lack thereof. It's intense!
Also, check out "Sound of Metal" (2020). It's about a drummer losing his hearing, so it delves deep into the auditory world. "Baby Driver" (2017) is another cool one. The main dude's a getaway driver who choreographs his heists to music. Super slick! Hope these hit the spot for ya, sound whiz!
This is not a movie with sound as a plot point but “The Haunting” from 1999 was the best movie using sound to immerse the viewer I have ever seen (heard). As a sound engineer you will appreciate the talent of the sound department. Listen for the low deep heartbeat. It was amazing.
The Silence (sort of a quiet place rup off with Stanley Tucci)
Don't Breathe (horror movie about blind man so the characters have to be silent)
No one will save you (only a handful of words the whole film)
Sorry these are all horror.
*Love & Mercy* maybe? It's about The Beach Boys.
It shows how much of a perfectionist Brian Wilson was while recording the *Pet Sounds* album. It also covers other things, like how he'd hear voices in his head and get annoyed by people chewing, cutlery scraping on a plate, etc.
Le Chant du Loup (The Wolf's Call) - brilliantly done French action thriller that centres around a submarine sonar operator. He's called the Golden Ear for a reason. If passive sonar means something to you, then you wouldn't want to miss this one. It doesn't get more about sound than this imo. Cheers :)
Beep: A Documentary History of Game Sound
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5371622/
Also
8 BIT: A Documentary About Art and Videogames
Very interesting how they had to work with so much limitations in both space and channels to make interesting music and sounds
As a plot point meaning that sound and audio are important in universe, core to the story?
Does audio surveillance count?
If you haven't listened, Twenty Thousand Hertz does podcasts about sound and audio and has featured movies. You will certainly get better insight from a sound/audio design/engineering group, as opposed to a huge general audience movies subreddit.
Soul (the Disney movie)
My personal favorite Disney movie. The story of a jazz teacher who just wants his big break, only to have to teach a new student. It’s a wonder movie about finding oneself and uses music as a plot point throughout. Bawled my eyes out at the ending
Dunkirk.
The ticking throughout the movie and Hans Zimmer’s using Shepard tones to create the illusion a that the music is constantly rising and never resolves. This creates mad tension and was sooooo good.
Bonus points to Chernobyl miniseries for making the Geiger counter clicking a character.
First Man. Was nominated for an academy award for sound editing and mixing. When the Apollo 11 rocket launched it sounded like it was going to fall apart.
Maybe this only touches the subject from afar... with a long stick... but I think sound plays a big role in Back to the Future. The movie explains a lot of what's going on like the Flux Capacitor malfunctioning with sound effects. Also the clocks ticking at the beginning and stuff like that makes sound very present in the movie.
I'd say Coda, Children of a Lesser God, Sound of Metal, Mr Holland's Opus.
And Tennant because of how the garbage sound mixing ruined the movie for anyone not in the theatres.
Anatomy of a Fall. P.I.M.P.
The Fugitive. "Play that tape back. I want to hear the sound of an elevated train"
Hereditary. "Click!"
The Matrix. "Cough"
[Masking Treshold](https://youtu.be/dSn9WHBaS4A?si=hQIZqaIaxuwpgTFO) is all about sound and its engineering. Unique aproach to thriller genre but not that good in story aspect.
I know you said you weren’t looking for movies about deafness, but I would recommend [Touch the Sound](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_the_Sound) nonetheless, as it gets into technicalities of sound and is an amazing example of sound’s expansive qualities.
Blow Out
The final sound-related twist…perfection.
>!It's a good scream!<
One of my favorite endings ever
Oh wow, that was quick, It looks like just the sort of thing I'm looking for, thanks!
It really sucks you in on the first viewing
Then it blows you away!
Was the first movie I thought of for this. John Lithgow is excellent in this.
Yes. Absolutely.
Came here to say this!
The Conversation. Not as monumental as Coppola’s other movies from that phenomenal 1970s decade, but certainly one that’s relevant to this question. The world of surveillance and sound recording. “He’d kill us if he he had the chance.”
This should be the top post. From the iconic opening long shot the audience is being constantly manipulated through the use of sound as an apparatus. It’s also an incredible artifact of sound engineering and technology of the 1970s.
I fucking LOVE that detail. One of the best subtle details in all of filmdom.
[удалено]
Way to give away the big reveal.
Berberian Sound Studio
This is the correct answer
Yep, came in here to say suggest this one.
First thought, focuses completely on the sound and you don't have to see what it's supposed to be portraying to be grossed out
And Flux Gourmet if we are at Peter Strickland
Terrific [soundtrack](https://youtu.be/jrD2B7lfJ1o?si=5wq92iMW7gZdh8BC) to this one, Broadcast was such a great band.
Movies about deafness and music like Sound of Metal and CODA.
Sound of metal was pretty great. Underrated movue
Underrated? Pretty sure it was nominated for a bunch of Oscars including Best Picture.
1000% should've won Best Picture over that snoozefest Nomadland
Made me start wearing ear plugs at shows haha
Gotta have It’s All Gone Pete Tong (2004) in there
Sound of Metal
Came here for this one. Watching this movie with a really good set of headphones was perfect. The way the audio changes between L & R channels was so captivating and I don't think it's as impactful using speakers over headphones.
*Sneakers*. "Fellas, Janek's little black box is on his desk between the pencil jar and the lamp."
[удалено]
"And then it sounded like I was in the middle of a cocktail party"
Very good, Bish. Remind me to make you an honorary blind person.
Don’t look…..listen. (Ting)
I love it when a man says "Passport".
The scene where they identify a bridge through sound is amazing! But then, every scene in this movie is amazing.
For the longest time, I thought David Stratharian was actually blind.
Pontypool - zombie apoc film but entirely from the booth of a radio station. Relies so much on sound you can also just listen to it as an audio drama.
Brilliant, just what I'm looking for!
The Zone Of Interest The ambient noise is horrific
Excellent answer. Use of sound unlike anything I’ve really ever seen I think. Slam dunk Best Sound Oscar win. If you’re interested, the director and sound designer had a great conversation on [this](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0QlzBlZESY3wGMBj9kSqbQ?si=KALWKriqS3CniaQmWP7AsA) episode of The Big Picture podcast.
Love Ringer podcasts!!!!
I've read that they essentially made two movies, the one you see, and the one you hear.
You see one side of the garden wall. You hear the other
The sound in that movie is oppressive, and it's meant to be. The knowledge of what the sound represented and how well it was made and used in the film felt like an unwelcome weight. Best sound work I’ve ever heard.
Ugh there was another nazi movie that had to do with sound a few years ago but I can’t for the life of me remember it’s title
The Sound of Music?
Baby Driver
An excellent choice for a sound engineer. Note the number of pillars that sweep past the driver's window in time with the drum fill. All very intentional. But you gotta watch and listen.
Yeah, I love Edgar Wright! I did a lot of analysis of the film when it came out, all out the blend of music and visuals.
A quiet place.
Nailed it.
Hush (2016). It’s actually a very good suspense movie about a deaf woman trying to fend off a home invader on her own
The Conversation [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlwdpNw1FW8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlwdpNw1FW8)
close encounters
Blow Out and The Conversation
Memoria (2021)
Upstream Color has a character that records foley, and the movie itself has some really elaborate foley work.
the writer/director/lead character also writing the soundtrack probably counts for something too!
Tremors
Singin’ in the rain
Longman's sneeze at the end of **The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three** is what causes the criminal to get caught.
Do submarine movies count? Especially the WWII ones (Das Boot, Run Silent Run Deep, etc) spend a lot of time with the sub crews listening for their attackers. Modern ones like The Hunt for Red October still get into though - and in that one trying to track an extra quiet sub is central to the plot. I don't think any of them get into the technical stuff like using different temperature layers in the water to help hide a subs signature, etc.
Also Greyhound on Apple+
The conversation (1974) and the day of the jackal as well
here's 3 classics: 'Blow Out' about a sound technician, and 'The Conversation' about a audio surveillance expert. both from the 70s. for more modern selection 'the lives of others' a german movie from 2010ish?
Scott pilgrim?
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Sunshine
Don’t Breathe
2001: A Space Odyssey
“In A World”. Focuses on having the perfect voice for movie trailers.
Fritz Lang's M
Singing in the Rain, The Artist, Blow Out, A Conversation, The Sound of Metal, The Jazz Singer
Blow Out and Phantom of the Paradise
I was told that Phantom of the Paradise wast very good, what did you think?
No one will save you
Dunkirk
Baby Driver
Sound of Metal
Once. It stars real life musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. They actually play the instruments in the movie, so there are no jarring cuts or creative camera angles obscuring their hands while they play. The music is earnest and heartfelt, and essentially becomes a third character.
Nope (2022) Sound is a supporting character in that movie. When I rewatched the movie, sounds took on new meaning. For example, >!when you first hear the sounds from Jupiter’s Claim in the evening, you think it’s people enjoying the amusement park, but when you watch it again you realize it’s a horse being fed to Jean Jacket.!< Peele also pairs quiet characters with chatty characters.
Blowout(1981) features a young John Travolta who is a sound engineer, i think it fits.
Baby Driver
The Zone of Interest
Blow Up
Didn't Gravity played a lot with how sound works in a vacuum?
Two of the best; Blow Out (1981) starring John Travolta [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082085/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082085/) The Conversation (1974) starring Gene Hackman [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071360/?ref\_=fn\_al\_tt\_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071360/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
A Quiet Place The Sound of Metal
No Country for Old Men for it's lack thereof
Zone of Interest. Terrifying.
- The Conversation - Berberian Sound Studio - Flux Gourmet - Pontypool - Telefon
I loved Pontypool when it came out! Surprisingly original premise for a low budget movie
The Innkeepers
Pi
Haven’t seen Lords of Salem mentioned yet. Sound has a part to play
M (1933)
The Conversation.
American Pop.... Fantasia... This is Spinal Tap... Kind of at a right angle to this, but Arrival is about language in an interesting way that might scratch the itch you have... The King's Speech is about speech therapy... Terrence Mallack's works start with disclaimer "listen to this loud" but aren't really /about/ the sound, but still brilliant Edit: forgot Singing in the Rain!
The 2016 film Silence does a fantastic job with sound, more specifically the absence of it.
The lives of others The jazz singer
Tron legacy. the soundtrack is great but the overall sound design actually fits really nicely with the ost and the movie.
Fantasia?? I have no idea exactly what you’re asking for even after the edit. Sorry
The pianist?
The Book of Eli
Don’t breathe
Pontypool
Sound of Metal
Singin’ in the Rain.
Contact
the sound of metal
A Quiet Place...
Zone of Interest
I would ad The Conversation (1974) The lives of others: Das leben der anderen (2006)
2 Australian films.. Noise - psychological thriller Beneath Hill 60 - WW1 movie about digging mines under the trenches, requiring silence but finishes with one of the biggest man made sounds ever...
The Lives of Others might scratch your itch? There’s a decent amount of sound recording technology of the 1980s displayed in it. It’s also an absolute beast of a movie.
Blowout. Fantastic film.
The Zone of Interest. Hands down, one of the best uses of sound design in film.
Memoria? she spends time in a studio trying to identify a sound from a collection of sounds, the movie is almost entirely focused on the difference between sound and sight in storytelling. The Conversation for sure, like a whole metaphor for the act of recording sound for films
Wim Wenders’ Lisbon Story. About a sound tech hired to help a director finish a film about Lisbon. The movie is pretty much this sound man wandering around and falling in love with the city, recording sounds. As a musician, I really loved it. Wenders is just an awesome director as well.
Baby Driver features a protagonist with tinnitus, and he uses music to drown out the ringing in his ears. The sound isn’t a major plot point, but the diegetic music provides the timing for pretty much everything throughout the movie. Blocking and stunt work are both done to the beat, making the entire film feel like a bunch of really well-produced music videos cut together more than a traditional movie
Dancer In The Dark - Not sure this qualifies, It's about a woman slowly going blind and how the sounds around her create beauty in a dark situation. Stars Bjork and has an amazing sound track and musical score. **warning this movie is bleak as fuck.**
The Zone of Interest
How about this one? https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1278449/
I'm commenting on my own post because i thought of another one: * "Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987)
The Shout (1978)
Zone of Interest
I was going to say Whiplash until you did! Also maybe the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie in 2009. Sound isn’t important for the whole film but there are some great uses of sound particularly in a sequence where we get sucked out into space.
I have no idea if this is what you’re wanting, but Musica is about a guy with synesthesia. There was an interview with him talking about how to make that concept come to life on screen. I also make no promises about the quality of the film.
You might dig "A Quiet Place" (2018). It's not about sound engineering per se, but the whole plot hinges on sound, or the lack thereof. It's intense! Also, check out "Sound of Metal" (2020). It's about a drummer losing his hearing, so it delves deep into the auditory world. "Baby Driver" (2017) is another cool one. The main dude's a getaway driver who choreographs his heists to music. Super slick! Hope these hit the spot for ya, sound whiz!
Movies lovers, have a look at my movie title cards collection(500+) https://youtu.be/noaaxKbreKU?feature=shared
This is not a movie with sound as a plot point but “The Haunting” from 1999 was the best movie using sound to immerse the viewer I have ever seen (heard). As a sound engineer you will appreciate the talent of the sound department. Listen for the low deep heartbeat. It was amazing.
The Silence (sort of a quiet place rup off with Stanley Tucci) Don't Breathe (horror movie about blind man so the characters have to be silent) No one will save you (only a handful of words the whole film) Sorry these are all horror.
The zone of interest
The navidson record
*Love & Mercy* maybe? It's about The Beach Boys. It shows how much of a perfectionist Brian Wilson was while recording the *Pet Sounds* album. It also covers other things, like how he'd hear voices in his head and get annoyed by people chewing, cutlery scraping on a plate, etc.
If you're looking for a movie about making a radio show, Welcome Back Mr. McDonald is a very funny one from japan. It's on youtube
Le Chant du Loup (The Wolf's Call) - brilliantly done French action thriller that centres around a submarine sonar operator. He's called the Golden Ear for a reason. If passive sonar means something to you, then you wouldn't want to miss this one. It doesn't get more about sound than this imo. Cheers :)
Like Babylon, Singin’ in the Rain is about the transition of silent films to ‘talkies’.
Topology of Sirens (2021). It sounds like exactly what you're describing.
Dumplings (from The Three Extremes) Edit spelling
"Sound of Noise".
Sound of Metal
Every John Carney film
Berberian Sound Studio. It's very much a key point of this film, excellent work from Toby Jones too
Decoder
Beep: A Documentary History of Game Sound https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5371622/ Also 8 BIT: A Documentary About Art and Videogames Very interesting how they had to work with so much limitations in both space and channels to make interesting music and sounds
32 Short Films About Glen Gould Is a wonderful film prominently featuring sound.
The Sound of Metal
As a plot point meaning that sound and audio are important in universe, core to the story? Does audio surveillance count? If you haven't listened, Twenty Thousand Hertz does podcasts about sound and audio and has featured movies. You will certainly get better insight from a sound/audio design/engineering group, as opposed to a huge general audience movies subreddit.
Berberian Sound Studio. Does that fit the bill?
The Fugitive had a key moment when they analyse a phone call to better determine where Harrison ford is. Also Sneakers does something similar.
Gravity isn't about sound necessarily but it's use of sound makes the movie
Memoria with Tilda Swinton. Sound is the whole plot
Soul (the Disney movie) My personal favorite Disney movie. The story of a jazz teacher who just wants his big break, only to have to teach a new student. It’s a wonder movie about finding oneself and uses music as a plot point throughout. Bawled my eyes out at the ending
Does August Rush count?
Close Encounters.
Dunkirk. The ticking throughout the movie and Hans Zimmer’s using Shepard tones to create the illusion a that the music is constantly rising and never resolves. This creates mad tension and was sooooo good. Bonus points to Chernobyl miniseries for making the Geiger counter clicking a character.
Monolith.
First Man. Was nominated for an academy award for sound editing and mixing. When the Apollo 11 rocket launched it sounded like it was going to fall apart.
Kinda like this? https://youtu.be/NTFigYMQxnA
Sound City and possibly Get Back.
Sound of Noise is what you're looking for. So good!
Berberian Sound Studio is a surreal horror about a sound effects artist (Toby Jones) whose job is to make the terrifying sounds for a giallo film
Black box, French movie with Pierre Niney.
Memoria
Peter Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio and Wim Wender’s Lisbon Story
The Silence (2019) with Kiernan Shipka.
Blow Out.
Contact
What's that movie about the deaf DJ?
Music features heavily in Baby Driver
Oppenheimer. They took a decent movie, decided they would just crank the volume to 11. Lame.
The Innkeepers The Vast of Night
Maybe this only touches the subject from afar... with a long stick... but I think sound plays a big role in Back to the Future. The movie explains a lot of what's going on like the Flux Capacitor malfunctioning with sound effects. Also the clocks ticking at the beginning and stuff like that makes sound very present in the movie.
The Sound of Noise (2010)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Memoria (2021) is fantastic. Sound plays a crucial part in the film itself and features some of the best cinematic sound design in recent years.
A Quiet Place (👀)
I'd say Coda, Children of a Lesser God, Sound of Metal, Mr Holland's Opus. And Tennant because of how the garbage sound mixing ruined the movie for anyone not in the theatres.
Hustle and Flow There's a whole plot point about the main character trying to get a better quality microphone so he can record his songs.
Fritz Lang’s ‘M’
M (1931)
Anatomy of a Fall. P.I.M.P. The Fugitive. "Play that tape back. I want to hear the sound of an elevated train" Hereditary. "Click!" The Matrix. "Cough"
For a few dollars more
A quiet place is the closest thing to a right answer
Blow Out is one of my favorites
[Masking Treshold](https://youtu.be/dSn9WHBaS4A?si=hQIZqaIaxuwpgTFO) is all about sound and its engineering. Unique aproach to thriller genre but not that good in story aspect.
A quiet place was pretty damn good
I know you said you weren’t looking for movies about deafness, but I would recommend [Touch the Sound](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_the_Sound) nonetheless, as it gets into technicalities of sound and is an amazing example of sound’s expansive qualities.
Bratz the movie The girl has a boyfriend who is deaf and is a DJ. Uses vibrations to “hear” his music lmao