On the Use of Sound in The American

This quiet existential character driven drama was marketed as an action thriller in America to bring in the crowds and to give credit where it is due, it was a financially successful move as it opened at number one. Yet this is far from accurate advertising. The American has little action and few thrills. Instead, what it has in abundance is atmosphere. As expected this is achieved through photographer turned director Anton Corbijn’s use of light and framing; he brought the same sense of atmosphere to his first feature, Control (2007). Another technical tool The American uses to its credit is sound.

The gentle piano score, the echoes of footsteps around the claustrophobic Italian village, the silence, are all used to great effect to build tension. There are many scenes of the American watching the passing village life, or observing those he suspects. These scenes are accompanied by quiet background noise or none at all and further suggest his loneliness is a product of a self imposed isolation. After all, he chose this life and as we see earlier, becoming close to people is not a skill he possesses. The narrow cobbled streets exacerbate all the sound that passes over them. Where an American thriller would have required fast paced music to build the tension, The American relies on a steady beat of footsteps, followed by silence to achieve the same effect.

The use of sound is highlighted even more by the lack of dialogue. Clooney’s protagonist, Jack, is a taciturn man who rarely starts a conversation and contributes little when in one. Surprisingly, when there is dialogue it falls flat and seems incongruous with the film, which is far more like a nouvelle vague character piece, than an action thriller staring one of America’s most popular actors. The American is far from perfect. In addition to the flat dialogue, the surrounding characters feel too one dimensional (with the exception of Clara who’s presence is always welcome). Yet the technical aspects of this film are to be admired and the careful employment of sound (including silence) illustrates how less can be more when used intelligently.