In this course we will investigate the relationship between the soundtrack and the image in a variety of films ranging from the "silent" era to the present. Our discussion of the soundtrack will emphasize the importance of music but also consider the role of voice and noise in the production of cinematic meaning. Prior to our discussion of cinema proper we will analyze Wagner's Tristan and Isolde and take on aspects of the composer's theory of music drama as a precursor to cinematic technique. Films: Chaplin, Modern Times; Coen Brothers, O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Donen/Kelly, Singin' in the Rain; Godard, Masculin Féminin; Hitchcock, Vertigo; Leone, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; Marker, La jetée; Minnelli, A Star is Born; Suzuki, Tokyo Drifter; Vertov, Man with a Movie Camera; Welles, Touch of Evil.