Year of the Mice (1973)

• 75%
• 1973
• Sharon Couzin

The most important technical accomplishment of "Year of the Mice" is that, though silent, the visuals evoke the presence of sound. One of the little sons is practicing the violin. As he plays, Couzin focuses in on his arm and bow connecting with the violin strings. The image is shot with 8mm film using a 16mm camera and optical printed back up to 16mm. The result is a strong repetitious gesture created by splitting the original image in half through the shooting process. When projected, the upper and lower halves of the image are shown alternately, creating an intense visual rhythm which causes the action to blur. As the boy's movements become relentlessly frantic, we can almost hear the strained screeches of the instrument. Perceptually there is no sound but the visual tension created causes us to experience the image as though we are hearing him play. We experience form of synesthesia, and the rhetoric is effective: the discomfort is so great we want the boy to stop.