On the Cinematic Deconstruction of Logical Sounds: Raúl Ruiz's Quasi-Voice in La maleta

Abstract

Abstract:Raúl Ruiz, one of Latin America's most prolific filmmakers, shot La maleta (The Suitcase) in 1963, but the film was only finished post- 2007. To complete La maleta, Ruiz focused on the soundtrack and took up the role as the voice-over in the film, recording it himself. The result is something akin to an experimental piece, one of whose main characteristics lies in the peculiar relationship established between images and soundtrack. We propose an in-depth examination of the soundtrack of the film by analyzing two aspects. First, we look at the constitution of a "mute" film, a notion inspired in Michel Chion's ideas, used for characterizing endeavors that tend to sidetrack the traditional prominence of a speaking voice in cinema. Second, we study the presence in the film of a mode of synchronicity between body and voice that accentuates the abolition of an articulated language.