Rouben Mamoulian: Experimentation, Innovation and the Avant-garde in Hollywood through the Narrative and Expressive Use of Sound

Abstract

This article analyses the work of the Russian-born American filmmaker Rouben Mamoulian, made during the golden era of classical Hollywood cinema, characterised by a unique balance between the aesthetic and narrative conventions of the Hollywood industry and the unique contributions and innovations (the use of sound, colour, editing and format) introduced by the filmmaker into his films. The article focuses particularly on the use of sound for narrative and expressive purposes, and on the poetic and symbolic meaning revealed by these experimentations, with special reference to the director’s first four titles: Applause (1929), City Streets (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), and Love Me Tonight (1932).