The Male Voiceover of the Savage Eye

The man and woman heard through voiceover narration in the Savage Eye can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The man can be seen as the father figure, guiding the daughter through the world. He can also be the conscious, or in Chion's terms the acousmêtre who has god-like powers. Incorporating Lacan, he could be a therapist guiding the female through Lacan's circuit of desire. No matter how the voices are received, the male voice is seen as knowledgeable; he is the superego guiding the ego through the narrative.

One possible reading of the Savage Eye circles around birth and the parental units. Chion writes, in The Voice in Cinema, that a voice without image takes us back to birth when the voice was all around us (27). Since the Savage Eye relies on voiceover narration instead of voices from the characters on screen, the entire film is reminiscent of birth and childhood. The female voice, Judith, has an issue with male attachment throughout the film (as seen with her ex-husband and her affair with the married man) which could be viewed through her interaction with the narrator. She frequently asks if he is there and seems reassured when his voice is heard again, similar to a child with a father. Judith also mentions her mother at different points of the film. While at the hairdresser she says the touch of the stylist reminds her of her mother. After her car accident she mentions her mother twice more. Both are stories of the past while different scenes are seen on screen; Judith is not seen while she narrates these memories of her mother. As Judith is healing she transfers her thoughts of her mother to the nurse that heals her. Through Judith's dependence on the parental figures, both male and female, she heals both physically and mentally throughout the narrative.

Another view of Savage Eye is encouraged by Michel Chion. The male voice in the film is never given an image on screen that the audience can relate to. Since the male figure must ask questions and is not always present, he could be considered a partial-acousmêtre. Chion believes the acousmêtre is god-like in the sense that the voice comes from everywhere and nowhere. Since the imageless voice can be anywhere it can also report on anything; the voice has powers other characters do not. Partial-acousmêtres are different though, according to Chion "much more disturbing is the idea of a god or being with only partial powers and vision, whose limits are not known" (26). In Savage Eye, the male voice is a mystery for it is not clear who, where or what he is. The audience does not know what he can or cannot do or whether or not he will appear. Regardless of his powers or placement, the male voice is always guiding the female voice. He asks her questions that prompt her to engage in her surroundings, he urges her to make a phone call to her ex-husband that begins a new chapter in her life. The male voice, although an enigma, serves as a guide to the female voice throughout the film.

A final look at Savage Eye sees the male as a therapist guiding the female through Lacan's circuit of desire. At the beginning she is shy and reserved; she wants to stay away from human interaction and be by herself. As he delves into her life through questions she begins to analyze those around her. She states that there are two different kinds of people: alive and afraid. At the beginning of the film she is afraid- afraid to be alone, afraid of human touch, etc. At the end of the film, after her rebirth, she is alive; she has come to terms with who she is. Another way of viewing the afraid and alive dyad is through Lacan's theory of human subjectivity. There are two ways of dealing with Lacan's theory: one can either break the cycle and go into psychosis or be aware of the circuit of desire in which they are trapped. The people who are afraid are those that cannot handle the knowledge of the circle. They risk psychosis because they are constantly aware that their bliss will not stay. Judith buys a car at one point of the film. She is happy until it breaks down, she repairs it and it breaks again. She buys a new car. This circle of materiality exemplifies the circuit of desire. The other types of people, the ones who are alive, are willing to deal with the catch 22. Judith, after her rebirth, accepts that happiness will fade and calmly faces life with this knowledge. The male voice, through questions and probing, forces the female to come to terms with the circuit of desire, so much so that at the end she has surpassed him as a teacher and has accepted the truth of human subjectivity.
Watching Savage Eye and listening to it would provoke two completely different readings of the film. While viewing the film one notices that the voices heard do not have an exact image they align with. Judith, the woman's voice, is assumed to be the woman on screen. The man, however, is not even given an ambiguous image. If one were to listen to the film an assumption would be made that a man and woman were on screen watching their surroundings. Although the manner of the dialogue may confuse said viewer, there is no way the assumption would be disproved without looking at the screen. No matter whether the viewer is watching the image or listening to the film, the male voice comes off as soothing and nurturing, as a gentle leader. The female voice changes from shy and lonely to calm and empowered. It is through the help of the male voice that the female makes this change. Whether the male voice is a father figure, her conscious, or a Lacanian therapist, the female needs the male in order to transform into a whole character.

Works Cited

Chion, Michel. The Voice in Cinema. New York: Columbia Press UP, 1999.

Savage Eye. Dirs. Ben Maddow and Sidney Meyers. Perfs. Barbara Baxley and Gary Merill. City Film Corporation, 1960.