impulse)

an excerpt from michelangelo antonioni's "la notte"

valentino: promise not to make fun of me?

valentino starts the tape,

i heard snatches of television dialogue: “stop that car!”.”i wouldnt do that jim”.
after that, the howling of a dog, rising effortlessly, in perfect misery.

then i thought i heard a plane, then silence, and i was happy.

a garden’s silence is made of sounds; press your ear to a tree and listen.
the sounds may be within us; i’d rather think it’s the tree.

the silence is broken by an alien noise. i close the window, but the noise
persists; it’s too much for me. i dont want useless sounds; i want to select them.

voices and words…there are so many words i’d rather not hear but you must
resign yourself, like floating on the waves of the sea.

giovanni: may i hear it again?

valentino rewinds the tape

::: la notte :::