[ on deliberately muddled soundtracks in filmmaking] A devotion to aural realism and a push-me-pull-you approach to sound exemplifies a dark side to auteurism, wherein a director insists on strong-arming his audience to the absolute brink - and sometimes beyond - of not just comfort but coherence. All too often, the privileges of being considered a visionary translate into believing that the filmmaking fundamentals of sense, clarity and concision don't apply.
