The best use of sound in House of Games is in the airport scene. At the end Margaret kills him in a deserted baggage area where the planes make a lot of noise. She takes advantage of this noise so that nobody can hear what is happening. Every shot is escorted by the sound of a big plane. First she shoots Mike two times during the take off of a plane that is not very noisy, but then at the end she really chooses the right moment to kill him: "We hear a jet revving up and starting its take-off [...] Ford shoots him again [...] Ford shoots him three times. As a jet thunders by overhead." (p.70). It is an exceptional sound effect that, although it can be described in a book can never have the impact that it has in the film.
As we have seen, the book and the film are very similar. I think we cannot say which art form is the best for this story. Each one has its own qualities and produces a different effect, but they are both very interesting. When we read the book, we can have the impression that we hear the actors speaking. It seems that there is a lot of action and we can imagine a lot of things. In the film, on the other hand, the presence of image and sound makes the story more real. It is as if we were in the film. All seems very real but at the same time the action moves on very slowly and dialogues seem to be very artificial. It is like reading a book; it is Mamet's unique style.
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