The History of Sound focuses on the relationship between two men who meet at the New England Conservatory of Music in Massachusetts, USA. After being driven apart during World War I, they reunite and travel around rural Maine collecting the folk songs of their countrymen.
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Is The History of Sound based on a true story?
The History of Sound isn’t based on a true story, but it is an adaptation of the short story collections by Ben Shattuck, titled The History of Sound and Origin Stories.
What music is featured in The History of Sound?
The film focuses on folk songs that were being sung in the US around 1920. Particular folk songs in the film include the Irish folk song The Unquiet Grave, in which a young man grieves at his lover’s grave so deeply that she calls back to him, urging him to stop his mourning. The American folk ballad Silver Dagger also features prominently, in which a young couple are torn apart by her family’s objections to the match.
The trailer also features one of film’s leads, Josh O’Connor, singing Across the Rocky Mountain, an American folk song about a woman who falls in love with a sailor, with tragic consequences.
Where is The History of Sound filmed?
The History of Sound was filmed throughout the USA, Italy and England in 2024.
New Jersey, USA
New Jersey was used to replicate rural Maine in the film, with actors Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal pictured in their costumes. Some scenes were filmed at 10th & Willow Bar & Grill in Hoboken, as well as the Oakley Farm Museum in Freehold Township.
Tarquinia, Italy
Mescal was seen filming scenes in the ancient city of Tarquinia, particularly around the 18th-century town hall fountain in Piazza Matteotti.
Lake District, England
Mescal was also spotted filming in the Lake District in spring 2024 – specifically at Dove Cottage, the historic home of poet William Wordsworth.
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Michael McGregor, Wordsworth Grasmere director, said “Just like Wordsworth, who famously described Grasmere as ‘The loveliest place that man hath ever found’, the characters in the movie also find the Lakes to be beautiful, with the character of Lionel [played by Mescal] travelling here because his friend had recommended it.”
