berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval) (04/24/85)
In article <2414@randvax.UUCP> boren@randvax.UUCP (Pat Boren) writes: > >While I'm on Laurel & Hardy, did anybody get a chance to see some of >their silent films in a movie theater, complete with "live" piano >accompaniment? I saw that a couple years ago here in L.A. Wish the >same would be done for more films... No, but once I saw Douglas Fairbanks' (NOT Jr.) "Thief of Baghdad" at UCSB, with live organ accompaniment by a retired silent movie accompanist. Wonderful!! -- Berry Kercheval Zehntel Inc. (ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!berry) (415)932-6900 (kerch@lll-tis.ARPA)
rjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams) (04/27/85)
About three years ago, I was lucky enough to attend the San Francisco
opening of Abel Gance's "Napoleon" at the War Memorial Opera House,
with Carmine Coppola (Francis's poppa) conducting the S.F. Opera
Orchestra in his own accompaniment to the film. It was a great
occasion and an unforgettable experience - the film was extraordinary
and the music was...well...Napoleonic! (:-))
Quite often, the Castro Theatre here shows silent movies with live
organ accompaniment by Robert Vaughn (not the Man from U.N.C.L.E. :-))
and they're always sold out.
--
rod williams | pacific bell | san francisco
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{ihnp4,ucbvax,cbosgd,decwrl,amd70,fortune,zehntel}!dual!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjwgreg@olivee.UUCP (Greg Paley) (04/29/85)
The subject is a bit of a misnomer for what I'm going to say, since it's about "new canned" music rather than live. A friend of mine who has had a dual lifelong obsession with the music of Wagner and silent films did a fascinating project. He got a print of the Fritz Lang "Siegfried" music and very carefully created a soundtrack for the film from numerous recordings of Wagner's music (using orchestra-only versions, since voices would have been too distracting to the visual element). He did it basically for his own enjoyment and that of his friends, but now, since they're doing a production of the full Wagner "Ring" this summer, the San Francisco Opera has contracted with him to do a showing of the film with his soundtrack. My friend is, incidentally, apprehensive to say the least about how it will go off. He has put the soundtrack together using a variety of different recordings of different ages, mainly searching for those that would have good performances of those sections he wanted to use WITHOUT voices. He got it to sync correctly on his home equipment, but is concerned as to what will happen with the transferred film and soundtrack on the equipment to be used in Herbst Theater in San Francisco for the showing. One idea that he had broached to the opera company which was rejected (I'm not sure of what all went into the decision) was to have a composite score made up from his soundtrack and have the opera orchestra play from this score while the film is playing. This has been done successfully before. In any case, those who are curious about this experiment will have a chance to see it in June (I'll post or mail dates and other ticket info if people are interested) at Herbst Theater (in the building next to the San Francisco Opera House). - Greg Paley
muffy@lll-crg.ARPA (Muffy Barkocy) (05/04/85)
In article <396@ptsfc.UUCP> rjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams) writes: > > Quite often, the Castro Theatre here shows silent movies with live > organ accompaniment by Robert Vaughn (not the Man from U.N.C.L.E. :-)) > and they're always sold out. >-- > > rod williams | pacific bell | san francisco > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > {ihnp4,ucbvax,cbosgd,decwrl,amd70,fortune,zehntel}!dual!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjw The first silent film I saw was also the first I saw with organ accompaniment. I saw it here in San Francisco at a place called the Avenue Theatre. They had a fairly complete original print of "Ben Hur," plus part of a print that was in Technicolor. The organist was Robert Vaughn, and I believe that he also has a large collection of old films, which he had shown at the Avenue on Friday and Saturday nights. Unfortunately, the theatre had to stop showing these movies because the owners wanted more rent for it. I hear from a friend of mine that they are trying to find someplace else to have these movies, but have not succeeded. The Castro Theatre is the only other one I have seen in the city which still has an organ, especially one which is actually used. Muffy