Is an interest in silent film nostalgia for a time before we were
born? Let’s ask Albert Camus shall we, who said that: A man's work is
nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two
or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened. So,
the fascination is more in understanding the working parts as much as the
feeling and in the historical, creative circumstances for the filmmakers and
film audience alike.
Camus also said that the artist must contact the
reality of his or her time, wresting from it something timeless and universal so
what we are searching for is people who have done achieved this for their time
and to look beyond the ludicrous concept of “dated” in assessing the content
and the context.
Succeeding today was William de Mille who came up with
some very pertinent questioning of his own in Conrad in Quest of His Youth
(1920) in which Thomas Meighan’s Conrad has something of a mid-life crisis and
tries to regress to childhood. So, not too far off Camus’ concepts but in a
more homely way which is frankly more on my level and that of Thomas Meighan,
pretty well-educated but in pharmacology not philosophy. Thomas plays the titular
Conrad, who a few years after the First World War is living in comfort,
supported by his faithful valet, Dobson (Charles Ogle) and wondering what it’s
all for. Conrad is jaded and decides the best way to reconnect with his zest
for life is to revisit his childhood by calling three old friends back to the
cottage they used to spend summer in.
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| It's all too much for Conrad - he's watching a Pat and Patachon... |
Ah, but you can’t just go back Conrad, as his pals
quickly tell him but he’s not listening and decides to track down his first
love, with future director and Mr Louise Brooks, A. Edward Sutherland playing
him in flashback with Kathlyn Williams playing the older woman Mrs. Adaile, who
gently rebuffed him. Conrad tracks her down to Italy and tries to rekindle
their previous affection; can reliving young love work for either?
No spoilers, but Conrad is to discover that you can
over-analyse and that sometimes you need to just stop thinking and simply engage
with “Life” to find that chance of happiness. It’s a perfect little fable and Meighan
is his usual self, intelligent, sensitive and always watchable.
Donald Sosin accompanied with the air of a man completely
in touch with his creative consciousness (and moral compass).
Also connecting with the timeless and universal and
in doing so creating it, was Daan van den Hurk whose emphatic new score for
Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jnr (1924) made me enjoy this very familiar film anew.
The music highlighted pretty much every section of the Orchestra da Camera di
Pordenone and it just grew in momentum and delicious tonality with the film.
After an opening prologue including the earworm main theme, the music chased around
with Buster in the quieter early stages only fully coming to life when his
projectionist’s dreaming begins. From then on, it’s a symphony to silent style
pretty much as Keaton intended but given extra emphasis and depth as the
adventure of the Projectionist and all the films he has shown is laid
before us.
Daan reveals Buster’s own symphonic approach as the film
and the music crescendos with stirring strings and full-bodied brass – and tha’
knows, I love a bit o’ brass as Hindle Wakes’ Fanny Hawthorn might say.
It was one of those uplifting orchestral moments Le Giornate does so well and
congratulations must go to Daan, the full orchestra (70+ players?) as well as Ben
Palmer who conducted so well. I was up in the Gods again but, by ‘eck the sound
filled the space so well. A thrilling sonic adventure all round!
Most of us tired after a full week, the Verdi still erupted
with the joy of recognition or holding this shared fascination close!! In the
best showbusiness tradition, Le Giornate always leave ‘em/us wanting more!
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| Charlie and Monta Bell |
Before Buster there was Charlie with a film I’ve not seen
before, The Pilgrim (1923) which featured Chaplin’s 1958 score arranged
by Timothy Brock and performed by the Orchestra da Camera di Pordenone as
conducted by Ben Palmer.
It’s a film full of Chaplin’s movement and impish humour
with heart as his escaped convict steals a pastor’s clothes as he bathes and
then gets mistaken for the new vicar and has to follow through as the citizens
are so friendly. This was Chaplin’s final film with long-term collaborator and paramour,
Edna Purviance and once again her character provides the key to Chaplin’s redemption
as a former cell-mate recognises him and wants in on “the action”. It’s an old
argument but there’s enough comedic violence and pointed situations to make political
points and some evangelicals were also upset by The Life of Charlie. Who knows
what modern US politicians would have made of the closing sequence on the US/Mexican
border… or what their fundamentalist Christian brethren would. Chaplin was another
able to create something timeless and universal out of the realities of
his time.
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| Marlene by the wall next to Harry Piel. |
A Marlene Surprise!
I need to pay more attention as I had no idea that our
Marlene was going to feature in Harry Piel’s Sein größter Bluff (The
Big Bluff) (1927) nor that he was going to play himself and his brother as
well as write, direct and produce. Nobody likes a show-off Harry apart from
Marlene that is.
This was a lively adventure which featured car chases
filmed in the South of France, double crosses and quadruple bluffs which make
me extra thankful for being woken up by my esteemed colleague Ms Hutchinson of
Worthing just as Giornate fatigue kicked in and I was able to re-join the film
as it stepped up a gear in search of stolen diamonds with a hoard of gangsters
chasing it as well as the twin Piels. Over the Festival we’ve seen Harry advance
his work to such a level of polished populist filmmaking that this had so many
elements of a sixties caper movie; he wasn’t Pabst or Murnau but as this 76th
film shows, he was a skilled crowd-pleaser, no matter whatever came after 1932…
Dietrich often played down her silent films not wishing
to be deemed as too old school but by 1927 she was beginning to feature more
and here she plays Yvette, “a ‘lady’ who puts her intellectual – and other –
qualities exclusively into the service of worthwhile enterprises”, in this case
acting to steal the jewels before her rivals can. She’s a perfect fit for a
Lang-type super spy/secret agent and stands out in her scenes for poised screen
energy. Having just watched A Touch of Evil I can see how she refined this persona
of intelligence and bold sexuality. The perfect fit for Harry’s anti-hero and twin
heroes with floppy fringes and fast cars: the name’s Piel, Harry Piel.
Accompaniment was from Masterclass student Timothy Rumsey who did a splendid job, I look forward to hearing more in future!
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| Madeleine Renaud and Maurice Touzé |
I Married the Sea, Part Deux - Vent Debout
[The Headwind] (1923)
After the French fishermen of Pêcheur d’Islande (screened
on Tuesday) gave their life to the Atlantic Ocean, Jacques Averil (Léon Mathot)
finds himself drawn to the sea to rebuild his life after his father ruins the
family business and commits suicide. Viewed as a part-timer by the tough nuts
on the fishing boat, he asserts his authority through violence emerging as top
sea dog and winning grudging respect. This maritime Fight Club does move beyond
the sea and there are many turbulent times on land as a potential fortune to be
made from fossil fuels presents itself.
After being flung into an alcoholic depression after the accidental
death of the ship’s cabin boy, Guillot (Maurice Touzé), Jacques meets Marie
Richard (Madeleine Renaud) begins to find his legs on land again. So, my
headline isn’t entirely appropriate, will he divorce the sea and marry a human?
And, will he be able to avoid financial ruin from the land-based sharks aiming
to drag him down?
Meg Morley accompanied with the smooth transitions we’ve
come to expect and melodies for drama in all weathers and surfaces!
So, returning to the questions at the top; why exactly do
I write this blog? Well it’s an attempt to capture the feeling of what has been
screened and the experience of the location, audience and accompaniment for the
screening. It’s a diary, one featuring well over 1000 screenings now and which
evolves over time and circumstance. Like any diary it’s a discipline and I only
keep on because I enjoy trying to that slow trek to rediscover, through the
detours of art… I hope you do too
and thank you so much to everyone who has read so far!
See you next year for #GCM43!
The Queen of Le Giornate Blogging is, of course, Pamela
Hutchinson and if you haven’t already caught her daily reports on Silent London head over there right now!
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| The orchestra and crowds pack the Verdi for this year's finale. |
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Very kind of you!! -Donald S.
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