Some documentation on silent cinema
Some Documentation on Silent Cinema
March 2012
1. Festivals of silent cinema
March 2012
2. Texts about silent cinema
3. Silent cinema, available on internet
4. Silent cinema on dvd
5. Television series about silent cinema
1. Festivals of silent cinema
The festival “Giornate del Cinema Muto” in Pordenone exists since 1981, the festival “Il Cinema Ritrovato” in Bologna exists since 1986. In the nineties emerged more festivals of film heritage, like in Paris (Cinémémoire, since 1991) and Nottingham (British Silent Cinema Festival, since 1998).
In the United States exists since 1996 the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and since 2002 the Museum of Modern Art in New York organises the ‘To Save and Project. The MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation’.
In the United States exists since 1996 the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and since 2002 the Museum of Modern Art in New York organises the ‘To Save and Project. The MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation’.
- The Dutch Filmmuseum started in 2003 a series of Biënnales: www.eyefilm.nl.
- Le Giornate del Cinema Muto / Pordenone Silent Film Festival - www.cinetecadelfriuli.org
- Il Cinema Ritrovato - www.cinetecadibologna.it
- Internationale Stummfilmtage (Bonner Sommerkino) - www.stummfilm.info
- The British Silent Cinema Festival (Nottingham) www.britishsilentcinema.com/
- See also the portal of Moving Image Collections: http://mic.loc.gov
Niche market: Rock bands or Big Bands as accompagnement of silent cinema
- Sunrise (Murnau, 1927) was accompanied in 1996 by the Belgian rock band Moondog Jr. (shortly afterwards renamed as Zita Swoon. This filmconcert toured the Dutch and Flemish clubcircuit).
- Sunrise was accompanied by the American band Lambchop at the opening night of the Crossing Border festival in 2004 (The Hague, 11 november 2004).
- Willem Breuker made in 2003 a jazz score for Faust (Murnau 1926). The Willem Breuker Kollektief made an extensive tour with this film concert and released also a dvd.
- The French ensemble Art Zoyd accompanied Metropolis (Fritz lang, 1926) at the Salzburger Festspiele of 2001. They toured with this film concert, and played among others at Lantaren/Venster on 11 June 2005, as part of the Opera Dagen Rotterdam. In 1988 they accompanied Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922), followed in 1993 by a score for Faust (Murnau 1926).
- The Flemish Big Band Flat Earth Society (www.fes.be) presented in 2006 their score for Die Austernprinzessin (Ernst Lubitsch, 1919), played live on 12 november 2006 at lantaren/Venster (Rotterdam). They released also a dvd.
- The Alloy Orchestra has built a reputation with their accompaniment of silent films, both live and on dvd (The Man with the Camera of Vertov, among others). See their website: www.alloyorchestra.com.
- Some You Tube research in this field:
- In their videoclip ‘Tonight Tonight’ The Smashing Pumpkins made a hommage to ‘Le voyage dans la lune (Meliès, 1902).
- Madonna used imaginery of Metropolis (Fritz Lang) in her videoclip of ‘Express Yourself’ (1989) and ‘Bedtime Story’ (1994).
2. Texts about silent cinema
Internet
- www.silentsaregolden.com (portal)
- www.csse.monash.edu.au/~pringle/silent/ (portal)
-
www.cinemaweb.com/silentfilm (website van filmarchivaris/filmhistoricus David Pierce)
- www.silentera.com (fan site)
- http://silent-movies.com/ (fan site)
- www.moviediva.com (essays, encyclopedia)
- www.dvdtalk.com/silentdvd/archive.html (reviews)
- www.lubitsch.com (fan site)
- www.murnau-stiftung.de (institutional website)
- http://bioscopic.wordpress.com (blog)
- http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/ (blog)
General Introductions to silent film
- Balshover, Fred J. & Arthur Miller, One Reel a Week, Berkeley/L.A.: University of California Press, 1967.
- Brownlow, Kevin, The Parade’s Gone By... London: Secker & Walburg, 1968.
- Card, James, Seductive Cinema: The Art of Silent Film, New York: Knopf, 1994.
- Cherchi Usai, Paolo, Silent Cinema: An introduction. London: British Film Institute, 2000.
- Dixon, Bryony, 100 Silent Films, London: BFI/Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
- Finler, Joel E., Silent Cinema: World Cinema before the Coming of Sound, London: Batsford, 1998.
- Franklin, Joe & William K. Everson, Classics of the Silent Screen, A Pictorial Treasury, New York: The citadel Press, 1959.
- Robb, Brian J. Silent Cinema, Harpenden: Kamera Books, 2007.
Some journalistic articles and reviews about silent cinema (in Dutch)
- Bosma, P. ‘The Wind in de concertzaal’, in: Skrien jrg 37, nr 1 (feb 2005) pp 46-47.
- Bosma, P. ‘Componist Maud Nelissen over The Patsy’ in: Skrien jrg 37, nr 3 (april 2005), p 29.
- Bosma, P. Hoe ondersteun je Vrouwenlijden met muziek? Vijf studenten compositie buigen zich over een klassiek melodrama’, in: Skrien, jrg 38, nr 8 (oktober 2006) p 22-23.
- Bosma, P, ‘de brug vanuit het perspectief van het programma’, mei 2008, beschikbaar via www.ivens.nl.
- Bosma, P. ‘Eliso (1928) en het netwerk van Nederlandse poortwachters bij de vertoning van zwijgende films met muzikale begeleiding’, in TMG zomer 2008.
- Linssen, C. ‘La Belle dame sans merci. De venijnige kracht van de liefde’, in: Skrien 212 (feb-maart 1997) p. 32-33.
- Linthorst, G. ‘Georgiërs: Baby Rjazanskije, een gesprek met componiste Ig Henneman, in: de Filmkrant nr 44 (maart 1985) p. 7-8.
- Merwe, P. van de, ‘Na zeventig jaar eindelijk zoals het hoort. Zwijgende films met geluid’, in: Skrien jrg 35, nr 5 (juni/juli 2003) p.34-35.
Some academic publications about the historiography of silent cinema and musical accompaniment
- R. Abel & R. Altmann (red.), The Sounds of Early Cinema. Bloomington 2001.
- R. Abel, ‘Frame Stories for Writing the History of French Silent Cinema’, in: Studies in French Cinema, vol 2, no 1 (april 2002), pp 5-13.
- D. Blonde, Les fantômes du muet, Paris: Gallimard, 2007.
- P. Cherchi Usai, Silent Cinema: An introduction. London: British Film Institute, 2000.
- M.Miller Marks, Music and the Silent Film. Contexts and Case Studies 1895-1924, New York: Oxford UP, 1997.
Some catalogues of Silent Cinema
- Franklin, Joe, Classics of the Silent Screen. A Pictorial Treasury, New York: The Citadel Press,1959.
- Suraviec, Catherina A. (ed.), The Lumière Project. European Film Archives at the Crossroads, Lisboa: Guide Artés Gráficas, 1996.
- Kroniek van de Stille Film, Koninklijk filmarchief, Brussel (1993-1995).
- La Persistance des images. Images, sauvegardes et restaurations dans la collection films de la cinemathèque Française, Paris, 1996.
- Reijnhoudt, Bram & Martin de Ruiter (eds) Dutch Silent Cinema, Amsterdam: Nederlands Filmmuseum, 2000.
- Daams, Erik & Peter Bosma (eds), Programmabrochure Stomme Sovjets, Rotterdam/Den Haag: Lantaren/Venster & Filmhuis Den Haag, 2005.
Recommended reading about Film Archives
- Cherchi Usai, Paolo, Silent Cinema: An introduction. London: British Film Institute, 2000.
- Gracy, Karen F., Film Preservation. Competing Definitions of Value, Use and Practice, Chicago: Society of American Archivists (www.archivists.org), 2007.
- Edmondson, Ray, Audiovisual Archiving Philosophy and Practice, Paris; Unesco, 2004.
- Fossati, Giovanna, From Grain to Pixel: The Archival Life of Film in Transition, Amsterdam: Amsterdam UP, 2009.
- Loiperdinger, Martin (ed), Celluloid Goes Digital. Historical-Critical Editions of Films on DVD and the Internet. Proceedings of the First International Trier Conference on Film and New Media, October 2002, Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2003.
- Houston, Penelope, Keepers of the Frame: the Film Archives, London: BFI, 1994.
- Cere, Rinella, Museums of Cinema and their Audience, London: Routledge, 2009.
- Read, Paul & Mark-Paul Meyer (eds) Restoration of Motion Picture Film, Newton: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000.
- Smither, Roger (ed) This Film is Dangerous: A Celebration of Nitrate Film, Brussels: FIAF, 2002.
- Nissen, Dan et.al. (eds) Preserve Then Show, Copenhagen: Danish Film Institute, 2002.
Film archives on the internet
- www.fiafnet.org/uk/ (Féderation International des Archives du Film/ International Federation of Film Archives)
- www.faol.org (film archives on line)
- http://worldcinemafoundation.net (World Cinema Foundation)
- www.ace.de (Association des Cinemathèques Européennes)
- www.europeanfilmgateway.eu (EFG, een project of the European Commission)
- www.amianet.org (Assocation of Moving Image Archivists)
- http://mic.loc.gov (Moving Image Collections)
3. Silent cinema, available on internet
‘Silent Film Democracy’ (www.youtube.com/silentfilmdemocracy) has put many silent films on line, often with music, but always in a series of short fragments. Like in the early days the films are divided in ‘reels’ of 10 minutes. Examples, among others: Waxworks (Paul Leni, 1924) and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (F.W. Murnau,1927) and Der müde Tod (Fritz Lang, 1921) and Toll of the Sea (Chester M. Franklin, 1922).
Toll of the Sea was shown on 3 februari 2008 in the Dutch Filmmuseum, with music of Puccini, performed by Gilbert den Broeder (piano), Jan Koomen (violin) and Pien Straesser (soprano). This film starred Anna May Wong, also known for her performance in Piccadilly (Dupont, 1929).
- Piccadilly (Dupont, 1929)
On You Tube you can retrieve a promotional video of the accompaniment of the Brussels Jazz Orchestra to Piccadilly (Dupont, 1929, starring Anna May Wong), composed by Frank Vaganée (2006).
The British Film Institute released a dvd of this film in juni 2004: “Piccadilly has now been beautifully restored by the BFI National Film & Television Archive, complete with amber and blue tinting copied from an original 1929 silent release print. The BFI also commissioned a new score from Neil Brand, internationally acclaimed as a master of improvised silent film accompaniment. Following its worldwide premiere at the New York Film Festival last autumn, Piccadilly received its UK premiere at the Barbican in March with the score performed live by Brand and some of the UK's leading jazz players.” (Source: http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_78.html)
- The Crowd (King Vidor, 1928)
Director King Vidor explains how he made a complex tracking shot in The Crowd (1928), in a interview in 1973 with Richard Schickel, for the series "The Men Who Made the Movies". URL: www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?cid=243978 .
The first scene of ´The Crowd´ with a new score by Bjarni Biering Margeirsson is available at You Tube (“The Crowd King Vidor new Music, length = 6:13).
One could compare this with the score by Alex Marenga (also known as AMPTEK), made for a Italian dvd (“Music for The Crowd”, length = 2:06)
- It (.... 1926/27) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAF2g5X-P4c&feature=related (fragment of It (1926/27, starring Clara Bow). Dutch composer Maud Nelissen presented in 2009 her score for this film (See also www.maudnelissen.com).
- The Last of the Mohicans (1920, directed by Clarence Brown & Maurice Tourneur) – http://www.filmschatten.org/2008/11/last-of-mohicans-1920.html
- Berlin, die Sinfonie der Grossstadt (Ruttmann, 1927) - http://www.filmschatten.org/2008/12/berlin-symphony-of-great-city.html (silent)
You Tube - “Filmconcert: Berlin die Sinfonie der Grossstadt”: Dutch pianist Yvo Verschoor offers a short fragment (2.56) of his accompaniment, performed at 16 March 2008 in filmtheatre De Uitkijk (Amsterdam). See also: www.yvoverschoor.nl.
Google video: “Berlin die Sinfonie der Grossstadt (sulac)”, a short fragment of the opening of the film (1:52).
- Nosferatu (Murnau 1922) – www.liketelevision.com (a print of the Cinematheque Francaise was used, a weird score with synthesizers and elektric guitars was added).
- La Roue (Abel Gance, 1922)
http://alsolikelife.com - Kristin Thompson and Kevin B. Lee on La Roue (1922, directed by Abel Gance)
European Avant garde:
- Lichtspiel 1921 – Walter Ruttmann Opus 1
- Filmstudie, Rhytm 23 – Hans Richter (1923)
- Entr’acte (René Clair & Francis Picabia, 1924, compositie: Eric Satie): www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMaXF-4MMGA&feature=related
- Ballet Mécanique – Fernand Léger (1924, compositie: Georges Antheil), in twee delen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SgsqmQJAq0&feature=related www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEBCJjQKoh0&feature=related
- Chess Fever (Pudovkin & Shpikovsky, 1925) http://www.filmschatten.org/2008/12/chess-fever-1925.html (with piano accompaniment, Russian print)
S.M. Eisenstein:
- www.archive.org/details/DnevnikGlumova (1923) - silent
- www.archive.org/details/BattleshipPotemkin (with a compilation of Shostakovitch compositions)
- www.archive.org/details/TheGeneralLine (1929) - Spanish print, with organ accompaniment.
Some recommended archival websites for silent cinema
- www.archive.org (since 1996)
- www.europafilmtreasures.eu
- www.geheugenvanNederland.nl (“Nederland door het oog van de camera”)
- www.beeldengeluid.nl
- www.footage.info
- www.ubu.com
- http://filmschatten.blogspot.com/
- www.youtube.com/silentfilmdemocracy
4. Silent cinema on dvd
When films are not shown in public, the are forgotten. A dvd release could build a new reputation and attract a new audience.
The silent film The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström, 1921) for instance was known only in a limited circle of experts. The dvd release in 2007 could change this (some previews are available on You Tube).One of the earliest fans of this film was director Ingmar Bergman (Sjöström performed in Wild Strawberries). The Swedish site www.ingmarbergman.se contains valuable information about the work of Bergman and his sources of inspiration. geeft waardevolle (Engelstalige) informatie over het oeuvre van Bergman. Filed under the lemma of Wild Strawberries (1957) one can read the following statement: “As mentioned, one obvious cinematic influence is Sjöström's The Phantom Carriage, the film which, according to Bergman, was: the film of all films. I saw it for the first time when I was fifteen; to this day I see it at least once every summer, either alone or in the company of younger people. I clearly see how The Phantom Carriage has influenced my own work, right down to minute details."
Some dvd-labels
- Lobster Films (F). For example: the six dvd set of ‘Retour de la Flamme’ and also the box of l’Atlantide
- Moskwood (NL). For example: The Man with the Camera (three soundtracks), Odna (score by Shostakovitsj) and New Babylon (score by Sjostakovitsj).
- Milestone (VS). For example: Beyond the Rocks (score by Henny Vrienten)
- Arte (F/D).
- Criterion.
Some compilations of silent cinema, released by the Dutch Filmmuseum (EYE Film Institute Netherlands)
- Het fantastische luchtschip 1904-1908, six films of Georges Méliès, with a score by Marc van Vugt (Filmmuseum video, series Sphinx Cultuurprijs 1998)
- De wereld rond met Pathe 1910-1915 (Filmmuseum video, series Sphinx Cultuurprijs 1998, later also on dvd).
- Exotic Europ
- Van de kolonie niets dan goeds
5. Television series about silent cinema
International television series about silent cinema
- Kevin Brownlow & David Gill - The Unknown Chaplin (UK, 1985); D.W. Griffith, Father of Film (UK, 1996); Keaton, A Hard Act to Follow (UK, 1987); Cinema Europa: The Other Hollywood (UK, 1995: BBC, ZDF & D.L.Taffner, six parts. Flamish title: ‘Hoezo Hollywood’).
- Noel Burch - Correction Please, or How we Got into Pictures (UK, 1979); La Lucarne du Siècle / What Do These Old Films Mean? (UK, 1985).
- The Last Machine (UK, 1994, BBC, presentation by Terry Gilliam).
- Lange, Eric & Serge Bromberg, Les premiers pas du cinéma. Un rêve en couleur, (France, 2004).
- Bromberg, Serge & Eric Lange, Le voyage extraordinaire, (France, 2011).
Dutch television series about silent cinema and film heritage
- Simon van Collem, De oude draaidoos (Vpro, 1958-1969), book publication: Uit de oude draaidoos (1959).
- Maarten van Rooijen, Spreken is zilver, zwijgen is goud (Vpro, 19..).
- Hans Keller, Over De Brug (Vpro, 1981, 100’, documentary about DE BRUG, Ivens 1928).
- Peter Delpeut – Cinema Perdu (Vpro, 1995: 40 short programs of ten minutes). Written columns in Vprogids, 1995/1996. Book publication (with video tape): 1997.
- Peter Delpeut - De tijdmachine, overpeinzingen bij 100 jaar beeldcultuur (Vpro, 1996).
- introductie blogteksten zwijgende film
- Some documentation on silent cinema
- Der muede Tod (1921)
- The Phantom Carriage (1921)
- German Silent Films
- gastschrijver: Yvo Verschoor
- gastauteur Wim van Tuyl
- Interview met Kevin Toma
- gastauteur: pianiste Hilde Nash
- interview pianist Hughes Marechal (Cinematek)
- Stille stad, levende muziek (2007)
- Filmconcerten tijdens het Nederlands Filmfestival
- EYE - Filmconcerten in het Vondelpark-paviljoen, 1995-2012
- EYE - Liefde in tijd van inflatie
- EYE - La Belle Dame Sans Merci (1920)
- EYE - De Rijn van Lobith tot zee (1922)
- EYE - Ballet mecanique (1924)
- EYE - knipselkrant: Regen (1929)
- EYE - biografie Andor von Barsy
- EYE - De stad die nooit rust (1928)
- EYE - Hoogstraat (1929)
- EYE - A propos de Nice
- EYE - Lucky Star (1929)
- EYE - knipselkrant: Shoes (1916)
- EYE: Leonce Perret
- EYE - Weergevonden
- EYE - Zeemansvrouwen (1930)
- EYE - Terra Nova (1932)
- EYE - Der geheimnisvolle Klub (1913)
- EYE - Menschen am Sonntag (1930)
- EYE - Raskolnikov (1923)
- EYE: Erdgeist (1923)
- EYE - Hanneles Himmelfahrt (1922)
- EYE: Fiaker nr. 13 (1928)
- Nerven (1919)
- Schatten (1923)
- Asphalt (1929)
- Tagebuch einer Verlorenen (1929)
- Berlin, Die Sinfonie der Grossstadt (1927)
- Der Golem (1920)
- Starring Asta Nielsen ...
- Starring Lil Dagover
- Starring... Mary Miles Minter
- lHirondelle et la Mesange (1920)
- Melodie der Welt (1929)
- EYE - Weltstadt in Flegeljahren (1931)
- Lonesome (1928)
- The Wind (1928)
- The Patsy (1928)
- The Lady of the Pavement (1929)
- The Kiss (1929)
- EYE - Out Yonder (1917)
- EYE - Beyond the Rocks (1922)
- EYE - Blood and Sand (1922)
- EYE - The Valley of Hunted Men (1928)
- The Night Cry (1926)
- Peter Pan (1924)
- Silent Ozu
- The Water Magician (1933)
- The Red Lantern (1919)
- EYE - Fuhuo de meigui (1927)
- EYE - found footage: Moeder Dao de schildpad gelijkende
- EYE - Down Hill (1927)
- Underground (1928)
- Atlantide (1921)
- J - accuse (1919)
- EYE - Submarine (1928)
- Sunrise (1927)
- The crowd (1928)
- The Cat and the Canary (1927)
- La Revoltosa (1924)
- Kreutzersonate (1928)
- EYE De witte non van St.Veith (1929)
- May Fairy Tale (1926)
- EYE - South (1919)
- EYE - Kif Tebbi (1928)
- En rade (1927)
- Au Bonheur des Dames (1929)
- Limite (1931)
- Mr. Hadji Cinema Actor (1932)
- Grass (1925)
- EYE - Eliso (1928) ... & Namus (1928)
- EYE Het zout van Svantie (1930)
- EYE - drie Russische films uit de jaren 10
- EYE Justice d-Abord (1921)
- EYE - Bed en sofa (1927)
- EYE - Vesnoi (1929)
- EYE - De man met de camera (Vertov, 1929)
- EYE Kino-Eye (1924)
- EYE - Oblomok Imperii (1929)
- EYE - Pantserkruiser Potemkin (1925)
- EYE Kain i Artem (1929)
- Benya Krik (1927)
- Nieuw Babylon (1929)
- Aelita (1924)
- By the Law (1926)
- Hyperkino
- Het sigarettenmeisje van Mosselprom (1924)
- knipselkrant: The Artist (2011)