'The Kid' (1921)
calvin
long before I realized, at least 10 years before 'City Lights'.
When did soundtracks start, anyway? Well before the
talkies, apparently. If they could record and play music
synchronized to the film, I wonder why they couldn't
dub in voices. I'm totally confused now about how it all
developed. I have Arthur Knight's 'The Liveliest Art',
which probably will clear this up.
As for 'The Kid', it was heart warming, and not really a
tear jerker. Fifty minutes seemed about right for it.
Madara0806
I believe sheet music for particular films was sent to piano players
at the local theaters. although individual pianists often picked what
they wanted to play with a particular film.
william
>
> I believe sheet music for particular films was sent to piano players
> at the local theaters. although individual pianists often picked what
> they wanted to play with a particular film.
This is a constant source of conversation over at the silent films
group. And what music was played with what film -- from what I
understand of following those conversations -- fell more to the player
than the filmmakers. Again, there's a lot of debate about all this so
posting this question there will elicit a far more educated answer
than mine.
William
www.williamahearn.com
Bill Anderson
I'm confident our friends in alt.movies.silent can help with this.
Here's the story: Calvin had never seen a Chaplin feature film until a
few days ago when he Netflixed "City Lights," which he enjoyed,
discovering it was not at all maudlin as he'd feared it would be.
Unfortunately he thought the music he heard in the beginning sequence
was something generic, so he turned off the sound and missed the entire
Chaplin score. After I pointed out that the soundtrack was a treat, he
has left the sound turned on for "Modern Times" and now "The Kid." And
he has asked the question below about how or whether Chaplin's music was
incorporated in showings of his movies before they contained soundtracks.
Comments, please?
--
Bill Anderson
I am the Mighty Favog
spacecadet
> [Top posting because I think it works better this time]
smoked at a nitrate screening or something.
Not half as much stick as I got for saying I thought it was OK, though.
calvin
I might add that in the credits of the 1921 movie of
'The Kid', just like in the credits of the 1936 movie of
'Modern Times', and probably like in the credits of the
1931 'City Lights', though I wasn't paying enough
attention to the credits to notice, it is said that Chaplin
wrote the music. In 1921, what did that mean? Or
perhaps the credits were changed for a later release of
'The Kid'?
Invid Fan
<101f97f4-918a-4ae9...@u9g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>,
calvin <cri...@windstream.net> wrote:
> So Chaplin's writing, directing, and music writing started
> long before I realized, at least 10 years before 'City Lights'.
> When did soundtracks start, anyway? Well before the
> talkies, apparently.
Sheet music was often provided so the theater could provide the right
music for the movie. It would not have been pre-recorded.
--
Chris Mack "If we show any weakness, the monsters will get cocky!"
'Invid Fan' - 'Yokai Monsters Along With Ghosts'
Bill Anderson
Hey, I top posted and cross posted too. In for a penny, in for a pound.
David Oberman
<madar...@gmail.com> wrote:
>I believe sheet music for particular films was sent to piano players
>at the local theaters. although individual pianists often picked what
>they wanted to play with a particular film.
How many of those guys ran their fingers over their huge organs & how
many played a piano?
calvin
> calvin <cri...@windstream.net> wrote:
> > So Chaplin's writing, directing, and music writing started
> > long before I realized, at least 10 years before 'City Lights'.
> > When did soundtracks start, anyway? Well before the
> > talkies, apparently.
>
> Sheet music was often provided so the theater could provide the right
> music for the movie. It would not have been pre-recorded.
The DVDs of The Kid 1921, City Lights 1931, and
Modern Times 1936 all contain credited soundtracks of
Chaplin-composed scores. Do any of these DVDs
actually reflect the theater experiences of the moviegoers
of those times?
moviePig
> spacecadet wrote:
> > Bill Anderson wrote:
> >> [Top posting because I think it works better this time]
> > Boy, the stick I got for doing that on one newsgroup. You'd think I'd
> > smoked at a nitrate screening or something.
> > Not half as much stick as I got for saying I thought it was OK, though.
>
> Hey, I top posted and cross posted too. In for a penny, in for a pound.
(You misspelled 'pounding'...)
--
- - - - - - - -
YOUR taste at work...
http://www.moviepig.com
moviePig
> On Tue, 9 Feb 2010 08:58:16 -0800 (PST), Madara0806
>
> >I believe sheet music for particular films was sent to piano players
> >at the local theaters. although individual pianists often picked what
> >they wanted to play with a particular film.
>
> How many of those guys ran their fingers over their huge organs & how
> many played a piano?
Everything comes down to pianist-envy...
Bill Anderson
> On Feb 9, 1:25 pm, David Oberman <DavidOber...@att.net> wrote:
>> On Tue, 9 Feb 2010 08:58:16 -0800 (PST), Madara0806
>>
>> <madara0...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I believe sheet music for particular films was sent to piano players
>>> at the local theaters. although individual pianists often picked what
>>> they wanted to play with a particular film.
>> How many of those guys ran their fingers over their huge organs & how
>> many played a piano?
>
> Everything comes down to pianist-envy...
>
Moviepig is on a roll today.
Invid Fan
<fbb97e48-7fe5-4598...@g23g2000vbl.googlegroups.com>,
calvin <cri...@windstream.net> wrote:
The last had an actual soundtrack, while for The Kid and City Lights it
would depend on if your local theater had a good piano or organ player
and if they actually used the Chaplin composed sheet music. The Buffalo
Philharmonic played the Chaplin score for a showing of City lights last
season, which I assume would be very different then someone hearing the
same score played on a piano :)
Donald4564
>
> I might add that in the credits of the 1921 movie of
> 'The Kid', just like in the credits of the 1936 movie of
> 'Modern Times', and probably like in the credits of the
> 1931 'City Lights', though I wasn't paying enough
> attention to the credits to notice, it is said that Chaplin
> wrote the music. In 1921, what did that mean? Or
> perhaps the credits were changed for a later release of
> 'The Kid'?
Chaplin wrote the music for the re-release of "The Kid" with a
soundtrack - which I think was in the early 1970's.
In 1921 the film may have been issued with a cue sheet - but it was
really up to the individual house to provide 'suitable' accompaniment.
Regards
Donald Binks
Apteryx
I think the original City Lights (1931) had a soundtrack, with more than
just music on it - just not intelligible speech
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Lights , citing Walter Kerr's "The
Silent Clowns", published in 1990). The boxing match wouldn't be the
same without the sound of the bell.
For The Kid (1921) it would have just been supplied sheet music.
Apteryx
David Oberman
<billand...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Everything comes down to pianist-envy...
>>
>Moviepig is on a roll today.
I think all you guys are clever & amusing with language! Our group's
collective IQ is probably sky high, & people around the world are
reading our comments & chuckling & spewing Coke all over their
keyboards & their organs.
(I have a little red organ called a Nord Electro, which I play often
when I peruse the ramp-f posts.)
David Totheroh
There are two separate things happening here. The information about
Chaplin writing music more than 10 years before City Lights, in the
late teens, is correct, but it was for songs and sheet music
independent of his films. He did collaborate on compiled and composed
scores suggested for use with some of his later silent films, but City
Lights was the first with score and sound track married to the film.
The version of The Kid with the music credits you saw was a reissue
dating from 1971 or 2. Chaplin worked on scores (with various
composers) for all his films with sound tracks, including City Lights
and Modern Times which were shot as silents. The 1942 Gold Rush was
the first reissue Chaplin added sound to, followed by A Woman of Paris
and the First Nationals used in The Chaplin Revue.
william
>
> (I have a little red organ called a Nord Electro, which I play often
> when I peruse the ramp-f posts.)
If you take your hand off it for awhile maybe it won't be so red.
William
www.williamahearn.com
moviePig
> On Feb 9, 4:29 pm, David Oberman <DavidOber...@att.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > (I have a little red organ called a Nord Electro, which I play often
> > when I peruse the ramp-f posts.)
>
> If you take your hand off it for awhile maybe it won't be so red.
(Helluva name, though, 'Nord Electro'. Makes 'John Thomas' sound like
D.H Lawrence's peashooter...)
David Oberman
wrote:
>On Feb 9, 4:29�pm, David Oberman <DavidOber...@att.net> wrote:
>>
>> (I have a little red organ called a Nord Electro, which I play often
>> when I peruse the ramp-f posts.)
>
>If you take your hand off it for awhile maybe it won't be so red.
WE'RE STILL FRIENDS.
HOWEVER..........................
william
>
> >If you take your hand off it for awhile maybe it won't be so red.
>
> WE'RE STILL FRIENDS.
>
> HOWEVER..........................
. . . . we won't shake on it!
William
www.williamahearn.com
David Oberman
wrote:
>. . . . we won't shake on it!
There's a method of playing the organ known as palming. Generally used
in long & short glissandos. steve, who listens to Jimmy Smith, might
be able to tell us more about it.
I believe that steve has recordings of Jimmy Smith palming & slapping
his organ.
william
>
> I believe that steve has recordings of Jimmy Smith palming & slapping
> his organ.
I bet he has film.
William
www.williamahearn.com
moviePig
> On Feb 9, 6:30 pm, David Oberman <DavidOber...@att.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I believe that steve has recordings of Jimmy Smith palming & slapping
> > his organ.
>
> I bet he has film.
(And, voila, back on topic...)
calvin
> On Feb 9, 6:52 pm, william <wlahe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Feb 9, 6:30 pm, David Oberman <DavidOber...@att.net> wrote:
> > > I believe that steve has recordings of Jimmy Smith palming & slapping
> > > his organ.
>
> > I bet he has film.
>
> (And, voila, back on topic...)
After the 13-year-olds in the group have been identified.
william
>
> After the 13-year-olds in the group have been identified.
Get over yourself, Calvin. Anytime anyone has any fun and there's even
the slightest sexual content, you scream "juvenile" or "immature." I'm
happy you didn't explode in some huge pent-up sperm explosion, but
your puritan repression is showing.
William
www.williamahearn.com
David Oberman
<cri...@windstream.net> wrote:
>After the 13-year-olds in the group have been identified.
I'm feeling sort of juvenile at the moment only because it's raining.
But have you seen that Tucker Max blog? What a jerk!
calvin
-or-
I was kidding too.
Sol L. Siegel
b52663...@m31g2000yqb.googlegroups.com:
> On Feb 9, 12:08�am, calvin <cri...@windstream.net> wrote:
>> So Chaplin's writing, directing, and music writing started
>> long before I realized, at least 10 years before 'City Lights'.
>> When did soundtracks start, anyway? �Well before the
>> talkies, apparently. �
>
> I believe sheet music for particular films was sent to piano players
> at the local theaters, although individual pianists often picked what
> they wanted to play with a particular film.
Sometimes scores were commissioned for full orchestra. "L'assassinat du
duc de Guise", a French (of course) two-reel historical drama produced
in 1908, came with a score by Saint-Saens, the first film score by a
classical composer of note. Such occurences were pretty rare, though.
--
- Sol L. Siegel, Philadelphia, PA USA