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| Donald4564... |
 Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 1:44 pm |
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Last Friday I journeyed to Melbourne in order to see Anna May Wong in
the silent picture "Piccadilly" which she made in England in 1929. I
was going because the picture was to be given live accompaniment.
Most silent pictures by 1929 had achieved the pinnacle of style and
pantomime and this was no exception.
Basically this is a love story of rivalry and jealousies which veers
off towards the end into high drama with interesting twists and turns.
Of course the picture is filled with the racial prejudices of the
time. Anna May Wong is pictured as an exotic Chinese - but she becomes
a dancer for a Nightclub on her own terms.
In another scene a drunken girl is berated for dancing with a black
man.
Miss Wong is not known much these days as she faded from films in the
late thirties only making a comeback in television in the 1950's. She
was apparently to appear in the "Flower Drum Song" in 1961 but died at
56 the same year. In this picture she clearly demonstrates she was in
league with Garbo and Swanson as far as her acting attributes were
concerned.
The other players carried off their parts believably and well and it
was interesting to see Charles Laughton in an early 'cameo'
appearance.
The picture was directed by E.A. Dupont who kept his camera moving
achieving great fluidity. I liked his use of panning which was done to
effect and his use of angles in framing the picture.
The accompaniment was provided by an 8 piece ensemble called "The
Disappointments" who mainly play modern rock and roll music. The music
they provided to my ear was a bit of a hit and miss affair and far too
loud in that it distracted from the picture at times. Where they
should have played Charleston, they played Swing and at one point they
played something that sounded like the "Peter Gunn" theme. It may be
me, but I prefer the accompaniment to play music suited to the period
and themes of the picture. It may be that this modern style
accompaniment appeals more to younger viewers and if this is so, then
that is good if it brings those younger viewers into contact with the
art of silent pictures. |
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| Donald4564... |
| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:40 pm |
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On Sep 2, 1:10 pm, BigMovie... at (no spam) webtv.net (Old Movie Fan) wrote:
Quote: Years ago, I purchased a VHS video copy of this and Anna May Wong's
"Toll of the Sea" that were supposably made from film copies belonging
to a collector. While both have picture quality somewhat inferior to
the restored film, I had no idea at the time, how rare these two were.
With "Toll of the Sea," my old copy contains the missing moments
(sunset), that had to be reconstructed in the recent restoration. For
whatever reason (it's probably been doctored), it also contains blue
tinting that was impossible with the red/green two strip technicolor.
My earlier copy of "Piccadilly" (while a few minutes shorter than the
recent restoration), contained an earlier orchestra score, complete with
sound effects. Unlike the restored version and apparently what you
heard in Melbourne, this earlier music contains oriental music to match
Shosho's dance. The entire film is supported wonderfully by this early
music that even contains oriental voices during the meeting at the
restaurant. This is only redundant music that repeats itself again and
again on the restored film.
While groups like the "Disappointments" (now that's also an
appropriate title for the restored film), may attract a younger crowd,
how in the world can inappropriate music help anyone appreciate these
wonderful classics?
Rich Wagner
When I saw "Toll of the Sea" at a film festival years back they went
on about how the last few moments of the film were re-created in
Technicolor with the original camera, however it was three-tone
Technicolor which was used rather than the two colour effect of the
1922 film.
I agree with you regarding accompaniments to pictures, however those
who curate these pictures now seem to think it a wonderful thing to
commission "new and exciting" scores. This can be a good exercise if
placed in the hands of someone like Carl Davis who can work an
excellent score in keeping with the film. Personally I don't think a
rock and roll band is suitable - and they certainly didn't play
anything remotely oriental for Piccadilly! (It is interesting to note
that Debroy Somers Band was the featured orchestra at the nightclub in
the picture - perhaps it would have been good research to have
listened to some of this band's releases from the late 1920's?)
Your score to the picture sounds as though it may have been a
synchronised score added to the picture in the early 1930's to enable
re-release. Those scores often featured someone singing at one point
or another which I must say I find distracting.
Regards
Donald Binks |
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| Donald4564... |
| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:40 pm |
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On Sep 2, 1:10 pm, BigMovie... at (no spam) webtv.net (Old Movie Fan) wrote:
Quote: Years ago, I purchased a VHS video copy of this and Anna May Wong's
"Toll of the Sea" that were supposably made from film copies belonging
to a collector. While both have picture quality somewhat inferior to
the restored film, I had no idea at the time, how rare these two were.
With "Toll of the Sea," my old copy contains the missing moments
(sunset), that had to be reconstructed in the recent restoration. For
whatever reason (it's probably been doctored), it also contains blue
tinting that was impossible with the red/green two strip technicolor.
My earlier copy of "Piccadilly" (while a few minutes shorter than the
recent restoration), contained an earlier orchestra score, complete with
sound effects. Unlike the restored version and apparently what you
heard in Melbourne, this earlier music contains oriental music to match
Shosho's dance. The entire film is supported wonderfully by this early
music that even contains oriental voices during the meeting at the
restaurant. This is only redundant music that repeats itself again and
again on the restored film.
While groups like the "Disappointments" (now that's also an
appropriate title for the restored film), may attract a younger crowd,
how in the world can inappropriate music help anyone appreciate these
wonderful classics?
Rich Wagner
When I saw "Toll of the Sea" at a film festival years back they went
on about how the last few moments of the film were re-created in
Technicolor with the original camera, however it was three-tone
Technicolor which was used rather than the two colour effect of the
1922 film.
I agree with you regarding accompaniments to pictures, however those
who curate these pictures now seem to think it a wonderful thing to
commission "new and exciting" scores. This can be a good exercise if
placed in the hands of someone like Carl Davis who can work an
excellent score in keeping with the film. Personally I don't think a
rock and roll band is suitable - and they certainly didn't play
anything remotely oriental for Piccadilly! (It is interesting to note
that Debroy Somers Band was the featured orchestra at the nightclub in
the picture - perhaps it would have been good research to have
listened to some of this band's releases from the late 1920's?)
Your score to the picture sounds as though it may have been a
synchronised score added to the picture in the early 1930's to enable
re-release. Those scores often featured someone singing at one point
or another which I must say I find distracting.
Regards
Donald Binks |
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| Old Movie Fan... |
| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:10 pm |
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Years ago, I purchased a VHS video copy of this and Anna May Wong's
"Toll of the Sea" that were supposably made from film copies belonging
to a collector. While both have picture quality somewhat inferior to
the restored film, I had no idea at the time, how rare these two were.
With "Toll of the Sea," my old copy contains the missing moments
(sunset), that had to be reconstructed in the recent restoration. For
whatever reason (it's probably been doctored), it also contains blue
tinting that was impossible with the red/green two strip technicolor.
My earlier copy of "Piccadilly" (while a few minutes shorter than the
recent restoration), contained an earlier orchestra score, complete with
sound effects. Unlike the restored version and apparently what you
heard in Melbourne, this earlier music contains oriental music to match
Shosho's dance. The entire film is supported wonderfully by this early
music that even contains oriental voices during the meeting at the
restaurant. This is only redundant music that repeats itself again and
again on the restored film.
While groups like the "Disappointments" (now that's also an
appropriate title for the restored film), may attract a younger crowd,
how in the world can inappropriate music help anyone appreciate these
wonderful classics?
Rich Wagner |
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| Old Movie Fan... |
| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:07 am |
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Quote: From: dbinks at (no spam) aapt.net.au (Donald4564)
When I saw "Toll of the Sea" at a film festival
years back they went on about how the last
few moments of the film were re-created in
Technicolor with the original camera, however
it was three-tone Technicolor which was used
rather than the two colour effect of the 1922
film.
If that was years ago, it finally clears up the mystery I've had
about why the closing scene (sunset over the ocean), in my older copy of
this two color film was so vivid, with a beautiful full color image.
Really, this is one of the best scenes of a sunset over the water (with
the camera aimed directly at the sun), that I've ever seen.
Other parts of my early copy also have blue tints (seen in the sky and
clothing), just as you'll find in the early "Ben Hur" silent. Over the
years, these red/green films have been tampered with.
The recent restoration of "Toll of the Sea" did that sunset scene
again, and the blue color is now gone; but the image is not as
breathtakingly beautiful.
Not as pretty perhaps, but more accurate.
Rich Wagner |
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| Neil Midkiff... |
| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:39 pm |
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Donald4564 wrote:
Quote:
When I saw "Toll of the Sea" at a film festival years back they went
on about how the last few moments of the film were re-created in
Technicolor with the original camera, however it was three-tone
Technicolor which was used rather than the two colour effect of the
1922 film.
Either someone misspoke at that occasion or your memory is incorrect.
The 1985 restoration used the surviving original camera negative except
for the ending: the final scenes of the Pacific and re-created
intertitles based on the original script. New shots of the ocean were
made in October 1985 with a vintage two-color Technicolor camera. This
information comes from the notes in the opening titles of the restored
print, as seen on the "Treasures from American Film Archives" DVD set.
Robert Gitt of UCLA also told about this in person when I saw the
restoration at the Stanford Theatre, and though my memory of that is
vivid, I just now checked this against the DVD of the film.
There's no way that a two-color camera can produce "three-tone
Technicolor" -- the two-color and three-strip systems are completely
different. The "original camera", as you put it, shoots on a single
strip of black-and-white negative film, making two full frames at once;
one is shot through a red filter and one through a green filter. The
sprocket then pulls the film along by 8 perfs (twice as far as for
regular 35mm movie film) and the next frames are shot. The alternate
"red" and "green" frames have to be separated out by optical printing
onto two intermediate strips of film in order to make the two-color
projection print.
Any blue tones must have been tweaked into Rich's video version
electronically.
-Neil Midkiff |
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| Old Movie Fan... |
| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:37 pm |
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Quote: Any blue tones must have been tweaked into
Rich's video version electronically.
-Neil Midkiff
Neil is correct and I remember well what I learned from him and others
the last time this subject came up. I apparently have an old video
containing the original missing footage (of the sunset), but most all of
my copy has been altered with a blue tint. It's very evident in the
ocean scenes, and even in the costumes.
You'll also find these blue tones in the Silent "Ben Hur" that someone
has altered.
It makes a very beautiful image, but these are not historically
accurate.
Rich Wagner |
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| Igenlode... |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:09 am |
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[repost]
BigMovieFan at (no spam) webtv.net (Old Movie Fan) wrote in message <6446-4A9DE22D-2044 at (no spam) storefull-3252.bay.webtv.net>
[snip]
Quote: My earlier copy of "Piccadilly" (while a few minutes shorter than the
recent restoration), contained an earlier orchestra score, complete
with sound effects. Unlike the restored version and apparently what
you heard in Melbourne, this earlier music contains oriental music to
match Shosho's dance. The entire film is supported wonderfully by
this early music that even contains oriental voices during the meeting
at the restaurant. This is only redundant music that repeats itself
again and again on the restored film.
While groups like the "Disappointments" (now that's also an
appropriate title for the restored film), may attract a younger crowd,
how in the world can inappropriate music help anyone appreciate these
wonderful classics?
"Piccadilly" featured in a free outdoor screening (projected -- probably
from DVD -- onto the blank side wall of the Royal Festival Hall)
http://linkchinese.net/news/2009/08/31/piccadilly-revisited/
last weekend. The 'new contemporary score' used was, to my untutored
ears, heavily oriental in style, and while this works about as well as
any other modern mood music in a background accompaniment to dramatic
scenes, it was *very* inappropriate to the shots where people were
visibly dancing on screen in a quite different style, and to a quite
different beat.
(The performance also featured large amounts of biography read out
and/or dramatised over the action, in the style of a DVD commentary;
presumably the completed 'cross-artform production' will provide even
more distraction from the actual film?)
--
Igenlode Wordsmith *latest review 14 Sep 2009*
My IMDb film reviews: http://imdb.com/user/ur1448185/comments
ratings: http://uk.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=3145804 |
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| Old Movie Fan... |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:02 pm |
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I could not agree more with your comment. The music must fit what is
seen on the screen to be effective. Anything less is a distraction!
It's sad that (like the latest restoration), while they did do it
right (actually quite good), in some parts of the film, it's totally
wrong in the rest. The same melody played endlessly for two hours can
also affect the viewing experience.
I'm very happy with what I have been able to use from the earlier
sound print when watching my copy.
Rich Wagner |
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