I recently watched this on DVD and was confused about something. There was music playing thoughout the movie. Was that added in for the DVD?
shareYes, The General had no soundtrack on its original release in 1926-27, although of course it was accompanied by live music wherever it was shown, as were all silent films.
shareSilent movies just means that there is no spoken dialogue. The original print also had no music score. Musicians were hired to play piano in the theaters (there might have been some sort of sheet music....)
Kat
When was the last time you heard these exact words: You are the sunshine of my life?
Let's not forget the use of the theatre organ - I have a copy of "Wings" and the organ accompaniment adds to the picture throughout.
Also, in rare instances, movies came with their own musical scores, to be played by a small group of musicans either in the pit or behind the screen.
The proper music is essential to the enjoyment of a silent movie. I have seen The General with music from the Hal Roach shorts and it is completly improper and detracts from the movie.
The fact that some of the scenes look like Civil War photographs is the Keaton used actual photos as his guide.
Finally, there were no special effects back then: eveything was as we see it. Remember that when he is loading and firing the small cannon on the train, that first shot where the cannonball ends up in the cab is real.
A favorite movie of mine - you can even show to "normal people" and they will enjoy it (says a lot about Keaton's artistry).
For those in the area (or in the mood for travel), The General will be played with accompanyment by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in late Feb, 2006.
http://www.fwsymphony.org/fwso0304/pages/c_0506general.asp
So if you want to brave DFW airport, come on down. I'll be there.
It can be a real kick to see one of these silent films in such an arena. I was lucky enough to catch Carmine Coppola's tour with the 1927 Abel Gance version of Napoleon ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018192/ ) when it came through San Antonio in 1979 or 80. It was in the big hall with symphony and included some newly found reels, his famous wide-screen trypitch scenes and some scenes in their original "colorized" mode. You don't need a keyboard to have multi-media.
Drat! I wish I'd known about that. Oh well... I'll have to settle for seeing it on TCM tonight.
Last seen:
Duck Soup - 8/10
Didn't full-length movies such as this have their own scores? If they didn't, did the accompanists just make it up?
shareMany big silent movies had original scores, like Metropolis, The Birth of a Nation, Wings, etc.
But more often, something called "cue sheets" were made available to theaters, primarily those without full orchestras. The cue sheet would break down the movie into sequences, and suggest an established piece of music for a particular sequence, with the first few bars of the tune included. Good musicians can take it from there.
I have a copy of the cue sheet to The General. For instance, the suggested music for the beginning is "Alabamy Bound."
Years ago, I found this very thick book compiled by a theater musician, Erno Rapée. It is called "Motion Picture Moods," originally published in 1924, and is organized according to various subject matter (war, national, love, morning, etc.), making it a great reference.
And plenty of skilled accompanists did (and still do) improvise.
Groucho Marx said that both Chico and Harpo played the piano for silent movies. Harpo only knew one tune, "Love Me and the World is Mine," which he would play at varying speeds and intensities as is called for by the movie...he lasted about a week or two on the job.