Post by Michael Upton on Sept 29, 2014 9:12:20 GMT
Re: Paul Mertons 'Silent Clowns' (recent BBC series).
An excellent series featuring details of the search and restoration of lost silent cinema films; and analysing silent comics such Buster Keaton.
Mertons genuine admiration was evident; the series conjured memories of Bob Monkhouses 'SILENT MOVIES'.
Terry Jones also featured singing praises for Keatons work.
Paul Merton makes an interesting comment in the episode featuring a French film restorer.
He argues that silent cinema is often misrepresented; run at the wrong speed; with a 'tinkly piano soundtrack', and seen truncated on the small TV screen.
I wondered how people feel about this. I myself have to say that my first experience of silent cinema would have been precisely in the wrong way that Merton outlines.
It was probably on the 1965 Xmas showing of 'DAYS OF FUN AND LAUGHTER' on BBC1.
Not only has that always stuck with me; I always recall the 'LAUREL AND HARDY' double bills with a hissy soundtrack. A masked piece of jolly music would appear behind this in the pauses between dialogue. When 'TOMORROWS WORLD' showed a new sound restoration technique that eliminated hiss; the character of the test example; a 'Laurel and Hardy' short; was totally altered and seemed alien.
In similar manner I recall how both my Father on standard 8 home movies in the 60s; and the BBC ran the old guage format prints at the modern projection speed speeding the film up.
This added to the comedy.
When Chaplin acquired rights to his old films in the late 60s; the BBC began to run the restored prints on BBC 1; around 1970.
In these showings; the tinkly piano was replaced by a melancholy violin score written by Chaplin. The films were at normal speed; and a modern new set of captions inserted. These to me looked too clean and the type face incongrous with the films periods. They also bore an outsized new copyright owner 'ESSANAY's logo on each card.
I recall this was very distracting; I kept looking at this logo instead of the dialogue; thinking 'whats Essanay?'.
As a result to me the films were no longer funny but like cold romantic dramas; and to my mind ruined.
So would it be fair to say that the medium and context in which we first experience a piece is maybe just as important as the piece itself.
Think 'telerecording of a VT production when show first was seen on VT' and you may see what I mean.
An excellent series featuring details of the search and restoration of lost silent cinema films; and analysing silent comics such Buster Keaton.
Mertons genuine admiration was evident; the series conjured memories of Bob Monkhouses 'SILENT MOVIES'.
Terry Jones also featured singing praises for Keatons work.
Paul Merton makes an interesting comment in the episode featuring a French film restorer.
He argues that silent cinema is often misrepresented; run at the wrong speed; with a 'tinkly piano soundtrack', and seen truncated on the small TV screen.
I wondered how people feel about this. I myself have to say that my first experience of silent cinema would have been precisely in the wrong way that Merton outlines.
It was probably on the 1965 Xmas showing of 'DAYS OF FUN AND LAUGHTER' on BBC1.
Not only has that always stuck with me; I always recall the 'LAUREL AND HARDY' double bills with a hissy soundtrack. A masked piece of jolly music would appear behind this in the pauses between dialogue. When 'TOMORROWS WORLD' showed a new sound restoration technique that eliminated hiss; the character of the test example; a 'Laurel and Hardy' short; was totally altered and seemed alien.
In similar manner I recall how both my Father on standard 8 home movies in the 60s; and the BBC ran the old guage format prints at the modern projection speed speeding the film up.
This added to the comedy.
When Chaplin acquired rights to his old films in the late 60s; the BBC began to run the restored prints on BBC 1; around 1970.
In these showings; the tinkly piano was replaced by a melancholy violin score written by Chaplin. The films were at normal speed; and a modern new set of captions inserted. These to me looked too clean and the type face incongrous with the films periods. They also bore an outsized new copyright owner 'ESSANAY's logo on each card.
I recall this was very distracting; I kept looking at this logo instead of the dialogue; thinking 'whats Essanay?'.
As a result to me the films were no longer funny but like cold romantic dramas; and to my mind ruined.
So would it be fair to say that the medium and context in which we first experience a piece is maybe just as important as the piece itself.
Think 'telerecording of a VT production when show first was seen on VT' and you may see what I mean.
