The Silver Screen Oasis

I interviewed Carl Davis two days ago in Paris. He is preparing for the performance of The Gold Rush & The Immigrant on Sunday. It was an ideal opportunity to discuss silent film music. Part 1 is now online. Enjoy!

Great interview and very, very interesting Christine. Thanks for posting the link transalated.

What a wonderful time you must have had, Anne. Thanks for sharing!

I found it very interesting Christine, thank you for posting the link

Thanks everybody. It was indeed a huge pleasure to discuss silent film music with Carl Davis. He is very talkative and obviously enjoys very much sharing his passion. He has a lovely English-American accent. I'm looking forward to The Gold Rush concert on Sunday.
In the meantime, I have to work on Part 2 of the interview. It's about music for Chaplin.

I also enjoyed your review of "Nju" a film that has intrigued me for years...it's sad that there isn't available a decent copy of this film.

Thanks so much for sharing that interview with us. Great job, Christine, and I love it when Carl Davis mentioned meeting those people who had actually played for the silent films when he was working on the Hollywood documentary series.

Christine,

Wow! Magnificent article! I haven't had time to read everything in depth, but caught some very interesting points. I'm anxious to read the second half of the interview later on. Thanks' for the clips as well. It's to bad that Carl's version of NAPOLEON, and BROKEN BLOSSOMS, and so many others are not generally available. I would also like to see his score for THE GOLD RUSH as part of the forth-coming Criterion DVD release. Unfortunately, knowing the stubborn attitude of the Chaplin Heir's that isn't likely to happen. I t would be nice if Kino or Eureka would put out THE THIEF OF BAGDAD and THE EAGLE with his scores on Blu-ray. INTOLERANCE too,

Incidentally, this might be a good time to mention this, Paramount is finally working on a new addition of WINGS that I assume will be released on Blu-Ray. It won't have Carl's music, unless it is included as an alternate track. Rather there will be a full recreation of the original 1927 score. Here is a quote from just a couple weeks back by David Shepard. Now if we could just gett similar confirmation from Warner's regarding THE BIG PARADE.

"Paramount is working on its own version of WINGS using the Academy's beautiful tinted restoration, a new orchestral recording of the 1927 score by J. S.Zamecnik (which is wonderful) and sound effects as done in the roadshow screenings which will be executed with modern technology by Ben Burtt. Be patient."

David Shepard

Part 2 about Chaplin and other things is now online.

I loved the article AH. Your questions really brought Davis out...unfiltered and so informative!

Excellent follow-up Christine.

Christine,

Very informative article. Some of the details were all new to me. To me it is disappointing that the Chaplin Estate will not allow THE GOLD RUSH in it's truest form, the original 1925 cut of the film to be given the deluxe treatment on DVD or Blu-ray. It is really the same with many of the Chaplin features. The Kid for example is not the complete 1921 version, that David Shepard restored in the early 90's. Rather the 1972 re-issue, which is missing about a reel, and two very key sequences. Carl does say that more of his scores would be forth-coming? At least that is how I understood his comments? And implies that BROKEN BLOSSOMS might be among them? I would hope that Kino, Eureka or who ever might be looking at INTOLERANCE, THE EAGLE, and THE GODLESS GIRL among others. As I mentioned WINGS would have to be an alternate track, since they are recreating the original 1927 score, which I have never heard by the way. Did Mr. Davis have any insight on what might be happening with THE BIG PARADE?

intothenitrate wrote:I loved the article AH. Your questions really brought Davis out...unfiltered and so informative!

Thanks Intothenitrate. It was my aim, so I'm glad you felt that way. Now, I have to hurry as I am going this pm to Carl's concert performance. I'll report about it when I'm back...

I just read part two. What a treasure you have provided us! How was the concert?

Also, I LOVED your Kevin Brownlow pieces (I know, late to the party as usual). It's like a documentary on a documentarian...so very "meta." And I liked his expression "My eyes stood on stalks."

intothenitrate wrote:I just read part two. What a treasure you have provided us! How was the concert?

Also, I LOVED your Kevin Brownlow pieces (I know, late to the party as usual). It's like a documentary on a documentarian...so very "meta." And I liked his expression "My eyes stood on stalks."

Thanks Intothenitrate. Actually I wrote a review of the concert in The Gold Rush thread: Here. It was great.

Kevin always uses some fantastically colourful English idiom. He speaks like he writes. It's a real pleasure to listen to him. "My eyes stood on stalks" just conjured up some crazy Tex Avery cartoon for me!