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I find it equally odd that anyone who claims to be truly immersed in Silent Film and its History does not like Organ Scores because to me they are really the one Scoring method truly unique to the whole genre. When I hear an Organ, I think of silent film (okay, so I don't frequent many churches). Despite any attempts at negative historical rewriting by vested interests these days, some form of organ was indeed the used in the majority instrument used as accompianment to Silent film during the 1920's, and when heard live, the emotional impact cannot be beat, even frankly by a large orchestra. A truly terrfic organ accompianist like Gaylord Carter, Bob Vaughn or Phil Carli can change moods to a score even faster than an Orchestra, and the sound of one of the large Wurlitzer or Morgan set-ups in an old movie palace makes a sound you can feel down to your bones. The most amazing live Silent Film Accompianments I have ever experienced were all performed on an Pipe Organ.

And I also wonder about those who scoff at Gaylord Carter, he was considered the top Theater Organist of his Day (he was Harold Lloyd's favorite accompianist), and we were damn lucky that he lived so long and played so well for so long that a number of his scores were preserved. His was truly the Autherntic sound and indeed, his STEAMBOAT BILL JR has never been beaten (though I'll give William Perry's piano score a close running second), and his work with comedy is always spot-on. I was never that impresed with Lee Erwin either, he always played like he had a long day of accompanying ahead of him and was pacing himself, he never had any energy and his scores dither. Phil Carli is brilliant on whatever instrument he plays, or when he conducts. I wish Bob Vaughn had recorded more of his work, but he was a killer live. Clark Wallace did a great job on what I heard him do. Bob Mitchell was damn good too.

Dennis James--------eh.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

On the issue of theatre organ versus orchestra, I wonder if it could be (at least in part) a generational thing?

For younger fans of silents, we first saw them mostly on DVD or television, almost always with an orchestral score and our other movie/TV viewing experience is with orchestral scores, so to hear a theater organ with a film just seems outlandish and bizarre (perhaps? especially? because the tone colors of a theater organ are so unique) - completely historically appropriate, but for most of the under 40 crowd I think it is a strange tonal event. Also consider that since church attendance for the 40 and under crowd is now at something like 20% and about 1/2 of American churches have dumped organ music altogether and many stadiums and hockey rinks have as well, the pipe organ in any tonal and voicing style is just a bizarre timbre to many people's ears.

I say this as a church organist who is slowly making his way into theater organ playing, and as the music director of a silent film orchestra.

Last Sunday I attended a wonderful theater organ concert, the small theater was packed, a great organ, a fantastic player, except for three other couples and some small children, the entire audience was easily over 60 or 65. So that's about 200 people with maybe 8 adults under 40, plus some kids, and of those 8 adults probably half (and all the children) were part of a birthday outing for a grandparent and I'm sure they would not have otherwise been there...

My little orchestra has now done 7 silents to audiences of mixed ages averaging about 200 people a show, and only rarely do we have a complaint about not using the theatre organ, but if we do, it is always from an older person - but this may be far too narrow a sample to build a reasonable thesis.

I myself have never had the opportunity to hear a silent live in a theater with an appropriately voiced theater organ and until about a year ago I personally couldn't stand them, but hearing several live theater organ concerts (not films) has changed my opinion and awakening my interest in them, I've accompanied silents on church organs built in the orchestral style of the early 20th century, but not voiced alla Wurlitzer - Hope-Jones. So until I heard them live, I didn't care for them, as some mentioned up the thread - hearing them on a CD, DVD or tv broadcast just doesn't do them justice.

Christopher Jacobs wrote: As for THE GENERAL, it was the very first silent feature I ever bought, way back when I was in high school, and have always considered it one of the best and most timeless silent films ever made, period. The Kino Blu-ray is the best I've ever seen it look, and I do not expect any future "restoration" to be significantly better, other than perhaps the addition of several more music score options to the already fine selection of accompaniments. I would not be surprised in the least if Cohen releases their own Blu-ray of THE GENERAL soon, despite the recent Kino release, as it's a mainstream title guaranteed to sell. In fact, I'm rather surprised that there aren't any cheap and mediocre-looking PD Blu-rays of THE GENERAL or PHANTOM OF THE OPERA out yet!

I rebought the General R2 DVD release just for the score by Joe Hisaishi of Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away) fame. It's a solid score (though my personal favorite is still the Robert Israel score from the FPA release) and it'd be nice to have as an extra on any future BD release. I think the General and King Kong are currently tied for the film I own the most copies of (though Godzilla/Gojira is catching up)

gentlemanfarmer wrote:For younger fans of silents, we first saw them mostly on DVD or television, almost always with an orchestral score and our other movie/TV viewing experience is with orchestral scores, so to hear a theater organ with a film just seems outlandish and bizarre (perhaps? especially? because the tone colors of a theater organ are so unique) - completely historically appropriate, but for most of the under 40 crowd I think it is a strange tonal event.

I'm 30 and was exposed to both on AMC as a kid. I've also been lucky to see silents live with an organ score so perhaps I'm prejudiced.

Also consider that since church attendance for the 40 and under crowd is now at something like 20% and about 1/2 of American churches have dumped organ music altogether and many stadiums and hockey rinks have as well, the pipe organ in any tonal and voicing style is just a bizarre timbre to many people's ears.

This is true. When my wife and I moved and we found a new church to worship at we were surprised that they had a small quartet of piano, viola, classical guitar and flute. As someone who came from a church whose organ was listed as worthy of preservation it was culture shock for me but it is nice. I think like with silent films organs and small orchestras work very well. Sometimes the big orchestra can overwhelm and get in the way.

Last Sunday I attended a wonderful theater organ concert, the small theater was packed, a great organ, a fantastic player, except for three other couples and some small children, the entire audience was easily over 60 or 65. So that's about 200 people with maybe 8 adults under 40, plus some kids, and of those 8 adults probably half (and all the children) were part of a birthday outing for a grandparent and I'm sure they would not have otherwise been there...

Classical music rarely has kids or young adults in the audience. I like to think I got cultured (classical music, silent movies etc.) at a younger age than most.

LouieD wrote:

Gagman 66 wrote:Bruce,

Thanks. very nice review, but it gives no inkling as to when the DVD or Blu-ray will be out. Or even a TCM premiere.

Blu-ray coming in 4 months. I heard it from a friend at Warners.

It was confirmed today it's out Oct 1 in a digibook edition.

Robert W wrote:

LouieD wrote:

Gagman 66 wrote:Bruce,

Thanks. very nice review, but it gives no inkling as to when the DVD or Blu-ray will be out. Or even a TCM premiere.

Blu-ray coming in 4 months. I heard it from a friend at Warners.

It was confirmed today it's out Oct 1 in a digibook edition.

So I was off a couple of months.

LouieD wrote:

Robert W wrote:

Gagman 66 wrote:Bruce,

Thanks. very nice review, but it gives no inkling as to when the DVD or Blu-ray will be out. Or even a TCM premiere.

LouieD wrote:
Blu-ray coming in 4 months. I heard it from a friend at Warners.

It was confirmed today it's out Oct 1 in a digibook edition.

So I was off a couple of months.

Just as clarification, for people who don't bother to go back to read the first page of this thread, the above-quoted information all refers to the restoration of THE BIG PARADE (which had been screened in L.A. along with the newest restoration of THE GENERAL) and the impending Blu-ray release of THE BIG PARADE by Warner Home Video, and does not refer to Cohen Media's re-restored or parallel restoration of THE GENERAL, which has not yet been officially announced for Blu-ray release, and is not likely to look substantially different from Kino's superb Blu-ray of THE GENERAL although it may well have one or more different music scores.