At the end of my last post, I mentioned that I spoken with musician Stephen Horne at the recently concluded San Francisco Silent Film Festival. We spoke about Prix de beaute. Stephen and I have a
mutual desire to see the silent version of that film released someday, and we
chatted about the prospects. Some regard the silent version superior to the more familiar sound version. Stephen, it should be noted, has accompanied the silent version a
number of times.
I also mentioned to Stephen that I had recently acquired two more vintage 78 rpm recordings of the theme song to Prix de beaute. These new acquisitions brings my total to nearly a dozen different vintage recording from the film, each by different vocalists. Here are those two additional recordings, which I was lucky enough to purchase in their original papers sleeves. Both came from France.
This first recording, performed by the classical vocalist and one time actress "Mlle Ristori" (Gabrielle Ristori), is a cover version of "Je N'ai qu'un amour ... C'est toi," the film's familiar haunting theme song. There were a number of such recordings issued, mostly in France, but also one in Germany. Another recording, of Ristori singing an operetta, can be heard HERE.
The recording below, by the also little known French singer Helene Caron, is, I believe, the version of "Je N'ai qu'un amout ... C'est toi" which is heard in the film. Sample it HERE.
As Stephen Horne and others have noted, sound, music, and images of sound devices (loud speakers) and musical devices (phonographs) play an important part in Prix de beaute. Remember, this film -- one of the very first French talkies, was issued as the European film industry was transitioning from silent to sound films.
What follows are some excerpts from an interview I did with Stephen in 2013, when he accompanied the silent version of Prix de beaute at the 2013 San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
TG: What were your impressions of the film ?
SH: I did watch the sound version before the silent screenings that I accompanied. Normally I wouldn’t consider this necessary, but on this occasion it was invaluable. I’m not sure that this restoration is truly the original silent version - I suspect that this doesn’t actually survive intact and what we have is a recreation, using the sound version as a starting point and working backwards, so to speak. I think that both versions have their problems - they’re imperfect gems - but for me the silent version works much better. And there are certain sequences that are sublime.
TG: Were there any special challenges in composing the score for a silent film that is today best known as a sound film?
SH: I think it’s simplest to assume that the audience hasn’t seen the sound version. Obviously several people will have done, but the event should ideally stand on its own terms, as a silent film / live music event. However, there are some challenges that this silent version presents, particularly all the images that specifically reference sound effects: the repeated close-ups of loudspeakers, etc. One has to make a decision about whether to acknowledge them musically, or ‘play through’ them instead.
TG: Music, song and sound are integral to certain passages in the film, especially the film’s climatic ending. Did that prove a challenge?
SH: Unless you’re playing an instrument that can produce comparable sound ‘effects’, I think it’s best to approach these things in a slightly abstract way. In the tango song scene I’ve chosen to focus on a couple of specific elements within the scene - rather than trying to create an impression of vocalizing, for instance. However, the song in the final scene is inescapably important, so I think that I have come up with a rather clever solution to the problem. But you’ll have to wait to find out what that will be!
TG: Were you able to integrate the two songs used in the sound version into your score? If so, how?
SH: See above! But again, I’m largely gearing the performance to people who are coming to this film without having seen the sound version. The songs are not generally known now, so while it’s important that I play a tango when they’re dancing / singing a tango, I don’t think that it has to be the one sung in the sound version. But just wait until the climax...
I also mentioned to Stephen that I had recently acquired two more vintage 78 rpm recordings of the theme song to Prix de beaute. These new acquisitions brings my total to nearly a dozen different vintage recording from the film, each by different vocalists. Here are those two additional recordings, which I was lucky enough to purchase in their original papers sleeves. Both came from France.
This first recording, performed by the classical vocalist and one time actress "Mlle Ristori" (Gabrielle Ristori), is a cover version of "Je N'ai qu'un amour ... C'est toi," the film's familiar haunting theme song. There were a number of such recordings issued, mostly in France, but also one in Germany. Another recording, of Ristori singing an operetta, can be heard HERE.
The recording below, by the also little known French singer Helene Caron, is, I believe, the version of "Je N'ai qu'un amout ... C'est toi" which is heard in the film. Sample it HERE.
As Stephen Horne and others have noted, sound, music, and images of sound devices (loud speakers) and musical devices (phonographs) play an important part in Prix de beaute. Remember, this film -- one of the very first French talkies, was issued as the European film industry was transitioning from silent to sound films.
What follows are some excerpts from an interview I did with Stephen in 2013, when he accompanied the silent version of Prix de beaute at the 2013 San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
TG: What were your impressions of the film ?
SH: I did watch the sound version before the silent screenings that I accompanied. Normally I wouldn’t consider this necessary, but on this occasion it was invaluable. I’m not sure that this restoration is truly the original silent version - I suspect that this doesn’t actually survive intact and what we have is a recreation, using the sound version as a starting point and working backwards, so to speak. I think that both versions have their problems - they’re imperfect gems - but for me the silent version works much better. And there are certain sequences that are sublime.
TG: Were there any special challenges in composing the score for a silent film that is today best known as a sound film?
SH: I think it’s simplest to assume that the audience hasn’t seen the sound version. Obviously several people will have done, but the event should ideally stand on its own terms, as a silent film / live music event. However, there are some challenges that this silent version presents, particularly all the images that specifically reference sound effects: the repeated close-ups of loudspeakers, etc. One has to make a decision about whether to acknowledge them musically, or ‘play through’ them instead.
TG: Music, song and sound are integral to certain passages in the film, especially the film’s climatic ending. Did that prove a challenge?
SH: Unless you’re playing an instrument that can produce comparable sound ‘effects’, I think it’s best to approach these things in a slightly abstract way. In the tango song scene I’ve chosen to focus on a couple of specific elements within the scene - rather than trying to create an impression of vocalizing, for instance. However, the song in the final scene is inescapably important, so I think that I have come up with a rather clever solution to the problem. But you’ll have to wait to find out what that will be!
TG: Were you able to integrate the two songs used in the sound version into your score? If so, how?
SH: See above! But again, I’m largely gearing the performance to people who are coming to this film without having seen the sound version. The songs are not generally known now, so while it’s important that I play a tango when they’re dancing / singing a tango, I don’t think that it has to be the one sung in the sound version. But just wait until the climax...
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