Note: This page highlights reviews of the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra's live performances. Reviews of our recorded work are included on the Recordings page.
"...it’s a particular pleasure to hear silent-film music as it was actually performed in most of the first-run theaters of that era — which is to say, by an orchestra.... Mr. Sauer specializes in compiling scores from the authentic photoplay music of the period, drawing on the work of neglected composers like Gaston Borch and J. S. Zamecnik; the results are often breathtakingly beautiful and always in the strict service of the film on the screen." -- Dave Kehr, the New York Times, April 25 2008
"...just wanted to reiterate how wonderful both shows were. I can’t remember when the staff has been so effusive – and we’re a tough audience! We’re amazed that five of you manage to sound like a full orchestra. And the scores were perfect.... We would love to have you back some time. I’m planning to be in San Francisco in July so will see you there." -- Sayre Maxfield, Programming Associate, Films at Lincoln Center, New York.
"At a time, in the teens and early 20's, when divorce was becoming increasingly common but still considered scandalous, DeMille took it as the subject of a series of films. Two, Don't Change Your Husband (1919) and Why Change Your Wife? (1920), have recently been released in fine, tinted versions with excellent scores by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra." -- Dave Kehr, the New York Times
"Sherlock Jr. is Buster Keaton at absolute perfection. The audience was howling. The print looked great and the motorcycle ride near the end of the film is one of cinema's great action sequences. The Mont Alto Orchestra played for this film and it couldn't have been better. They accompany silent films with music that would have been played at the time. So far in the series this has been the musical highlight, not necessarily in uniqueness or style, but in sheer cohesion with the film that is playing. It only enhances the film, sometimes greatly, and never distracts." -- Adrian Bordeleau, blogspot.com
"One of the weekend’s highlights was a screening of a restored 35mm print of the 1929 German film People on Sunday (Menschen am Sontag)... This incredibly modern film uses amateur actors to integrate a slight storyline about a double-date on a Sunday afternoon with actuality footage of people on the streets of Berlin. The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra provided ideal accompaniment, playing musical director Rodney Sauer’s compilation of popular songs and themes from the period. But the most exciting part about watching this film, on the huge screen at the 500-seat Galaxy theater, was realizing that the audience was completely engaged. This was no museum piece: it was a still-vital piece of filmmaking that enveloped and invigorated a modern-day audience. I found it thrilling." -- Leonard Maltin, at www.leonardmaltin.com.
"...the jazzy accompaniment by the Colorado-based quintet the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra resulted in the first standing ovation of the day." -- Meredith Brody, SFWeekly.com
"The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra accompanied Beggars of Life; my first time hearing this quintet. Far more traditional than other small “orchestras” on the silent film circuit (The Alloy Orchestra, the Silent Orchestra, the Devil Music Ensemble, the Clubfoot Orchestra), Mont Alto sticks to classical acoustic instruments and often to scores written when the films were new. I’m not a purist when it comes to silent film accompaniment, but you don’t have to be to appreciate what purists can do. Judging from this one performance, Mont Alto can do wonders." -- Lincoln Spector, bayflicks.net.
"The new score for the film is composed and performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, a superb quintet that
appeared at this year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival." -- Berkeley Daily Planet.
"The Mont Alto Orchestra did a magnificent job with the score and succeeded in making the drama even more intense." -- John Sinnott, DVDTalk.com
"It drew me right into the picture -- it was fantastic. Don't miss Mont Alto when they perform to silent films." -- Wendy Wham, KUNC Radio.
"Mont Alto are one of the best groups specializing in silent film scores performing today. They've recorded several excellent audio tracks for silent films on DVD including The Thief of Bagdad and Mary Pickford's Suds. Seeing them perform live will certainly be a treat." -- John Sinnott, DVDTalk.com
"I have to say that Rodney and the rest of the Mont Alto folks couldn't have been nicer or easier to work with. Despite the lack of room in (half) the orchestra pit, they put up with it without complaint. And you really get the feeling that these people like the film they're accompanying and love what they are doing.... I also thought the show was great, very nice print and a very well-made and entertaining film. The score was 100% excellent. I cannot imagine any accompanying music to this film that would be more appropriate. I've been a fan of Mont Alto since the first time I heard them (on Turner Classic Movies) and it was a very great pleasure to hear them live.... If Chicago ever DOES come out on home video, I'd hope that it would have the Mont Alto score." -- Art Pierce, Director of the Capitol Theater, posting on alt.movies.silent.
"I've seen silent film presentations on three continents, and I can tell you -- this is as good as it gets. It doesn't get any better." --Howie Movshovitz, film critic for Colorado Public Radio and NPR.
"Although they have recorded soundtracks for a number of silent films currently available on video, I never had a chance to hear the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra until last week at Telluride, and I was enchanted with their 1920s sound. Part of the reason is their orchestration, comprised of violin, cello, piano, trumpet, and woodwind; the other factor is their use of music actually composed for silent films." -- Leonard Maltin, www.leonardmaltin.com
"It's already been proved that a 1920s silent film can still effectively entertain a modern audience, but watching the 1918 Pickford film Amarilly of Clothesline Alley effectively hold its own with a modern audience was an experience to remember in itself. With the audience sighing warmly and breaking into light-hearted laughter every sixty to ninety seconds, one could almost sense the cooing 'Our Mary' adoration of early-century filmgoers. The lush score of vintage photoplay music performed by Colorado's Mont Alto Orchestra won an enthusiastic standing ovation as did the similar score they performed for [Marion] Davies' lovely costume film Quality Street the night before." -- David Gasten, Classic Images, April 2002.
"Words cannot adequately describe the phenomenal sound of the Mont Alto Orchestra of Boulder, Colo. They have an amazing ability to adapt musical pieces of the early 1900s to fit the emotions and actions of each scene, as they provide the musical accompaniment of the silent films. Even though the trumpeter was not present this year, there was no noticeable difference in their rich, musical sound. The blended notes of the piano, violin, clarinet and cello were exquisite. The Mont Alto Orchestra participates also in Topeka's Silent Film Festival, held annually in February. It is getting bigger and better every year and worthy of consideration for a day of great entertainment." -- Jan Hummel, Letter to the editor of Topeka Capital Journal, 11/20/02
"One of the best examples of music's transformative power was provided by the adroit backing of Mary Pickford's Suds (1920) by the Mont Alto fivesome. For the Dickens-esque tale set in London, Rodney Sauer, Mont Alto's music director and pianist, compiled 31 separate musical cues culled from folios of specially written movie music published during 'the live music film' era.
"In its world premiere in Topeka, Sauer's score soared, adding a glow to Little Mary's smile here, italicizing a pratfall there, and, in general, subtly underscoring shifts of emotional and atmospheric tone, and providing continuity. Yes, Pickford's winsome performance is still a winner. But, given the standing ovation and hearty rounds of applause, it was clear that the audience had equal appreciation for the artistry of Mont Alto's five accomplished musicians." -- Chuck Berg, Topeka Capital Journal, March 18 2001
"When Kevin Brownlow was the [Iola Buster Keaton] Celebration's guest in 1999, he questioned why we were showing College (1927) -- which some critics consider to be one of Keaton's weaker efforts. After seeing College with Mont Alto's accompaniment and an appreciative audience, Mr. Brownlow could not believe what a different (and much better) film it was when seen in that setting. High praise for the Mont Alto Orchestra from a discerning critic, and proof that proper exhibition is vital for seeing a silent film at its best." -- Frank Scheide, "Ten Years of Silent Film Screenings."
"On very short notice, two members (piano and violin) of the Mont Alto Orchestra accompanied Keaton's The Cameraman and did a spectacular job. Their playing was expert in every way. They chose pieces from the period which resounded perfectly with the action and emotion of each scene, enhancing them wonderfully. And they performed this music gorgeously with a lyricism that added considerable depth to the impact of the film. In fact, although I have seen that film many many times, including an excellent "live" performance with Vince Giordano's Night Hawks, I must say that seeing it with the Mont Alto score made this the very best Cameraman I have ever encountered." -- Alice Artzt, guitarist and silent film music scholar
"I should also tell you that my personal welfare is dependent on Mont Alto's appearance again this year. At the Longmont Council for the Arts board meeting a week or so ago, people got a little hostile until I mentioned that you all would return!!" -- Gretchen Beall, July 30, 2002
"Rodney Sauer is one of the top musicians currently arranging and performing silent movie music. His scores are thoughtful and sensitive, his scholarship of silent film music is thorough, his lectures on the topic are enlightening, and his performances are exceptional." -- Frank M. Scheide, Ph.D., University of Arkansas
"I would say for me the biggest discovery of this year's Cinecon was Rodney and Mont Alto - they simply could not have been any better. I had the good fortune of being able to see them in action once again last night at The Rafael Theatre in San Rafael...the performance was extraordinary. Needless to say, they got another standing ovation at the conclusion of the performance." -- Rob McKay
"The big surprise was the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra We laughed, and we cried, in part in response to the perils of the luminous Mabel Normand, and in part because of the radiant music of the sublime Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra! At the end of the afternoon session, which this satisfied cineaste had the pleasure of listening to and viewing, it seemed that the period of movie history spanning 1896-1927, instead of being called "the silent era," might be more appropriately dubbed 'the live music film era.'" -- Chuck Berg, Topeka Captiol Journal, 3/9/99
"As the lights dimmed in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, five black-clad musicians of the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra took up their instruments. On the screen, the credits appeared for the 1924 Buster Keaton comedy Sherlock Jr., and the audience settled down to treat the silent film with the respect accorded high art.
"The orchestra managed to make the music do the talking in Keaton's tale of a young man working in a movie house who dreams of becoming a detective....
"....The year before last, two members of the Mont Alto orchestra drove to Iola from their base in Boulder, Colo., and volunteered to play for one of the movies. They were such a hit that all five members were invited back with the help of a grant from the Kansas Arts Commission.
"For this year's Keaton Celebration, the Mont Alto musicians produced a score to match the pace and mood of Sherlock Jr., choosing from more than 5,000 pieces of music gathered from the silent film era. Now, says Ms. Martin, they are 'part of the family.' "
-- Shirley Christian, October 9 2000 New York Times article In a Little Kansas Town, a Feast for Buster Keaton Fans.
"We often forget that during the so-called 'silent' era, movies were almost always accompanied by live music. At Iola's Bowlus Arts Center, thanks to the superb Mont Alto Orchestra and Sauer's carefully quilted score fabricated from generic mood music cues from the 1920s, we were treated to a performance of Sherlock, Jr. at once authentic and emotionally moving."
-- Chuck Berg, Topeka Capital-Journal, October 26, 2000
"I want to express how much I enjoyed The Phantom of the Opera....The depth and sensitivity the music provided left me totally engrossed in the movie and the magic lasted all the way home. The presentation is definitely a 'see-again-in-a-heartbeat' and an experience not to be forgotten."
-- Jackie Dunn of Elbert Colorado, February 8, 1998
