Mont Alto has two studio CD recordings of silent film music.
Each contains over an hour of music originally written in the
teens and twenties for silent film accompaniment. The CDs may
be ordered directly from Mont Alto by printing our order
form, or from amazon.com through the links provided by each title.
Mont Alto has recorded scores for a number of video releases of silent films on VHS and DVD. Other than The General, we do not sell the videos from our web site, but you'll find descriptions of the films and links to amazon.com, where they may be purchased. They are also available from most other video sources, and sometimes be found at video stores that have strong classic film collections.
PLEASE NOTE: There are sometimes multiple video releases available of these films with different scores, different source materials, and varying video transfer qualities. We are proud of the companies that we work for -- Kino Video, Milestone Films, Image Entertainment, and Laughsmith Entertainment -- they take great care with the video and audio portions of their products, tracking down the best available source materials and producing excellent video transfers. If you are interested in the Mont Alto scores, following the links below should take you to the releases with our scores, but use caution when buying "used" copies at amazon.com.
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AMARILLY OF CLOTHES-LINE ALLEY
Director: Marshall Neilan.
Script: Frances Marion.
USA. 1918. 77 min. Tinted.
Mary Pickford plays a widow washerwoman's eldest daughter in the Irish tenements of a large city. A love triangle causes tension as she is courted by a wealthy rake. She will reform him, of course -- but will he manage to win her, or will the interference of his shocked relatives send her back to her bartending shanty-Irish boyfriend? This is a witty and charming film, with several scenes in a teens-era ragtime dance hall.
"Just wanted to post a note about how amazingly great the scores are for the Milestone Pickfords. I saw Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley last week and was blown away with how perfect the score was for that film. Great work. More!" --Rick Levinson, 1999, on internet newsgroup alt.movies.silent
"Like Stella Maris, the print and transfer here are excellent and confirm Pickford's enduring power to touch the hearts of all audiences. Features include another new, stereophonic score from the Mont Alto Orchestra and an excellent bonus in the recently-restored 1911 Thomas Ince silent short, "The Dream." --Wade Major, DVDFile.com
See Mont Alto's cue sheet for Amarilly of Clothesline Alley
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ASSUNTA SPINA
Italy 1914, dir. Francesca Bertine and Gustavo Serena.
This film, an operatic tale of love and sacrifice, is the most famous role of Italian Diva Francesca Bertini. Poet and playwright Salvatore Di Giacomo captured the uniqe essence of Napolitania: the ability of the Italian working class to maintain their dignity even as they struggle for survival. In harmony with this approach, Assunta Spina was shot largely on location in Naples, capturing precious glimpses of life on the streets of Naples, and presaging the rise of Italian Neorealism. Taking a vacation from photoplay music, and in keeping with the film's operatic structure, Mont Alto's score makes use of little-known classical pieces by composers who write in the Italian style.
"Assunta Spina is a tragic story about love, jealousy and guilt. The picture quality has a few rough patches, but that is made up by wonderful musical accompaniment. A lot of research and love went into the new musical score for this film, such as finding suitable music from that time period, early last century, and it is played beautifully on piano, violin, cello and clarinet. A treat for the music lover, and surely a great asset to this charming Italian silent classic. " -- Barabara Burkowski, amazon.com
See Mont Alto's cue sheet for Assunta Spina
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THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES
U.S. 1928. B&W. 88 mins. dir. D.W. Griffith.
This title is one of D.W. Griffith's last silent films, and is a mixture of comedy and melodrama. Phyllis Haver in particular is perfect as the gold-digging blonde. We chose music by Gaston Borch, J.S. Zamecnik, and others to make a score that follows the film from comedy to tragedy and back again. The DVD version includes a "hidden" track that identifies each of the pieces in the compiled score by title and composer.
"Visually and aurally, it's an astonishing transfer boasting probably the best video of any silent film presently available on DVD, thanks to a well-preserved negative. The soundtrack, recorded in Dolby Digital and beautifully performed by the Mont Alto Orchestra, is an even greater treat. " --Wade Major, DVDFile.com
"...beautifully restored and awarded a highly appropriate new score by Rodney Sauer and Susan Hall of the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, this once so maligned failure emerges as perhaps the legendary director's most approachable work." -- Hans J. Wollstein, allmovie.com
"This is perhaps the most elegant film D.W. Griffith directed in his legendary career... Although the characters and even the plot may seem very stereotyped, it is still a very entertaining film made even more enjoyable due to perfect picture quality and a most exceptional musical score. In fact, the music is one of the best silent film accompaniments I've ever heard, and is a highlight of this DVD.... While the original soundtrack to this film is lost, this beautiful new recording by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra is a real pleasure to listen to, and anyone who appreciates fine, quality music surely won't be disappointed. Whether interested in D.W. Griffith's work or not, this film is simply a pleasure to watch, and is also a fine example of cinema styles of 1928." -- Barbara Burkowski, amazon.com
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BED AND SOFA
Russia 1926, Directed by Abram Room
Daring for its time (or any time), Bed and Sofa is the story of a love triangle between a woman and two men living together in a one-room basement apartment in 1927 Moscow. When Liuda becomes pregnant and no one knows which husband is the father, she must determine her own future. With an involving plot, comic invention, pathos, naturalistic performances, and highly-charged use of space and objects, director Abram Room illuminates the lives of the characters but without offering a simplistic resolution. Instead he successfully uses their personal stories to probe complex issues of lingering patriarchy and female self-sufficiency in the new Society. As a bonus, this DVD also includes Chess Fever, a witty and ingenious satire on the chess craze which swept Moscow at the time of the International Tournament there.
Mont Alto's score is more classically-oriented this time, with Russian composers featured as well as several parts of the lovely "Suite from the South" by J. Nicodé.
"The Mont Alto Orchestra provides a chamber score for the film, and it's quite appropriate, with a nice Slavic feel that's not overwhelming in character. Directionality is surprisingly clear, with excellent depth and presence, especially from the cello." --Digitallyobsessed.com
"...the musical score by Rodney Sauer is among the best I've heard, being lovely classical music perfectly suited to the film throughout. -- Barbara Burkowski, amazon.com
Read Mont Alto's cue sheet for Bed and Sofa.
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BLOOD AND SAND
U.S. 1922, dir. Fred Niblo.
109 mins. Color-tinted B&W.
After his unexpected success in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Rudolph Valentino was given a second Blasco Ibeniz novel adaptation. In Blood and Sand he stars as Juan Gallardo, a young Spaniard who escapes his destiny as a poor shoemaker to become a celebrated toreador. Valentino is convincing and natural as the young, playful toreador, but when the exotic Doña Sol (Nita Naldi) enters the story, the silver screen's most outrageous man-destroying vampire-woman walks away with the picture under her seven-foot train. Mont Alto's newly compiled score is rooted in pieces by Spanish composers such as Isaac Albeniz, Lacome, and Jose Padilla, blended with other "photoplay music" of 1922 and before.
This definitive DVD edition is newly mastered from a 35mm archive negative.
DVD Special Features:
- Filmed introduction by Orson Welles with clips from Eyes of Youth, The Eagle and others (Historical consultant: William K. Everson)
- Parody of Blood and Sand starring Will Rogers from his 1924 film Big Moments From Little Pictures (Produced by Hal Roach)
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Footage of Valentino's funeral procession
- Audio recording of the Love Theme: "You Gave Me Your Heart" (Susan Rogers, soloist)
- Vicente Blasco Ibáñez and the Novel
- A 1922 Essay by Isaac Goldberg
- Valentino "Speaks": Excerpts from Photoplay magazine
- About the Score
"Tremendous! That is how we describe this new edition of Rudolph Valentino in Blood and Sand (1922) in a word. The combination of a new video transfer of great source materials, with great music and extras, makes a great home video edition of one of the silent era's perennially cherished films... This new Kino edition features a fantastic music score compiled and arranged by Rodney Sauer [and Susan Hall]. The contemporary score was performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra and was well recorded in clear stereo sound in 2001. The score is in turns lively and somber.... The musical performance is, overall, very pleasing and is another fine example of how silent film accompaniment should be handled on home video."
-- Carl Bennett, www.silentera.com
See Mont Alto's cue sheet for Blood and Sand.
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THE BLUE BIRD
dir. Maurice Tourneur U.S. 1918
Based on the "symbolist" play by Nobel-prize winning poet Maurice Maeterlinck, The Blue Bird is a fantasy that was long popular as a children's play, despite it's sometimes dark bent. A brother and sister travel through a dream-world looking for the blue bird of happiness, and encounter characters representing human emotions and frailties. The special effects, imaginative costumes, and symbolic scenic design show that the following year's Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was not so far ahead of its time after all. As usual, our score is compiled from period silent film music, and this time leans towards avant garde and dream-like compositions by Gaston Borch, Henry Hadley, Rubinstein, and Edward MacDowell; among others.
"The esteemed Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra provides a compilation score that's quite appropriate without Mickey-Mousing the film to death. The moods follow quite well, and the only sound effects supplied are a few raps at the door. There's a broad soundstage that gives depth and spacing to the instruments of the small orchestra, giving the sensation that they're in the pit before you. The recording quality is first rate and there's nothing at all to complain about here."
The Palace of Happiness music, "The Atonement of Pan," by Henry Hadley
The old widow, and the happiness of home theme, "Rest" by Gaston Borch.
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COBRA
dir. Lambert Hillyer U.S. 1925. 75 min. B&W.
Rudolph Valentino plays a suave, womanizing Italian count who travels to New York to get away from women. But just as he starts to discover the first wholesome love of his life, his past returns to haunt him in the form of Nita Naldi, his best friend's discontented wife. Stunning set design and a beautiful quality print demonstrate the appeal of Valentino as a lover, and Nita Naldi is the epitome of the fatal "vampire" woman, so popular on the silent screen. The film is a bit slow on action, but remains one of the best available "vamp" movies.
"No doubt everyone has a favourite Rudolph Valentino film for different reasons, and mine is "Cobra". I simply cannot fault this film in any aspect: visually beautiful with perfectly-suited, lovely classical violin music, and perhaps the most emotionally-rivetting acting performance by Valentino I have ever seen...." -- Barbara Burkowski, ww.amazon.com.
"The score of period music was compiled by Rodney Sauer and performed by the Mont Alto Theatre Orchestra. While the end credits only list five performers it sounds like more, and the music provides the right balance of playfulness and emotional support, at times saving Cobra from self-satire." -- David Pierce, Silent Film Bookshelf, 1998.
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DELICIOUS LITTLE DEVIL (1919) (on the Beyond the Rocks DVD)
An extra on the Milestone release of the long-lost Valentino/Swanson film Beyond the Rocks, Delicious Little Devil is a lively and entertaining early comedy. Mae Murray stars as a poor Irish girl who -- to get a job as a cabaret dancer -- assumes the identity of a scandalous womand of the world. She falls in love with millionaire Rudolph Valentino, whose father worries about her assumed bad reputation -- but it's even harder to establish her innocence! A lively ragtime-era score is based on the original cue sheet, and includes several dance numbers.
"I was also very pleased with the second film on this DVD, namely The Delicious Little Devil from 1919 in which Valentino stars opposite Mae Murray; another popular star of the silent era. While Valentino plays the usual appealing role of the lover, it is Mae Murray, in my opinion, who steals the show in this surprisingly entertaining film with her vibrant, energetic and expressive manner. The musical accompaniment chosen for each film is of a very high standard..." -- Barbara Burkowski, amazon.com
"The [Beyond the Rocks] disc offers another feature from the Filmmuseum archive: Mae Murray stars in A Delicious Little Devil (1919), with Valentino in a small supporting role....This spry, working-class comedy is a real charmer, and while it hasn’t undergone the kind of careful restoration given Beyond the Rocks it’s very watchable, all the more so because of a score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra that’s brimming with period flavor." -- Leonard Maltin, leonardmaltin.com/picks.htm
"The film is accompanied by an excellent small orchestra stereo music score, compiled by Rodney Sauer based on cue sheets from 1922, performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra." -- SilentEra.com
Listen to the Peacock Dance music, the oriental foxtrot Suez by Ferdie Grofe.
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DESTINY
Germany 1921, dir. Fritz Lang.
A great feat of imagination, this is an early collaboration by Fritz Lang and writer Thea von Harbou, the team who later created the science fiction masterpiece Metropolis. A young couple is travelling through medieval Germany. They st op in a village where Death has recently bought a small garden. When Death takes the young man, the maiden pursues Death to his chapel, and demands that he return her lover. Death, tired of the grief he is required to inflict on humankind, gives the maiden a challenge -- she may have her lover back if she is able to defeat Death by saving one of three doomed lives in Arabia, in Venice, and in China. The combination of Faust-like allegory, extravagant sets and costumes, and exotic swash-buckling adventure makes this an irresistably entertaining and thought-provoking film.
"I do think that Mont Alto's score, including not only the beautiful individual selections and the wonderful performances of them but most particularly Susan's and your keen analysis and breakdown of the film, selection and editing of the perfect piece to accompany each segment, is fully the equal of Destiny itself; which is to say, it is a masterpiece."
-- David Shepard, Film Preservation Associates
"The film presentation is enhanced by a small orchestra musicial accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. The music is comprised of adaptations of traditional German melodies and other authentically arranged scores to compile a very welcome and very pleasing film score. We have taken to playing the DVD while we work just to listen to the musical performance."
-- Carl Bennett, www.silentera.com
Order the score from Destiny on CD
See Mont Alto's cue sheet for Destiny
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DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE
U.S. 1920, dir. John S. Robertson. 1920. U.S. 73 mins. Color-tinted B&W.
Considered by many to be the first great American horror film, John S. Robertson's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde allowed stage legend John Barrymore to deliver his first virtuoso performance on film. Blending historic charm with grim naturalism, this version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is one of the more faithful of the many screen adaptations of Stevenson's story, recounting a visionary scientist's ill-fated attempts to unleash the human mysteries that dwell beneath the shell of the civilized self.
Mastered from a 35mm negative and complemented with a wealth of supplemental material, this Kino on Video edition beautifully showcases the dramatic brilliance and gruesome thrills of this influential American classic.
DVD Special Features:
- "The Transformation Scene" A Rare 1909 Audio Recording
- Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride: a 1925 one-reel parody starring Stan Laurel
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: an excerpt of the rival 1920 version starring Sheldon Lewis
- "The Many Faces of Jekyll/Hyde": an illustrated essay on the story's origins and incarnations
- "About the Score" by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
"Which leads us to the musical accompaniment on this Kino edition....the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra has provided another wonderful performance by its five-musician small orchestra. The music is stirringly performed and is well recorded. The score has been thoughtfully compiled and always is a compliment to the action or emotion of the scene. We continue to applaud the trend toward better musical accompaniment of silent films on home video. We think the higher level of music quality is well worth the economic investment."
-- Carl Bennett, www.silentera.com
See Mont Alto's cue sheet for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
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DON'T CHANGE YOUR HUSBAND (1919) plus THE GOLDEN CHANCE (1915)
U.S. 1915, dir. Cecil B. DeMille
In Don't Change Your Husband, Cecil B. DeMille's first film with Gloria Swanson, Leila Porter (Swanson) tires of her dull nouveau-riche husband (Elliot Dexter) who is inattentive, sloppy, and an eater of green onions. She trades him for Schuyler Van Sutphen, a suave but two-timing playboy (Lew Cody), but when she learns Van Sutphen is having an affair with Toodles (Julia Faye), she encourages her now-reformed husband to pursue and remarry her. This edition is digitally mastered from the 35mm preservation negative, tinted according to the original instructions, and features authentic photoplay music performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. The drama of a woman who should have changed husbands long before she did, The Golden Chance, almost forgotten today, is one of Cecil B. DeMille's superlative early efforts. Against her family's wishes, beautiful and well-bred Mary (Cleo Ridgeley) has married Steve Denby (H. B. Carpenter), a criminal lout whose alcoholism has reduced the couple to destitution in a one-room slum apartment. Mary finds work pretending to be an attractive single woman, as part of a snare to entrap an eligible millionaire (Wallace Reid). This edition is digitally mastered from the 35mm preservation negative, tinted according to the original instructions, and scored with authentic photoplay music compiled and performed by Rodney Sauer.
"The score [for Don't Change Your Husband], performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, is adapted from musical themes that were popular among theatre accompanists of the period (compiled by Rodney Sauer and Susan Hall). Crisp and concise, Mont Alto's score beautifully enhances the formal nature of this comedy of manners, occasionally indulging in musical whimsy to flavor the moments of subtle comedy that might go unnoticed behind a more rambling score. Most memorable is a scene in which Mrs. Porter compares her suitor's impeccable attire to her husband's slovenly appearance, while strumming on a ukelele. Mont Alto deftly bounces between the playful uke (tightly synched to Swanson's fingerwork) and a series of dour musical responses (that provides a reminder of the grim reality of her marital situation). This coalesces beautifully with DeMille's careful editing of the scene, yielding a taste of silent cinematic expressiveness in its purest form." — www.turnerclassicmovies.com.
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THE FORGOTTEN FILMS OF ROSCOE "FATTY" ARBUCKLE
This Four DVD set contains 32 films starring, or directed by, Roscoe Arbuckle. Three of the films are scored by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra (Leap Year, The Waiter's Ball, and He Did and He Didn't. In addition, Rodney Sauer scored That Little Band of Gold, Fatty's Plucky Pup, and Love for solo piano and accordion. The other films are scored by many of the finest musicians working in the silent film genre today, including Phil Carli, David Drazin, Ben Model, and Donald Sosin.
A long-overdue tribute to one of the funniest men of the early cinema, whose career was ruined in 1921 by a scandal.
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Google Checkout lets you buy with a credit card. The total cost is $25 (which includes shipping via first-class mail).
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THE GENERAL
U.S. 1927, dir. Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman
Buster Keaton's most well-known film, here presented with a score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. Railroad engineer Buster Keaton is rejected by the Confederate Army and by his sweetheart, Annabelle (Marion Mack). But when Northern spies kidnap both Annabelle and The General (his beloved train engine), it sets in motion cinema’s most perfectly structured comic epic.
This 1927 silent film is presented here in a beautiful transfer from an archival print. The five-piece Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra uses historic “photoplay music” to create an authentic, exciting, and compelling score of the kind heard in movie theaters in the 1920s.
Extras include a commentary track by Howie Movshovitz and Rodney Sauer and a mini-feature about silent film music repertoire and performance.
Here's a trailer in QuickTime format. (Note that this is low resolution for quick downloads, and does NOT represent the quality of the DVD).
This is Mont Alto's first self-released DVD in our "Private Reserve" series and is only available directly from Mont Alto. Although self-released, it is not a DVD-R; it is a pressed region-free DVD-5. You may purchase copies:
- In person at our live shows, or
- By check using our order form, or
- By credit card (through Google Checkout) by clicking the button at left.
- Using Paypal (I recommend contacting me by email to get instructions)
Here is a screen capture from the video:
"With a glorious new soundtrack by the group and a lovely print, this is the most enjoyable DVD release of The General yet....
"Mont Alto is the finest silent movie musical group around today, and this is an excellent score. Pianist Rodney Sauer uses an authentic silent era music 'library' to create the music that is played during the film and he has made some very good selections. The music really accents the film without going overboard. This group doesn't try to add feeling that isn't there; they don't try to make a slow moment in between gags funny by playing some goofy music. Instead they let the movie speak for itself; their music accents the emotions and attitude already present of the film.
"The General is one of my favorite films, and I've seen it many times and with many different accompaniments. I can confidently say that this Mont Alto score is my favorite so far. They did a wonderful job accompanying a fantastic film.
"...This is a great, great movie. Funny, touching, and, well, funny; it is one of those productions where everything just comes together perfectly. The new soundtrack by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra is wonderful to listen to and fits the movie very well. It's the best available score for this film which makes it easy to Highly Recommend this disc."
-- John Sinnott, DVDTalk.com
"Rating for Style: A... Rating for Substance: A-.... Image Transfer Grade: A-.... Audio Transfer Grade: A-... Extras Grade: B+... [see complete review for Mark's comments on each category.]
"Mont Alto offers one of the finest prints I've seen of The General, one of Buster Keaton's best pictures, with a thoughtful score in an excellent transfer. This beautiful, easily-overlooked package is very highly recommended. No reason to hesitate."
-- Mark Zimmer, DigitallyObsessed.com
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THE MARRIAGE CIRCLE
U.S. 1924. dir. Ernst Lubitsch.
This wonderful comedy of misplaced attraction centers around two married couples in Vienna. Professor Stock wants a divorce, and his wife Mizzi wants the excitement of illicit romance. When she decides to seduce her best friend's husband, it livens up all of their lives in ways she doesn't expect. This was a ground-breaking comedy, with humor derived from reactions and adult situations. It shows a refreshing lack of Victorian attidudes on the part of all of the characters -- incidents that would have thrown D.W. Griffith's pure-of-thought virgins into a faint are met here with a wry, knowing smile.
"The score by Rodney Sauer and the Mont Alto Orchestra is delightful in my opinion, and it points the way to visual witticisms I never noticed before. For those to whom comedy is American Pie this will fall flat, but I don't know a film that gets more out of glances, props, reactions, offscreen space, and other such devices of pure movie." --David Shepard
"...the Mont Alto Orchestra offers yet another perfectly-pitched score." -- DVDfile.com
See Mont Alto's cue sheet for The Marriage Circle .
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SUDS
U.S. 1920, Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford plays laundry-girl Amanda Afflick. Stuck in a hopeless job, she builds a fantasy life around a mysterious customer who left a shirt at the laundry, and who she comes to believe will return for the shirt -- and for her. Despite some lovely comic sequences involving caring for a horse in her upstairs apartment, and her fantasy of how she fell from being the daughter of a duke to be a laundry drudge, Mary wanted it to end with Amanda being left alone, her dreams dissolved. When audiences reacted badly to this tragic, Chaplinesque ending, Mary filmed several "happy" endings -- two of which appear on this disc.
This DVD contains two complete versions of the film. The print used in foreign releases was composed completely of different takes from the print released in the U.S. The American print has a score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, while the European release has a score by the organist Gaylord Carter.
"This movie comes with a stereo score that was arranged and performed by the Mont Alto Orchestra. The audio was very good, sounding clean and clear and creating a nice atmosphere for the film. I really enjoy orchestral tracks, even from a small five piece group like Mont Alto. They just seem to breathe life into silent films and make them more enjoyable to watch.
"This audio track did a good job of complimenting the action on screen. They managed to accent the drama without becoming over bearing like many scores in current movies do. A good example of this is when Amanda comes to a bitter realization at the end of the film. Instead of having the string section swell up with sad music (if I have to listen to that one more time I think I’ll scream) they have a clarinet come to the forefront, followed by a violin and piano. They followed the mood of the scene instead of trying to take the lead. A very fine score, especially when you compare it to Gaylord Carter’s organ soundtrack to the foreign release cut of the film."
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THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
U.S. 1924, Douglas Fairbanks.
Mont Alto has compiled and recorded a score based loosely on the original cue sheet by James Bradford.
A spectacular accomplishment in production design and special effects, Raoul Walsh's THE THIEF OF BAGDAD is a bold Arabian adventure starring Douglas Fairbanks as a carefree pickpocket who turns his appealing brand of mischievous thievery toward the attainment of happiness... and an exotic Princess (Julanne Johnston). The only way he can win either is by retrieving the rarest treasures hidden within the mysterious Orient, a quest that grows more fantastic with every passing thrill, as the tenacious thief rises high above the city on a magic carpet, battles a fire-breathing dragon in caverns of flame and soars into the clouds on the back of a winged steed via innovative special effects.
This special Kino on Video DVD is the definitive edition of Fairbanks’s classic, digitally mastered from a 35mm archive negative, with 19 minutes of rare outtakes and special effects footage.
Review from DVDTalk.com
"...The sound track is provided by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra based on the original 1924 cue sheets. Mont Alto has been around for around for about ten years specializing in live accompaniments to silent movies. This is the tenth movie that they have recorded a music track for. Though I have heard of them before, this is disc is the first time I have heard their music. I was very impressed. The score worked very well, accenting the mood, and complimenting the action, but never becoming intrusive. This five piece ensemble’s thoughtful arrangement added another dimension to the picture. I can only hope that they crop up on more DVDs in the future. The sound quality was very good. The stereo mix sounded full and clear. There was no hiss or tape noise that sometime accompanies older soundtracks. One of the best sounding silent era DVDs I have had the pleasure to screen.
...A very impressive looking disc, one of the best silent era DVDs I’ve seen.... The musical score added a lot to the film, illustrating how important the musical selection can be. All this is on top of an excellent movie that is full of spectacle and grandeur. A delightful romp through a Bagdad that never existed, but we all wish did. If only all silent era DVDs could live up to the high standards set by this disc. "
"The exception, again, is The Thief Of Bagdad, an all-around winner. Its lavish and evocative orchestral score matches Raoul Walsh's vigorous direction and the eye-poppingly inventive matte effects, which pack nearly every frame with incidental wonder."
Listen to the Opening Title music for the Thief of Bagdad -- a medley of Azora: Prelude to Act III (Henry Hadley) and Priere Hindoue (Irenee Berge).
Listen to Orientale, by Nicolas Amani, the music we use for the scene at the giant statues of Kandahar.
Read Mont Alto's cue sheet for The Thief of Bagdad.
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TRUE HEART SUSIE / HOODOO ANN
dir. D.W. Griffith U.S. 1919 / 1916. 86 min.
In 1918-1919, D. W. Griffith turned from spectacles such as The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, and Hearts of the World to smaller films, which he called his "short story series." Among these is True Heart Susie. "There are those of us who consider True Heart Susie to be Griffith's masterpiece," writes Tom Gunning in his notes for a 2006 screening at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival. He goes on to praise the "narrative structure and point of view, as well as the fine details of performance, framing, and even the use of intertitles that makes a seemingly modest film such as this appear nearly incandescent in its confessional and emotional power." In an almost mythical American arcadia, Lillian Gish portrays a pure, prim girl who so loves her childhood sweetheart (Griffith's most charming boyish hero, Robert Harron) that she sells the family cow to anonymously finance his higher education, only to lose him to a more "modern" woman (Clarine Seymour) when he comes home. Gish's performance is among her best, her face what Gunning calls a "battleground of emotions, staging complete and progressive dramas of realization, recognition and despair."
As a bonus feature we offer Hoodoo Ann. This light comedy is Griffith-supervised and scripted (using the pseudonym Granville Warwick), although the actual direction is by Lloyd Ingraham. Mae Marsh is paired with Robert Harron; the actors had been often partnered since Biograph days, concurrently were in the modern story of Intolerance and continued to play leads together until Miss Marsh left the company at the end of 1916. Although the plot is a tangle of unlikely coincidence, the performers make it work, and "it is filled with those little touches for which Fine Arts pictures are famous," in the words of an original review.
"... a new score, performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, ... perfectly captures the film’s knowing naïveté." -- David Kehr, The New York Times. (See complete review).
"The score for the feature film was performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra from a score compiled by the group's pianist, Rodney Sauer. They do their usual excellent job, both musically and having the music fit the tone of the movie. Hoodoo Ann is presented with a piano score that Mr. Sauer compiled and plays. This too was very good and the solo piano fit the simple feeling of the movie. Mr. Sauer also realizes that less can be more and in some scenes has very minimal music. The section where Ann breaks a doll that she's 'borrowed' is like that, and the lack of energetic playing accented the scene well. Since these are recent recordings there are no audio defects. The sound is strong and clear." -- John Sinnott, dvdtalk.com.
"The presentation is buoyed by a pleasant small-orchestra music score compiled from contemporary theatrical sheet music by Rodney Sauer and performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, one of the best practioners of silent film accompaniment." -- Carl Bennet, silentera.com.
Listen to Henry Hadley's piece Lily of the Valley from the score.
Listen to Henry Hadley's Silhouette: American from the score.
Read Mont Alto's cue sheet for True Heart Susie.
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THE WHISPERING CHORUS
dir. Cecil B. DeMille U.S. 1918. 86 min.
Cecil B. DeMille wanted to create a psychological film that went beyond stock melodrama characters to investigate the psyche of average, flawed people. What resulted was this amazing dark thriller, without one heroic figure. As each acts to serve his or her own interest, the situation spirals out of control. The "whispering chorus" of the title refers to the little voices we hear in our heads that give us advice -- for good or ill -- which DeMille conveys on the screen by means of well-executed special effects. Raymond Hatton plays the ill-fated John Tremble, whose attempt to flee a crime and change his identity leads to his arrest for killing... himself. Kathlyn Williams plays his wife, who recognizes him but decides not to save him in order to preserve her own life of comfort.
The Whispering Chorus was released along with Old Wives for New on the Image Entertainment label.
"This was a very good film. The narrative is quite unlike DeMille's more commercial romantic comedies, both in style and substance. This psychological drama had a lot of atmosphere that made the film more intense, and the effects really added to the drama. The superimposition used to illustrate the voices in Trimble's head worked very well, and the tinting, based on the original prints, also served to set the mood. A very fine piece of work. I'm surprised that this film wasn't the one that received top billing on this DVD...
"...I much preferred the soundtrack to The Whispering Chorus by the Mont Alto Orchestra. This small group does a great job. The score was compiled by leader Rodney Sauer from contemporary music and fits the movie well. I always enjoy Mont Alto's work, and this score is no exception."
-- John Sinnott, DVDTalk.com
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WHY CHANGE YOUR WIFE? with MISS LULU BETT
dir. Cecil B. DeMille, U.S. 1920
"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.
"Both feature DeMille's first muse, Gloria Swanson (who 30 years later in "Sunset Boulevard" would finally advise him that she was ready for her close-up). In "Don't Change Your Husband," she's a jazz baby married to a boorish businessman (Elliott Dexter) and leaves him for a society fop (Lew Cody). "Why Change Your Wife?" reverses the roles, with Swanson as a housebound prude whose husband (the major silent era star Thomas Meighan) leaves her to marry a flapper (Bebe Daniels).
"The films are early examples of the subgenre the philosopher Stanley Cavell called "the comedy of remarriage." DeMille, as he did in his biblical spectacles, shrewdly manages to have things both ways, suggesting that there's nothing like a good divorce to teach you to understand and appreciate your spouse.
"Husband is the more extravagantly entertaining of the two, replete with the lavish historical flashbacks and wild party scenes that were becoming DeMille's trademark. But the more restrained Wife has its pleasures as well, as when Swanson steps out for a flapper makeover that leaves her looking like a spider with a cocaine dependency."
--Dave Kehr, The New York Times
"The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra (led by Rodney Sauer) can always be counted upon to provide flavorful and historically accurate scores for silent film, and this DVD is no exception. When Mr. and Mrs. Gordon disagree over their musical tastes alongside the Victrola, it becomes an opportunity for Mont Alto to provide a playful added layer of comedy and meaning to the film. Their concisely orchestrated arrangements make Why Change Your Wife (and its co-feature) an aurally rich viewing experience."
-- Asa Kendall Jr., Turner Classic Movies (www.tcm.com)
The waltz "Persian Princess" from the score to Why Change Your Wife.
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THE WISHING RING
U.S. 1914, dir. Maurice Tourneur.
The Image DVD "Before Hollywood, There Was Fort Lee, N.J." features several short films scored by different musical ensembles. Mont Alto contributed the score to the longest feature on the DVD: Maurice Tourneur's The Wishing Ring.
"The film which makes this DVD worthwhile is The Wishing Ring (1914). Directed by the great Maurice Tourneur, it is set in early 19th century England, telling the story of the son of an earl who after getting himself kicked out of school and falling out with his father, finds himself working as a lowly gardener. Here he meets and falls in love with the parson's daughter. This is an accomplished film, sweet and romantic, with good acting and production values. The tinted print is very good, clear and sharp with hardly any damage. The Mont Alto Orchestra score is full of tunes associated with England. The score and the playing of Mont Alto really fits the action. At times they even deliberately play excruciatingly badly when, for instance, the action includes a character who can't play the piano. This musical effect is well done and makes for an unusual experiment, which for the most part works very well."
Mr. Peter G. George, on amazon.com.
"The end result is absolutely enchanting and I feel we can share real pride at bringing this forgotten film back to glowing life.... Beyond the lovely music I thought the donkey and dog effects and the deliberately awful intoxication and hymn music were in complete accord with the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the whole thing. A big tip of the hat. It's BEAUTIFUL."
David Shepard's comments on delivery of the final score
Listen to Herbert Haines composition "A Simple Love Episode" from Mont Alto's The Wishing Ring score
See Mont Alto's cue sheet for The Wishing Ring.
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