23 Densemble 2008
Saturday 20 December 2008: Cinemateque put on a very fine program ‘THE FILMS OF IVAN MOSJOUKINE’. A truly great superstar of his day, perhaps the reason Mosjoukine keeps fading away is because his name is so difficult for Westerners to remember and to pronounce. Think ‘Charlie Chaplin’…unforgettable!
Anyway, it was a real treat to have film historian and fanatic Barrie Pattison present his immaculately unearthed and researched material. Barrie’s sense of history, purity and purpose put the remarkable and complex Ivan Mosjoukine back into perspective. Barrie’s seemingly encyclopedic knowledge never ceases to amaze me. As always, curator Brett Garten did a beautiful job with the screening of the various bits and pieces and bringing the whole thing together. Thank you Barrie! Thank you Brett!
Monday night, 22 December 2008 saw the follow-up program with a presentation screening of a full-length film starring and directed by Ivan Mosjoukine himself. LE BRAISIER ARDENT (1923). After all these years this film maintains a strong visual impact. It had something for everyone; all in one movie Mosjoukine managed to define himself in guises as diverse as a dashing gentleman, a pious Bishop, a professional psychiatrist, a gothic warlock, a dark vampiric presence (he resembles Bela Lugosi), and of course as a sentimental, foolish, infatuated lover.
The film itself is defined through blocks and flashes of surrealism, nightmarish underworlds, beautiful topography, elegant boudoirs, complex sets and gorgeous cutting-edge designs of the times.
According to expert Barrie Pattison, the original film was run at a slower speed. Tonight, we watched it at a faster pace that purists might find unacceptable and so Barrie wasn't there for this presentation to help with some of the translations required. His absence was an upset. Regardless, the film moved along very nicely and the picture quality of this print was absolutely remarkable considering the age of the film.
Furthermore, the audience was lucky to be treated to a new, live soundtrack, provided by young and upcoming talented pianist Adrian Clement. Only 18 years of age, this usually reserved composer took to the piano with a forthright and comfortable energy. He owned the keyboard like a young Franz Liszt, improvising much of the music and bringing a fresh, youthful bounce to the film. Much of the time the music married flawlessly with the images. Adrian’s ability to confidently play through long stretches was admirable.
At one point he introduced a second ‘voice’ with some eerie, spectral, prerecorded sounds. Together with the piano, it was an awe-inspiring moment. With his relentless strong left hand ‘plonking’ and ‘skipping’ onto the lower keys and his right hand playing emotional changes, Adrian provided the necessary momentum and spaces necessary. His score was at once reminiscent of classic silent-era scores and yet with a modern vitality that helped move the film along. His chords were firm, edgy and risky… At no point did it get boring. My one, minor criticism is that he might do better to pull back and create a more sentimental, open and delicate pieces of music specifically for romantic scenes. This was only evident in the last few minutes of the film.
The story, about a suspicious-jealous husband who hires a psychiatrist to convert his woman’s passion for Paris into a fear of the ‘City of Love’, called for something neo-classical, looming and ‘up’. Adrian provided an appropriate brisk hit.
All in all, a fantastic musical debut for Adrian at the Chauvel and I look forward to hearing him again accompanying the upcoming silent film FANTOMAS.
In closing I must thank curator Brett Garten for his tireless dedication and his ability to bring together so many great complex elements.
Pia Santaklaus
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