Editing Silent film (section)

=== Score restorations from 1980 to the present ===

Few film scores survived intact from the silent period, and [[Musicology|musicologists]] are still confronted by questions when they attempt to precisely reconstruct those that remain. Scores used in current reissues or screenings of silent films may be complete reconstructions of compositions, newly composed for the occasion, assembled from already existing music libraries, or improvised on the spot in the manner of the silent-era theater musician.

Interest in the scoring of silent films fell somewhat out of fashion during the 1960s and 1970s. There was a belief in many college film programs and [[Revival house|repertory cinemas]] that audiences should experience silent film as a pure visual medium, undistracted by music. This belief may have been encouraged by the poor quality of the music tracks found on many silent film reprints of the time. Since around 1980, there has been a revival of interest in presenting silent films with quality musical scores (either reworkings of period scores or cue sheets, or the composition of appropriate original scores). An early effort of this kind was [[Kevin Brownlow]]'s 1980 restoration of [[Abel Gance]]'s ''[[Napoléon (1927 film)|Napoléon]]'' (1927), featuring a score by [[Carl Davis]]. A slightly re-edited and sped-up version of Brownlow's restoration was later distributed in the United States by [[Francis Ford Coppola]], with a live orchestral score composed by his father [[Carmine Coppola]].

In 1984, an edited restoration of ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' (1927) was released with a new rock music score by producer-composer [[Giorgio Moroder]]. Although the contemporary score, which included pop songs by [[Freddie Mercury]], [[Pat Benatar]], and [[Jon Anderson]] of [[Yes (band)|Yes]], was controversial, the door had been opened for a new approach to the presentation of classic silent films.

Today, a large number of soloists, music ensembles, and orchestras perform traditional and contemporary scores for silent films internationally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brentonfilm.com/reference/silent-film-musicians-directory|title=Silent Film Musicians Directory|work=Brenton Film|access-date=May 25, 2016|date=February 10, 2016|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225144000/http://www.brentonfilm.com/reference/silent-film-musicians-directory|url-status=live}}</ref> The legendary theater organist [[Gaylord Carter]] continued to perform and record his original silent film scores until shortly before his death in 2000; some of those scores are available on DVD reissues. Other purveyors of the traditional approach include organists such as [[Dennis James (musician)|Dennis James]] and pianists such as [[Neil Brand]], Günter Buchwald, Philip C. Carli, [[Ben Model]], and [[William P. Perry]]. Other contemporary pianists, such as Stephen Horne and Gabriel Thibaudeau, have often taken a more modern approach to scoring.

Orchestral conductors such as Carl Davis and [[Robert Israel (composer)|Robert Israel]] have written and compiled scores for numerous silent films; many of these have been featured in showings on [[Turner Classic Movies]] or have been released on DVD. Davis has composed new scores for classic silent dramas such as ''[[The Big Parade]]'' (1925) and ''[[Flesh and the Devil]]'' (1927). Israel has worked mainly in silent comedy, scoring the films of [[Harold Lloyd]], [[Buster Keaton]], [[Charley Chase]], and others. [[Timothy Brock]] has restored many of [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s scores, in addition to composing new scores.

Contemporary music ensembles are helping to introduce classic silent films to a wider audience through a broad range of musical styles and approaches. Some performers create new compositions using traditional musical instruments, while others add electronic sounds, modern harmonies, rhythms, improvisation, and sound design elements to enhance the viewing experience. Among the contemporary ensembles in this category are [[Un Drame Musical Instantané]], [[Alloy Orchestra]], [[Club Foot Orchestra]], [[Silent Orchestra]], Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, Minima and the Caspervek Trio, [[RPM Orchestra]]. Donald Sosin and his wife Joanna Seaton specialize in adding vocals to silent films, particularly where there is onscreen singing that benefits from hearing the actual song being performed. Films in this category include Griffith's ''[[Lady of the Pavements]]'' with [[Lupe Vélez]], [[Edwin Carewe]]'s ''[[Evangeline (1929 film)|Evangeline]]'' with [[Dolores del Río]], and [[Rupert Julian]]'s ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' with [[Mary Philbin]] and [[Virginia Pearson]].{{Citation needed|date = November 2015}}

The Silent Film Sound and Music Archive digitizes music and cue sheets written for silent films and makes them available for use by performers, scholars, and enthusiasts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sfsma.org/|title=About|website=Silent Film Sound & Music Archive|language=en-US|access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=June 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617124232/http://www.sfsma.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>