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Live music to film events 'Silent Shakespeare'
King John (GB 1899) Total running time: 88mins About the films With the text so central to Shakespeare’s work the very phrase ‘Silent Shakespeare’ seems a contradiction in terms. But in the early years of cinema, a number of exquisite silent film adaptations of Shakespeare’s work were made, with the narrative delicately conveyed through looks, gestures, and silent film’s nearest approach to dialogue, the inter-title. Silent Shakespeare films have much to tell us about contemporary staging, acting styles, cultural assumptions, how the early cinema saw itself, and (of course) about Shakespeare. They have survived almost a century and include very beautiful examples of hand stenciling and tinted prints, wonderfully demonstrating the exuberance, invention and conviction of these early filmmakers and the possibilities of the Shakespearean text. Critical acclaim for Silent Shakespeare 'This provides a rare opportunity to see these beautiful early films which are now much to fragile to project.' - Martin Scorsese. 'Laura Rossi has composed a hauntingly atmospheric accompaniment to the seven Silent Shakespeares featured on this tape. Rossi is an award-winning young musician making a startling debut. Under Rossi's direction, the mood sweeps through a spectrum of spine-tingling emotions, encapsulating the drama and poetry of each tale.' - British Film Institute. 'Watching them - hearing the cellos and violins, the piano solos - becomes a dream-like experience' - Nicci Gerrard, The Observer. 'Fascinating! Painstakingly restored...A priceless document in the history of both Shakespearean acting and the cinema' - Daily Telegraph. 'an attractive collection... vigorous... charming...', - Sir Richard Eyre. Other silent films Laura has scored include:
If you are interested in you showing any of these films with live music or would like more details please contact - laura@laurarossi.com
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