A not-so-silent film is coming to the Strand – The Vicksburg Post

The Halloween season starts early in downtown Vicksburg with a classic silent horror film accompanied by live music at the Strand Theater.

Presenter of the component program and Daniel Boone, a member of the Westside Theater Foundation, said that The Italian silent classic “L’Inferno” will be presented Tuesday with live original music from Montopolis, Austin, Texas.

“The Inferno” (1911) was the first feature-length horror film ever released. An adaptation of Dantes Alighieri’s 14th-century narrative poem “The Divine Comedy”, part one, “Inferno”, depicting a journey through hell, this silent film uses elaborate costumes, special effects and sets

design to create an impressive, ethereal world, Boone said. Montopolis’ original music breathes new life into this horror classic with a mix of psych rock, dark wave and terrifying sound effects performed live. Montopolis continues their critically acclaimed tour of “Man with a Movie Camera,” which they brought to the Strand in 2022.

“Silent films were never silent,” Boone said. “From the beginning, live music was played to accompany the images. Sometimes written, but often improvised, the music was a complement, a completion of the film. When sound pictures became the norm, the live performance element in cinema was largely abandoned. It wasn’t necessary.

Boone said sound and film actually have a tumultuous history.

“Not everyone thought sound was the best idea for movies,” he said. “The great Alfred Hitchcock believed that the art of storytelling inherent in cinema was hampered by the need to record actors’ voices and background noise. He called the new sound films “photographs of people talking.” Although most of the “limitations” of sound have long since been eliminated, the potential power of image in “silent” film remains.

But the past has a way of coming back, Boone said.

“In recent years, we have seen a resurgence of silent films accompanied by live musicians. Prestigious projects like Carmine Coppola’s orchestral accompaniment to Abel Gance’s “Napoleon” and Richard Einhorn’s shimmering “Voices of Light” associated with Dryer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc” are just two examples among many others. At festivals, groups like The Alloy Orchestra have performed many scores from films such as Tod Browning’s “Dracula” and “Lonesome” by Paul Fejo. And in 2012, a silent film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. We’ve already done a few silences with live music, and it’s an experience everyone should have.

Montopolis is an independent chamber music group from Austin performing the works of composer Justin Sherburn. Their groundbreaking music uses inventive instrumentation to create “stunning and transcendent” concerts, according to The Austin Chronicle. Their programs are multimedia events that attract audiences and combine live music, films and interactive storytelling, Boone said. Montopolis musicians include members of the Austin Symphony, Okkervil River, the Tosca String Quartet and the Polyphonic Spree.

The performance will take place at the Strand Theater, 717 Clay St. It will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is $15 per person. Tickets are available in advance at Highway 61 Coffeehouse.