Viewing The Kid
Students,I have some goo news and some bad news.
First the bad news: There is no soundtrack to the upload of Charles Chaplin's film, The Kid (1921).
The good news is that you have not lost your hearing.
In addition this gives me the chance to sum up the exhibition of silent films during the Silent Film era.
Movies were never silent, even before the invention of sound in 1927. There was always a musical accompaniment to the film, supplied by the theatre organist or pianist who usually played familiar tunes to suit a scene's mood. Sometimes music was prescribed by the studio, but mainly improvised by the local theatre accompanist.
In some cases (such as in Japan) narrators explained or interpreted the film, often embellishing the narrative in fanciful ways.
But in Western countries the main accompaniment was musical. In the bigger theatres there might be a large orchestra, as in the case of D. W. Griffith's landmark, The Birth of a Nation (1915).
There were two reasons for an accompaniment.
First, there was the practical issue of covering the sound of the noisy projector.
Second, it was to create a mood to enhance the images on the screen. This function of an accompaniment has never changed, only now it's called an underscore and it's attached to an optical strip on the film.
In the case of the silent cinema, we can only guess what music was played during exhibition. Moreover, the accompaniment had no aesthetic relation to the film in the sense of commenting on the images the way modern underscores do.
Since the accompaniment was intended only for mood enhancement, nothing is lost by seeing a silent film silent. In fact it may enhance one's visual focus on the film.
But for those who feel uncomfortable viewing a film silent, just put on a CD you think matches the film. Certainly don't try heavy rock or even vocal music, which may be a distraction. Try some romantic piano or string music instead.
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