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Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (17th July 2016). |
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The Film
 “Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film” (2016) “Cinema” was in its infancy in the late 1890s. The technique of film running through a camera at multiple frames per second and played back through a projector to create the illusion of motion pictures was a novelty of almost magical proportions. Inventor Thomas Edison’s earliest motion picture works were short experiments that barely qualify as “movies” in today’s standards with a 5 second film of a man sneezing in ”Fred Ott’s Sneeze” (1894) or the killing of Topsy the circus elephant via electrocution in ”Electrocuting an Elephant” (1903) (and yes, it was killed for real). Those films are early examples of technical aspects of motion picture - not examples of artistic aspects of motion picture. But there were artists who took the technology and using techniques such as cutting separate filmed takes and editing them together, double exposure of images, using intertitles to show dialogue and settings, and color tinting or physically stenciling color onto the film itself - transformed “cinema” into an artform. Early pioneers like Georges Melies and Edwin S. Porter truly showcased the magic of motion picture in the early twentieth century, with their works significantly influencing other filmmakers worldwide at the time and still to this day. Sound synching technology would not come until the late 1920s and so the first 30 years plus of cinema was either played completely silent or with music performed by theater musicians. Without sound and dialogue it was not easy to create new stories, so many early silent films used existing work of literature and stage plays that everyone would know - fairy tales, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, and of course the works of William Shakespeare. For Shakespeare the wordplay is extremely important, but reading Shakespeare and seeing a performance of Shakespeare are like night and day. The set designs, the costumes, the actors’ interpretations, and the direction are equally as important as the words on the page. If a person saw an image of a woman on a balcony with a man below, they would immediately equate it to “Romeo and Juliet”. If a person saw an image of a man holding a skull up to his face, they would think of “Hamlet” speaking to Yorick. Even without words spoken out loud, the audience can still hear them in their minds. This made adaptations of Shakespeare very popular in early silent cinema. “Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film” is a compilation film comprised of various Shakespeare adaptations from the silent era archived at the British Film Institute (with one title from the EYE Film Institute (The Netherlands)). This is not a linear work showing each film in full order, but more like a DJ working the decks, mixing clips of multiple films showcasing various scenes in clips format. The compilation is divided into acts, like a Shakespeare stage play, and with a prologue and epilogue to bookend the production. Act I is titled “Artifice”. Showcased here are uses of technological innovations with trick photography and effects of the early days. From wirework used for Puck to fly in ”A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1909), the stylized setpieces in ”The Tempest” (1908), and the ghost of Hamlet’s father in ”Hamlet” (1908), these are a few key scenes in the first portion. The artistic set designs, trick effects, and a sense of wonder are visually brought to the audience. Act II is titled “Spectacle”. The scale of large sets and an ensemble of actors and extras, and outdoor settings shot on location were impressive points of early silent films. The crowds of people in ”Julius Caesar” (1908) and ”Cleopatra” (1910), the dancers outdoors in ”A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1909), the double exposure technique of showing a boat in the distance in ”The Tempest” (1908) is a particular standout, the actual Venice in ”The Merchant of Venice” (1910), etc. These are moments that could not be displayed practically on an average theatrical stage. Act III is titled “Dramatis Personae”, and what Shakespearean actor is not about conveying drama? Othello at the bedside, Richard III about to be stabbed, King Lear meeting Cordelia again - these are scenes that are all about heightening the characters and drama to a whole new level in the stage plays and they do just that in the films as well. Act IV is “Performance”. With silent film the intensity of drama could not be done through vocal performances, and it was through the physical performances of the actors that transcended from the screen. Body language and facial expressions are overly theatrical and the performers such as Hamlet speaking to Yorick in ”Hamlet” (1913), King John’s death in ”King John” (1899) are to be seen. Note that the 1899 “King John” is the earliest surviving work of Shakespeare on film. Act V is “Famous Scenes”. People who may not be completely familiar with Shakespeare’s works will still know many of the lines and scenes due to everything in the last 400 years referencing the work - from film, books, television, music, and even the mirroring of real life events. The deaths of Caesar in ”Julius Caesar” (1908) and Cleopatra in ”Cleopatra” (1910), the murders of the young princes in ”Richard III” (1911), Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in ”Hamlet” (1913) are some of the many clips showcased. “Play On!” compiles over 20 films together with a new soundtrack by The Globe Theater, and the music is a unique combination of traditional instruments and rhythms with a modern musical score. Music director Bill Barclay gathered five composers along with six multi-instrumentalists to create the score to accompany the compilation film, and the result is unlike any other silent film score - having a sound that is equally fitting for the time period of the productions and something heard in twenty-first century fantasy film scores. “Play On!” features clips from the following films: ”King John” (1899) (from the EYE Institute) ”Hamlet” (1908) ”Julius Caesar” (1908) ”The Tempest” (1908) ”A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1909) ”Julius Caesar” (1909) ”The Merchant of Venice” (1910) ”Twelfth Night” (1910) ”Shakespeare Land” (1910) ”Cleopatra” (1910) ”King Lear” (1910) ”Richard III” (1911) ”Cardinal Wolsey” (1912) ”The Winter’s Tale” (1913) ”Hamlet” (1913) ”The Merchant of Venice” (1916) ”Hamlet” (1920) ”Glastonbury Past and Present” (1921) ”Othello” (1922) ”The Taming of the Shrew” (1923) ”Living Paintings” (Romeo and Juliet) - From Eve’s Film Review (1924) ”Stratford-on-Avon” (1925) ”England’s Shakespeare” (1939) ”Shakespeare Country” (1940) (Note The years correspond to the BFI’s booklet and may not always correspond to the IMDB release years.) Served here is a tasting of cinema from more than a hundred years ago. We will never get to truly experience the amazement and wonder that audiences felt at the time as present audiences are used to 3D, color, interactivity, sound, enhanced filmmaking techniques, and a form of movie watching that the audiences of yesteryear could not possibly imagine. But to truly understand the medium of cinema, the foundation of the early days and the historical context should be seen. Unfortunately for silent films, it’s estimated that almost ¾ of silents have been lost over time. We may never know how many Shakespeare silents were filmed, though it is certain that they were extremely popular at the time. “Play On!” gathers every film in the BFI archives related to Shakespeare, and if only 20 plus films are in the vaults, it’s very unfortunate that many others produced at the time are most likely lost forever. 2016 celebrates the 400th anniversary of the famed playwright’s death and for commemoration the “Shakespeare Lives!” campaign has been organizing events throughout the world. “Play On!” is a great showcase for these vintage films that leaves the audience wanting more. The BFI archive has the prints and many are available to watch on the BFI Player online. Unfortunately many of the films are incomplete, missing scenes, missing frames, missing title cards and credits, but are still worth seeing even if in a truncated form. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray which can be played back on all Blu-ray players worldwide
Video
BFI presents the compilation film in 1080p in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio in the AVC MPEG-4 codec. Considering how old these films are, it should be no surprise that there are large amounts of damage. Scratches, spots, tramlines, water damage, missing frames, they are everywhere and are in varying forms of damage in each film presented. The films have been mastered in high definition for editing, and in positive notes there are many. Closeups on faces show a very good amount of detail in films such as the 1920 “Hamlet”, the stenciled colors in the Italian productions of “King Lear” and “The Merchant of Venice” look amazing. The beautiful sets of “Cleopatra” are well detailed. It might seem strange to give an “A” rating for picture with such beat-up looking quality but considering the sources, it’s a revelation to be able to see any of these films at all, and the damage reflects the fragility of the artform. A well done transfer by the BFI.
Audio
Music LPCM 2.0 stereo The newly commissioned score by The Globe Theater is presented in lossless 2.0 stereo. A 5.1 surround track may have been more welcome but the stereo track is still very good, with each instrument sounding clear with no problems of distortion. Good marks with audio, but could have been better. There are English intertitles for the act breaks, prologue, and epilogue, as well as on screen text that tags the film title and year when there is a change in film clips.
Extras
This is a dual format Blu-ray + DVD set, with both discs having identical content. The extras on the Blu-ray are as follows: "An Introduction to Silent Shakespeare" featurette (9:37) Featuring interviews with author of ”Shakespeare on Film” and ”Shakespeare on Silent Film” Judith Buchanan and with BFI curator Bryony Dixon, the introduction gives a good overview of the visual language of silent films, the reason why Shakespeare was popular with early silents. in 1080p, in 1.78:1, in English LPCM 2.0 with no subtitles "Play On! Making the Music" featurette (10:37) This featurette includes interviews with The Globe Theater musicians, composers, and director along with behind the scenes clips of the recording process. in 1080p, in 1.78:1, in English LPCM 2.0 with no subtitles "King Lear" 1910 short film with forced commentary by Judith Buchanan (13:22) This ”King Lear” is an American short film made by Vitagraph Company in either 1909 or 1910. The booklet lists 1909 while the menu screen lists 1910. There are some impressive sets with the stage production and painted backdrops used in this adaptation as it truly shows spectacle. The film print has significant water damage in the middle of the frame in the beginning and end, but the mid portion does look a little better. The print is also from Germany, so all the intertitles are in German. The commentary by Buchanan is well informed about the film’s details and about “King Lear”, but unfortunately this is the only audio option on the disc. There is no music score, so it is either listen with commentary or to turn the speakers off. in 1080p, in 1.33:1, in English LPCM 2.0 (commentary) with German intertitles with optional English subtitles "The Winter's Tale" 1913 film with forced commentary by Judith Buchanan (43:08) A full length silent film clocking close to one hour, this Italian adaptation of “The Winter’s Tale” features large sets with both indoor and outdoor scenes with a large cast. Unfortunately the print is incomplete but is mostly intact with much less damage compared to “King Lear”. Buchanan’s commentary is also the only audio option here. It is again very detailed and well spoken as she narrates about the background information, the changes from the original play (a volcano?), and speculation on the missing footage, but she sounds very echoey here like it was recorded in a chamber. Again, there is no music score, so it is either listen with commentary or to turn the speakers off. in 1080p, in 1.33:1, in English LPCM 2.0 (commentary) with English intertitles "Living Paintings" 1924 short film with forced commentary by Judith Buchanan (1:18) It’s very rare to see an actor that is well known in “modern” cinema to be in a silent film. This short “Romeo and Juliet” balcony scene reenactment for the cine-magazine “Living Paintings” features a very young John Gielgud as Romeo. This also includes forced commentary by Buchanan. in 1080p, in 1.33:1, in English LPCM 2.0 (commentary) with English intertitles "Silent Shakespeare" 2004 compilation (with Play All) (with optional commentary by Judith Buchanan) (87:49) - "King John" (1899) (1:44) - "The Tempest" (1908) (12:06) - "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1909) (11:32) - "Re Lear" (1910) (16:17) - "Twelfth Night" (1910) (12:32) - "The Merchant of Venice" (1910) (9:25) - "Richard III" (1911) (23:01) “Silent Shakespeare” was a compilation of 7 silent films, compiled by the BFI in the late 1990s and released on VHS, then later on DVD in the US by Image in 2000 and on DVD in the UK by BFI in 2004. The US DVD only included the films with accompanying scores by composer Laura Rossi. The BFI DVD included the same selection of films and score with newly recorded optional commentary tracks for each film by Judith Buchanan. This Blu-ray edition presents the 7 films in their surviving entireties, remastered in 1080p with LPCM lossless audio. All films presented here are partially featured in “Play On!”. Like the main feature “Play On!”, the films have the same amount of damage as the source materials are the same. Gladly the BFI remastered these shorts and added new explanatory text rather than porting the old standard definition transfers from the DVD edition. The commentary tracks were recorded in 2004 and Buchanan is expectedly very knowledgeable about the subjects of Shakespeare and silent film. They are well written and thought out, containing a vast amount of information including the backgrounds of the film productions, cast and crew, including a lot of information on actress Florence Turner on “Twelfth Night”. The first 6 films have clear audio but like the commentary for “The Winter’s Tale”, Buchanan sounds like she is in a chamber. in 1080p, in 1.33:1, in LPCM 2.0 stereo (for music), in LPCM 2.0 (for commentary) with English intertitles DISC TWO (DVD Copy) As stated the DVD copy has the film and all extras encoded in PAL. Booklet Included is a 28 page booklet with essays, film information, and credits. Curator Bryony Dixon’s essay ”Lord What Fools These Mortals Be…” is an introduction to “Play On!”. There are full film credits for “Play On!” as well as full credits of every film used for clips in “Play On!”. Strangely ”MacBeth” (1909) is listed in the credits in the booklet, but is curiously missing from the credits of the “Play On!” film. Was it featured there and did I miss it? Also included is an essay by The Globe Theatre director Bill Barclay simply titled “About the Music”. The booklet also includes special features credits and presentation information. The set seems complete but there are a few drawbacks - why were the commentaries on “King Lear” and “The Winter’s Tale” forced? Surely there are some people who would rather not listen to it with commentary. It is easy to press the mute button, but if there is no score there should be an option for no audio. The Criterion Collection DVD of “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (1928) had an option for a film score or an audio option complete silence - the latter as director Carl Dreyer intended. BFI should have opted for an optional Dolby Digital “0.0” track. For completionists, the 2004 DVD introduction by Judith Buchanan is not ported over to this release. One film I was very interested to see in full form was the German 1920 “Hamlet” starring actress Asta Nielsen in the title role, but this is not available on disc in its entirety. Also curiously missing from clips or in any form is the 1911 “Richard III” which is the oldest surviving American feature film. I’d like to see this upgraded to HD someday.
Overall
“Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film” is a great introduction to the world of silent cinema for Shakespeare aficionados. The extra features are great with full surviving versions of many of the films, and BFI has done an excellent job with the curation and transfers. The extras have a few issues in presentation with the forced commentaries and not having all the films available separately, but the informative content is impressive. 400 years since his death, Shakespeare's works still ring as influential as ever, and here’s to another 400 years of Shakespeare in popular culture!
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