boogie-woogie dream ( 1944 ) is an independently made short film musical , directed by hanus burger , starring lena horne , albert ammons , pete johnson and teddy wilson and his orchestra .

it is a significant film in the history of jazz for its early glimpse of lena horne ( in her second film ) and as the only film of boogie-woogie piano masters albert ammons and pete johnson .

boogie - woogie dream

the short film , boogie woogie dream , released in 1944 , contains the only known footage of albert ammons and pete johnson . the title number , boogie woogie dream , is one of the hottest boogie woogies ever recorded . this article provides a brief summary of the plot , and also includes the credits .
among these of particular note is the very famous honky tonk train blues by mead lux lewis , boogie woogie dream duet with albert ammons and pete johnson as well as yancey stomp by jimmy yancey .
amongst the many pianists who have been exponents of this genre , there are only a few who have had a lasting influence on the music scene . perhaps the most well known boogie - woogie pianist is albert ammons . his
boogie woogie stomp
released in 1936 was a pivotal recording , not just for boogie - woogie but for music .
it was recorded in 1928 and first released in 1929 . smith ' s record was the first boogie - woogie recording to be a commercial hit , and helped establish
boogie - woogie
as the name of the style . it was closely followed by another example of pure boogie - woogie ,
honky tonk train blues
by meade lux lewis , recorded by paramount records ; ( 1927 ) , first released in march 1930 .
5 . some tunes having original “breaks” and changes from the standard “boogie - woogie pattern base into a latin base and back again part way through .
this movie short features the talented music of albert ammons and pete johnson , who play their composition
boogie woogie dream
. in addition , lena horne is featured singing
unlucky woman
accompanied by ammons , johnson , and teddy wilson and his band .
reading music for me was a bane so i had to get help . in the book on boogie - woogie there are 25 different bass patterns shown . however , i learned more listening to recorded music and copying the bits i liked . for example some the tunes of the greats of recorded boogie woogie , like
motion picture | short film ( under 30 minutes ) .
boogie - woogie dream
by and performed by albert ammons , pete johnson . ( songs ) . albert ammons , pete johnson , piano . ( personnel on camera ) . one number culled from the . . .
motion picture | short film ( under 30 minutes ) . lena horne , vocal , with teddy wilson and his orchestra . ( personnel on camera ) . a number culled from the 1941 featurette
boogie - woogie dream
( q . v . ) . motion . . .
nuances of the performed musical piece . this is particularly evident in recordings ( as i explained previously about “playing boogie woogie” ) of pianists playing this type of music .
all text is from wikipedia and these are my personal highlights ( mostly relating to swing ) . for the full text on boogie - woogie , please visit wikipedia .
motion picture | short film ( under 30 minutes ) . lena horne , vocal , with albert ammons , pete johnson , piano . ( personnel on camera ) . a number culled from the 1941 featurette
boogie - woogie dream
( q . v . ) . motion . . .
e continued playing piano up until his death , composing most of his own tunes , continually advancing his style , but still maintaining a link to blues and boogie - woogie .
boogie - woogie is an african american style of piano - based blues that became popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s , but originated much earlier , and was extended from piano , to three pianos at once , guitar , big band , and country and western music , and even gospel . while the blues traditionally depicts a variety of emotions , boogie - woogie is mainly associated with dancing . the lyrics of one of the earliest boogie - woogie hits ,
pinetop ' s boogie woogie
, consist entirely of instructions to dancers : “now , when i tell you to hold yourself , don ' t you move a peg / and when i tell you to get it , i want you to
in august 1944 boogie - woogie dream was featured at the apollo in a show headlined by cootie williams and ella fitzgerald . it was advertised , without reference to its title , as
on the screen : lena horne
with
ammons & johnson
and
teddy wilson and band
added in small letters .
is work in this music has to be heard to be appreciated , but i personally rate him as one of the best english boogie - woogie musicians who have lived in the uk .
konrad nowakowski is on the cutting edge of boogie woogie research . by day , a judge in the austrian legal system , he prepares his boogie woogie research with the precision of a legal brief . this article originally appeared in the liner notes of the cd , pete johnson - radio broadcasts , film soundtracks , alternate takes - 1939 - 1947 ( document , docd - 1009 ) .
my favorite boogie - woogie by ammons is the
sixth avenue express
here performed by both ammons and johnson . don ' t you just want to get up and dance ? ? ?
one common error in my view is for the pianist to play too quickly . the early boogie - woogie piano players would make the tune ' swing ' even at a ' walking pace ' .
for those who are interested in the history of jimmy yancey and more in depth information about boogie - woogie in general , i would recommend the book “a left hand like god” by peter silvester .
after the carnegie hall concerts , it was only natural for swing bands to incorporate the boogie - woogie beat into some of their music . tommy dorsey ' s band had a hit with an updated version of
pine top ' s boogie woogie
in 1938 , which was the swing era ' s second best seller , only second to glenn miller ' s
in the mood
.
were copyrighted as soundies ( december 11 : soundie # 19208 unlucky woman ; december 30 : soundie # 21m1 my new gown ; december 31 : soundie # 20008 boogie woogie dream ) . the library of congress , which has no other copyright entries on the film , provided copies of the three soundies copyright letters . the longest and most interesting one reads like this :
from 1939 , the will bradley orchestra had a string of boogie hits such as the original versions of
beat me daddy ( eight to the bar )
and
down the road a - piece
, both 1940 , and
scrub me mamma with a boogie beat
, in 1941 . the andrews sisters sang some boogies , and after the floodgates were open , it was expected that every big band should have one or two boogie numbers in their repertoire , as the dancers were learning to jitterbug and do the lindy hop , which required the boogie - woogie beat .
after more puffs of smoke , ammons , johnson and horne are shown in the back room , being woken up by the phone ringing . it was all a dream . or was it ?
don and i knew each other as school friends and from about 1950 played jazz together , firstly on the piano playing boogie - woogie and after that traditional jazz in a small band with don playing trumpet whilst i played clarinet ( and later still trombone ) .
before these three were playing piano , the two leading pianists were jimmy yancey and ' pine - top ' smith . both of these pianists used bass patterns similar to ragtime and stride piano , but the distinctive boogie - woogie right hand licks were already in use .
the birth of the c . p . r . , a rip - roaring boogie - woogie , bluegrass musical that tells the story of the building of canada’s great railway . join sir john a . macdonald , william van horne , andrew onderdonck , and a . b . rogers as they dare the impossible . surveyors will brave the elements , navvies will blast mountains , and workers lay miles of track as they dream of a rail journey across a new country .
o play boogie - woogie well has the same demands as for playing any instrument – practice , practice and more practice ! it is also very useful to learn all the correct fingering positions , the scales , arpeggios ( as taught by piano teachers ) and boogie patterns . added to this it is absolutely imperative to maintain a steady rhythm , unless there is an intended change made which can be heard as being ' intended ' .
i am publishing this article which has been e - mailed to me by chris reilley . chris is a traditional jazz pianist and boogie - woogie enthusiast from the english midlands . please note : chris later sent a supplementary article on jimmy yancey , so this has been added at the end .
some of the flattened sevenths in the right hand riffs are similar to licks used by early rock and roll guitarists such as chuck berry , who augmented johnnie johnson ' s ' sir john trio ' by fusing his charlie christian - inspired guitar style with johnson ' s boogie - woogie riffs .
duke ellington and his orchestra - v . i . p . ' s boogie / jam with sam ( goodyear 1962 ) [ official hq video ]
i do not believe that “pigeon holing descriptions” with regard to any particular musical style helps to describe the way that any musician plays is necessary or for that matter helpful and in the case of jimmy yancey although he has been labelled as a “boogie - woogie player” , he is much more than that .
of those who just acted in the dream virginia pine had played the beauty operator in fugitive lady ( 1934 ) , a secretary in the whole town ' s talking ( 1935 ) , and a glamour girl in the women ( 1939 ) . dream photographer larry williams was a veteran who had worked for paramount pictures in the early 1930s . his last films before dream had been classics of the yiddish cinema , tevye ( 1939 ) and overture to glory ( 1940 ) . editor leonard weiss seems to have had a different background : he had edited a voodoo horror film , obeah , in 1935 , and one of oscar micheaux ' all - black films , lying lips , in 1939 .
one of the most common errors with playing boogie - woogie for the first time is that both left hand and right hand end up playing the same notes . to overcome this common error , it is important to experiment with rhythm and ' cross rhythm ' in order to syncopate the right hand with the left .
muc w . scott ragsdale ' s arrangement of john williams , alan bergman , and marilyn bergman ' s
america…the dream goes on ,
and roger wagner arrangement of
shenandoah ,
are taken from the 1990 showcase cd .
louis jordan - led most famous jump band ( tympany five ) . specialized in hard swinging , boogie - woogie party music , flamboyant / humorous lyrics and wild stage performances . 1st jump band to appeal to mass audiences . ensemble setup—two trumpets , two saxophones , bass , piano , and drums—became the standard for r & b music - arkansas - born saxophone player and singer who began making recordings for decca records in 1939 ( also was a comedian )
chop choo ch ' boogie
- jordan ' s biggest hit - topped r & b charts for 18 weeks / sold millions of copies - key elements of the jump blues style of r & b - boogie - woogie music ( r & b / country link ) - 12 bar blues w 8 bar chorus - tpa and af . amber . elements
also of importance in this scene is the brief exchange between boy willie and maretha , the only
piano lesson
we see in the play . as noted in the context , wilson offers the piano lesson as a metaphor for the teaching and learning of one ' s legacy . in the short lesson at hand , maretha reveals that berniece has not told her of the piano ' s history , causing her uncle to promises to tell her of its past if her mother will not . willie accompanies this promise with the demonstration of a simple boogie - woogie . for willie , the boogie - woogie surpasses any beginner ' s exercise . it is something you can dance to , play without sheet music . as willie imagines it , the boogie - woogie is somehow more intimate ,
natural .
music—and specifically african american music—serves as the connection to one ' s historical inheritance as well as a vehicle for its preservation and transmission . the importance of music will become clearer as the play progresses .
boogie - woogie gained further public attention in 1938 and 1939 , thanks to the from spirituals to swing concerts in carnegie hall promoted by record producer john hammond . the concerts featured big joe turner and pete johnson performing turner ' s tribute to johnson ,
roll ' em pete
, as well as meade lux lewis performing
honky tonk train blues
and albert ammons playing
swanee river boogie
.
roll ' em pete
is now considered to be an early rock and roll song .
horne begins to sing about her wishes of singing the blues in a brand new evening gown instead of washing dishes . pete johnson accompanies her on the piano . johnson then breaks into a medium paced boogie - woogie instrumental , and ammons sits down to join in a duet . while this is happening , we get a glimpse of weathercoop and his companion listening appreciatively from the nightclub .
maretha enters , and willie greets her . he invites her to play the piano . she plays a short beginner ' s song , and willie replies with a simple boogie - woogie . he asks if she knows the significance of the piano ' s carvings . to his surprise , berniece has not explained them . he promises to reveal their secret to maretha if her mother does not .
ce a steady bass rhythm is mastered , the player can then develop the right hand using the 12 - bar blues as a basis for tune , then improvisation on the chords . this can be a variety of blues patterns ranging from 8 to 12 bars or even 11 or 13 bars . there are also many recordings of standard boogie - woogie accompaniment given to pop tunes of the day .
mong the most interesting things that don did was to compose some tunes in non - standard keys . for example he would compose some boogie - woogie tunes in the keys of a , e and d major and minor as well as the more common keys of c , f and g . i think he decided to do this for the common reason that he found it easier to sing in those keys .
oogie - woogie has a long history dating back to the 1870 ' s and the days when african americans used to entertain themselves making basic instruments , playing and singing music . derived from the standard 8 or 12 -
, personally , found it difficult enough to play in the more common keys with some of the repetitive left - hand boogie patterns being required to be played throughout any tune , never mind playing in those other keys .
this review refers to the fact that by 1944 lena horne was a movie star , thanks to films like stormy weather and cabin in the sky which she had made after dream but which reached the cinemas earlier . dream could not be of importance now for her career . ammons and johnson , meanwhile , had failed in their attempt to get a foothold in the movies . when they had worked their way west in 1943 , reports had said that they were
heading for hollywood
in order to be
immortalized in celluloid ,
and advertisements for their milwaukee engagement in february 1944 claim that they came
direct from making a picture in hollywood ,
having
just completed their part in ' sweet and low down ' at 20th century fox .
there is no such part in that film and berle adams , manager of the two pianists at that time cannot remember that he ever so much as worked on a certain picture deal for them . dream remained their only appearance on the screen .
big joe turner - original and greatest
blues shouter
- spirited / raucous vocal delivery - partnered w boogie woogie pianist pete johnson ( late 30s / made him famous ) - atlantic records 1951
shake , rattle and roll
- aab - get out of that bed , wash your face an hands . . . - black audiences preferred turner ' s jump band style - jazz musicians - medium tempo - shuffle rhythm - jump blues r & b
avery ' s account of his dream is the most prominent speech in this section of scene 1 . of particular importance in this dream are the three hobos who attend to him . certainly these train - hoppers double for the magi , or wise men , in the story of jesus ' birth . at the same time , the hobos also stand in for the ghosts of the yellow dog , the ghosts avery will describe them later as the
hands of god .
the condensation of these two sets of figures marks a blending of christian and folk tradition . avery is heir to both , imagining himself as called by both the wise men of the bible and the spirits demanding vengeance on the railroad .
ing sheet music as an aid for playing most forms of jazz , but boogie - woogie in particular , shows up the deficiencies of the scored music , which is usually accepted to be only a ' guide ' and is open to the performer ' s interpretation . this is ( in my view ) a very serious drawback for the novice who has to rely on the recordings which nowadays can be accessed from the internet as there are very few teachers around for this genre .
“i’ll fly away” is a blast , starting out with maedgen’s rafter - raising first verse , then sliding into a big easy whirlwind of brass boogie - woogie , then ceding to an unadorned bluegrass version as the mccourys gather around the mic to show off some four - part harmony . once the pjhb takes back over , the party busts loose in earnest for a show - stopping final minute so fun that the song feels misplaced at mid - set since it’s such a hard peak to follow .
burger knew the surviving version of dream when he wrote his memoirs ( german tv , where he was working had even synchronized it ) . the important aspect of what he says is that he does not claim that the film was altered after its completion . in that case , the particularly crude cutting must have been an original feature , as are some visible results of poor directing .
according to the amsterdam news article , dream should have hit the cinemas soon thereafter , but it took marvin some time to finish it and to sell it to a distributor . what he eventually made was an outright sale to the goldberg brothers who released the film in 1944 and who , quite in contrast to the truth , are called its producers in a number of reference works on film history .
jack and bert goldberg were vaudeville veterans who had staged road shows with clara smith , mamie smith and the likes in the 1920s . i found references to both of them in black newspapers of that period . when they went into the talking picture business in the 1930s and 1940s , they concentrated on producing films with all - black casts for black audiences , becoming the best - known example of this kind of white entrepreneurship in the history of
independent
film . in 1944 , jack goldberg made a controversial documentary on the position of the
negro
in american society , we ' ve come a long , long way . he released this under the banner of a company which he called
the negro marches on ,
at 630 9th ave in new york city . the
hollywood
company which released boogie - woogie dream had the same office address . regarding a
dave
goldberg , i cannot prove his existence . he may have entered the business in the 1940s .
the next two selections are taken from the 1979 recording , we pick the navy . r . reno ' s
boogie grass band ,
features vocalist , mu1 ben winter , and charlie daniels ,
redneck fiddlin ' man ,
features leader and lead vocalist mucs jerry gilmore .
i have recently had a discussion about the use of sheet music as a guide to playing jazz in general and as this is a subject that might come into play when trying to learn to play boogie woogie , i propose to try and add my four pennith worth here . i understand most of the terms that are used in written music , but i own up i cannot read music and have to rely on listening to the recorded version of any tune . my reason ( some would day excuse ) for not learning to play music from sheet music is because i do not think it is accurate enough to show all the
michael pfau in paris owns three excerpts on 16mm film , titled lena horne sings
unlucky woman
teddy wilson at the piano , lena horne steps out in her
brand new evening gown
with amons [ sic ] and johnson , and ammons & johnson in
boogie woogie
. all three are sack amusement enterprises shorts , not soundies . the
gown
excerpt is composed of the short
gown
vocal , followed by the untitled piano duet as in the complete film , and by the band instrumental in c , apparently like the
gown
soundie . alfred sack , a texan , was as dominant a distributor of black films as the goldbergs normally were as producers of such films . he cooperated with them in many ways .
avery then enters and greets his old friends . he has an appointment with berniece at the bank to procure a loan for his church , the good shepherd church of god in christ . currently he works as an elevator operator in town . when asked how he became a preacher , avery recounts a dream . sitting in a railroad yard , he comes upon three hobos traveling from nazareth to jerusalem . they entrust a lit candle to him . avery then appears before a house . he enters , and an old woman leads him into a room filled with people with bleating sheep heads . the three hobos dress and anoint him , and jesus charges him with leading the sheep - people through a valley of wolves .
there is more confusion in these books regarding the goldberg brothers themselves : most authors agree that jack goldberg was the important one but they cannot make up their minds if the other one ' s name was bert or dave . regarding the goldberg company which released ( or , allegedly , produced ) the film , most authors say it was
hollywood productions
( i also saw
harly wood prod .
in one big volume ) . a completely different company of that name made bronze buckaroo in the late 1930s (
a typical goldberg production ,
as one author promptly claims ) . in a 1944 review of dream , quoted below , the company ' s name was given as
hollywood pictures corp .
( cf . sampson , pp . 445 , 575 and 578 , in contrast to p . 222 ) .
the subject of the down beat article was nbc ' s strictly from dixie show , on which horne was featured with henry levine . according to down beat , she had started on a series of
southern style blues and ballads
there , in order
to add local color to the show
, and down beat pointed out that the writer of this material had
never been farther south than brooklyn .
they could have said similar things about lena , of the brooklyn hornes , who remembers the first addition of blues songs to her repertoire as
very shrewd show business
on the part of barney josephson , her employer at cafe society . josephson ' s private opinion was that it was
almost satire
to hear lena sing the blues . the first of her
southern style
songs on the nbc radio show , according to down beat , were
mound bayou
and
unlucky woman .
helen humes recorded both titles later , as did linda keene with henry levine and his strictly from dixie band (
mound bayou
) and with joe marsala (
unlucky woman
) .
by september , official films had begun to offer 16 mm copies of the film for home screening . it is this version of the film which survives . on commercial video copies , at jazz film festivals , and when the film is shown on tv , we always see the official films logo first , before a cross - fade leads us to ( the rest of ) the original credits . for a long time i thought that official films had bought the film in the late 1940s , when they acquired the soundies backlog . the reverse of an original advertisement , which i had only seen framed before , revealed that they obtained it even before the soundies excerpts were copyrighted .
down beat of october 15 , 1944 , reported :
new york - - television motion pictures company here is holding trade previews of 20 three - minute musical shorts , produced for television use . the sound - pics feature lena horne , ammons and johnson and teddy wilson ' s band among other stars .
television motion pictures was one of jack goldberg ' s many enterprises , and the report shows that excerpts had been made by then , not only for or by the soundies distributing corporation of america .
regarding my new gown , soundies no . 2544 - 1 - 4 - - this is a second - rate cafe setting and all of the players are colored . the picture opens with a close - up of a piano player as the camera pans to where lena horne is standing at a table wiping glasses . comedy is added by the painter who is also using the table as a work bench . miss horne sings - - then the painter sits at the other piano . albert ammons and pete johnson , the two pianists , play as miss horn [ sic ] finishes the song and stands at center stage swaying to the rhythm of the music . the scene changes to a first - class night club showing all players in formal attire . miss horn [ sic ] is favored during the montage sequences that follow . during these sequences members of the band are shown , customers in the cafe and the background of the set . the picture fades with a clear close - up of miss horne .
selling the film to the goldbergs meant selling it primarily for use in theatres with black or mixed audiences . in new york and chicago at least two such theatres showed the film in 1945 : the metropolitan on 47th and south parkway in chicago , where the film was featured as
rhythm - mad , scintillating extra attraction
with an errol flynn movie in april , and the orient on 125th and lenox in harlem , where it was shown with john wayne and russell hayden movies in december . bob seeley thinks that he saw the film at the paradise in detroit , which functioned in a similar way to the apollo in harlem .
many people believe that the film was shot at cafe society downtown , and that it shows the mural paintings for which that place was famous . i stopped thinking so quite a while ago , and the photographs in this booklet will settle that dispute . regarding the production studios where the film was made , i first thought it could have been the filmcraft studios in the bronx , where some ( but it is not known which ) of the television motion pictures shorts had been filmed , according to goldberg . blanche marvin , however , thinks that it was done at the astoria studios in long island city , where mark made instructional films for the army during his time in the signal corps . these studios had been used for the production of shorts , inserts and independent films before the army had taken them over .
in his memoirs , burger gives a romantic but unconvincing description of how he met billie holiday at a party in harlem , complete with white gardenia , absent look , and
strange fruit ,
and how she wanted him to tell her about the political events in prague in 1938 . by the time he had
raised the money for the film ,
burger goes on without further details , billie was not available , and so - - he says - - lena horne got the part . in the end , according to burger , he was
not too happy
with the film , because he found it
sentimental
when it was finished , and burger adds that
he
would not have made it that way a year later . it seems that he wants to indicate that this was a director ' s movie , but i do not think this is true .
many thanks to anthony barnett , blanche marvin , david meeker , helmut weihsmann and the friendly staff of british film institute , library of congress and österreichisches filmmuseum .
after hours at a nightclub , the hired help have a jam session , which proves to be just what a couple of belated customers wanted to hear .
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motion picture | made - for - tv series . short film ( under 30 minutes ) . julie london as julie . ( personnel on camera ) . motion picture ( form ) .
motion picture | made - for - tv series . medium length film ( 30 - 60 minutes ) . julie london as anita . ( personnel on camera ) . motion picture ( form ) .
filmography . pdf document | 2146 leaves ; 30 cm . | by david meeker . ( statement of responsibility ) . pdf document ( form ) . pdf document ( form ) . pdf document ( form ) . print ( form ) .
the collection consists primarily of kern ' s show music , some holograph sketches ; most are manuscript full and vocal scores of kern ' s orchestrators and arrangers , especially frank saddler and robert russell bennett . film and . . .
sheet music | 1 score | by william g . dietrich . ( statement of responsibility ) . also available through the library of congress web site as facsimile page images . sheet music ( form ) . sheet music ( form ) .
sheet music | 1 score | by carl heinemann . ( statement of responsibility ) . also available through the library of congress web site as facsimile page images . sheet music ( form ) . sheet music ( form ) .
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horne is joined by legendary black entertainers ethel waters , louis armstrong , and duke ellington in vincente minnelli’s musical fantasy . plus , an early glimpse of a young horne in a rare musical short .
the film opens in a nightclub as teddy wilson and his band are finishing their act . russel weathercoop ( russel morrison ) and his companion ( virginia pine ) are in the audience . as they get up to leave , the following dialog takes place :
as they are leaving the club , mr . weathercoop ' s companion asks him to wait while she
powders her nose
.
scene two takes place in the nightclub ' s back room , where pete johnson is tuning the piano , albert ammons is hanging wallpaper , and lena horne is washing dishes .
ammons , johnson and horne then enviously discuss how they wish they could perform , like teddy wilson and his band .
in a transitional sequence , weathercoop and his companion are shown falling asleep , and puffs of smoke appear , after which ammons , johnson and horne find themselves in brand new outfits , preparing to perform at the nightclub .
the phone call is for weathercoop . after his companion and he speak on the phone , weathercoop offers ammons , johnson and horne an audition - the big break they ' ve been dreaming of .
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bessie ( 4 / 15 / 1894 – 9 / 26 / 1937 ) born in chattanooga , tennessee , unfortunately died at the young age of forty - three in a tragic auto accident , was known as the empress of the blues . she was a proté gé of an earlier blues singer named ma rainey . this 1929 - 1942 classic film clips compilation done in 1986 of bessie smith in
( 1929 ) which is the only filmed appearance of bessie smith . also on this compilation is
pianists albert ammons and pete johnson , and teddy wilson ' s band . the dvd
routine in this film , they are only kids here . so if you are a nicholas brothers fan , tap or early jazz music enthusiast , this is a great find . also has some dancing waiters in st louis blues .
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alyn shipton ' s award - winning book traces the history of jazz from its earliest days , right through the twentieth century to the major trends in jazz of the last thirty years . international in scope , this new paperback is the fascinating history of the major musical art form of the twentieth century . about the author : alyn shipton presents jazz radio programmes for the bbc and is a critic for the times in london . he has written many books on jazz , including fats waller ( continuum , 2002 ) . reviews : ' this comprehensive book , with its wealth of information presented in a nontechnical style accessible to the general reader , is a major contribution to the literature of jazz . ' - publishers weekly
. .
. a massive scholarly achievement and a major addition to the jazz literature .
alyn shipton presents jazz radio programmes for the bbc and is a critic for the times in london . he has written many books on jazz , including fats waller ( continuum , 2002 ) .
this journal ' s contents are licensed under the creative commons attribution - noncommercial - noderivatives 4 . 0 internacional
reconocimiento como universidad : decreto 1297 del 30 de mayo de 1964 . reconocimiento personería jurídica : resolución 28 del 23 de febrero de 1949 minjusticia .
the henderson band - larger than most syncopated bands . 8 or 9 musicians - sounds was smoother / fuller sounding - simpler than polyphonic ( the lindy glide ) - abac - ea section 8 measures in length ( ea mesure 4 beats ) - call and response ( between brass and reeds ) - continuous and flowing . bass player plays all four beats in measure (
walking
the bass ) . drum player as well (
four on the floor
) - steady pulse / smooth emsable texture
arranged by fletcher henderson ; performed by benny goodman and his orchestra - henderson became a regular member of goodman ' s band - composed by tpa songwriter vernon duke . orchestrated versions of pop tpa songs - popularized in broadway musical :
cabin in the sky
- helen forest : crooner / one of the greatest of her time / singer in this song - call and response between brass and reeds - soli sections melody played in harmony - 32 bar aaba song structure
blues piano tradition - pianist typically plays a repeated pattern with his left hand , down in the low range of the piano , while improvising polyrhythmic patterns in his right hand .
most popular hillbilly singer of swing era - in 1935 for his own band : the crazy tennesseans . used instruments derived from the southern string band tradition , including the fiddle , banjo , and guitar - style rooted in southern - folk music - sang old time songs w a pronounced southern twang
great speckled bird
- nat . anthem for country music - acuff ' s 1st hit record - religious theme - speckled bird ; metaphor for the church - form of song : derived from the strophic pattern of ballad singing - 16 bar strophe performed 5 times
- 1st successful singing cowboy - hillbilly singer / did imitations by jimmie rodgers - did movies / became very popular - cross over artist in pop and hillbilly . brought country music to a wider / more diverse audience
wills : - popularized the western swing / style - fiddler - formed the texas playboys ( 1934 ) . made daily radio appearances on oklahoma . went on tours of the southwest territories - style was a combo of southern string band elements ( fiddle tunes ) and big band swing ( call and res . riffs , trumpets , sax etc . )
new san antonio rose
- texas playboys biggest hit - a country best seller - aaba , 32 bar structure - unique blend of stylistic elements achieved by will western swing
better sound quality than previous methods of recording ; recordings could be edited and overdubbed . developed by the germans and jap in 1930s
- most successful black recording artist of post war period - best post war crooner ( commercially and musically ) - playing organ / singing by 12 - made first recording in 1936 - piano improviser ( had strong influence on later piano artists ) - moved from chi to la and formed the king cole trio in 1937 - one of the 1st to cross over regularly on white pop charts . successful in sentimental ballads
first urban folk group to achieve commercial success - pete seeger : lead singer / banjo player / political activist - with a repertoire based on american and international folk songs , the weavers performed at union rallies , college concerts , and urban coffeehouses . - discovered in ny nightclub by decca records - between 1950 - 54 placed 11 records on top 40 -
goodnight irene
most successful recording . # 1 on pop charts in 1950
muddy waters : -
father of chicago blues
- style : rough , growling , emotional ( rooted in delta blues ) - played augustine and electric slide guitar - single greatest influence on the british blues boom in the 60s - 1940 - 50 most pop blues musician in chi . electric guitar : used to create dense buzzing tone colors ( using distortion ) / long notes that sounded like screaming ( employing feedback )
hoodie coochie man
- biggest hit for chess records ( # 3 on r & b charts 1954 ) - - chicago urban blues ( loud volume and dense textures / buzzing , growling tone colors ) - - stop time - 16 bar blues variation - strophic verse chorus structure
miss rhythm
- signed w atlantic records @ 16 ( 1949 ) - - most pop black female singer in us ( 1951 - 54 ) - warm husky tone / strong rhythmic feel
mama , . . . . .
- # 1 position on r & b charts for 5 weeks ( 1953 ) - blend of blues and tpa - a section : 16 bars blues . 12 bar form is expanded by adding extra bars in the middle of the song - aaab pattern . b section 16 bars - medium tempo , band riffs behind ruth
born in oil boomtowns of texas and oklahoma after world war ii - loud bars were called
honky - tonks
- music had to be loud to be heard . - songs were about the pleasures and problems of the honky - tonk audience . - the typical instrumentation of a honky - tonk band included a fiddle , a steel guitar , a
takeoff
( lead ) guitar , a string bass , and a piano
bill haley - former dj and western swing bandleader from pennsylvania - r & b jump band style - recorded commercially successful covers of r & b hits in 1950s
rock around the clock
: 1st rock n roll record to be # 1 pop hit . white group w country background playing 12 bar blues driven w sounds of electric guitar drums and bass lyrics bowdlerized by the producer milt gabler - only minor hit when it was released - country tinged style - bill haley became famous ( rock n roll ) as turner ' s fame came to an end ( r & b ) - decca records - country and western bandleader - aab - guitar emphasized - rhythmic feeling more akin to western swing
- r & b black vocal group style - # 2 r & b / # 5 pop in 1954 - standard aaba love ballad w unexpected elements in arrangement of performance . uptempo . capella voice intro . scattered singing ( jazz ) . sax solo w doo - wop backup vocals
elvis presley - biggest star of rock n roll era - sun records - made series of recordings w a r & b cover version on one side and a country song on the other - uses blues and rhythm traditions - blue notes - had a significantly
blacker
style . . lol - more aggressive and raw than the original - faster tempo - strophic - irregular ( rhythmic freedom / doesn ' t follow a bar pattern ) - two versions demonstrate synergy between r & b and country music that led rock n roll and the essential role of small independent record labels in dissemination
marginal
music
discovered by sun records - biggest rock n roll star to come from the country side of music - rvc bought out presley ' s contract w sun . hillbilly cat > > > > pop performer
don ' t be cruel
- his biggest hit - based on 12 bar blues - country inflections - strong backbeat throughout ( r & b )
chuck berry - addressed his songs to white and black teenage americans ( 1950 ) - blues and r & b styles - one of the 1st / most successful black musicians to forge his own version of blues and r & b styles to appeal to the mass market - knew country songs and found that his performances of them appealed to white members of his audience - clever lyricist / songwriter - rock n roll vocalist - pioneering electric guitarist
maybellene
- modeled on a country number called
ida red
- traced roots to r & b . thick buzzing timbre of electric guitar . blue notes and slides w both voice and guitar . backbeat of drum . 12 bar blues structures - no vocal - based r & b song had ever gonna at this pace - verse chorus form based on 12 bar blues - verse : no chord changes - voice : rapid fire lyrics using repetitive patterns of notes / dense packed words - country origins
multitalented singer - successful country singer - switched to rockabilly style ( presley ) - most powerful and convincing rockabilly artists of time - none of her records were hits . toured w a integrated band and refused to play where her black pianist would face prejudicial treatment
intensity of vocal style ( r & b ) - combines aaba and 12 bar blues structure - mainstream pop roots in aaba structure . ea a section : divides 12 bar blues into verse chorus structure
a ) john lennon and george harrison ( lead and rhythm guitars and vocals ) , b ) paul mccartney ( bass and vocals ) , and c ) ringo starr ( drums and occasional vocals ) . part of the
british invasion
- molded after the crickets and the beach boys - pioneered the unleashing of british bands on us market - 1st hit :
i wanna hold your hand
soul music - call and response - strophic aretha franklin
queen of soul
- columbia records 1960 . recorded jazzy and pop tpa songs . let go by columbia 1966 / failed to show much interest - atlantic records - powerful keyboard player -
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john williams / alan bergman / marilyn bergman arr . john higgins / paul lavender
k . c . douglas / rober l . geddins arr . mucm robert sullivan
this project culminates many hours of research , technical wizardry and the tireless dedication of many members of the united states navy band . it is fitting that we celebrate our 75th anniversary with a permanent and significant tribute to the rich musical heritage of the men and women who devoted their lives to their country and navy by producing music of the highest quality . the united states navy band has an exciting and rich history that is steeped in the great traditions of our emerging nation . the navy and navy music literally
grew up
together to each become a powerful force in our nation ' s history . the rich heritage of navy music stems from the historic washington navy yard , the oldest naval establishment in the united states . the navy band makes its home in the
sail loft ,
a building that housed not only the early sail makers , but later , as the
gun factory ,
produced some of our ships most fearsome armaments , the long guns . this narrative , along with a musical journey back to our beginnings , will tell the story of
tradition
that is the hallmark of this unique , proud organization , the united states navy band .
one of the major challenges of this project was selecting quality recordings from the different eras of the band . unfortunately , many of the old tapes were not properly labeled with the recording date or who the conductor was . some of the tapes were in such poor condition they required a special reconditioning process that actually
baked
the tapes so they could be played and remastered digitally .
to best portray the navy band in recorded history , it was decided to select a work by each of the band ' s leaders that most accurately reflected the sound of the concert band ( or orchestra ) at that period in time . disc one represents a chronological listing of navy band leaders from lieutenant charles benter to the current leader , commander ralph m . gambone . discs two , three and four chronicle the navy band ' s specialty groups , the sea chanters chorus , the commodores jazz ensemble and country current country - bluegrass group from the time they were established . these discs contain remastered cuts from previously recorded albums as well as more recent digital recordings .
the navy band released its first
in house
recording , the united states navy band presents the commodores in 1970 . previous recordings were sponsored by other organizations and released under the auspices of that organization . some of the navy organizations represented include the navy league , navy recruiting command and the music branch of the bureau of naval personnel . commercially recorded and sold albums were released by conqueror recordings and rca victor in the early 1940s . the last such endeavor was produced by rca victor in 1964 and featured the navy band and sea chanters chorus entitled , john f . kennedy center for the performing arts presents the united states navy band and the sea chanters .
through the years the navy band has collaborated with some of the best known names in the entertainment field on its recording projects . the names lionel hampton , julius la rosa , burl ives , mike wallace and academy award winner gregory peck all appear on navy band recordings . in addition , some of the world ' s greatest band composers were commissioned to write original works : john cacavas , jay chattaway , clare grundman , robert jager , claude t . smith , and robert w . smith . the navy band ' s own talented arranging staff has also contributed hundreds of outstanding arrangements and original compositions .


svengali is a 1927 german silent drama film directed by gennaro righelli and starring paul wegener , anita dorris and andré mattoni .

it is an adaptation of the novel trilby by the british writer george du maurier about an artist 's model who falls under the spell of a mysticist who turns her into a leading opera singer .

svengali ( 1927 film )

svengali ( 1927 ) - overview - urltoken
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doctor dracula ( 1978 film ) a . k . a .
svengali
when svengali and billie are having champagne at the café in cairo , svengali drains his glass . they exchange a few more words as svengali is being introduced , then when he stands his glass is somehow full again .
power play ( 2007 video ) a . k . a .
svengali
this page is based on the copyrighted wikipedia article svengali ( 1927 film ) ; it is used under the creative commons attribution - sharealike 3 . 0 unported license ( cc - by - sa ) . you may redistribute it , verbatim or modified , providing that you comply with the terms of the cc - by - sa
svengali ( 1927 / terra film ) bw . silent . germany . credits : dir : gennaro righelli & h . grund ; sc : max glass ; art : hans jacoby . from the novel
trilby
by george du maurier . cast : paul wegener , anita dorris , alexander granach , andre mattoni . svengali , ( wegener ) , commands a young girl ' s thoughts and actions with his powers of hypnotism .
the ending of the novel is changed in this film to a highly dramatic one by having trilby die after svengali is stricken with a fatal heart attack , instead of dying of a mysterious illness a few days later . she faints after he collapses in the stage box , but svengali revives long enough to gasp ,
oh god , grant me in death what you denied me in life—the woman i love
. trilby regains consciousness , smiles happily , utters
svengali !
, then dies , followed by svengali , who dies smiling . in the film billee survives .
svengali of the valley ( 1982 tv episode from
harper valley p . t . a .
)
2018 © san francisco silent film festival . true art transcends time . all rights reserved .
svengali is a 1931 american pre - code supernatural drama / horror film produced and distributed by warner bros . the film stars john barrymore and co - stars marian marsh . it was directed by archie mayo and the screenplay was written by j . grubb alexander . it is based on the gothic horror novel trilby ( 1894 ) by george du maurier . the film was originally released on may 22 , 1931 . warner brothers was so pleased by the box office on this film that the studio hurriedly reteamed barrymore and marsh for another horror film the mad genius , released on november 7 , 1931 . the region 1 dvd of svengali was released on october 17 , 2000 by the roan group .
( 1927 ) —a film that looked certain to flop . in just three days , von sternberg rewrote the script and , working mostly at night—when stars clara bow and gary cooper were available—re - shot more than half the film in a tent he had decorated himself . the results were astounding and convinced paramount that von sternberg might not be so difficult after all . the following year , he shot
the poster girls and the hypnotist ( 1899 short ) a . k . a .
svengali and the posters
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returned to america as a national hero and visited the set of svengali during its filming . a studio photograph of byrd ,
and i ' ll give you all films in svengali language in a second . i can even tell you which ones to watch and which to avoid . now , if i could just find
svengali
in the list of languages . . .
actor conrad veidt and german expressionistic director paul leni were recruited by universal ' s boss carl laemmle in the mid - 1920s . paul leni was already known in his homeland for the spooky horror classics backstairs ( 1921 , ger . ) ( aka hintertreppe ) and the expressionistic anthology waxworks ( 1924 , ger . ) ( aka das wachsfigurenkabinett ) . after moving to hollywood , leni directed the cat and the canary ( 1927 ) , a derivative from a stage - bound 1922 melodrama . the influential film is considered the first gothic ' haunted house ' horror film . veidt was cast as an ever - smiling , grotesque carnival freak named gwynplaine in leni ' s next film for universal , the man who laughs ( 1927 ) , a superb romantic melodrama .
, believed the film would be a flop and even lobbied to have his name removed from the credits .
. . . the novel is less a discussion of the relationship between svengali and trilby than an evocation of bohemian paris during the 1850s .
, by contrast , is a thoroughly american film . as today’s film historians have noted , the gangster film solidifies the myth of american individualism . outlaws like bull weed flout authority to become powerful and sympathetic heroes . von sternberg , too , had struggled through the harsh conditions of big city life and , with this first big hit , he was finally finding success .
there is absolutely nothing that isn ' t thoroughly covered in the book . it is straightforward , and does an excellent job of explaining all about svengali in key topics and material . there is no reason to invest in any other materials to learn about svengali . you ' ll understand it all .
. . . the scholar edgar rosenberg calls svengali an example of anti - semitic stereotyping in english fiction , and identifies him as a version of ahasver , the wandering jew ; he notes a reference to svengali walking up and down the earth seeking whom he might cheat , betray , exploit . . .
( cutline for illustration on trilby . htm page ) - - trilby , hypnotized by svengali . svengali ' s exaggerated features were typical of anti - semitic portrayals of jews at the turn of the century . this engraving was done by du maurier himself for the first edition of the novel in 1894 .
a collection of reviews for the novel ,
trilby
and some of its stage and film adaptations as found on the internet .
unfortunately the film fails to captivate once barrymore is off the screen , a role he reprised in the mad genius released the same year .
helped inaugurate the gangster film as a genre . as ben hecht wrote , “crooks and hopheads toting machine guns became the national idols . ”
. . . the character was portrayed in many silent movie versions of the story and in talking movies , and was played by paul wegener in a 1927 german silent film of the same name , by john barrymore in a a 1931 version , by donald wolfit in a 1954 version in technicolor , and by peter o ' toole in a 1983 made - for - television modernized version , also in colour , co - featuring jodie foster .
are shown with mood or background music . the music is cbs ' s own canned archive music and is not in the original feature film .
the phantom of the paradise ( 1974 ) , d . brian depalma , a rock - opera musical version ( and cult favorite ) starring paul williams as a svengali impresario named the swan
when it was released , austrian - born theater and film director max reinhardt wrote , “it is inconceivable that such cinematic greatness could have come from america . ”
complete , unabridged guide to svengali . get the information you need - - fast ! this comprehensive guide offers a thorough view of key knowledge and detailed insight . it ' s all you need .
svengali , ( barrymore ) , an impoverished opportunist teaching music in 1890 ' s paris , but he is also an evil hypnotist who mesmerizes a woman named trilby o ' farrell , ( marsh ) , to acheive fame with her singing in the hope that she will love him . to this end svengali tries to control her , but although he can control her voice , he cannot control her heart .
whatever dark , primitive , and revolting traits that simultaneously attract and repel us are featured in the horror genre . horror films are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology , or when earth is threatened by aliens . the fantasy and supernatural film genres are not synonymous with the horror genre , although thriller films may have some relation when they focus on the revolting and horrible acts of the killer / madman . horror films are also known as chillers , scary movies , spookfests , and the macabre . see also scariest film moments and scenes ( illustrated ) - from many of the greatest horror films ever made , best film death scenes ( illustrated ) , and three great horror film franchises .
, while
svengali
is a fictional character from george du maurier ' s anti - semitic novel
trilby
( 1895 ) . are you sure that ' s what you want ? look me in the eyes :
, but the film was a financial failure . von sternberg then had a run of false starts . pickford , who had announced her intentions of working with this latest european genius , cancelled when she disliked the film scenario about a blind girl in industrial pittsburgh that he had proposed for her . von sternberg’s work at mgm also ground to a halt : unhappy with his work on
mystified , the group sees her again in london . however , as he stands in the box overlooking his protégée , svengali dies of a heart attack and his spell over her suddenly breaks - she can no longer sing in tune . little billee takes her into his chambers where she relates her story , saying that she remembers nothing of her singing career . however , by this point she is very weak , near death . as she is writing her will , she sees a portrait of svengali among her possessions . upon seeing it she goes into her trance , singing chopin ' s impromptu in a flat as she had on the stage and dying with his name on her lips . many years later svengali ' s assistant , gecko , tells taffy that there were
two trilbys ,
the one they knew , an
angel of paradise
( du maurer 287 ) and a
singing machine
when under the spell of svengali ( 288 ) .
another unrelated ' wolf - man ' film was she - wolf of london ( 1946 ) , with june lockart as phyllis allenby , an innocent young girl in london - and the alleged perpetrator of gruesome murders .
svengali ( 1914 / wiener kunstfilm ) 6 reels . bw . silent . austria . aka : der hypnotiseur . credits : dir : luise kolm & jakob fleck . from the novel
trilby
by george du maurier . cast : frl . nording , ferdinand bonn .
house of dracula ( 1945 ) - an immediate sequel to the house of frankenstein ( 1944 ) film , with lon chaney , jr . as the wolf man , john carradine as dracula , and glenn strange as the frankenstein monster - again
- basically an upstairs / downstairs melodrama set at wartime , the film is a fast watch with interesting story that kept me entertained ( but what ' s with that painted on
uni - brow
? ) . chaney , of course , is always good ( i love the wide range of facial expressions he gets ) , barbara bedford is sort of like a beautiful stone ornament here , but i guess it works for this . there is a small spy element to this film that is quickly passed by - and that is that the countess is carrying a secret message to
headquarters
sewed into the lining of an apron ( or some such item ) . music composed by james schafer works ; the film was screened on turner classic movies tcm .
in the first of chaney ' s two other horror masterpieces , he appeared in one of the earliest versions of victor hugo ' s novel about the hunchbacked quasimodo - a tortured bellringer living in a cathedral tower in love with gypsy dancer esmeralda ( patsy ruth miller ) in director wallace worsley ' s the hunchback of notre dame ( 1923 ) - it was another silent film version of the classic tale . [ an earlier version was the darling of paris ( 1917 ) , a lost film starring vamp theda bara as esmeralda . ]
the classic 1931 film , directed by archie mayo , based on the novel
trilby
by george du maurier . john barrymore gives a masterful performance as the maestro who discovers the beautiful model trilby o ' farrell and , with his hypnotic powers , sets out to make her a star . trilby is played by the stunning marian marsh , who commands your attention with every second of screen time ( just * try * to look away at 22 : 00 when she describes what lovely feet she has ) . the film was an oscar winner for its art direction and cinematography .
, but producer charlie chaplin was dissatisfied and did not release it . scottish critic ( and future documentary filmmaker ) john grierson , one of the few people to have seen the now - lost film , called it “the most beautiful picture ever produced in hollywood , and the least human . ”
t he novel is about a studio of three artists from england and scotland , the laird , taffy , and little billee ; the grisette and model trilby ; and a jewish hypnotist named svengali who teaches trilby to sing and uses her voice for his own purposes . the first half of the novel takes place in paris . trilby meets and falls in love with little billee , but , like fantine in les miserables , cannot stay with him because he is of a higher social class . later , billee becomes a famous artist in london , then returns to france after a failed love affair and re - meets his two companions . one evening at the theater they see the new singer that they have heard so much about ,
la svengali .
to their surprise , it is trilby , who has never sung in tune before - but now she sings like
a woman archangel . . . or some enchanted princess out of a fairy tale
( 203 ) . svengali , the strange suspicious musician the group had feared years ago in paris , is the conductor .
the phantom of the opera ( 1990 ) , d . tony richardson , a two - part nbc - tv mini - series , with burt lancaster starring as the baron - the phantom ' s father ( in one of his final film appearances ) , teri polo as christine , and charles dance as the phantom
won him his first academy award for best original screen story . the film was a hit , and the paramount theater in new york had to arrange all - night screenings to accommodate the eager crowds . paramount gave von sternberg a $ 10 , 000 bonus and a gold medal in appreciation . von sternberg had done more than make a name for himself ;
director rouben mamoulian ' s first sound version dr . jekyll and mr . hyde ( 1931 ) , starring fredric march in the title role as the villainous scientist ( the first oscar - winning horror performance ) and miriam hopkins as the slutty cockney barmaid ivy . the film had ground - breaking transformative special effects as march changed from jekyll into hyde , filmed in one - take
it is indeed a sad fact that the majority of wegener ' s work is generally unavailable today which is in complete contrast to the works of conrad veidt and emil jannings , two other great german actors who followed in wegener ' s footsteps . however evidence is available of his enormous talent that wasn ' t just restricted to acting , but many other facets of film production .
the miser ' s conversion ( 1914 ) ( aka the miser ' s reversion ) was the first film to depict a screen transformation by using a series of dissolves with footage of the character ' s different stages of makeup , rather than a single jump - cut . this was later used to great effect in many films including dr . jekyll and mr . hyde ( 1931 ) and the wolf man ( 1941 ) . in the film , the title character miser ( sidney bracey ) , 75 year - old john grisley , obsessed with the idea of evolution , acquired a rejuvenation serum that transformed him into a 40 year - old man with just a few drops . to intensify the effect , he drank the entire bottle of serum and reverted into an ape .
one actor who helped pave the way for the change in outlook and acceptance of the horror genre was lon ( alonso ) chaney , sr . , known as
the man of a thousand faces
because of his transformative , grotesque makeup and acting genius as a pantomime artist . he appeared in numerous silent horror films beginning in 1913 at universal studios . he was soon to become the first american horror - film star and hollywood ' s first great character actor . his first grotesque character role as a fake cripple ( a contorted figure named the frog ) , his breakthrough role , was in the miracle man ( 1919 ) ( a film that only partially survives ) . chaney ' s films , collaborating with director tod browning on ten feature films over a decade , included these examples of lurid melodrama ( and horror ) and crime :
the first talkie horror film was also the second ' all - talking ' motion picture from warner bros - - director roy del ruth ' s the terror ( 1928 ) , a stage - bound adaptation of edgar wallace ' s play regarding a haunted house terrorized by a homicidal asylum escapee . the film ' s many ads capitalized on the new feature of sound ( creaking doors , howling wind , organ music ) , heard with the vitaphone sound - on - disc process :
it will thrill you ! grip you ! set you into tremors of awe . hear this creepy tale of mystery - the baffling story of a detective ' s great triumph . with voices and shadows that will rack your nerves and make you like it . come , hear them talk in this vitaphone production of the play that has gripped london for over 3 years .
all in all , i found the book interesting but disappointing . contrary to what the cover blurb says , the book is not really about
the diva trilby o ' ferrall and her mesmeric mentor , svengali ,
but rather about bohemian life in paris , circa 1859 . as a portrait of said life , it is in fact interesting and remarkably frank for its time . but as a story ,
trilby
is scattered and unfocused , more a series of character sketches than a bona fide novel .
chaney ' s most memorable portrayal was in the ground - breaking , vividly - frightening , beauty - and - the - beast silent film , rupert julian ' s costume horror classic the phantom of the opera ( 1925 ) , as devil ' s island escapee erik - a disfigured , deranged , bitter and vengeful composer / ghost of the paris opera ( based on the character in gaston leroux ' s 1911 novel ) . this film was a technical achievement , with a two - color technicolor ' bal masque ' sequence , the falling chandelier and underground lake scenes . its dark expressionistic tones helped set the tone for horror films in the 30s . its most famous scene was ingenue christine ' s ( mary philbin ) unmasking of lon chaney ' s mask - revealing a hideous skull - face , lipless mouth , rotten teeth , snouty nose , and bulging eyes .
in the same year , danish writer / director carl theodor dreyer ' s dreamlike , atmospheric , seminal horror film vampyr ( 1931 , ger . / fr . ) ( aka not against the flesh / castle of doom ) was released . the unsettling film , dreyer ' s first sound feature , was loosely based on the 1872 lesbian vampire short story carmilla by j . sheridan le fanu . it was alternatively titled the strange adventure of david grey - and it told the story of an occult researcher named allan / david grey ( baron nicolas de gunsburg , played by julian west ) in a remote country inn in the village of courtempierre who was given a vampire combat book . he slowly believed he was surrounded by vampires - and dreamt of his own death and glass - lidded coffin burial ( filmed with a double - exposure ) during a blood - loss induced fever dream .
first published in 1894 , the story of the diva trilby o ' ferrall and her mentor , svengali , has entered the mythology of that period alongside dracula and sherlock holmes . immensely popular for years , the novel led to a hit play , a series of popular films , trilby products from hats to ice - cream , and streets in florida named after characters in the book . the setting reflects du maurier ' s bohemian years as an art student in paris before he went to london to make a career in journalism . a celebrated caricaturist for
upon publication , the novel caused a sensation in britain and america . in its first year of publication , the book sold 200 , 000 copies in america ( showalter ix ) .
svengali
became a usual name for any hypnotist ; the book was turned into a popular play , and one town in florida named its streets after the characters ( showalter x ) . it sparked a resurgence of interest in bohemian life , as had not been seen since murger . years after paris ceased to be the center of bohemian life , the culture of the artists still attracted attention .
in the years to come , von sternberg cultivated his persona as an exotic , highbrow artiste more actively . journalists anointed him svengali to marlene dietrich’s trilby , and the riding pants and turbans he would wear on the set added to his mystique . in 1936 , london critic charles graves wrote , “josef von sternberg walks like a cat , looks like a fallen archangel , wears mongolian moustachios and black chinese pyjamas , is never seen out of doors without a walking stick , craves cornflowers , and always expects the head waiters to bring , unasked , seven iced black grapes when he enters a restaurant . ”
horror films go back as far as the onset of films themselves , over a 100 years ago . from our earliest days , we use our vivid imaginations to see ghosts in shadowy shapes , to be emotionally connected to the unknown and to fear things that are improbable . watching a horror film gives an opening into that scary world , into an outlet for the essence of fear itself , without actually being in danger . weird as it sounds , there ' s a very real thrill and fun factor in being scared or watching disturbing , horrific images .
horror films , when done well and with less reliance on horrifying special effects , can be extremely potent film forms , tapping into our dream states and the horror of the irrational and unknown , and the horror within man himself . ( the best horror films only imply or suggest the horror in subtle ways , rather than blatantly displaying it , i . e . , val lewton ' s horror films . ) in horror films , the irrational forces of chaos or horror invariably need to be defeated , and often these films end with a return to normalcy and victory over the monstrous .
in the french silent film serial ( with ten chapters ) les vampires ( 1915 , fr . ) ( aka the vampires ) by director / writer louis feuillade , subversive vampire thieves sucked the blood out of sleeping bourgeois parisian society , and stole their jewels . the villainous leader of the vamps was irma vep ( musidora ) , an anagram for vampire . the partly scripted , partly - improvised episodes ( with eye - catching titles like
the severed head
and
the ring that kills
) followed investigative journalist philippe guérande ( édouard mathé ) and his comic sidekick oscar mazamette ( marcel lévesque ) in their continued attempts to foil the vampire gang ' s elaborate schemes and gadgets .
the acting of the cast , in which the names of clara kimball young and wilton lackaye come first , is on a par with the most exacting demands of screen histrionism . mr . lackaye ' s impersonation of svengali has long been recognized as a work of great merit . the triumph that he won for it in the spoken drama , he more than repeats on the screen . clara kimball young makes an ideal trilby . her beauty of face , perfection of form and power as an actress fit the part splendidly , and accurately exemplified by phyllis neilson - terry , the soul which animates her creation is the soul of trilby o ' farrell . her posing in the
all - together
is without offense . the gecko of paul mcallister , chester barnett ' s little billee , and the efforts of the remaining members of the cast are all in harmony with the performance , and responsive to every mood of the director ' s conception .
as the war closed wegener was one of the first to rebuild cultural life in berlin . despite ill - health he became president of an organisation to improve standards for it ' s inhabitants . in 1947 wegener suffered a debilitating stroke that caused him to go to switzerland for medical care . on his return to berlin he again succumbed to illness , but refused to give up acting and accepted a part in der grosse mandarin ( 1948 ) , his last film role . in july 1948 he reprised his role of
nathan the wise
at the deutschen theatre , but in the very first scene he collapsed and the curtain was brought down . two months later , on september 13th . 1948 , paul wegener died in his sleep . his funeral was attended by mourners from all walks of life , coming to pay their respects to the artist . he was buried in a quiet corner of the berlin cemetery at heerstrasse where a chinese temple - stone bears his name and a marble buddah from his own back garden protects his grave .
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magazine , du maurier ' s drawings for the novel - - of which his most significant are included here - - form a large part of its appeal .
a work that contributed to the romanticizing of the artistic lifestyle was george du maurier ' s trilby , published serially in harper ' s monthly in 1894 . the novel ' s hero , little billee , is an artist who gains fame and fortune from his paintings ; its heroine is a grisette , his true love , who models for him .
du maurier , a frequent contributor to punch and other satirical journals and grandfather of the novelist daphne du maurier , had been in paris himself as a young man in the 1850s . in spite of this personal experience , however , trilby is based on little historical fact .
du maurier ' s bohemian paris is as much an invention as a reality , and as much a projection of the 1890s as a recollection of the 1850s ,
writes critic ellen showalter ( xiii ) . many of the details are far from historically accurate : du maurier has his artists reading zola and maupassant before those authors published any works ( showalter xiii ) . the novel ' s importance as a historical document , then , is based more in the feelings of interdependent , artistic bohemia than in any of its specific incidents or details .
( 1931 / warner / vitaphone ) 83mins . bw . us . shooting title : tribly .
dir : archie mayo ; sc : j . grubb alexander ; ph : barney mcgill ; ed : william holmes ; art : anton grot ; sfx : fred w . jackman & hans f . koenekamp ; mus : david mendoza .
john barrymore , marian marsh , donald crisp , bramwell fletcher , carmel meyers , lumsden hare , luis alberni , paul porcasi , ferike boros , adrienne d ' ambricourt , yola d ' avril , henry otto .
the first sound adaptation of du maurier ' s popular novel is turned into a victorian melodrama with some sinister overtones and effectively bizarre sets by polish art director anton grot that work superbly in tandem with barney mcgill ' s lighting .
trilby
a skillfully constructed screen version of du maurier ' s story opened at the forth - fourth street theater , new york , on labor day - - clara kimball young and wilton lackaye are in the cast . reviewed by edward weitzel
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, he was virtually unknown . an anxious von sternberg was so worried about the movie’s reception that he skipped the premiere , sending his wife to the theater in his stead while he took a walk in the park . ben hecht , the chicago newspaperman who had written the story for
in 1919 , chautard had his young assistant spend time at the viewfinder learning , von sternberg later recalled , “to appraise the dimensional aspect of everything in front of the lens , including the value of light and shadow . ”
during his early years in the movie industry , josef von sternberg struggled to get by , cutting corners wherever he could . instead of wasting money on a bed for his rented room , he slept in a large dresser drawer . eventually , hollywood turned him into an aristocrat . at the suggestion of actor elliott dexter , the credits to
( 1924 ) listed sternberg—then a scenarist and assistant director—as “von sternberg . ” von sternberg never lobbied for this prefix , but he never objected to it either . “had i been consulted , ” he wrote , “i’m sure that i would have attached no importance to this implied baronetcy . it was 1923 , the recent war had crumbled one empire after the other , and members of the nobility had become doormen in paris , cab drivers in new york , and extra players in hollywood . ”
von sternberg wanted absolute control over the visuals of his movies and worked closely with costume designers and set designers to whom he provided sketches of his own before hearing their ideas . he preferred filming in a studio , where he could arrange every element to his liking , and asserted that shooting on location was making documentary , not art . “i am a poet , ” he explained . “to reality , one should prefer the illusion of reality . ”
, especially in the gangster’s ball scene , where streamers undulate over crowds of jittery dancers and , by the end of the night , pile into knee - deep drifts that impede the drunken heroes . von sternberg shunned flat and wasted space—he wanted images that were thick , teeming , layered , and emotionally significant . to create depth , he often filled his early sets with objects ; later , he would use lights and gauze .
, his artistry was both less refined and less well known . hollywood stars like charlie chaplin , douglas fairbanks , and mary pickford had praised von sternberg’s 1925 directorial debut ,
( 1926 ) , the studio replaced him with phil rosen . unhappy with his coworkers in
( 1925 ) , von sternberg walked off the set in a huff and sailed for europe . he did complete one picture ,
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horror films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic , cause dread and alarm , and to invoke our hidden worst fears , often in a terrifying , shocking finale , while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience . horror films effectively center on the dark side of life , the forbidden , and strange and alarming events . they deal with our most primal nature and its fears : our nightmares , our vulnerability , our alienation , our revulsions , our terror of the unknown , our fear of death and dismemberment , loss of identity , or fear of sexuality .
of necessity , the earliest horror films were gothic in style - meaning that they were usually set in spooky old mansions , castles , or fog - shrouded , dark and shadowy locales . their main characters have included
unknown ,
human , supernatural or grotesque creatures , ranging from vampires , demented madmen , devils , unfriendly ghosts , monsters , mad scientists ,
frankensteins ,
jekyll / hyde
dualities ( good against evil ) , demons , zombies , evil spirits , arch fiends , satanic villains , the
possessed ,
werewolves and freaks to even the unseen , diabolical presence of evil .
the vampire character has been one of the most ubiquitous in the history of cinema , extending from the earliest days of cinema to present - day manifestations . dark , primitive , and revolting characters that simultaneously attract and repel us formed the irresistible heart of big - screen vampire tales . at first , bloodsuckers ( leeches ) and vampire bats intrigued and frightened people from cultures around the world . demonic or supernatural possession was often juxtaposed with blood - drinking , sex , and corpses . many religions , myths , folk - tales and cults espoused the idea of obtaining the life - essence from blood – in its extreme was the practice of cannibalism .
vampires began to emerge in popular fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries , during which time anglo - irish writer bram stoker ' s 1897 vampire novel dracula was written . it has become the most popular , influential and preeminent source material for many vampire films . sheridan le fanu ' s 1872 lesbian vampire tale carmilla came a close second to stoker ' s writings . stoker ' s seminal book hatched all the elements of future vampire films - - predatory female vamps who kissed the neck of male victims for their human blood , an elderly count who vied for their prey , and a vampire hunter with garlic to ward off the
prince of darkness
and with a wooden stake to drive through dracula ' s heart .
the phantom of the opera ( 1943 ) , d . arthur lubin , universal ' s technicolored version with claude rains as the title character - a disfigured violinist , and also nelson eddy as raoul , the phantom ' s rival for christine ' s ( susanna foster ) love
the phantom of the opera ( 1962 ) , d . terence fisher , with herbert lom ( of pink panther fame ) in a uk hammer films production as professor petrie / the phantom and heather sears as christine charles
the phantom of the opera ( 1983 ) , d . robert markowitz , a made - for - tv movie starring a miscast jane seymour and maximilian schell as the phantom , set in budapest
the phantom of the opera ( 1989 ) , d . dwight h . little , with robert englund ( horror movie villain freddy krueger in the nightmare on elm street series ) as the phantom and jill schoelen as christine
the phantom of the opera ( 1991 ) , d . darwin knight , a theatrical musical created by maury yeston and arthur kopil and filmed before a live audience , starring david staller and elizabeth walsh
il fantasma dell ' opera ( 1998 , it . ) ( aka the phantom of the opera ) , d . dario argento , a loose adaptation with daughter asia argento as christine and julian sands as the nameless phantom ( without a mask ) ; with great production values including more sex , graphically - bloody gore , and a musical score by ennio morricone
the phantom of the opera ( 2004 ) , d . joel schumacher , with gerard butler as the lead character , and starlet emmy rossum ( a trained opera singer ) as christine ; also with minnie driver and miranda richardson
[ james cagney played the role of chaney in man of a thousand faces ( 1957 ) and recreated the star ' s roles as the phantom and quasimodo in two of horror ' s greatest achievements . ]
victor fleming ' s ponderous mgm production ( which won the academy award for black and white cinematography ) dr . jekyll and mr . hyde ( 1941 ) , starring spencer tracy in the title role and ingrid bergman as the
wicked
prostitute
[ in the psycho - sexual thriller mary reilly ( 1995 ) , julia roberts starred as the innocent maid of the infamous dr . jekyll to provide a new perspective . ]
by the early 1930s , horror entered into its classic phase in hollywood - the true dracula and frankenstein eras , with films that borrowed from their german expressionism roots . the studios took morbid tales of european vampires and undead aristocrats , mad scientists , and invisible men and created some of the most archetypal creatures and monsters ever known for the screen . universal studios , with many groundbreaking silent horror films , continued its tradition by providing talkie horror films derived from literature and other mythic - legendary sources . it was best - known for its pure horror films in the 30s and 40s , horror - dom ' s characters ( frankenstein , dracula , the mummy , the invisible man , and the wolf man ) and its classic horror stars , hungarian matinee idol bela lugosi and boris karloff .
[ an impressive - looking spanish version , with director george melford in place of browning , was shot simultaneously on the same sets at night , but with a different cast and crew ( carlos villarías replaced lugosi , and eduardo arozamena as van helsing , along with provocatively - dressed actresses lupita tovar as eva ( mina ) and carmen guerrero as lucia ( lucy ) ) . ]
[ in director tim burton ' s horror / comedy ed wood ( 1994 ) , martin landau won a best supporting actor oscar as the aging , morphine - addicted horror star bela lugosi , a friend of one of hollywood ' s worst directors . ]
unfortunately , the wolf man role hopelessly typecast chaney , jr . for life . in fact , he was the only actor to play all four classic movie monsters : the wolf man , the frankenstein monster ( in the ghost of frankenstein ( 1942 ) ) , kharis ( the mummy ) ( in the mummy ' s tomb ( 1942 ) , the mummy ' s ghost ( 1944 ) and the mummy ' s curse ( 1944 ) ) , and count dracula ( in son of dracula ( 1943 ) ) .
he was forced to star in a series of very poor sequels , teamed up with other universal horror stars in b - grade films including frankenstein meets the wolfman ( 1943 ) ( in which chaney , jr . portrayed the wolf man and lugosi was the frankenstein monster ) , and in two films adding dracula to the mix :
house of frankenstein ( 1944 ) ( the first all - star get - together with glenn strange as the frankenstein monster , john carradine as baron dracula , boris karloff as mad scientist dr . gustav neimann , and lon chaney , jr . as larry talbot / the wolf man )
the worst ignominy suffered by chaney , jr . was in universal - international ' s hybrid horror - comedy abbott and costello meet frankenstein ( 1948 ) with the two screen comedians . here was evidence that classic horror films in the genre were beginning to go out of style after the real ' horrors ' of world war ii , and universal was attempting to crank out more and more sequels for younger audiences .
paul wegener was the first of the great german actors to go willingly into cinema realising the artistic capabilities of the new medium . he was also a man of great stature , towering six foot six inches , and with his distinctly chiseled - face managed to give feelings and realism to the horror movie characters he portrayed .
in some small way i hope this article will also help to keep his name regarded as a leading light in filmdom ' s illustrious history .