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THE MUSICIAN AND THE FILM
WALTER LEIGH
Although from its earliest beginnings the cinema has employed music as an important part of the entertainment which it offers, the place of music has been an almost entirely subordinate one. In the latter days of the silent films, certain super-productions were presented at the big theatres with specially composed music played by large orchestras, and just before the sound-film arrived, some experiments on a small scale were made in synchronization of the film with a mechanical organ or piano, and a synchronous apparatus was invented for the conductor of the cinema orchestra. But excess of zeal on the part of the musician often caused the musical accompaniment to obtrude itself too persistently on the consciousness of the audience, and the enjoyment of some films was considerably impaired by noisy orchestras which, in seeking to create appropriate atmosphere, would often stress and underline unnecessarily the action of the film.
The sound-film arrived just at the right time to save an embarrassing situation. Its success entailed the acceptance of a new convention by the audience, the make-believe that sound actually proceeded from the shadows on the screen. This effort of reconciling sound with sight was readily made by the audience, and the apparently impossible — a "talking picture" — was achieved. For the first time the audience, in order to understand the entertainment, had to listen as well as to watch. Hitherto they had only noticed the music when it somehow disturbed them ; and they were aware of its absence if a film was run in silence. But now the sound was no longer a mere accompaniment, but an integral part of the film; and for the first time they became sound-conscious.
Unfortunately, however, this miracle of synchronization was so universally emphasized by film producers that little advantage was taken of the possibilities offered by the new mechanical device. Indeed, at the present time, some six years later, the majority of films still show how great a set-back film production suffered from
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