Alumnus accompanies silent films at IU Cinema

Before movies had sound designers, fancy noises and a complete orchestra, only one person typically did the music — a live accompanist.

Last Friday and Saturday, the IU Cinema, in conjunction with graduate students from the communication and culture department, presented the “City Lights & Underground” experimental film series, a series of classical films which will be playing throughout the spring.

All of the films presented in the collection are from the Bradley film collection, which is on loan from the Lilly Library.

On Friday and Saturday, the series screened the silent films “Mantrap” and “Lady Eve.”

Both films were accompanied by live music from visiting pianist Philip Carli.

“I graduated from the University of Rochester and I’ve seen him perform,” “City Lights” programmer Chris Wilkins said. “He’s really good, and it’s an interesting way of watching a movie.”

In addition to the films that were presented this past weekend, Carli also held a lecture Friday afternoon.

The lecture focused on literary adaptations in silent film and brought a historical perspective to the processes of silent films and doing live film accompaniment.

Carli, who is an IU alumnus from the musicology department, is an associate professor of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester and a renowned silent film accompanist.

“Silent film is a wonderful, expressive art form,” Carli said.

Carli said his passion for silent movie accompaniment started when he was young and was encouraged from the start by his parents.

“It was a way for me to see films,” Carli said. “From that we built an audience.”

While a student at IU, Carli produced a production of Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” which according to Carli only had two people in attendance.

Carli said that as a film historian, silent films are very important and relevant to the world today.

“It’s a new experience for most people,” Carli said.

The IU Cinema drew large crowds for the showings of the films.

“Watching the accompanist live is interesting because you get to meet the musician or the creative force,” graduate student Gabriel Gutierrez said. “It becomes more artistically centered, and there is more attention to the film and plot.”

As the stage lowered and the curtain rose, the audience sat in silence, focused on
the film.

“Silent film is an expressive art form,” Carli said. “I’m often moved by silent films, far more than by dialogue films.”