1. The marriage between image and music

George Autheil, Dimitri Chostakovitch, Paul Dessau, Hanns Eisler, Arthur Honegger, Jacques Ibert, Maurice Jaubert, great composers who, among many others, agreed to work for the silent cinema. All this music, created for world premieres and sometimes later printed on the film, has come down to us and shows how from the beginnings of the cinema industry, film makers dreamt of combining sound or speech with the picture. But producers did not always have the financial means to employ a composer and an orchestra to interpret his music. Hence the introduction of improvised and uncertain piano accompaniments.

It is for this reason that we decided to look again at certain masterpieces of the silent cinema and give them, a posteriori, the musical accompaniment they were capable of inspiring. This, of course, assumes the composer’s respect for the film-maker’s intentions and thought processes ; in short, great humility is necessary in the writing of the score which must not roam freely but follow faithfully the action of the film. That is the great quality of Raymond Alessandrini, Antonio Coppola and Gabriel Thibaudeau who, in accepting this discipline, justify their claim to be true composers for the silent cinema. Thus they give to André Antoine ("L'hirondelle et la mésange", 1920), Paul Leni ("The Man who laughs", 1928), Rupert Julian ("The Phantom of the Opera", 1925), Julien Duvivier ("Au bonheur des dames", 1925 and "Poil de Carotte, 1925), René Clair ("Paris qui dort", 1923), Louis Feuillade ("Séraphin ou les jambes nues", 1921), Allan Dwan ("The Iron Mask", 1929), Jacques Feyder ("Visages d'enfants", 1925 and ("Crainquebille", 1922), Harold Lloyd ("The Kid Brother", 1927), and Ernst Lubitsch ("Romeo and Juliet in the snow", 1920), the voice, or rather the sound which was not available to them.
Luck decreed that for the creation of this new music, the « Octuor de France » founded by Jean-Louis Sajot, interpreters of the music of Antonin Reicha, Weber, Mozart, Brahms, Haydn, Bach, but also of Jean Françaix and Marcel Landowski (the recordings of which have brought them much praise), agreed to take part in the adventure of what we call today “projections-concerts”. Thus, since 1998, the date of the first showing of “The Man who laughs” for the “Directors' Fortnight” at the Cannes Film Festival, and the world premiere of Gabriel Thibaudeau’s musical score, the « Octuor de France » has constantly enlarged its repertoire and alternates between its classical chamber music concerts and the accompanying of silent films throughout the world (New York, New Orleans, Montreal, Boston, Telluride, Washington, Paris, Strasbourg, Tours, Bologna, Rome, Athens, Helsinki, Tokyo, Minsk, Barcelona, etc…) Thanks, then, to the « Octuor de France » for enabling a new public to discover and get to know masterpieces of the silent cinema which are often too quickly forgotten. Well done and thanks to the Artists!

text by Pierre-Henri Deleau

2. Pierre-Henri Deleau :
A "compulsive eater of images" on cinema or TV screens, and a discoverer of talents and new trends, Pierre-Henri Deleau has enabled many film festivals to profit from knowledge of the cinema, among them, the "Director's Fortnight" in Cannes, which he directed for 30 years, and the FIPA. His creed is to share his passion and his enthusiasm. This he has done amply, contributing to at least 14 festivals since 1969 and he is still the Artistic Director of several events which take place each year. He has also been a member of the Arte Drama Department reading committee since 1990, and a member of the European Film Academy board of directors since 1997.

3. Performances since 1998

Cannes Film Festival 1998 – World Première
L’Homme qui Rit (The Man who Laughs) : The first showing in May during the Cannes Film Festival was received with a standing ovation and magnificent press reviews.

2010

U.S.A. : National Gallery of Art, Washington, Poil de Carotte
France : Saint Julien lès Metz : L'Homme qui rit
Nevers : Poil de Carotte
Dijon : Poil de Carotte

2009

Japan : Kurobe : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Yokohama : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Tokyo : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
France : Paris : Parc de Bagatelle : L'Homme qui rit 2 representations
Auxerre : L'Homme qui rit
Vendôme : Poil de Carotte

2008

U.S.A. : National Gallery of Art, Washington, Hommage à Max Linder (Création)
Canada : Cinémathèque, Montréal, Hommage à Max Linder, Poil de Carotte and College

2007

Italy : Giornate del Cinema Muto, Pordenone, Paris qui dort and Séraphin ou les jambes nues
Luxembourg DirActors’ Cut Film Festival, The Kid Brother and College (Création)

2006

Finland : Midnight Sun Film Festival, Sodankylä : L’Hirondelle et la Mésange
France : Meymac, Corrèze : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Spain : Palma de Mallorca : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
U.S.A. : National Gallery of Art, Washington, Au Bonheur des Dames
Brazil : Sao Paulo (Ibirapuera Park Auditorium) : Séraphin ou les Jambes nues

2005

U.S.A. : National Gallery of Art, Washington, L’Homme qui rit
Alliance Française in the Florence Gould Hall, New York, L’Homme qui rit
France : Festival d’Auvers sur Oise : Visages d’Enfants
Festival « Paris Cinéma » in the Senate Gardens, Paris : Crainquebille (World Première)
Italy : Il Giornate del Cinema Muto, Pordenone : Au Bonheur des Dames, Crainquebille and L’Hirondelle et la Mésange

2004

U.S.A. : Alliance Française in the Florence Gould Hall, New York, Visages d’Enfants
Finland : Midnight Sun Film Festival, Sodankylä : Visages d’Enfants
Midnight Sun Film Festival in Helsinki : Visages d’Enfants
Belorussia : Fête de la Musique at the invitation of the French Ambassador in Minsk : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
France : Festival « De l’Encre à l’Ecran », Tours : Poil de Carotte (World Première - two performances) and Visages d’Enfants
Festival « Paris Cinéma » in the Senate Gardens, Paris : The Kid Brother (World Première), Au Bonheur des Dames and Visages d’Enfants
Charlieu (Loire) in the Abbaye des Cordeliers : L’Homme qui Rit
Humanitarian evening in the UNESCO Building, Paris : Poil de Carotte

2003

Belorussia : Fête de la Musique at the invitation of the French Ambassador in Minsk : L’Homme qui Rit
Italy : Il Giornate del Cinema Muto, Pordenone : Visages d’Enfants (World Première)
France : Festival « De l’Encre à l’Ecran », Tours : Au Bonheur des Dames (two performances) and Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Festival de Musique de Pontlevoy, (Eure et Cher) : Séraphin ou les jambes nues and Romeo und Julia im Schnee
Espace Auteuil, Paris : Séraphin ou les jambes nues

2002

Spain : Peniscola Film Festival : Séraphin ou les Jambes Nues and Romeo und Julia im Schnee
Italy : European Music Festival in front of the Farnese Palace, Rome (oraganised in conjunction with the French Embassy, and the cities of Rome and Paris) : L’Homme qui Rit, Paris qui dort and Séraphin ou les jambes nues
U.S.A. : New York Film Club in the Lincoln Center, New York : Paris qui dort and Séraphin ou les jambes nues
France : Festival « De l’Encre à l’Ecran », Tours : L’Homme qui rit (two performances), Romeo und Julia im Schnee and Le Masque de Fer (World Première)
Bicentenary Celebrations of Victor Hugo’s Birth in Besançon : L’Homme qui Rit
Mairie du XVIème Arrondissement in the Olivier Messian Auditorium at the Maison de Radio France, Paris : L’Homme qui Rit
Festival de Musique de Pontlevoy, (Eure et Cher) : Paris qui dort
Rencontres Internationales de Cinéma, Pontarlier : L’Homme qui Rit

2001

U.S.A. : Jefferson Performing Arts Center, Metaire, New Orleans : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Performing Arts Society, Diamondhead (Mississippi) : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Boston Film Archives, in the Sanders Theater of Harvard University, Boston : Au Bonheur des Dames
France : Dijon Auditorium : Paris qui dort and Séraphin ou les jambes nues (World Première)
6th European Film Festival, Strasbourg : Séraphin ou les Jambes Nues and Romeo und Julia im Schnee (World Première)

2000

Spain : Barcelona Auditorium : L’Homme qui Rit
Finland : Midnight Sun Film Festival, Sodankylä : L’Homme qui Rit
Festival « Sodankylä rencontre Avignon » in the Makasiinit (Töölö), Helsinki : L’Homme qui Rit
France : 5th European Film Festival, Strasbourg : Paris qui dort (World Première)
European Film Academy in the Théâtre de l’Odéon, Paris : Paris qui dort

1999

France : Cité de la Musique, Paris : L’Homme qui Rit
4th European Film Festival, Strasbourg : Le Fantôme de l’Opéra (World Première) and Au Bonheur des Dames (World Première)
Festival du Film d’Histoire, Pessac : Au Bonheur des Dames
Japan : Saïtama Arts Theater : L’Homme qui Rit (two performances)
Kurobe-City : L’Homme qui Rit
Greece : Athens Festival : L’Homme qui Rit
U.S.A. : New York Film Festival, Lincoln Center, New York : L’Homme qui Rit (two performances)
New Orleans Film Festival : L’Homme qui Rit
Boston Film Archives, in the Sanders Theater, Harvard University, Boston : L’Homme qui Rit
Canada : Cinémathèque de Montréal in the Théâtre Saint-Denis, Montréal : L’Homme qui Rit

1998

Italy : Il Cinéma Ritrovato Festival, Bologna : L’Homme qui Rit
U.S.A. : Telluride Film Festival, Colorado : L’Homme qui rit (two performances)
France : 3rd European Film Festival, Strasbourg :L’Homme qui rit (two performances)
Humanitarian evening in the UNESCO Building, Paris : L’Homme qui rit