FESTIVAL FEATURES | Live re-scores
‘If I can bring out this part of Romero’s work, then I think I’ve honoured his
life well’
<< That tricky consideration has been deftly sidestepped by two other live i lm events at the Fringe. Both Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror, by Tess Said So, and Enchanted Tales, by Lizabett Russo and Graeme Stephen, use silent movies as their starting point. The former is an unofi cial Dracula adaptation by German expressionist director FW Murnau; the latter, a selection of i lmed fairytales from the early 1900s, including a take on the Snow White myth. ‘Lizabett has created a new fairytale by combining these i lms,’ says Stephen, whose previous re-scores include Metropolis, Faust and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. ‘It’s a great journey!’
He continues: ‘I think everyone is fascinated by fairytales from childhood. It’s amazing how these stories stay with you and the many ways they can be interpreted. They seem so innocent sometimes, yet have so much depth. The way they rel ect our own lives and have so many meanings personal to us all. Hopefully this show will take the audience on their own personal journeys.’ That sense of deep-rooted fascination is shared by Will Larsen of Tess Said So, the band behind the Nosferatu screenings. ‘My brother had a poster of Nosferatu up on his bedroom wall when we were young. The imagery of that poster intrigued me even as a kid, so when it came to choosing a silent movie, Nosferatu was a natural choice. It has very distinct, evocative characters full of depth and hidden agendas.’
Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror
Attendees of A Symphony of Horror will have the added thrill of watching the i lm on sacred ground. The show’s venue, St Vincent’s Chapel, ‘was built in 1857, around the same time Nosferatu is set,’ says Larsen. ‘So not only do the Gothic architecture and high arched windows match the buildings in the i lm, but the chapel will be perfect for setting the mood both before and during the performance.’ For anyone who fears that a silent i lm from the 1920s might have limited appeal today, think again. ‘Even though I’ve seen the i lm literally countless times, I’m still not bored with it,’ says Larsen. ‘I still can’t quite reconcile how Nosferatu was made in 1922, when i lm was such a new art form, with the way the movie is edited and the way all three acts of the i lm are so well paced. It’s a remarkably well composed, sophisticated piece of storytelling. I imagine it’s still compulsory viewing for any budding i lmmaker, but even for people who just appreciate i lm, Nosferatu holds up remarkably well.’
Alive: Music for Night of the Living Dead, ZOO, until 28 Aug (not 16), 10pm, £10 (£8).
Enchanted Tales, The Outhouse, 15 & 16 Aug, 10pm, £10 (£7).
Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror, St Vincent’s Chapel, 18–22 Aug, 8.30pm, £10 (£8).
32 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017