BrianG wrote: ↑

Wed May 26, 2021 1:53 pm

Paul Penna wrote: ↑

Wed May 26, 2021 9:17 am

There were organ breaks (Dennis James) in the score when I saw it at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, Coppola conducting, in 1981.

Interesting that my 1981 Harris/Coppola dvd states that it's based on a Brownlow reconstruction.

A special version, lasting about three hours was announced for the premiere. Although Gance had agreed to this, he kept adjusting it until it was at least three hours, forty minutes. With intervals, the premiere would now be well over four hours long.
There were no standard speeds for projectors in those days. Operators were given suggested running time, but as the speed could alter during a reel, it was left to them to work it out with the musical director.
The musical director Honegger complained to Gance, "It will be impossible to move another piece of music to another section if you keep on making changes. By five o'clock, the musicians were exhausted and Gance changed the editing again. Honegger walked and caught his train for home.
Two hours before the great event, Gance argued with the conductor about the spill of light from the orchestra stands and insisted some sort of cover be placed over the orchestra. The conductor was furious, but he finally did as Gance wished.
The lab was still printing the reels on the day of the premiere. Titles had to be inserted by hand and some reels wound up in the wrong numbered can.
At first everything went well, despite the occasional badly printed scene. At the last moment, the letters Napoleon was writing to Josephine arrived and an assistant had spliced them in upside down.
When this first occurred, Gance rushed to the projection box and stopped the show.
Nowadays, there would have been an outcry if you stopped projection, but the people were more friendly then and they waited patiently.

Paul Penna wrote: ↑

Wed May 26, 2021 9:17 am

There were organ breaks (Dennis James) in the score when I saw it at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, Coppola conducting, in 1981.

Frame Rate wrote: ↑

Wed May 26, 2021 6:59 am

When this historic "re-premiere roadshow" got to the Chicago Theater, local musicians from the orchestra of the Lyric Opera were employed to perform the Coppola opus, and "the avoidance of union-defined overtime," (or at least a nicotine-and-bathroom-break) was provided for them by having organist Dennis James fill in during the mid-section. Anyone recall if that was done in other live performances of Daddy Carmine's score?

Big Silent Fan wrote:

FrankFay wrote:The film was cut by about 50 minutes and Coppola's father Carmine composed the score (it is a mediocre score but does have a traditional period feel to it). Coppola's company has since controlled the rights to any version of this film shown in the USA.

To clarify, only Kenneth Brownlow did any cutting of the film.
To be shown at Radio City Music Hall in 1980, the allowed running time was restricted by management to no longer than four hours (it was an overtime issue). According to Brownlow's book "Napoleon," small cuts were made by him to the film; but it was the projection at 24 fps (instead of 20 fps) that changed the running time to four hours. Carmine had to compose a score that would keep up with the film that ran too fast.

I bought my VHS copy early in 1990 and soon afterwards, I was able to dub it to DVD. Today, my Magnavox DVD players allow for running recorded DVDs at .8 speed which returned the film to 4:50 because of the slower speed. Watched that way, nothing seems slow. Fortunately, the music handles the slower speed quite well since it needed to be slowed to match the slower image.
It's a big favorite of mine, chiefly because of the dedicated acting by everyone, be them a major character of simply a face in the crowd. I also have heard Carmine's score many times (at full speed and .8 speed) and have never tired of it. Without a doubt, I've viewed this more than 50 times over the years. Yes I know that sounds like a lot but I've already watched it twice just this year.

Reading comments about the use of theatre organ just last week in this thread was all it took for me to have another look to see exactly when and where the organ was used. Organ music was used just three times, and quite appropriately. That's not much considering the orchestra was playing for nearly four hours. I noted where it was done.

1. 33 minutes into the film and just as the rousing French National Anthem had been sung for the last time, the organ gave the orchestra a break for almost seven minutes while we see Napoleon in his room with the rioting mob outside.

2. 1:28 into the first part of the film, the organ begins when we see the title, "The Siege At Toulon." It plays for less than six minutes and the orchestra takes over when Napoleon is put in Charge of the attack.

3. 1:18 into the second half of the film, the organ plays (again just under six minutes) when Napoleon enters the empty Convention hall to receive his command from the now dead founders of the revolution.

Watched at .8 speed, the film's intensity seems greater than when seen at a too fast speed.

FrankFay wrote:The film was cut by about 50 minutes and Coppola's father Carmine composed the score (it is a mediocre score but does have a traditional period feel to it). Coppola's company has since controlled the rights to any version of this film shown in the USA.

Ann Harding wrote:

Mike Gebert wrote:

On top, there will be some organ or brass bands to join the gaps. (terrifying!)

There was an organist to give the orchestra a break during the early 80s tour.

Absolutely. But, when the Carl Davis score is played, there are three intervals like for a long Wagner opera. No need to break the orchestral score with organ or brass band. Actually, you can already have a look at the Philharmonia Orchestra website with Napoléon scheduled on Nov. 6, 2016.

Mike Gebert wrote:

On top, there will be some organ or brass bands to join the gaps. (terrifying!)

There was an organist to give the orchestra a break during the early 80s tour.

On top, there will be some organ or brass bands to join the gaps. (terrifying!)