Search - Tom Verlaine and Jimmy Rip: Music for Experimental Film on DVD

Sympathetic Sounds for Experimental Silents

james dwyer | ann arbor, michigan United States | 03/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These early avant garde silent movies have been available before on DVD, and as historical documents of the experimental whimsy and edginess of the silent era, they are worthy additions to any serious film enthusiast's collection. However, these new soundtrack recordings make them even more interesting. My wife and I, with another cinephile friend, were lucky enough to see Tom Verlaine (guitar legend of the seminal band Television) and Jimmy Rip perform live at the Detroit Institute of Arts in July of 2007. They created playful and nicely crunchy (when appropriate!) musical pastiches, very aptly fitting the images on screen. I've been a fan of silent film for years, and as an assistant to the late Art Stefan (former conducter, pianist, and head of the Ann Arbor Silent Film Society) learned much about the delicate, yet loose, precision necessary to match live music to cinematic images, as they play out on the screen. Verlaine and Rip did a superb job, and were kind enough to speak with a few eager spectators afterwords. When they told me about this upcoming Kino release, my wife could barely contain herself! While I have yet to see the DVD, Kino clearly enjoys a fine reputation, and trust me : Verlaine and Rip will make these interesting films shimmer a little more brightly than they ever have before."