Kateryna KOT
Mute Nights:
Few Words about Beauty, Memory and Justicy The lights snatched out dark blue density of the sky, light modern wall of the St. Nickolas Church and white wingspan of seagulls above orange domes. Lower there are stairs to the improvised audience hall on the berth of Odessa Marina. Spiers of drowsing yachts, meditative dots of red lighthouse, and Marion Davies in the screen, disturbed by evening sea wind moving. The fourth «Mute Nights Festival», the fest of silent movie and modern music, was held on the 21-23 of June in Odessa. It is created by National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre, and for the second time was supported by the State Agency for Cinema
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atching early cinematography, l often remember: this is from where they are — cliché’s legs: illustration pictures with literal images, dynamic stories with veins of a couple of story line, lapidary intertitles. The majority of all these things are canonic and template today but at the beginning of the 20th century — all this was an experiment, research and discovery. The detective by Petro Chardynin «Ucrasia (7+2)» was released in 1925 to the screens of great and inviolable. This film became the biggest box-office film of its genre and gained ringing fame in Ukraine as well as abroad. Besides already in 1938 the biggest part of the two-series 209 minute film was destroyed. In 2013 the Dovjenko Center found the base novel of the same name «Ukrasia» Mykola Borysov (by the way, best-seller of its time too) and 67 minutes of remained film and reconstructed the new version. The film was dubbed by MINIMATIKON Polish Project (It was created on purpose to dub mute films by Orange the Juice group). Young, expressive pianists organized incredible audio performance. Polish created bright sound revolution for the same young, revolutionary and energetic Odesa of 1919 with riots and struggle, chases, intrigues, opium clubs and red bins. It’s interesting and pleasant a priori to watch in Odesa of 2013 about Odesa of 1919 as listen to amazing soundtrack to unsurpassed horror by Robert Wiene «The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari». Petro Chardynin passes the relay race to Czech and in particular screening of Leo Tolstoy novel «The Kreutzer Sonata» on which he worked in 1911. The Czech center in Kyiv brought to «Mute Nights» the single copy of the same name film by Gustav Machatý of 1926 and out-
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standing, one of the most famous Czech underground musicians Pavel Fight who played in Odesa for the second time. The film became the first independent work and the first step to the field of erotic and temptation for Gustav Machatý on which he grew into notable master and classic. Surely Gustav Machatý plunged into sin not a single person, choosing for the main role Eve Bironova who generously flirted from the screen with her sad, dark eyes and put together lips. It’s she — the woman, the wishes of whom remained incomprehensible and not taken into consideration (by her as well), brought up with limited idea about the role and place, who threw herself from children to fashion, from fashion to music. Persuasively looked Yan V. Shperger in the role of Postyshev, the person who decided to sober down
Yuriy Kuznetsov accompanies charming King Vidor's «The Patsy»
his tempestuous sexual life and create a respectable family. It’s possible that the film looks not less erotically than in 30’s. Nearly stealthily put scenes of naked body, lingerie gives incredible creativity freedom and unconscious wish to finish the idea. The music by Pavel Fight was amazing. The musical instrument of the musician are percussion instruments For the better film atmosphere translation, Fight made a couple of records which he put into brilliant percussion accompaniment — he was the breathe of «The Kreutzer Sonata», its psychological and erotic skin. The next day is «The Last Laugh» by Friedrich Murnau 1924. It was the culmination of the festival and one of the best films as expressionistic as well as world cinematography. No one expected for thunderstorm. But the hero of Emil Jannings the doorman of the highest quality hotel was transferred from the position in bright prestigious uniform with golden buttons to toilet servants. To the old man to agree with new reality is beyond the scope, all the more his daughter had a wedding that day so how would he return home without usual prestige and proud? For who will be he taken by neighbours, guests and family? Former porter stole uniform. The man got home through the estranged atmosphere of the night city where no one has anything to do with others, through the yard and neighbours who smiled through clenched and rotten mouths and bowed to the porter uniform. After the celebration he fell deeply asleep, he saw himself young and strong, to all porters he is a porter in his dream! And now it’s time to tell about outstanding camera man Karl Freund courageous and new — his camera moves freely with lightness snatching out shreds of realities and picturing images. And in this whirlpool — the human is miserable on his own is in need only to the movie team and pianists who don’t leave it alone. The duet of Sergia Lietove (saxophone) and Volodymyr Golouhov (vibraphone) appeared at the beginning of 2000. Their music is very conscious, pure; there are only the most important things in it without any covers. It’s the third day. Festival continues to restore memory, fight for fairness and present beauty — everything as it was thought about. «The Bread» by Mykola Shpykovsky was released in 1929 as well as «The Earth» by Dovzhenko. It was forbidden on the fourth day after the first night. The plot is telling us about demobilized Red Army man who returned back to the native village collectivized it. He shaped the plots of land of wealthy villagers under clear sky and high dark hills and amazing Oleksiy Pankratiev filmed the ground, people, furrow, wheat in sharp graphic video-constructors and images — alive, modern and incredibly beautiful and conceptual. In the film description festival states that director didn’t have intentions to shoot something out of favour, on the contrary he wanted to rehabilitate himself after previous film «SelfSeeker». But the film vocabulary is very
conspicuous and the whole irony and tragedy of the reality of 30’s not only felt but completely build stylistic of this vocabulary. And Sergii Kravchenko as if throwing stones on his white drum he drums by his fingers and his melody catches up Oleksii Vorsoba’s sensual accordion and low guitar basses of Oleksii Vanchuk. Especially for «Mute Nights» music for the festival was composed by «Port Mone» Belarusian group. And their video and music meditation I place in a line with «DahaBrahovoiu», «The Earth» and I hope that «The Bread» from «Port Mone» will hear and see as many spectators from Ukraine and Europe as it was proud and worth it. «It is no use crying over spilt milk. it's wet enough». There is rain in Odesa, but the heroin of Marion Davis — Patsy from the comedy of the same name by King Vidor of 1928 is learning what and where to tell, practicing the development of her individuality. In such a way Tom advised her, the bridegroom of her sister with whom Patsy is in love. It’s a brilliant comedy with incredible actor’s team with Jazz music accompaniment by the star Yuriy Kuznetsov. As director
Luka Lyashenko, the great actor of «The Bread» by Mykola Shpykovsky
and Patsy constantly use quotes-proverbs-sayings in the same way Kuznetsov refers to musical quotes of famous classical works with what they bring the audience into complete rapture. Jokes and conducted laugh, masterly decisions of the pianist and applauses. I left the hall with feeling that I have seen real cinema in real cinematography of 30th. And I didn’t stay for the closing of the festival at «Dakh Doughters» freak-cabaret. As with «The Bread» and the «Patsy» you want to stay for long and to continue dialogue about beauty and fairness and also about happiness. The rain stopped. The sea swayed light from port cranes and hotel windows. Under the wheels quivered wet Odesa and watering machine was doing wet cleaning of the city after the rain... ИС. 7