There are so many things I like about cinema that I don't even know where to begin, but perhaps what I enjoy most is going out to see a movie and being challenged, seeing something new that makes me go, 'hmm.' But with every storyline under the sun already told (and in what seems like every variation, too), 3D not causing as big of a splash as it was intended, and the focus more on making money than making a quality product, what's left?
Apparently the answer is to go right back to where it all began, and Robert Bruce is one man who does just that. This Canadian-born pianist accompanies silent films for live audiences, and while other musicians are simply content to play arrangements that already exist, Mr. Bruce composes his own music for each film. 'I have been inspired in a musical sense by some elements of comedy and cinema,' he explained. 'I wrote all those pieces with just the spirit of those old cartoons [that I used to watch as a kid] in my mind, just going with the overall impression I got from them – the characters, the colours, the subtle humour, and the very charming light-classical music they often used. And, to max these compositions out, I often play piano versions of these same pieces in my silent film programs.'
He's also a big believer in not trying to mimic the old gems note-for-note, but rather letting it come out naturally because you have a passion for it. When I spoke to him, he had very strong opinions on people who try to create movies that were huge hits, or who try to make a 1920s film ninety years later, and advises them that the spirit of the piece will just come out if unlocked, and will often be better than if they'd tried to replicate it exactly. Describing himself as someone who disagrees with shocking audiences when it doesn't pertain to achieving a set musical goal, he continues, 'I'm a traditionalist only in the sense that I build on the past and do not feel compelled to automatically do “new” or radical things just for the sake of it. I am into the music first and foremost, whether using familiar ideas and approaches or ones I develop myself. The main way I'm different or exotic at times is in the fact that I'm very connected to my own inspiration and can tell when something is “resonating” or not.'
Mr. Bruce understands that while silent films with live accompaniments were hugely popular for decades when cinema first came into existence, it's not that way anymore and a greater challenge than ever to keep audiences entertained, rapt, and back for more. '[How to do that] is, quite frankly, a question and concern I am still very much working on and trying to figure out. The silent film programs are just one thing that I do. I have a body of “classical” songs and instrumental music that is more “serious” as classical music, and I find it difficult to get any real traction with that music. I keep at it as it is my best and most artistic music.' But evidently, whatever tips and tricks he has at his disposal are working, because he's been at the game a while. 'If find living in an artistically conservative country like Canada a challenge but you do what you have to do to pay the bills. I've been full-time in music for over 30 years now. Discouragement and obstacles are an almost daily occurrence but a strong and sincere love of music generally keeps you going,' he says. '[And] I choose the silent films very carefully and only have about 8 programs that I present. I improve them a bit each time, that is, my score for them. I only work with films I feel
very strongly about, that I think have artistic merit and that I enjoy, and, also, that I sense work really well with my music.'
No doubt you're one of the millions who saw The Artist and loved it, thinking that it was a charming nod to the past. But if you're ready to take it up a step and see what cinema's roots are in a much more authentic sense, check out Robert Bruce in Toronto on May 9th when he plays his own score to Safety Last.
And check out this link for some of his music that'll definitely whet your appetite.
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