Performing this hilarious classic is a huge undertaking. First, it needed to be treated with fun and loving respect for its tenacious history. The film had to be digitally restored to its originally intended widescreen theater presentation, some of the old sound and visual effects needed to be replaced with live practical effects, and the implementation of SCENT-O-VISION (more on that later) brings a fitting realism to the experience.
Then there's the matter of the music --
Ed Wood’s classic PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE didn’t have an original musical score. Orchestras were too expensive for his low-budget classic back in 1957. So instead, the resourceful Mr. Woods cobbled together recorded stock music used in other sci-fi thrillers to propel his story. We shouldn't judge him harshly as this practice can be traced to the earliest films over a century ago.
How music started in the movies --
In the early days of cinema, each theater had its own musical director who would arrange a score for each movie by pulling classical and popular sheet music from the theater’s library. The assembled score would be performed live as the film played. Some theaters had full orchestras, while others had small ensembles or just a piano or organ player.
Sometimes movie studios would provide suggested musical instructions called “cue sheets” to help in the theaters’ presentations. Bigger-budgeted productions had original music composed for the film that would be printed and sent to theater directors to arrange and perform as they saw fit. When sound was added to movies, the orchestras followed with recorded scores to accompany them, but the individuality of each movie performance was lost as theater orchestras disappeared. Until now!
The GFFO brings this time-honored tradition back --
Using the early movie theater musical art, we've created and assembled a score arranged in the traditions of early silent films. We've digitally removed the stock music from 1957, leaving the dialogue intact We've curated some of the best classical music and, with creative timing and editing techniques, perfectly times the music to fit the movies. With a new LIVE orchestra score, visual & olfactory effects, and other surprises, this will be a performance of a lifetime to see!
The Grand Feature Film Orchestra will give PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and A TRIP TO THE MOON a new score performed LIVE with the films
Sunday, January 29th at 2:00 pm
Here’s Sunday’s full program:
We’ll open with an overture –
Pomp and Circumstance #4 by Edward Elgar
Then We’ll present our featurette --
A TRIP TO THE MOON (1902)
This is the first sci-fi movie in history. It will be presented in its original hand-painted colors!
LIVE orchestra movie Score based on
Overture 1812 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
And finally, our feature Movie of the concert –
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1957)
Shown in the original rarely seen “widescreen” with live music and sound effects and the exciting SCENT-O-RAMA experience!
LIVE orchestra movie Score based on
The Planets by Gustav Holst