University of Amsterdam Faculty of Humanities MA Heritage Studies: Preservation & Presentation of the Moving Image (RE)SCORING HÄXAN Supervisor: Annet Dekker Second Reader: Eef Masson Thesis of: Fabrizio D’Alessio E-mail:
[email protected] Student Number: 11311487 Amsterdam, 4 February 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 CHAPTER 1: SILENT FILM WITH MUSIC, A TRADITION OF NOVELTY 6 1.1 A theoretical gap between film and music 7 Looking for the added value 7 Cinema as event 9 1.2 (Re)scoring silent films, a new-old practice 11 Historically-accurate versions 12 Novel versions 13 CHAPTER 2: (RE)SCORING HÄXAN 15 2.1 Häxan, what is it? 15 A tormented reception 16 2.2 The phantom ‘first night’ of the Witch 19 Authentic conjectures 19 Back in time through DVD’s multiplicity 21 Surrounded by sounds in a Home Theatre 22 2.3 How does the Devil talk? 24 Into the gap 24 The voice of the Devil 25 Cult as event 27 2.4 A kiss of life for the Witch 30 Hypermediated performances 31 Songs for synchresis 32 Electronic sounds for contemporary audiences 33 CONCLUSION 34 BIBLIOGRAPHY 37 2 INTRODUCTION The practice of adding music to a silent film is as long as cinema. Up until the standardization that came with the introduction of sound, music for the silent film was “an independent, ever-changing accompaniment” (Marks 6). From theater to theater, many different musicians worked on the same single silent picture, the form and style of accompaniment would vary from country to country, even theatre to theatre, and evolve and change over time.