Last night I went to see the screening of The Vampire and A fool There Was at the BFI, both accompanied by new scores. Those expecting some bloody action a la Buffy would have been disappointed; there were no fangs in sight-both films focused instead on a woman's power over a man, her ability to drain him completely; of his wealth, his reason and social status.The Vampire was made as a means of recording a dance that had been being performed by Alice Eis and Bert French on the Vaudeville Circuit. The dance itself was inspired by Philip Burne-Jones 1897 painting, The Vampire. Early films' close relationship with works of art was typical of a time when film was still establishing itself as an art form in its own right- Salome which I saw on Saturday drew its entire aesthetic from Aubrey Beardsley's illustrations.I must mention the fantastic pianist, Jane Gardner, who played the score to the film-having only seen it for the first time yesterday morning!
The second film, A Fool There Was, was accompanied by a new soundtrack put together by The Broken Hearts DJS. Theda Bara stars in the film that made her name as the first sex symbol. A haunting face, gorgeous costumes and masses of flowing, Pre-Raphaelite hair make it easy to see why.