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The origins of electronic music in cinema go back to the first half of the 20th century. This mix is a homage to some of those moments.It begins with a 1930s Pathé archive example of an early version of what would become a synthesizer, before moving into Dmitri Shostakovich’s first use of theremin on screen in the 1931’s Alone, directed by Grigori Kozintsev. Originally a silent film, Alone gained a soundtrack by Shostakovich just before release once film sound was made available in Russia. Bernard Herrmann’s iconic use of the theremin in The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) has a wonderful moment in this mix wherein we hear the studio sketches of this score’s creation. Taken from the 2018 reissue of the score, this recording presents studio outtakes and rehearsal moments during the production. Herrmann can be heard in the background prompting different actions from his orchestra.

There nothing better than seeing silent films with live music, especially in the cozy confines of Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves). This Sunday, February 15th, at 7pm, Webster University, in conjunction with Cinema St. Louis, will screen the 1927 French film Verdun, Visions Of History from director Léon Poirier accompanied by live music from pianist Hakim Bentchouala-Golobitch. Admission is Free.

Because of the political, social, economic and cultural impact it generated worldwide, the First World War is a singular event in the history of mankind. With 4.4 million soldiers mobilized and a financial contribution of 500 billion today, the United States played a major role in the Great War and the victory of the Triple Entente. The long French-American friendship was strengthened by this conflict.

Since September 2014, as part of the worldwide commemoration of the centenary of the First World War, the Cultural Service at the Consulate General of France in Chicago,...

Happy Mother’s Day! Let’s get to it:

This week’s Must Read is j. j. murphy’s review of the Candy Darling documentary Beautiful Darling. Murphy usually writes about indie film screenplays, but I also really like his writings on Warhol, since I’ve been a Warhol nut since college.For Artforum, Amy Taubin reviews James Fotopoulos’ new feature Alice in Wonderland, which just made its World Premiere at Brooklyn’s Microscope Gallery. Taubin said it was a must see and now I’m dying to see it, too.Also, Fotopoulos has totally relaunched his company Fantasma Inc. on the web. Check out their new redesigned homepage, then hit ‘em up on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and subscribe to the blog.For Time Out Chicago, Patrick Friel interviews the legendary Ken Jacobs about his lesser-discussed live-performance pieces.Bob Moricz was wowed by a Cinema Project screening of the films of William Eggleston.