Something you may, or may not, know about me is that I have a favorite movie. I am not one of those people who can’t pick, or has to think, or “loves all their children equally”. Hands down, my favorite movie is The Godfather. I’m a bit of a purist and I think The Godfather II is inferior and I refuse to even acknowledge that there is a third one. It’s one of the only movies based on a book that is actually better than the book (although not by much) and it’s brilliance is in it’s impeccable pacing and attention to the details of this alternate world.
So imagine my delight when upon my arrival in LA, my dad offered to be my date to the CineConcerts: The Godfather Live!
For those who haven’t hear about these yet, CineConcerts are amazing live events created by composer/conductor Justin Freer, where you go watch a classic movie and the score is played by a live orchestra.
With most of today’s movies having soundtracks rather than scores and those that are scored are shown with a prerecorded score, the experience of seeing a movie with live music is essentially all but lost. Justin Freer’s goal with these concerts is to not only preserve live music as a part of the cinematic experience (you know, like back before the talkies when films were accompanies by a live organ), but to highlight the art of scoring a film.
In the age of the soundtrack, the musical score has fallen out of vogue in favor of pop songs that are more recognizable to audiences and therefore more marketable. This really is a shame when you think of all the original scores that really completed, rounded out, and “made” the movies they accompanied: Jaws, Gone With the Wind, The Last of the Mohicans.
Aside from just being a novel experience, The Godfather Live simply made me more aware of the score and what a masterpiece it is in and of itself, let alone when combined with the greatest movie ever.
The score is just a perfectly crafted as the film and together they are a lesson in “less is more” and the art of reservation.
If you are either a film buff, a music buff, or simply a human who loves cool stuff, see if you can get yourself to a CineConcert. It’s such a unique experience and you’ll be sure to see, or rather hear, your favorite movies in a whole new light.