This Thursday, you get to walk into Liberty Cinema to not just watch a movie but also to witness live music. Two for the price of none, thanks to a cin&eacute;-concert organised by the Alliance Fran&ccedil;aise that will be screening the 1929 film Cagliostro, a copy of which has been restored by Paris-based archive La Cin&eacute;math&egrave;que Fran&ccedil;aise. The Richard Oswald silent movie will be accompanied by live music from French pianist and composer, Mathieu Regnault, who specialises in composing music for movies. <img alt="" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2012/dec/Cagliostro2.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 363px;" /> A still from the film &ldquo;Watching a cin&eacute;-concert is not just about going to the movies; there is an alchemy that develops between the musician who is playing and the film,&rdquo; says Regnault, in an email interview. &ldquo;It is in effect a live performance. Each scene that I play for is unique and involves a lot of improvisation.&rdquo; Cagliostro, a black-and-white silent film directed by an Austrian and performed by German actors, tells the story of a magician, alchemist and adventurer during the times of the French monarchs, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. The film survives only in an abridged form, which is why its continuity is affected. <img alt="" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2012/dec/Cagliostroa.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 291px;" /> Though its images and sequences have kept audiences riveted, it was a challenge for Regnault to take up this film. &ldquo;Composing for the film was a little difficult because it is incomplete. So, the music had to fill in the blanks,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Here, the music acts as the main thread. I usually follow the same methods when I compose music for a cine-concert. I first compose the music for the principal actors. Their emotions translated into music results in giving a musical identity to the film. Beyond that, I allow myself to improvise.&rdquo; Improvisation means that the pianist is playing to the emotions of the on-screen characters as well as the audience. The music often provides vital emotional cues. Says Regnault, &ldquo;In today&rsquo;s films, music is used to punctuate or highlight various scenes. In silent films however, it is present throughout the film. It is the main character of the film. A cin&eacute;-concert is a live performance, it&rsquo;s alive&hellip;I always experience a rush of adrenaline when I play.&rdquo; Regnault was in the city last year to lend live music to another silent film, Le Lion des Mogols, that was screened at the NCPA. Before the &lsquo;talkies&rsquo; became commonplace, silent films transmitted dialogue through muted gestures, mime and title cards, often with live music as accompaniment to intensify the drama on screen. &ldquo;Though they fell out of fashion after the 1960s, they are back in fashion in France and the rest of Europe in the past 10 years,&rdquo; maintains Anne Dubourg, director of Alliance Fran&ccedil;aise de Bombay. &ldquo;You are not just passively watching a movie or listening to music. It all comes together, and your emotions mingle with what the pianist is trying to convey. This is a reinvention of tradition, but some pianists even do pop music accompaniments to classic films.&rdquo; <h2 class="footer_style"> On: December 6 At: 7 pm, Liberty Cinema, Vithaldas Thackersey Marg, near Bombay Hospital, New Marine Lines Entry: Freeu00a0</h2>

Don't own a time machine? Head to Liberty Cinema this Thursday to watch a silent film, accompanied   by live music to add further character to the nostalgic experience

Sounds of silence

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