Arts Week with Judy Murphy

ON a wet and windy Saturday night in Galway City, a Superser gas heater has a particularly welcoming glow as an eclectic group take their seats in a small upstairs room in Dominick Street.    There’s a 1920s atmosphere as Dream Train by Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra croons in the background and people order drinks from the bar.

A still on-screen image in black and white depicts the title of the night’s programme as a young woman takes her seat at the piano, and host Adam Scheffler addresses his audience..

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Silent Cinema. . . ”

On this particular night, the film is an Italian silent classic, Guido Brignone’s 1925 version of Maciste all’inferno (Maciste in Hell). Pianist Mila Maia sets a dramatic tone as her improvised score follows the movement on screen.

The plot, which seems eerily current, involves several demons who come to earth to plan a takeover, but  Maciste, played by Bartolomeo Pagano, has other ideas. When he is banished to hell, the devil attempts to lead him astray.

“Normally, I watch the film beforehand, identify the main characters and moments, and then I create themes,” Mila Maia explains afterwards.

“There is no score, but I have devised the themes for the characters, the sad and funny moments, and then I improvise on top of that,” she says.

Some films are more difficult than others to score, and the most difficult is comedy, she explains.

“So with Laurel and Hardy or Charlie Chaplin, for instance, you have to get the timing right.

“I have to watch the film more times to identify those slapstick moments, and it is a little tricky, whereas with romantic films and drama it is easier to create the moments. . . ”

Maia is one of a panel of musicians who play at the weekly screenings held by Scheffler, managing director and art director of the Silent Cinema.  A flute player with skills in classical piano, she was recruited by him after she visited the cinema one night for a screening.

“We take it in turns, so we also have Agustina Taborda, Desirée Oduah, Thomas Quill on piano, Gustavoa Cobao on percussion, and we had the Cesar Benzoni Trio for a jazz night, ” she says.

Pictured: Adam Scheffler, Managing and Art Director, and Mila Maia, live piano accompanist, at the Silent Cinema in the city’s Dominick Street. Photo: Brian Harding.