The sound of silents

Ethan Uslan lives in the 1920s.

He loves performing ragtime and ’20s classical staples, and his favorite movies are all silent.

“I’m in the wrong time,” Uslan said.

But that’s why Uslan’s work as a silent film accompanist is about transporting us back to that era he inhabits.

Uslan will perform a live accompaniment to the 1927 film “Sunrise” on Saturday at the IU Cinema. He said he hopes the screening and his individual musical style will serve as insight into movie-going in the ’20s.

“Back in the 1920s, your average professional piano player would be familiar with popular songs of the era and popular classical pieces,” Uslan said. “I try to recreate what the experience might have been like back in the day.”

Uslan’s musical background starts here in Bloomington. He graduated from the IU Jacobs School of Music in 2001 as a classical piano major, but he was drawn to the toe-tapping, hooky melodies of jazz and ragtime.

“I found that I liked it more, and people liked listening to it,” Uslan said. “The more I played it, I got addicted, and the next thing I knew, I was really delving into that repertoire and becoming obsessed with it.”

Improvisational comedy with IU’s Full Frontal Comedy was one of the things Uslan said prepared him to perform alongside a silent film. As a student, Uslan accompanied the comedy troupe in musical games.

“That was just great practice for improvising, to think of something that would fit the scene right on the spot,” he said.

Now Uslan uses that background to fully embody the mood of “Sunrise,” a romantic epic Uslan said he feels is encompassing in its emotions and tones. He said he draws from his entire musical repertoire to capture the film’s power and essence.

“What I love about ‘Sunrise’ is you’ve got everything in that film,” Uslan said. “I’m drawing upon all of my musical training. I’m doing a little improvising, I’m playing some classical, I’m playing some jazz. It’s almost like a final exam for me. A lot of movies don’t have that variety of emotion. This movie has so much in it. It’s so juicy.”

This occasion is a historical and educational part of the City Lights film series, said City Lights co-coordinator James Paasche.

“Having that live musical accompanist is an educational thing, as well,” Paasche said.

“It reminds everyone that cinema used to be more than just plucking down in front of your home theater.”

But the real draw of the evening is the act of experiencing a film with music in a live setting.

IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers spoke to how an accompanist makes a silent film screening so exciting.

“There could be an accidental mistake that could be wonderful,” Vickers said. “You’re there in the moment of that happening and being created at the same time.”
Uslan said he feels a special connection with live performances.

“A lot of people don’t even hear live music anymore,” Uslan said. “I think it’s a much richer experience because you’ve got live music and in this case just a classic film that is still very powerful.”

And translating that power is no easy task for any accompanist.

“They’re trying to replicate a mood with the music that’s being portrayed in the film, but they’re also trying to remain one step ahead of the film,” Vickers said. “They’re trying to make sure they’re not doing something that’s distracting to the storyline.”

But Uslan is doing more than plucking at a keyboard. Vickers said he feels Uslan’s work, and the work of all silent film accompanists, allows us to grow in ways no other movies can.

“It’s important to allow accompanists to introduce audiences to old texts,” Vickers said. “Anything that can have the opportunity to expand an audience to an old text — as long as it doesn’t completely take away from the feeling of the film — I think that’s a good thing.”