GFF 2011: The Devil Has The Best Tunes

In the German legend of Faust, the eponymous protagonist trades his soul to the Devil for eternal youth. Faust (1926), the Weimar-era masterwork from F. W. Murnau needs no such pact with Beelzebub. Where other films from the period seem arthritic by today’s standards, Marnau’s pictures, which include Nosferatu (1922) and Sunrise (1927), rattle along at pace and Faust in particular flows with indelible, poetic visuals, like the waves of pestilence that billow from the Prince of Darkness’ wings during the film's special-effects laden first act. The octogenarian epic’s youthful vigor is one of the reasons that Glasgow based musician and DJ Alex Smoke chose it for his first foray into the black art of film scoring.

“So many of the silent-era films feel like pastiche and their origins in theatre and vaudeville are really apparent,” Smoke tells me a few days before debuting the score at the Glasgow Film Festival. But Faust, the last German film Murnau made before being lured to Hollywood, he explains, is entirely cinematic. “It’s so foreboding – it’s made for the screen. It couldn’t possibly work in any other medium. I think people are surprised when they see it. It’s much more advanced than they expect from an 1920s film.”

Smoke, who is classically trained in cello and piano, has crafted a score that is as modern and vital as Murnau’s imagery. Blending a traditional orchestral composition with his trademark minimalist electronica, he has created a sound that he believes “compliments Faust’s dark and gothic atmosphere.” In a devilish twist, Smoke also reveals that he has secreted some contemporary Faustian deals within the soundscape: “there’s a strong sound design, with political Faustian pacts woven into the score – things like Blair’s address to the Chilcot Inquiry, and our obsession with consumerism.”

According to Smoke, this blending of old and new sounds is perfect for the Faust plot as it reflects mankind’s own deal with Satan. “I associate the Devil with technology, that’s the biggest Faustian pact of our time, if you like; we’ve traded science for religion. So I wanted to make it so that Mephisto [the film’s version of Old Nick] is associated with the more mechanical elements of the score and as Faust’s deal goes sour noise becomes much more chaotic.”

Unlike the other similar Film and Music events at this year’s GFF, Smoke will not be performing live during the screening. There are a couple of reasons. “It’s very complex and to assemble the full orchestra would be pretty impractical. On top of that I don’t want to be standing in front of the screen or to be a distraction. It’s not really about my performance, it’s about the film.”

Is he worried that purists will be aggrieved at a techno sound being paired with a classic? “I don’t understand that attitude. Murnau was someone who was pushing the boat out so far in terms of film modernisation and experimentation. There’s nothing wrong with someone just playing the harp or whatever but there are other approaches. The great thing about silent films is that the music you pair with the image can reflect current times – it brings it up to date and makes it more accessible to modern audiences.”

Smoke won’t be giving up electronic music and the dance floor just yet but this project has obviously been a labour of love. “It’s really liberating to have a whole film to work on, you can let the music roam and run wild. It’s fired my imagination.”

Does the devil really have the best tunes? Make your way to the GFT on Friday at 18.30 to find out.