Canned Harmony

One of Alice Guy-Blaché's Solax productions, "Canned Harmony" recalls Guy's earlier films at Gaumont, specifically her Phonoscène synchronized-sound experiments. Those films tend to be theatrical and of not much interest beyond the ancient sound-recording technology and subsequent lip-syncing of it with film (the very same practice mimicked in "Canned Harmony"), but there is an interesting silent film, "Alice Guy Films a Phonoscène" (1905), that shows the director at work on one of those productions. Additionally, Alison McMahan (in her book "Alice Guy Blaché: Lost Visionary of the Cinema") speculates that Guy may've made a similar film to "Canned Harmony" at Gaumont in the otherwise uncredited "Les Débuts d'un grand ténor" (1907, a.k.a. "Eine Tenorstimme"). Regardless, as opposed to that reflexive documentary footage in the 1905 film, "Canned Harmony" is something of a parody. A father won't allow his daughter to marry a non-musician, and her boyfriend is so musically inept that his only attempted use of a piano is as a chair to sit down on. But, the Romeo (or rather his flatmate) has the bright idea of pretending to play the violin to the "canned harmony" of a concealed phonograph record. He also dresses up as a stereotypical composer, "Paderewski curls" and all.

As Barbara McBane argues convincingly in an excellent essay ("Imagining sound in Solax films of Alice Guy Blaché: Canned Harmony (1912) and Burstop Holmes' Murder Case (1913)," Film History), it's also significant that the female character, Evelyn, is the one who operates the phonograph during her beau's masquerade for her father, her "responsible for assuring the ultimate synchronization of the elements - live piano playing with mimed violin playing - by timing her phonograph playback perfectly." Note, too, that these operations are the only shots to receive close-ups in the picture. And, as McBane points out the entire "harmonious" narrative is one that asserts Evelyn's choice of mate over patriarchal authority.

He the actor-playing-an-actor and her the on-screen surrogate for the film's maker, Guy, who likewise handled Gaumont's Chronophone sync-sound system as she directed performers. Adding to the abstraction, the illusory construction within the scenario is all to achieve the grand stage of a wedding scene, which is also where the deception is finally revealed--much like the film in its reference to itself and prior sound films had been undercutting the illusion of cinema in general. Actors as an actor, musician and filmmaker, for a theatrical ceremony, sound recording alluding to the recorded and ironically then-silent nature of film as well as phonograph music--quite a reflexive piece of filmmaking for a 1912 one-reeler. Adding further to the real-world allusions of the film, Guy, or Guy-Blaché, also met her husband, Herbert Blaché, through her work on Gaumont Phonoscènes before the two emigrated to America and founded Solax.

"Canned Harmony" is otherwise rather well made, including the insert close-ups of the concealed phonograph and its operation, as well as a bit of comedic crosscutting, although the titles announcing subsequent actions are still in the dated tableau tradition. There's a triptych scene for a phone conversation, which besides is another case of audial technology in a silent film. Plus, the title cards are composed of several musical puns. What more is there to ask for than that.

(Note: The film being restored by the combination of two 16mm reduction prints and recreated title cards, I'm not sure who to blame for the grammatical error of "its" instead of "it's" in one intertitle instance.)

Alice Guy-Blache was highly unusual because she was a very successful female director. Here she shows her deftness in a cute little comedy. It won't change your life but is good if you love old silents.

Billy wants to marry but the lady's father is rather nuts. The father insists that she MUST marry a great musician but Billy knows nothing about music. But the pair are determined. First, they try sneaking off and father catches Billy in her room. Second, and more successful, Billy dons a disguise and plays a hidden record--pretending to be able to play the violin. The father agrees to the wedding and it appears to be going off without a hitch--until father hands Billy a violin. What's next? See this little film for yourself.

This is a compact story told well. Unlike some early silents, the acting is restrained and there is no slapstick--just a well done story.

A weak comedy from Alice Guy-Blache's Solax company in which forgotten silent star Billy Quirk plays a suitor who must pretend to be a violinist in order to win his prospective father-in-law's approval

Canned Harmony (1912)

** (out of 4)

Fair comedy from Alice Guy-Blache about a woman (Blanche Cornwall) who wants to marry the man (Billy Quirk) she loves but her musician father (Lee Beggs) refuses to let her because he expects her to be with a fellow musician. With no bit of musical talent, the man decides to play a few tricks to try and get the father's respect. CANNED HARMONY is like many comedies from this era in that you've got a mean father and a guy who has to impress him by doing a wide range of things. There's some cross dressing going on here and of course there's a lot of "tricks" done but in the end none of it is all that funny. I've seen hundreds of films from this era and I've always believed that comedy was the hardest one to do and especially hard since many of them just don't hold up well together. The biggest problem here is that what jokes there are just really aren't that funny and in between the jokes are just a bunch of dry and boring scenes that never add up to much. I think Guy-Blache does a good job telling the story but there's just little you can do when the laughs aren't working. I will say that Cornwall was quite charming as the daughter.

It's pretty cool to see the old phonograph in this 13 minute short from Alice Guy-Blaché, and I liked how she used it in both the plot, where the suitor uses it to feign musical ability, as well as to suggest sound in the movie theater, where violin music was also played. The split screen shot used during a phone call was nice too, but there's not too much to get excited about relative to the comedy or the romance. I think a lot of her other work showcases more of her ability and/or deals with weightier subjects, but this is not a bad way to spend 13 minutes.