The idea of combining old silent films with modern scores isn’t a new one, but every once in a while, a project comes along that elevates the fusion to rhapsodic levels. Austin, Texas phenom Montopolis is just such a project. Composer, producer and musical director Justin Sherburn is taking his critically acclaimed synthesis on the road, stopping at the Fountain Theatre in Mesilla to present not one, but two silent film classics with modernized scores, Friday, Aug. 16.
Montopolis, named for a suburban neighborhood in Austin, is Sherburn’s latest venture in a vast and varied career that has included everything from indie, tango and swing bands to compositions for feature films, theater and dance productions. His original compositions, according to his website, combine “traditional orchestral instrumentation with analog synthesizers, digital programming, and field recordings.” The result, according to the Austin Chronicle, is “stunning and transcendent.”
“Everybody brings their own bag of tricks to live scoring,” Justin says. “My performance reflects my personal experience and what I have learned over the years. I played with a European swing jazz outfit, an Argentine tango orchestra, country bands, chamber groups, ambient groups and countless rock bands. All that music has made it into what I compose.”
Sherburn creates his ambient atmospheres in a way that makes audiences feel that an entire chamber orchestra is on stage. “I play guitar, keyboards, and electronics,” he said. “I also sing through a vocal processor that makes me sound like a chorus of cowboys or demons, depending on the show.”
Such showmanship comes in handy when bringing vintage fare such as the 1916 silent classic “The Return of Draw Egan” back to the big screen. What began as a rugged Western about a New Mexican outlaw-turned-lawman, becomes something altogether different under the Montopolis banner. Featuring a cherry-picked score by the legendary Ennio Morricone, Sherburn gives it a modern twist.
“I drew not only from his famous western themes from movies like “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “A Fistful of Dollars,” but also from his more obscure music,” he says. “Morricone is one of the most prolific film composers ever, so there is a lot of material to draw upon. There a quite a few themes from a lesser-known film called Revolver. I just really like that era of 70’s funk film scoring similar to the work of Lalo Schifrin.”
Enlisting the help of Austin comedians Mac Blake and Caros LaRotta, the movie has been reimagined as an absurdist comedy.
“They removed the original dialogue cards and replaced them with hilarious jokes,” Sherburn explained. “Also, I’m playing music that is really anachronistic and sometimes just absurd. There’s a lot of comedy in juxtaposing music with image. Also, I rock out extensively throughout the program.”
The second movie on the bill, a screen adaptation of Dante’s Inferno titled “L’Inferno,” is presented in its original form with an inventive, all-original score by Sherburn that is “pretty evil sounding, in a fun way.”
“I hope people have a great time,” he says. “This is not your normal movie-going experience. It’s something you’ll want to tell your friends about.”
Montopolis: Two Silent Classics, Two Live Scores will rock ‘n roll out the classics at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 16 at the Fountain Theatre, 2469 Calle de Guadalupe, in Mesilla. For more info, see MesillaValleyFilm.com and MontopolisMusic.com.
