Filmphonics: A Page of Madness + Live Score by Antwerp

For this month's Filmphonics special, Hackney-based composer Antwerp will be performing a brand new live score for the previously thought lost Japanese film 'A Page of Madness'.

FILMPHONICS: a series of live score screenings that bridge the gap between sound and moving image, curating diverse nights that include silent films brought to life by live scores, special screenings of films about music, experimental collaborations and edgy live performances.

The Film...
'A PAGE OF MADNESS', silent film by Japanese director Teinosuke Kinugasa, made in 1926.

It was thought to be lost for nearly 50 years until it was discovered in a shed during the 1970s. Set inside an insane asylum, A Page of Madness hails from the School of New Perceptions (of which Kawabata was a founding member), favoring avant-garde experimentation over naturalism.

Kinugasa's self-financed landmark production narrates the story of a retired sailor who has taken a job as a janitor in a lunatic asylum to look after his insane wife, locked away after attempting to drown their child, a synopsis of the plot can't begin to explain the power of the film, nor the audacity of its vision.

A Page of Madness bowls you over with a barrage of startling images utilising every technique known to filmmakers of the time. Even now, Kinugasa's film seems as fresh as a daisy and when seen on the big screen, as eye-popping an experience as anything you're likely to see released nowadays.

The Music...
Antwerp_ and Encym are London based composers, audio sculptors and sound collage artists working across a range of styles including electronic, classical and avant-garde music. Accompanied by a Benshi, a performer who provides live narration for silent Japanese films, they will strive to experiment with the relationship between live sound and image, foregrounding the role of music and sound in storytelling.