Sunday, October 27, 2024

Monday, Oct. 28: See 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1925) in a 100-year-old Maine theater

A poster for the original release of 'Phantom of the Opera' (1925) starring Lon Chaney.

Halloween is upon us! And if you're still not in the spirit (har!), then the Phantom is for you.

'The Phantom of the Opera,' that is—the classic 1925 thriller starring Lon Chaney and (as the poster says) a cast of 5,000 others.

And your final chance to see it this season (with me accompanying it, anyway) is Monday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine.

An original 100-year-old silent moviehouse, it's a great venue for this picture. Also, it's the last event before the Leavitt shuts down for the off-season, so there's a kind of ghoulish finality about the whole affair.

So come on out to the coast on Monday night and join us for 'Phantom.' Afterwards, if you're not ready for Halloween—well, perhaps you're already a member of the undead.

Bwah hah hah hah! More info in the press release below.

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Lon Chaney terrorizes Mary Philbin in 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1925).

MONDAY, OCT. 21, 2024 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

'Phantom of the Opera' with live music at Leavitt Theatre on Monday, Oct. 28

Just in time for Halloween: Classic silent horror flick starring Lon Chaney shown on the big screen with live music

OGUNQUIT, Maine—Get into the Halloween spirit with a timeless silent horror film!

'The Phantom of the Opera' (1925), the silent big screen adaptation of the classic thriller, will be shown with live music on Monday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Leavitt Fine Arts Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1 in Ogunquit, Maine.

All are welcome to this family-friendly event; tickets are $15 per person general admission. 

The screening, the latest in the Leavitt Theatre's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating scores for silent films.

The show will allow movie-goers to experience the silent 'Phantom' the way it was intended to be seen: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.  

'The Phantom of the Opera,' starring legendary actor Lon Chaney in the title role, remains a landmark work of the cinematic horror genre. To modern viewers, the passage of time has made this unusual film seem even more strange and otherworldly.

It's an atmosphere that silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis will enhance by improvising live music on the spot for the screening.

"The original 'Phantom' is a film that seems to get creepier as more time passes," said Rapsis, who accompanies films at screenings throughout the nation. "It's a great way to celebrate Halloween, and also the power of silent film to transport audiences to strange and unusual places."

'The Phantom of the Opera,' adapted from a 1910 novel by French author Gaston Leroux, featured Chaney as the deformed Phantom who haunts the opera house. The Phantom, seen only in the shadows, causes murder and mayhem in an attempt to force the opera's management to make the woman he loves into a star.

Ready for his close-up: Lon Chaney as the Phantom.

The film is most famous for Lon Chaney's intentionally horrific, self-applied make-up, which was kept a studio secret until the film's premiere.

Chaney transformed his face by painting his eye sockets black, creating a cadaverous skull-like visage. He also pulled the tip of his nose up and pinned it in place with wire, enlarged his nostrils with black paint, and put a set of jagged false teeth into his mouth to complete the ghastly deformed look of the Phantom.

Chaney's disfigured face is kept covered in the film until the now-famous unmasking scene, which prompted gasps of terror from the film's original audiences.

"No one had ever seen anything like this before," Rapsis said. "Chaney, with his portrayal of 'The Phantom,' really pushed the boundaries of what movies could do."

Chaney, known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces" due to his versatility with make-up, also played Quasimodo in the silent 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1923) and circus performer 'Alonzo the Armless' in Tod Browning's 'The Unknown' (1927).

The large cast of 'Phantom of the Opera' includes Mary Philbin as Christine DaaƩ, as the Phantom's love interest; character actor Snitz Edwards; and many other stars of the silent period.

'The Phantom of the Opera' proved so popular in its original release and again in a 1930 reissue that it led Universal Studios to launch a series of horror films, many of which are also regarded as true classics of the genre, including 'Dracula' (1931), 'Frankenstein' (1931), and 'The Mummy' (1932).

The silent film version of 'Phantom' also paved the way for numerous other adaptations of the story, up to and including the wildly successful Andrew Lloyd Webber musical from 1986 that continues to run on Broadway and in productions around the world.

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ (1925) will be shown on Monday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Leavitt Fine Arts Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1 in Ogunquit, Maine.

All are welcome to this family-friendly event; tickets are $15 per person general admission. Tickets available at the door or online at https://www.leavittheatre.com/

Saturday, October 26, 2024

A fresh take on silent spookiness: 'The Bat' (1926) on Sunday, Oct. 27 at Somerville Theatre

A lobby card promoting 'The Bat' (1926) in its original release.

Something new—well, sort of—is flying into the Somerville Theatre  this Halloween season.

On Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m., I'll accompany the silent thriller 'The Bat' (1926) at the Somerville as part of the venue's 'Silents, Please!' series.

Based on a popular stage play, 'The Bat' was very successful in its original release at the height of the silent era.

But since then, it's rarely been screened or seen anywhere. That's surprising, in part because it's a good film that holds up well, but also because it had a lot of influence on the creation of an iconic superhero character: Batman!

Why has 'The Bat' been so elusive?

Well, it's not one of the silent era's many "lost" films. A circulating 35mm print of it has been available from the UCLA Film & Television Library for a long time, but has almost never been booked.

It might be that the film has no "star" performers with names still recognizable today. There's no Clara Bow or Rudolph Valentino in it. It does have Louise Fazenda and Jack Pickford in it, but they're not exactly household names anymore.

Also, the film was produced independently and released through United Artists. So it was not part of the output of a major studio such as MGM or Paramount, so after its original release it kind of got lost in the shuffle.

Another reason is that 'The Bat' has never been released on home video—that is, until now.

This Halloween season, 'The Bat' is getting a new attention thanks to a home video release of the film (on Blu-ray dis)c thanks to Ben Model, my friend and fellow silent film accompanist.

Cover art for the home video release of 'The Bat' (1926) by Undercrank Productions.

Ben accompanied the film at a screening some time ago, and was so impressed he organized a Kickstarter campaign to release the film through his label, Undercrank Productions.

The home video version of 'The Bat' came out just recently, and looks great! (I was a Kickstarter backer, so received a copy when the project was completed.) You can buy it online: for more information, visit the Undercrank website.

Or you can see it as it was intended: on the big screen at the Somerville Theater, with live music, on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. We'll be showing the new digital restoration from Underground/UCLA in DCP format. (Earlier references to using the 35mm print were my mistake!)

For more about 'The Bat' and Sunday's screening, check out the press release below. And happy Halloween!

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A trade ad promoting the original release of 'The Bat' (1926) to movie theater bookers.

MONDAY, OCT. 21, 2024 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Halloween treat! Rarely screened thriller 'The Bat' (1926) to fly at Somerville Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 27

Calling all Batman fans! Early silent comedy/mystery to be shown with live music; inspired Bob Kane to create Batman superhero

SOMERVILLE, MASS.—It's a rarely screened movie credited with inspiring comic book artist Bob Kane to create the iconic 'Batman' character.

It's 'The Bat' (1926), a silent comedy/mystery directed by Roland West.

See 'The Bat' via a new digital restoration on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.

The screening will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Admission $17 adults; $13 members; $12 seniors/children. Tickets are available at somervilletheatre.com or at the door.

The show will allow audiences to experience 'The Bat' the way its makers originally intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.
 
The film recently underwent a digital restoration and release by Undercrank Productions. The new restoration will be show in DCP format. 

The story: throughout the city a mysterious thief known only as The Bat is looting the wealthy. The Bat, who wears a full-head bat mask and cape, enjoys toying with his prey by sending notes telling where he is going to strike next. 

As the seearch intensifies, at the country estate of the recently deceased bank owner, Courtleigh Fleming, a disparate group assembles, each with their own agenda.

When Courtleigh Fleming’s nephew is shot to death on the mansion’s grand staircase, the race is on to unmask the killer, stop The Bat, and find a fortune in stolen money hidden within the house.

'The Bat' was originally a popular stage play by Mary Roberts Rinehart before being transformed into a movie during Hollywood's silent film era.

The cast, which includes period favorites Louise Fazenda, Arthur Housman, Jack Pickford, and Jewel Carmen, supports the ominous mood while providing plenty of amusement.

Director Roland West was a master visual stylist with a penchant for the macabre. In 'The Bat,' he expertly manipulated light and shadow.

West also assembled a top notch production crew that included art direction by William Cameron Menzies and photography by Gregg Toland, who would later shoot 'Citizen Kane' (1941) with Orson Welles. 

'The Bat' was a hit when first released, and was also influential, as the masked figure of 'The Bat' had a profound effect on young artist Bob Kane, who cited the film as one of his main inspirations for the creation of Batman.

Rapsis, a composer who specializes in film music, will create a score for 'The Bat' on the spot, improvising the music as the movie unfolds to enhance the on-screen action as well as respond to audience reactions. 

Rapsis performs the music on a digital synthesizer, which is capable of producing a wide range of theatre organ and orchestral textures.

"Live music was an integral part of the silent film experience," Rapsis said. "At the time, most films weren't released with sheet music or scores. Studios relied on local musicians to come up with an effective score that was different in every theater. At its best, this approach created an energy and a connection that added a great deal to a film's impact. That's what I try to recreate," Rapsis said.

‘The Bat’ (1926) will be shown with live music on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.

Admission $17 adults; $13 members; $12 seniors/children. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.somervilletheatre.com or call the box office at (617) 625-5700.

Monday, October 21, 2024

'Lost World' screening at Flying Monkey in Plymouth, N.H moved to Wednesday, Nov. 6

A scene from 'The Lost World' (1925).

This week's upcoming screening of 'The Lost World' (1925) at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. has been moved to Wednesday, Nov. 6 due to UCITA.

That's the acronym for "Unforeseen Circumstances Involving The Accompanist."

Apologies to all who planned on attending this week's screening. I've been unexpectedly called out of town, which is what prompted the last-minute date change.

Many thanks to the folks at the Flying Monkey for their ability to quickly change course and arrange for an alternate date that's just two weeks later.

Everything else will be the same, as you'll see in the revised press release below. 

Again, sorry for the short-notice switcheroo, and I hope everyone who was planning to see 'The Lost World' will be able to make it on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

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A trade publication ad promoting 'The Lost World' (1925).
 
MONDAY, OCT. 21, 2024 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Silent film classic 'The Lost World' at Flying Monkey on Wednesday, Nov. 6

Ground-breaking first-ever dinosaur thriller to be shown with live music; rescheduled from original October screening date

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—Before there was 'Jurassic Park' or 'Godzilla' or even 'King Kong,' there was 'The Lost World.'

The movie, a blockbuster hit when released in 1925, paved the way for Hollywood's enduring fascination with stories pitting mankind against larger-than-life creatures.

See for yourself when a restored version of 'The Lost World' is screened on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission is $10 per person.

The screening will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

The screening was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 23, but was moved to the new date of Wednesday, Nov. 6

'The Lost World' is a silent fantasy adventure film based on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel of the same name. The movie was produced by First National Pictures, a precursor to Warner Brothers, and stars Wallace Beery in the lead role as Professor Challenger.

An original release poster for 'The Lost World' (1925).

'The Lost World' tells the tale of a British exploration team that journeys to South America to confirm reports of long-extinct creatures still roaming a remote high plateau deep in the jungle.

The landscape they discover, filled with a wide range of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures, was enough to astonish movie-goers when 'The Lost World' first hit movie screens in February 1925. Scenes of a brontosaurus on the loose in central London broke new ground in terms of cinema's visual story-telling possibilities.

Early viewers of the film were especially impressed by special effects breakthroughs that allowed live actors to appear simultaneously on-screen with stop motion models of prehistoric creatures. This led to rumors that the filmmakers had actually discovered living prehistoric creatures.

The film featured pioneering stop motion special effects by Willis O'Brien, who would go on to create the effects used to bring 'King Kong' to the screen in 1933.

Arthur Conan Doyle's novel and the movie version of 'The Lost World' proved so influential in the dinosaur genre that the title was borrowed by author Michael Crichton for his 1995 novel, and then used by director Steven Spielberg for 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' (1997), the sequel to the original 'Jurassic Park' movie of 1993.

In 1998, the original 'The Lost World' (1925) was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Touring London: a scene from 'The Lost World' (1925).

Despite the film's popularity, only incomplete copies of 'The Lost World' survived from its initial run in the silent era. In recent years, historians have been piecing together 'The Lost World' from fragments found scattered among the world's film archives.

The version to be shown at the Flying Monkey includes footage from eight different prints. At 93 minutes in length, it's the most complete version of 'The Lost World' available. The edition includes rare footage of Arthur Conan Doyle that has been missing from most prints since the film's original release.

To accompany the film, Rapsis will use a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of a full orchestra. For each film, the score is created live in real time as the movie is screened.

Rather than focus on authentic music of the period, Rapsis creates new music for silent films that draws from movie scoring techniques that today's audiences expect from the cinema.

The restored 'The Lost World' will be shown on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission is $10 per person. For more info, visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com or call (603) 536-2551.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Let the spooky steeplechase begin! Accompanying 11 films in the 12 days before Halloween

Me looking spooked prior to a screening of 'Sherlock Holmes' (1916) earlier this month in Greenfield, Mass.

Let's see. It's three 'Phantoms,' two 'Nosferatus,' and a 'Golem,' a 'Bat,' a 'Lost World,' a Dracula,' and a Lon Chaney double bill.

That's the line-up for this year's pre-Halloween schedule, which tends to be the busiest time of the year for this silent film accompanist.

Altogether, I'll accompany 11 silent films in the 12 days prior to Halloween.

That may seem to be a lot, but it's actually a lighter schedule than in years past. This time around, for example, no "two shows in one day" bookings. 

A couple of years ago on the Saturday before Halloween, I actually accompanied three shows in three different states: afternoon in Jaffrey, N.H.; evening in Ogunquit, Maine, and then a midnight screening at the Coolidge in Boston. 

Still, 11 films in 12 days is a lot. But this is the time of year when general audiences seems most willing to sample a silent film with live music. So it's Business 101: Go where there's a market. 

 Perhaps it's the "otherworldliness" of the silent film experience. I do get a lot of knowing laughs when I say I collaborate with dead people. (That's me looking alarmed prior to a screening of Metropolis last week in Keene, N.H.)

Whatever the reason, the Halloween season is a great chance to get a few newbies curious about the art form and perhaps let it in, which can lead to attendance at future screenings.

That's a phrase I've been using a lot lately, especially since accompanying a marathon seven-hour screening of Able Gance's 'La Roue' (1923) last month: "Let it in."

Really. It seems to capture what a person needs to do today, at the most basic level, for the magic and wonder of early cinema to be experienced. So let it in. 

I could go on about this, and perhaps I will someday. (That's me still looking spooked prior to a screening of 'Cat and the Canary' (1927) last Sunday in Natick, Mass. Notice a theme here?)

But right now it's time to check the list of upcoming screenings and make sure I'll be in the right place at the right time. Hmm, if it's Tuesday, it must be 'Nosferatu.'

Below is the Cliff's Notes version of my schedule. For full film descriptions and more details, check the 'Upcoming Film Screenings' page. 

And after that, it's off to San Francisco to accompany a program at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum.

But for now, I hope you'll join me for some spooky cinema. And remember: in silent film, no one can hear you scream!

• Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925) starring Lon Chaney; First Congregational Church of Reading United Church of Christ, 25 Woburn St., Reading, Mass. Suggested donation $10 per person.

• Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925) starring Lon Chaney; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.com. Admission free, donations accepted, with proceeds to help continuing preservation work.

• Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, 2 p.m.: "Der Golem" (1920); Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged. 

• Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, 6:30 p.m.: "The Lost World" (1925) starring Wallace Beery; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551. Admission $10 per person.

• Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Nosferatu" (1922) directed by F.W. Murnau; West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington St., West Newton, Mass.; (617) 964-8074. Admission price $15 per person.

• Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Nosferatu" (1922) directed by F.W. Murnau; Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry; sponsored by Derry Public Library.  Free admission! For more information, contact the Derry Public Library at (603) 432-6140. 

• Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, 2 p.m.: "The Bat" (1927), directed by Roland West; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.  Tickets $17.

Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925) starring Lon Chaney; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123. Tickets $15 general admission.  

• Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, 7:30 p.m.: "Dracula" (1931) starring Bela Lugosi; The Jane Pickens Theatre, 49 Touro St., Newport, R.I.; (401) 846-5474; https://janepickens.com/. Tickets $17 per person.

• Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.: Lon Chaney Halloween Creepfest! "The Unknown" (1927) and "West of Zanzibar" (1928), both starring Lon Chaney and directed by Todd Browning; The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 574-4826. Tickets $10 per person.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Hope everyone likes trains: Improvising music to support 'La Roue,' a silent film seven hours long

Where I spent most of the day last Saturday: the Brattle prior to showtime.

Last weekend, I did something I've never done before. 

No, I didn't clean the fridge. Rather, I played music for a silent movie that's just under seven hours long.

The film: Abel Gance's 'La Roue' (1923), which the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. screened as part of its programming to celebrate Silent Movie Day, which this year fell on Sunday, Sept. 29.

'La Roue' really is just under seven hours long—412 minutes, to be exact. And I played for all of it, shown in four parts, starting at noon and ending at about 8:30 p.m.

The screening included two brief intermissions, during which I remained at the keyboard and played music, and one longer pause of about 40 minutes about half-way through, which the Brattle generously termed a "dinner break."

Although rarely screened, 'La Roue' is known for influencing many directors by how it demonstrated the possibilities of cinema, at the time a new art form. French poet and playwright Jean Cocteau said: There is cinema before and after La roue the way there is painting before and after Picasso.”

Only recently restored to its full length, 'La Roue' can now be seen as intended. And I think the most important thing to report from this experience is that Gance's rarely shown film really does hold the screen, at least as I experienced it last Saturday at the Brattle.

The melodramatic story centers on a locomotive engineer, Sisif, and his adopted daughter. Gance filmed 'La Roue' on location among the grimy railyards of Nice and along a narrow-gauge cog railway high in the French Alps. A lot of the film's symbolic power derives from images of wheels and track and signals and switches and other railway hardware.

About 60 people paid $25 each to experience 'La Roue' last Saturday—a bigger audience than I expected. Before the screening, after being introduced by the Brattle's Ned Hinkle, the first thing I said was: "I hope everyone here likes trains." Har!

Intrepid audience members settle in prior to 'La Roue' (1923). 

I then expressed what I feel is the one essential idea that a modern audience need to keep in mind when viewing a film such as 'La Roue.' You need to let it in. 'La Roue,' like a lot of silent films, is about big emotions that have been part of the human experience for centuries. As melodrama, it tells its story in a way that may seem unfamiliar and alien to us. Even so, let it in.

Okay, about the music. Just as Gance was pushing the boundaries of film, so does 'La Roue' push the limits of film accompaniment. I've never tried to do music for a film of such length all in one go. And as I work largely by improvisation, I was curious to see how it would go.

Over time, would the music get better and better? Or lousier and lousier?

Although the score was improvised, I did prepare. I was able to view the entire film online to get an idea  of the content and what kind of soundscape might help support it.

I also developed a suite of material to use in weaving together a score in real time. 

Because a lot of the film is about pain and suffering, the music was based largely on this set of notes:

So: a minor triad with an added fourth. To my ears, this sounds like pain, or at least lingering discomfort, in the sense that it's not easily resolved.

Often the notes showed up in arpeggiated form, to provide a sense of forward motion when needed, such as like this:

Because 'La Roue' is not the fastest-moving film, there's room to develop the material as the sequences unfold.

So over time, I was able to work with the four notes to create accompaniment that supported a wide range of emotions, but which I felt also held together musically.

Over seven hours, a lot of other melodic and harmonic material was employed, much of it made up on the spot. Little scraps of tunes got employed to underscore a scene, and would be brought back in different form when the time seemed right.

Throughout the screening, I kept the synthesizer on the basic orchestral texture I use for most films, except for a few key sections where a solo violin gets played, for which I switched to strings alone in an attempt to create an effective contrast.

What about the length? How did it affect my playing?

When I accompany a film, it takes about 10 or 15 minutes to enter what I call "the silent film zone." It's a state of mind where, if all goes well, my capacity for self-criticism subsides and the music comes freely for the duration of the film.

Once in this state, I often have no conception of the passing of time. 'The End' will come up on the screen, and I'll have no sense that I've been accompanying a film for 2½ hours. It seems like we just started!

So given this, what would happen over a much longer time? 'La Roue' was an opportunity to find out.

That's why I sat at the keyboard and continued to play during the two shorter internissions. I didn't want to break the spell, because sometimes when that happens, you don't get back to the same place you were before.

And I have to say, it wasn't tiring at all, either physically or mentally. It was a little daunting to sit down at noon to begin playing, knowing I'd be doing so well into the evening. But once the film kicked in, the clock stopped as it often does, and I was able to keep going and do justice to the film. 

Me speaking after the screening as the lengthy credits continued to roll. 

Was it easy? No. But it was easier than expected. Facing the longest film I'd ever attempted to score live all in one gulp, I discovered I could do it. In fact, I wouldn't mind doing it again. So I've started reaching out to venues to gauge interest in running 'La Roue' as a once-in-a-lifetime only-in-a-theater experience.

I'll travel anywhere to do it—even by train!

And if I'm in the mood for a real ground-breaking adventure, I'll clean the fridge.

And now...a train-related film of more normal length. Next up: Keaton's 'The General' (1926) on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the public library in Moultonborough, N.H. 

If you're in the state's Lakes Region getting in some leaf-peeping, stop by and peep at one of Buster's best. More info in the press release below.

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Yes, another train-related film: a scene from Buster Keaton's 'The General' (1926).

MONDAY, SEPT. 16, 2024 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Buster Keaton's 'The General' with live music at Moultonborough Library on Thursday, Oct. 3

Civil War railroading comedy/adventure film lauded as stone-faced comic moviemaker's masterpiece

MOULTONBOROUGH, N.H.— He never smiled on camera, earning him the nickname of "the Great Stone Face." But Buster Keaton's comedies rocked Hollywood's silent era with laughter throughout the 1920s.

See for yourself with a screening of 'The General' (1926), one of Keaton's landmark feature films, on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Moultonborough Public Library, 4 Holland St, Moultonborough, N.H.

The screening will feature live music for the movie by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis. The screening is free and open to the public; attendees are asked to register online at moultonboroughlibrary.org under the 'Events' area.

The show is intended to give Lakes Region movie-goers the opportunity to experience early cinema as it was intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.

'The General,' set during the U.S. Civil War, tells the story of a southern locomotive engineer (Keaton) whose engine (named 'The General') is hijacked by Northern spies with his girlfriend on board.

Keaton, commandeering another train, races north in pursuit behind enemy lines. Can he rescue his girl? And can he recapture his locomotive and make it back to warn of a coming Northern attack?

Critics call 'The General' Keaton's masterpiece, praising its authentic period detail, ambitious action and battle sequences, and its overall integration of story, drama, and comedy.

It's also regarded as one of Hollywood's great railroad films, with much of the action occurring on or around moving steam locomotives.

Buster Keaton and co-star in 'The General' (1927).

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will improvise an original musical score for 'The General' live as the movie is shown, as was typically done during the silent film era.

"When the score gets made up on the spot, it creates a special energy that's an important part of the silent film experience," said Rapsis, who uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of a full orchestra for the accompaniment.

With the Moultonborough Library's screening of 'The General,' audiences will get a chance to experience silent film as it was meant to be seen—in a high quality print, on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," Rapsis said. "Recreate those conditions, and the classics of early Hollywood leap back to life in ways that can still move audiences today."

Keaton, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, stands today as one of the silent screen's three great clowns. Some critics regard Keaton as the best of all; Roger Ebert wrote in 2002 that "in an extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, (Keaton) worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies."

A remarkable pantomime artist, Keaton naturally used his whole body to communicate emotions from sadness to surprise. And in an era with no post-production special effects, Keaton's acrobatic talents enabled him to perform all his own stunts.

Critics review 'The General':

"The most insistently moving picture ever made, its climax is the most stunning visual event ever arranged for a film comedy."
—Walter Kerr, author of 'The Silent Clowns'

"An almost perfect entertainment!"
—Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

"What makes the film so special is the way the timing, audacity and elegant choreography of its sight gags, acrobatics, pratfalls and dramatic incidents is matched by Buster's directorial artistry, his acute observational skills working alongside the physical Ć©lan and sweet subtlety of his own performance."
—Time Out (London)

The Keaton films are a great introduction to silent films for modern audiences, accompanist Rapsis said.

"Keaton's comedy is as fresh today as it was a hundred years ago — maybe more so, because his kind of visual humor is a lost art," Rapsis said.

‘The General’ (1926) starring Buster Keaton will be shown with live music on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Moultonborough Public Library, 4 Holland St, Moultonborough, N.H.
 
The screening is free and open to the public; attendees are asked to register online at moultonboroughlibrary.org under the 'Events' area. For more info, visit the website or call (603) 476-8895.

Monday, September 23, 2024

Going where few have gone: doing live music for all seven hours of Abel Gance's 'La Roue' (1923)

A scene from Abel Gance's epic drama 'La Roue' (1923).

The time has come, or is at least close upon us.

On Saturday, Sept. 28, starting at noon I'll attempt to create music for Able Gance's neglected masterwork 'La Roue' (1923)—all seven hours of it, all in one marathon screening.

The venue is the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. Tickets are $25 per person for this immersive cinematic experience, which will run from noon to about 8:30 p.m. 

Lots more info in the press release pasted in below. And here's few notes prior to the event.

I don't know how this will unfold, but I'm eager to find out. Most of all, I'm looking forward to seeing where the music goes.

I find that in scoring silent films, it helps to have room to develop the musical material over time. Well, I'll have plenty of that for 'La Roue.' 

Also, I plan to play continuously during two of the intermissions scheduled for the screening, as I don't want to break out of the "silent film zone" I get into when working with a film.

And yes, playing music for seven hours is something of a stunt. 

But I've been working at the craft of creating live music for silent cinema for nearly 20 years, and I feel ready to tackle one of the largest cinematic mountains to climb, so to speak.

Why do it? The answer is the same as in mountaineering: Because it's there!

And I hope you'll be there as well as we attempt the summit one of silent cinema's highest peaks.

*    *    *

Silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis will play music for Abel Gance's 'La Roue' on Saturday, Sept. 28.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 17, 2024 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

At the Brattle: Silent film musician to play for seven hours to accompany rarely seen masterwork

Abel Gance's immersive epic 'La Roue' (1923) to be screened on Saturday, Sept. 28 with three intermissions as part of 'Silent Movie Weekend'

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—No sheet music will be at the keyboard when Jeff Rapsis sits down to accompany 'La Roue' (1923) on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Brattle Theatre.

That's because he'll be improvising an original score for the rarely screened French silent masterwork—all seven hours of it.

Starting with the opening titles of 'La Roue' at noon, Rapsis will continually make up music on the spot until 'Fin' appears on screen at about 8:30 p.m.

"It's a different kind of Boston marathon," said Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based musician who specializes in live accompaniment of silent film screenings.

The screening is part of a 'Silent Movie Weekend' at the Brattle, which will screen vintage classics from Friday, Sept. 27 through Monday, Sept. 30.

The programming is the Brattle's extended salute to this year's 'Silent Movie Day,' which falls on Sunday, Sept. 29.

This year's tribute will be highlighted by a rare complete screening of 'La Roue,' a drama directed by visionary French filmmaker Abel Gance.

Admission is $25 per person for the all-day screening, which includes two intermissions plus a brief dinner break at the halfway point.

Through it all, Rapsis will create music intended to bring Gance's vision to life for modern audiences, a century after the film's Paris premiere.

"People are surprised to learn that it's possible to improvise a film score for a movie of any length, never mind one that's seven hours long," Rapsis said.

"But the extraordinary running time of 'La Roue' can allow the music to go places it usually doesn't," he said.

'La Roue' (French for 'the wheel') tells the story of Sisif, a railroad engineer who adopts an orphaned girl following a train accident.

The ensuing decades bring both joy and tragedy in a film that has been compared to a Dickens novel as the story evolves and action plays out over time.

Along the way, Gance filmed sequences in French locations ranging from the grimy railyards of Nice to the snow-covered slopes of Mont Blanc.

The lead role of Sisif, the railway engineer, is played by noted French actor SĆ©verin-Mars, who died of a heart attack just after Gance finished principal photography.

"It's a movie that is by turns ambitious, ground-breaking, extravagant, self-indulgent, audacious, and revolutionary," Rapsis said.

Rapsis keeps alive the nearly lost art of live silent film accompaniment by performing at more than 100 screenings a year, many of them in Boston-area venues.

During the silent era, most movies did not have official scores. Instead, local theater musicians played anything they felt helped a film, often with little advance preparation. 

The music would differ from theater to theater, all over the nation and around the world. 

It was only later, after soundtracks were introduced, that directors began working with composers to create film scores as we know them today.

"Back then, live music was a big part of the movie-going experience—and it was made locally, just like the popcorn is today," Rapsis said.

Unlike musicians of the silent era, Rapsis uses a digital synthesizer to create music with the sound of a full orchestra.

"Depending on the mood and setting, I can call up really any kind of texture that I feel helps support the film on screen," Rapsis said.

In nearly 20 years of accompanying films, Rapsis has become familiar with titles most often requested: Buster Keaton comedies, thrillers starring Lon Chaney, and Biblical epics from Cecil B. DeMille.

"For most screenings, I don't prepare in advance other than perhaps running the film fast-forward to remind me of the overall story," Rapsis said. 

"For the most part, the music for each screening  is created right there in the theater—to support the film, but also in response to audience reaction."

Rapsis said an experienced accompanist supports the movie, but can also help modern audiences "read" a film from the silent era, when stories often unfolded visually and without dialogue. 

"Today's audiences may not be used to this. If done right, the music can indicate a shift in mood or tension to confirm that something significant has just happened on screen," Rapsis said.

There are also practical realities of accompaniment that can affect an audience's enjoyment of a film.

"For comedies, it's very important to play quietly at first, so that audience members can hear each other laughing," Rapsis said. 

"Hearing people laugh often triggers laughter in others, which can lead to a theater full of people roaring at a classic silent film comedy."

"But if the music is too loud, that spontaneous combustion of laughter can't happen," Rapsis said.

Rapsis will put his two decades of experience to work in accompanying 'La Roue.'

Although the music will be improvised, Rapsis is developing a few ideas in advance that he'll weave together to create the score.

"I plan to draw from this bank of material," Rapsis said. "But I find that if I spend too much time making elaborate plans or studying a film, it interferes with the music that comes to me in the moment, in the theater, when the film is on the screen."

"It's harder to forget about everything and get immersed in the film, which is when the best stuff tends to happen."

Other than that, he's undertaking no special preparations for the seven-hour screening, other than reviewing the story line and adding extra miles to his bicycle rides.

"I think I'm up for it, at least physically," he said. "If nothing else, I have endurance. I'm like the Jake LaMotta of silent film accompaniment—it may not be pretty, but I just keep on coming."

Rapsis admits that the process is "a bit of a high wire act," but says creating live music on the fly can add a distinctive element to the silent movie experience.

"With improvised live accompaniment, a certain energy and excitement comes through that's different from a score that's planned in advance, or recorded," he said. 

A scene from 'La Roue' (1923), directed by Abel Gance.

In making 'La Roue,' director Gance aimed to explore the limits of movie making, then a still-new art form.

Among Gance's on-screen innovations are complicated optical effects, rapid cutting during climactic sequences, and extended visual symbolism.

'La Roue' was Gance's last major project prior to starting work on 'Napoleon' (1927), which would turn out to be his magnum opus that would go on to overshadow his other work. This includes 'La Roue,' a film that was no less ambitious or accomplished, but which has been neglected in comparison.

Recently restored to Gance's original 1923 cut, the complete 'La Roue' clocks in at 6 hours and 52 minutes.

For the Brattle screening, 'La Roue' will be divided into two parts. Part 1 will include a brief intermission about halfway through. A dinner break will follow.

For Part 2, another intermission will occur about halfway through. The screening will conclude at about 8:30 p.m.

"It's a rare chance to see 'La Roue' the way Gance intended it to be experienced: in a theater, on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience," Rapsis said.

Abel Gance's silent masterwork 'La Roue' (1923) will be shown in its entirety with live music on Saturday, Sept. 28 starting at noon at the Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, Mass.

Tickets are $25 per person; purchase online at www.brattlefilm.org or in person at the theater's box office. For more information, call (617) 876-6837.


Monday, September 16, 2024

Don't miss a rare chance to see Tod Browning's rediscovered thriller 'The Show' (1927) on Sunday, Sept. 22 at Wilton, N.H.

An original lobby promoting MGM's lurid backstage thriller 'The Show' (1927)

This weekend! On Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. I'll accompany Harold Lloyd's beloved comedy 'Speedy' (1928) in Brandon, Vt. Hope you're able to make it!

If you're here due to coverage in this week's edition of 'Seven Day,' the big Vermont alternative paper, welcome! See you at Brandon Town Hall and Community Center. Admission is free; any donations support on-going upkeep and restoration of the circa 1860 Town Hall building.
 
Then, on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m., it's 'The Show' (1927), a twisted backstage drama from director Tod Browning, which I'll accompany at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H. Hope you can join us!
 
Below, I'm pasting in a press release about the rare screening of 'The Show,' which I've never done music for. Hope you can join us! Here goes...

*  *  *
 
Silent thriller 'The Show' revived at Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 22
 
Twisted backstage drama stars John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore; to be screened with live musical accompaniment.
 
WILTON, N.H.—A bizarre silent thriller featuring a cast of notables makes a rare return to the silver screen this month at the Town Hall Theatre.
 
'The Show,' (1927), a backstage drama featuring top MGM stars John Gilbert, RenƩe AdorƩe, and Lionel Barrymore, will be screened on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.
 
Admission is free; donations are accepted, with $10 per person suggested to defray expenses.
The screening, the latest in the venue's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.
 
Directed by Tod Browning, 'The Show' explores the world of a Budapest carnival sideshow, where performers encounter love, greed, and murder.
 
John Gilbert and RenƩe AdorƩe in 'The Show' (1927).
 
Cock Robin (John Gilbert) is a sideshow barker in Budapest. He also participates in one of the acts; his former girlfriend Salome (RenƩe AdorƩe) dances before Herod in exchange for the head of "Jokanaan". As Jokanaan, Robin has his head seemingly chopped off and presented to the dancer on a platter, much to the audience's delight.
 
As 'The Show' unfolds, Salome yearns to get back together with Robin, but he has his sights set on Lena (Gertrude Short), the daughter of a well-off sheep merchant. He lets the smitten Lena buy him things.
 
The Greek (Lionel Barrymore), Salome's current boyfriend, becomes angered when he learns of her feelings. The Greek and his henchman, the Ferret, also try to steal Lena's father's money, but things get complicated when murder enters the picture.
 
'The Show' is the latest in a monthly series of silent films presented with live music at the Town Hall Theatre. The series provides local audiences the opportunity to experience silent film as it was intended to be shown: on the big screen, in good-looking prints, with live music, and with an audience.
 
"Put those elements together like we do at the Town Hall Theatre, and films from the silent era spring right back to life in a way that helps you understand why people first fell in love with the movies," Rapsis said.
 
Tod Browning's twisted thriller 'The Show' will be shown on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.
 
Admission is free; donations are accepted, with $10 per person suggested to defray expenses. For more information, call the theater at (603) 654-3456.