'Greed' (1924) coming on Monday, May 10

Many of the films we program are the result of suggestions from audience members submitted via comment cards distributed after each screening. And coming up for our next show at Manchester's Palace Theatre is the title for which we've had perhaps the most requests of all: 'Greed,' Erich von Stroheim's 1924 drama. Here's the ad we're running for this event:

The thing about this film that always gets mentioned is how von Stroheim's original cut was something like eight hours long, prompting a battle with MGM in which the studio eventually took the film away from him and released it in much shorter form.

The version we're showing is the 140-minute cut that was issued on laser disc some years ago. Surprisingly, the film isn't available in DVD format, as it's one picture that everyone agrees is a masterpiece of the silent drama, even in its truncated form. (And perhaps maybe because it was edited down to a more concentrated presentation.) Either way, I'm excited because it's one of the most-requested titles we've had, and dramas seem to lend themselves to music really helping pull it all together to create a state of intense emotion in a live performance. We'll see.

We're showing 'Greed' on Monday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, N.H.. Tickets are $8 per person. Box office: (603) 668-5588, or visit the Palace Theatre online to buy tickets online.