Coming up this weekend: Perfect weather for a Yakima Canutt double feature in Wilton, N.H.

'The Iron Rider' (1927), one of a pair of Yakima Canutt pictures we'll show with live music (by me) this afternoon at the Town Hall Theatre of Wilton, N.H.

We're blessed rainy weather this Sunday: perfect weather to take in a double feature starring everyone's favorite early cinema cowboy hero, Yakima Canutt!

Yakima Canutt!? 

Yes! It's pronounced YAK-i-mah Kah-NOOT. 

His given first name was "Enos," so appropriating the name of the Yakima Valley of his home state of Washington was probably a good idea, even if he'd never gone into the movies.

But he did, and we'll see two of his starring pictures, with live music by me on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, Wilton, N.H. 

So park that speedboat out of the rain today, then hop on your horse and canter on over to the thee-a-tar for a double dose of Yak! 

More info in the press release below, including a round-up of Yak's considerable off-screen contributions to Hollywood right up until the 1980s.

First, though, I had occasion to visit the Big Apple this past Thursday and found myself attending a screening of Buster Keaton's 'Our Hospitality' (1923) at the Museum of Modern Art.

Hearing live accompaniment by my colleague Ben Model was a treat. (How nice to enjoy a picture without worrying about the music!) And a pleasant surprise was to find fellow vintage film enthusiasts Karl Mischler and Rob Arkus in attendance. 

Rb Arkus, Ben Model, me, and Karl Mischler.

One unusual thing about New York in the summer of 2021: the Museum of Modern Art is the first venue I've attended that required proof of vaccination to enter.

But the real surprise was finding enormous billboards atop buildings along 8th Avenue promoting my home state of New Hampshire as a vacation destination. Wow!

Never thought I'd see idyllic images of the Granite State in the same view as the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Strange times indeed!

Also, this was my first visit to the new Moynhihan Train Hall, newly opened this year as part of the Penn Station complex. 

If there is an afterlife, and heaven exists, my version of it would probably look something like the original Penn Station, which was demolished in the 1960s and which I never saw except in pictures like this:

Well, here's the Moynihan Train Hall, which opened this past January in what used to be the mail sorting room of the James Farley U.S. Post Office, across the street from the original station:

It's a vast improvement over the existing Penn Station, most of which remains squished under Madison Square Garden. 

I don't know if the new Moynihan Train Hall is enough to make me think I've died and gone to heaven, but it did cause me to die of embarrassment.

How? Because going home, I somehow boarded the wrong Acela train and wound up heading toward Washington, D.C. instead of Boston!

I was able to get out at Newark and return to Penn Station to catch the next train to Beantown. So no big deal, other than the extra $5.25 I had to shell out to New Jersey Transit to get back to the starting line.

You'd think clear track assignments and boarding announcements would be basic things in $1.6 billion train station development. 

But they're not—departing trains aren't displayed at the gate until the last minute, and lines snake all around the concourse when it's time to board. Staff make no announcements down on the platforms or in the train prior to departure.

Not quite paradise just yet!

*  *  *

Yakima Canutt during the prime of his silent film starring career.

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Meet Yakima Canutt, Hollywood's pioneering master of horsemanship and stunting

Summer series of rare silent Westerns with live music continues with double feature on Sunday, July 25 at Town Hall Theatre

WILTON, N.H.—He's the most influential cowboy you've never heard of.

He's Yakima Canutt, a silent era Western star who later went on to a behind-the-scenes career working on some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters.

Canutt, famous for his equine skills and stunting ability, will be featured in a pair of action-packed early features in the next installment Town Hall Theatre's series on the origins of the Hollywood Western.

'Branded a Bandit' (1924) and 'The Iron Rider' (1927), both starring Canutt, will be shown on Sunday, July 25 at 2 p.m.

The screening is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to support the Town Hall Theatre's silent film programming.

The program will feature live music by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.

"In this series of early Westerns, many of these films are nearly 100 years old, and so they're not far removed from the 'Old West' depicted in them," Rapsis said.

In 'Branded a Bandit,' Canutt (pronounced "kah-NOOT") is accused of murdering a miner whose family he was trying to aid; in 'The Iron Rider,' Canutt cheated in a poker game, and later learns the card sharks are wanted men, prompting a pursuit for justice.

In 'Branded a Bandit,' Canutt broke his nose in a 12-foot fall from a cliff. The picture was delayed several weeks, and when it resumed, all of Canutt's close-ups were shot from the side. A plastic surgeon reset the nose, which prompted Canutt to remark that the fall actually improved his looks.

But Canutt's starring pictures were only a small part of a long and influential Hollywood career.

Born in 1895 in rural Washington state, Canutt started out as a rodeo cowboy and then became a stuntman in silent westerns. Canutt later doubled for such stars as Clark Gable and John Wayne.

Canutt, whose given first name was Enos, later adopted the nickname "Yakima" after the Yakima River Valley in Washington.

Canutt was known for his proficiency in dangerous activities such as jumping off the top of a cliff on horseback, leaping from a stagecoach onto its runaway team, being "shot" off a horse at full gallop and other such potentially life-threatening activities.

During the golden age of the Hollywood studio system, Canutt became expert at staging massive events involving livestock, such as cattle stampedes and covered-wagon races, as well as Indians-vs.-cavalry battles on a grand scale.

Canutt's most noteworthy achievement as a second-unit director came in his staging and direction of the chariot-race sequence in William Wyler's Ben-Hur (1959) which, from initial planning to final execution, took two years.

Films on which Canutt served as second unit director include 'Stagecoach' (1939), 'Ivanhoe' (1952), 'Old Yeller' (1957), 'The Swiss Family Robinson' (1960), 'El Cid' (1961), 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' (1964), and 'Rio Lobo' (1970).

Canutt was awarded a special Oscar in 1966 for his contributions to film. He died in 1986 at age 90, widely regarded as the most respected stuntman of all time.

Upcoming titles in the Town Hall's summer series of silent Westerns include:

• Sunday, Aug. 8 at 2 p.m.: The first Westerns directed by a young John Ford, these two films feature popular cowboy star Harry Carey as 'Cheyenne Harry,' the outlaw with a heart of gold. In 'Straight Shooting' (1917), Carey plays a hired gun of cattle rustlers; in 'Hell Bent' (1918), Carey rescues a virtuous woman from banditos. A rare chance to see early Ford learning his craft.

• Sunday, Aug. 22 at 2 p.m.: Set in western Canada, 'Mantrap' (1926) tells the story of a New York divorce lawyer on a camping vacation to get away from it all, but gets more than he bargained for with Clara Bow, then fast on her way to becoming Hollywood's 'It' girl. Directed by Victor Fleming, who would go on to helm 'Gone With the Wind' (1939) and 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939).

• Sunday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m.: Our look at silent-era Westerns concludes with the genre's lighter side. In 'Womanhandled' (1925), Richard Dix tries to win his girlfriend by taking up the rugged cowboy life, only to find it not so rugged. In 'Go West' (1925), Buster Keaton sends up the legends of the West with his timeless brand of visual comedy; includes perhaps the most unlikely love story in any mainstream 1920s Hollywood film.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will create musical scores for each film live during its screening, in the manner of theater organists during the height of silent cinema.

"For most silent films, there was never any sheet music and no official score," Rapsis said. "So creating original music on the spot to help the film's impact is all part of the experience."

"That's one of the special qualities of silent cinema," Rapsis said. "Although the films themselves are often over a century old, each screening is a unique experience — a combination of the movie, the music, and the audience reaction."

'Branded a Bandit' (1924) and 'The Iron Rider' (1926), two early westerns starring Yakima Canutt, will be screened on Sunday, July 25 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H. Free admission; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to support the Town Hall Theatre's silent film series.

For more information, visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com or call (603) 654-3456.

A thrilling start at the Rex Theatre; bringing Monty Banks to Vermont on Saturday, 7/17

Pre-show remarks at the inaugural silent film program at the Rex Theatre. I look like I'm hosting a beauty pageant. Photo by Tom Murphy.

Last night's inaugural silent film program at the newly renovated Rex Theatre in downtown Manchester was quite the thing. 

The restored theater prove to be a marvelous venue for silent film with live music. And our first outing attracted an audience of well over a hundred people!

Our double bill of Buster Keaton's 'Sherlock Jr.' (1924) and 'Our Hospitality' (1923) met with laughter right at the start, and it never let up. 

 I've done 'Sherlock' dozens of times, and I've never heard such a vocal response to the film's first 10 minutes. And that was nothing compared to the reaction when Buster attempts to "follow his man closely."

For this, I undercut my "Buster detective theme" with a descending bass, played as lightly but as crisply as possible. The result: serious-sounding music that I think worked really well with Buster's comedy.

Most gratifying moment: when Buster casually catches the cigarette that Ward Crane tosses over his shoulder, taking a puff and discarding it, all while never breaking stride, people actually shrieked with delight. 

Oh my god, this is why I do this!

Thanks to everyone at the Rex Theatre for finding a place for silent film with live music on the venue's calendar. We have three more shows scheduled through next year, and if the success of our initial outing is any indication, we're in for a heckuva ride!

Next up: we journey up to Brandon, Vt., where Saturday night brings a "Planes and Trains and Monty Banks" program. Looking forward to the opportunity to uncork some rarely screened vintage comedy in one of my favorite silent film venues.

More details in the press release below. If you're in the area, please join us. And if you're not in the area, there's still time to take the train or the plane, in keeping with the spirit of the program.

*   *   *

Promotional art for 'Flying Luck' (1927) starring Monty Banks.

 
TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

'Planes and Trains and Monty Banks' at Brandon Town Hall on Saturday, July 17

Rediscover forgotten silent film comedian Monty Banks; two vintage movies screened with live music

BRANDON, Vt. — His real name was "Mario Bianchi," but on screen he was "Monty Banks."

But both names are now forgotten, and so are most of the films he starred in during the golden age of silent film comedy.

Rediscover the unique comic style of Monty Banks with a screening of two of his surviving films on Saturday, July 17 at 7 p.m. at Brandon Town Hall, 1 Conant Square, Route 7, Brandon, Vt.

Admission is free; donations are encouraged, with all proceeds supporting ongoing restoration of the Town Hall.

On the bill: an excerpt from 'Play Safe' (1927) featuring a hair-raising rescue aboard an out-of-control train; and the feature film 'Flying Luck' (1927), an aviation comedy inspired by Lindbergh's successful solo flight across the Atlantic earlier that year.

Both films will be screened with live music by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

The screening is sponsored by Peter and Louise Kelley, Heritage Family Credit Union, John and Lynn Wilson.

Monty Banks was a short, stocky but somehow debonair Italian-born comic actor, later also writer and director.

Banks has faded into obscurity in part because most of his starring films are lost or unavailable.

The two films being shown at Brandon Town Hall are among the best surviving examples of his work.

A lobby card for 'Flying Luck' starring Monty Banks.

In featured attraction 'Flying Luck,' (1927), hapless aviator Monty is so inspired by Lindbergh's solo Atlantic flight that he joins the U.S. Army Air Corps, where it's one comical disaster after another.

Co-starring with Banks in 'Flying Luck' is young actress Jean Arthur, who would later appear in 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' (1939) and 'Shane' (1953).

The feature will be preceded by an excerpt from 'Play Safe' (1927), which includes a hair-raising chase sequence set aboard an out-of-control freight train barreling through the California countryside.

"Monty Banks was once a popular star, but that was a long time ago," said Rapsis, who will create live improvised musical accompaniment for both pictures.

"So it's a real treat to screen these films and rediscover a gifted performer and visual comedian with a style uniquely his own."

Emigrating from Italy to the U.S. in 1914, Banks first appeared on stage in musical comedy and cabaret. By 1917 he was working as a dancer in New York's Dominguez Cafe.

After this he turned to films, acting and doing stunt work at Keystone, Universal and other studios.

Banks appeared in many short comedies until the mid-1920s, when he formed his own production company to make feature films.

Although successful, Banks never achieved the popularity of silent comedy superstars Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, or Harold Lloyd.

In the late 1920s, he moved to England; after the transition to talkies, he stopped acting in films and instead concentrated on directing.

Later in life, Banks donated money to build several children's hospitals in his native Italy, which are still operational.

Upcoming programs in the Brandon Town Hall silent film series include:

• Saturday, Aug. 7, 7 p.m.: 'Wild Orchids' (1928) starring Greta Garbo. Steamy romantic thriller just in time for the humid doldrums of summer; sponsored by Tracy Holden and Kirk Thomas.

• Saturday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.: 'Tramp, Tramp, Tramp' (1926) starring Harry Langdon. Rediscover forgotten comedian Harry Langdon in riotous visual comedy about a cross-country foot race; sponsored by Bill and Kathy Mathis in memory of Maxine Thurston.

• Saturday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.: 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1923) starring Lon Chaney. Victor Hugo's classic novel about a deformed bellringer in medieval Paris, filled with classic scenes and capped with a thrilling climax; sponsored by Harold and Jean Somerset, Kathy and Wayne Rausenberger, Pat Hanson, and Brian and Stephanie Jerome.

• Saturday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.: 'College' (1927) starring Buster Keaton. Head back to school with Buster, a bumbling freshman who discovers sports is the only sure-fire route to popularity; sponsored by Lucy and Dick Rouse, Edward Loedding and Dorothy Leysath, Sam and Sharon Glaser, Peter and Louise Kelley, Bar Harbor Bank and Trust.

The feature-length 'Flying Luck' (1927) and an excerpt from 'Play Safe' (1927), both starring Monty Banks, will be shown on Saturday, July 17 at 7 p.m. at Brandon Town Hall, 1 Conant Square, Route 7, Brandon, Vt.

Admission is free; donations are encouraged, with all proceeds supporting ongoing restoration of the Town Hall.

For more information and the latest updates on Covid-19 safety protocols at the Town Hall, visit www.brandontownhall.com.

This week: starting a new silent film series with comedy at the Rex Theatre in Manchester, N.H.

From 'Sherlock Jr.' (1924): Buster examines the world he lives in.

Let's hear it for obsolete pop culture!

Yes, silent cinema is making a comeback in New Hampshire's largest city. 

This week marks the start of silent film screenings with live music at the Rex Theatre, a recently restored performance venue in downtown Manchester, N.H.

And we kick things off with comedy: on Thursday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m., I'll accompany Buster Keaton's detective-in-the-movies fantasy 'Sherlock Jr.' (1924) followed by the period comedy 'Our Hospitality' (1923).

Subsequent screenings include such classics as 'Nosferatu' (1922), Harold Lloyd's get-to-the-church-on-time comedy 'Girl Shy' (1924), and the epic silent version of 'Ben Hur' (1925).

But Keaton will be in the house (or on the screen) to kick things off. If you're in the area, come check it out. These days, we can use all the laughs we can get.

Here's a press release with more information. See you Thursday night!

*  *  *

Buster and equine friend in 'Our Hospitality' (1923). 

MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Buster Keaton double feature with live music at Rex Theatre on Thursday, July 15

Venue launches silent film series with two vintage masterpieces starring iconic visual comedian

MANCHESTER, 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.

Acclaimed for their originality and timeless visual humor, Keaton's films remain popular crowd-pleasers today.

See for yourself with a screening of 'Our Hospitality' (1923) and 'Sherlock Jr. (1924), two classic Keaton comedies, on Thursday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H.

The double feature, which launches a series of silent film programs at the Rex, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Admission is $10 per person, general admission. Tickets are available online at www.palacetheatre.org or at the door.

An original poster for 'Our Hospitality' (1923).

'Our Hospitality,' a period comedy set in the 1830s, tells the story of a young man (Keaton) raised in New York City but unknowingly at the center of a long-running backwoods family feud.

Highlights of the picture include Keaton's extended journey on a vintage train of the era, as well as a climatic river rescue scene.

The film stars Keaton's then-wife, Natalie Talmadge, as his on-screen love interest; their first child, newborn James Talmadge Keaton, makes a cameo appearance, playing Buster as an infant. Keaton's father also plays a role in the film.

Buster at work in the projection booth in 'Sherlock Jr.'

In 'Sherlock Jr.,' Buster plays a small-town movie projectionist who dreams of working as a detective. But then Buster's romantic rival frames him for stealing a watch from his girlfriend's father.

Fortunately, the situation mirrors the plot of the movie currently playing at Buster's theater. Inspired by the movie, can Buster find the real thief and win back his girl?

Keaton, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, stands as one of the three great clowns of the silent screen.

Many critics regard Keaton as the most timeless; 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."

As a performer, Keaton was uniquely suited to the demands of silent comedy.

Born in 1895, he made his stage debut as a toddler, joining his family's knockabout vaudeville act and learning to take falls and do acrobatic stunts at an early age. He spent his entire childhood and adolescence on stage, attending school for exactly one day.

A remarkable pantomime artist, Keaton naturally used his whole body to communicate emotions ranging from sadness to surprise. In an era when movies had few special effects, Keaton's acrobatic talents enabled him to perform all his own stunts.

All those talents are on display in 'Our Hospitality' and 'Sherlock Jr.,' the two titles to open the silent film series at the Rex.

"These films are audience favorites, and people continue to be surprised at how engrossing and exhilarating they can be," said Rapsis, who accompanies more than 100 screenings each year at venues around the nation and abroad.

Rapsis, who lives in Bedford, N.H., improvises live scores for silent films using a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of the full orchestra.

"It's kind of a high wire act," Rapsis said. "But for me, the energy of live performance is an essential part of the silent film experience."

The Rex Theatre is launching the series to give local audiences a chance to experience the best of early Hollywood the way it was meant to be seen—on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"These films weren't intended to be shown on a laptop," Rapsis said. "It's worth putting the whole experience together, because you can still see why audiences first fell in love with the movies," Rapsis said.

Later screenings include:

• Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, 7:30 p.m.: 'Nosferatu' (1922) directed by F.W. Murnau. Just in time for Halloween: 'Nosferatu,' the original vampire film. This loose German adaptation of the 'Dracula' story just gets weirder and creepier as the years go by.

• Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, 7:30 p.m.: 'Girl Shy' (1924) starring Harold Lloyd. Celebrate Valentine's Day with the original rom-com, a Harold Lloyd gem starring one of the masters of silent comedy and featuring an unforgettable race-to-the-church finish.

• Thursday, April 21, 2022, 7:30 p.m.: 'Ben Hur' (1925) starring Ramon Novarro and a cast of thousands. In the Holy Land, a Jewish prince is enslaved by the occupying Romans; inspired by encounters with Jesus, he lives to seek justice. One of the great religious epics of Hollywood's silent film era, including a legendary chariot race that's lost none of its power to thrill.

A double feature of two classic Buster Keaton films, 'Our Hospitality' (1923) and 'Sherlock Jr. (1924) will be shown on Thursday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H. General admission is $10 per person.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.palacetheatre.org or call (603) 668-5588.

Finding Harold south of the border, then back home for 'The General' tonight in Plymouth, NH

How much is that brass sousaphone in the window? I was sorely tempted, but it would have exceeded my carry-on limit. Also, in air travel, tubas are classified as lethal weapons.

I'm back from 10 days south of the border: Mexico! (One of the very few places we could go where it wouldn't going to be a huge hassle to get back home.) 

We spent most of the time in Oaxaca (pronounced "Wah HAH ka") in the uplands of southern Mexico, where this time of year it's cool and wet, with frequent rains. Kind of a nice surprise!

Also surprising: although this trip had nothing to do with silent film, we found intimations of Harold Lloyd all around us. 

For one thing, we stayed at the "Hotel Parador," which I thought was the same name as the fictional south-of-the-border country Harold visits in 'Why Worry?' 

(I was wrong: Harold visits Paradiso, substituted for the original location of Mexico when that nation raised objections to its on-screen depiction.) 

But then Harold was present at the ruins of Monte Alban, an enormous set of mountaintop ruins outside (and above) Oaxaca that date back 2,500 years and are on a scale of the legendary Inca city Machu Picchu. 

Well, not exactly Harold, but Alfonso Caso, "discoverer" of Monte Alban, whose bronze relief at the entrance to the ruins sports a very Lloyd-like pair of glasses:

 Look like Harold? You decide...

And then there was this Harold-like visage adorning one of Oaxaca's many food carts:

So upon getting home earlier this week, I was primed to accompany 'Safety Last' (1923), Harold's great building-climbing comedy, at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine.

The screening took place last night, and I'm pleased to report it all came together very effectively. I've done this film often enough so that during the climbing climax, I know pretty much all of Harold's "almost lose his grip" moments.

There are four or five of these — times when Harold makes a false grab or misses a handhold and stops cold for a moment before continuing on. 

It's really effective, I've found, to punctuate these moments by interrupting whatever sustained harmony or ostinato I've got going with a quick dissonance — nothing big, just a sharp stab, and then silence before picking up the building-climb music, which inexorably must continue, just as Harold must keep climbing.

But it needs to come right on the button to be effective. Last night I think I got every one of them!

From Harold's 1920s masterpiece, tonight we turn the clock back to Buster Keaton's Civil War-era masterpiece, 'The General' (1926), which I'm accompanying at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center. 

Showtime is 6:30 p.m. If you're in the area, please join us! Rain, thunderstorms...great weather to take in a movie! More details on the press release below.

*  *  *

 

MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Buster Keaton's 'The General' with live music at Flying Monkey on Thursday, July 8

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

PLYMOUTH, 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.

Acclaimed for their originality and timeless visual humor, Keaton's films remain popular crowd-pleasers today.

See for yourself with a screening of 'The General' (1926), one of Keaton's landmark feature films, on Thursday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

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

Admission is $10 per person general admission. Tickets are available online at www.flyingmonkeynh.com or at the door.

The show will allow audiences to experience 'The General' the way Keaton originally intended it to be seen: 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 onboard.

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.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will improvise an original musical score for 'The General' live as the film is shown.

"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 Flying Monkey'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."

Rapsis performs on a digital keyboard that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

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."

As a performer, Keaton was uniquely suited to the demands of silent comedy. Born in 1895, he made his stage debut as a toddler, joining his family's knockabout vaudeville act and learning to take falls and do acrobatic stunts at an early age.

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

"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 élan and sweet subtlety of his own performance."
—Time Out (London)

Upcoming titles in the Flying Monkey's silent film series include:

• Thursday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m.: 'Ben Hur' (1925) starring Ramon Novarro. In the Holy Land, a Jewish prince is enslaved by the occupying Romans; inspired by encounters with Jesus, he lives to seek justice. One of the great religious epics of Hollywood's silent film era, including a legendary chariot race that's lost none of its power to thrill.

• Thursday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m.: 'The Shakedown' (1929). Recently restored boxing drama about a low-rent prizefighter who finds reasons outside the ring to find success inside it. Recently restored; directed by William Wyler, who would go on to a storied Hollywood career that included directing the 1959 remake of 'Ben Hur.'

‘The General’ (1926) starring Buster Keaton will be shown with live music on Thursday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

Tickets $10 per person general admission, available online or at the door. For more info, visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com or call (603) 536-2551. For more about the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.