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Tuesday, July 11, 2023

This week: Buster Keaton in Maine and Vermont—but first, an update on the recent flooding

I'm just back from two weeks in France, but never mind about that. 

More important: a shout-out to all my friends in Vermont, who are right now grappling with some really bad flooding. 

I do a lot of shows in the Green Mountain State, and over the years I've gotten to know a lot of terrific people who live in some equally terrific small cities and towns.

One of those towns is Ludlow, Vt., where next month I'll make my annual appearance as part of their monthly movie series at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium.

So it was more than a little disconcerting to see today's New York Times home page carry an image of a flooded downtown Ludlow that included the very building where the movies get shown!

Wow! All best wishes to everyone for a quick drying out and fast recovery. 

Okay, up next in this summer's silent film hit parade: Buster Keaton in two states—Maine and (I hope) Vermont!

On Wednesday, July 12, I'll accompany 'Our Hospitality' (1923) at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine. More details in the press release below. 

And on Saturday, July 15, it's 'The General' (1926) at the Brandon (Vt.) Town Hall and Community Center. 

Brandon was hard hit by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011. I haven't heard from anyone up there yet, but I assume the show is still on. Will update if needed. 

If the show is a go, I expect a strong reaction, because by Saturday I think all Vermonters will be in need of a laugh. 

Here's info 'Our Hospitality' on Wednesday, July 12 at 6 p.m. in Ogunquit, Maine. See you there!

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An original release poster for Buster Keaton's 'Our Hospitality' (1923).

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Buster Keaton stars in 'Our Hospitality' on Wednesday, July 12 at Leavitt Theatre

Classic feature-length silent comedy to be screened on the big screen with live music

OGUNQUIT, Maine—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, and remain popular crowd-pleasers today.

See for yourself with a screening of 'Our Hospitality' (1923), one of Keaton's landmark features, on Wednesday, July 12 at 6 p.m. at the historic Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine.

(Please note the start time of 6 p.m. is earlier than in prior seasons.)

Admission is $12 per person. Live music will be provided by accompanist Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based performer who specializes in creating music for silent film presentations.

The show is the latest in the Leavitt Theatre's silent film series, which gives audiences the opportunity to experience early cinema as it was intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.

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

Set in the 1830s, 'Our Hospitality,' tells the tale 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.

'Our Hospitality' is part of the Leavitt Theatre's silent film series, which aims to show early movies as they were meant to be seen—in high quality prints, on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," said Rapsis, who will improvise a musical score for 'Our Hospitality.'

"Recreate those conditions, and the classics of early Hollywood leap back to life," he said.

Keaton entered films in 1917 and was quickly fascinated with them. After apprenticing with popular comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Keaton went on to set up his own studio in 1920, making short comedies that established him as one of the era's leading talents.

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

In 1923, Keaton made the leap into full-length films with 'Our Hospitality,' which proved popular enough for him to continue making features for the rest of the silent era.

Husband and wife Buster Keaton and Natalie Talmadge in 'Our Hospitality' (1923).
 
Although not all of Keaton's films were box office successes, critics later expressed astonishment at the sudden leap Keaton made from short comedies to the complex story and technical demands required for full-length features.

This season's Leavitt Theatre silent film schedule features movies all celebrating their 100th anniversaries. Upcoming shows include:

• Wednesday, July 26 at 6 p.m.: 'Zaza' (1923) starring Gloria Swanson. Romance set in France in which Swanson plays a hot-tempered provincial actress who gets entangled with a married diplomat.

• Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m.: 'The Pilgrim' (1923) starring Charlie Chaplin. As a convict on the lam, Chaplin impersonates a man of the cloth, with unexpected results.

• Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.: 'A Woman of Paris' (1923). Chaplin's drama about a kept woman (Edna Purviance) who runs into her former fiancé and finds herself torn between love and comfort.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will create musical scores for each film live during its screening, in the manner of theater organists during silent cinema's peak years in the 1920s.

"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."

‘Our Hospitality’ will be shown with live music on Wednesday, July 12 at 6 p.m. at the historic Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine.

Admission is $12 per person. For more info, call (207) 646-3123 or visit www.leavittheatre.com.

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