A photo showing the Alton Bay Ice Runway in 2015.
It's so cold in New Hampshire that for the first time in three years, the Alton Bay Ice Runway has opened!
That's right: the only FAA-approved ice runway in the lower 48 states—in an inlet of New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee—was declared open last week when the ice reached the requisite 12 inches of thickness.
So it's been perfect weather for a screening 'Way Down East' (1920), the D.W. Griffith melodrama in which Lillian Gish winds up on ice floes in the Connecticut River—not that far from the Alton Bay Ice Runway, as the crow flies.
If the story was set a little later in the development of aviation, Richard Barthelmess could have rescued Ms. Gish by taking off from the ice runway in his trusty Sopwith Camel and swooping down to whisk her to safety.
Well, it's a thought.
At our screening on Sunday afternoon at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H., 'Way Down East' proved once again Griffith's ability to lay out a story that pulls an audience along the same way the on-screen ice floes carry Lillian Gish to the edge of the mighty waterfall.
It's a fun film to accompany. It's such a hokey story, and yet the audience reaction in far-off 2025 was every bit as lively, I imagine, as audiences when the film was brand new. People of course cheered at the waterfall rescue, and the triple wedding that ends of the film produced genuine gales of laughter.
Looking ahead: a chance to warm up comes in the form of a screening of 'Wild Orchids' (1929), a steamy romantic thriller starring Greta Garbo that I'll accompany on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St. in downtown Manchester, N.H.
It's one of the last MGM silents, made long after the studio had otherwise converted to talkies. But execs were worried that Garbo's heavily accented voice would ruin her box office appeal, and so kept her silent for as long as possible.
Well, surprise! Turns out Garbo's husky delivery actually added to her mystique, and her career sailed on uninterrupted. Until, that is, she started turning up in places like a David Letterman Top 10 List.
But the good thing about this was that we got a whole additional year's worth of silent pictures out of Garbo, made at a time when silent filmmaking was at its peak, technically speaking.
See for yourself—and warm yourself up while you're at it— with a screening of 'Wild Orchids' this Wednesday night. More details in the press release below.
* * *
MONDAY, JAN. 20, 2025 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com
Greta Garbo stars in steamy silent film thriller on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Rex Theatre
'Wild Orchids' (1929), one of MGM's final silent film releases, to be screened with live music at downtown Manchester, N.H. venue
MANCHESTER, N.H.—Chase away the mid-winter chill with a steamy movie featuring early Hollywood icon Greta Garbo.
A
tale of forbidden romance, 'Wild Orchids' opens with an older
businessman (John Lewis) taking his young wife (Greta Garbo) on a
business trip to the South Pacific.
Aboard
ship, she witnesses a wealthy passenger (Nils Asther) brutally whipping
a servant. The violent man notices Garbo and resolves to meet
her.
Things get complicated, however, when the man turns out
to be a royal heir crucially important to the business affairs of
Garbo's husband.
Emotions boil over in the tropical heat, leading to a dramatic showdown in the jungle over Garbo's ultimate fate.
Released during the movie industry's chaotic transition from silent film to synchronized dialogue, 'Wild Orchids' proved a hit.
The silent film earned $1.1 million, making it one of the year's top 10 box office attractions.
Although
MGM was already releasing talking pictures, the studio kept starring Garbo in
silent pictures due to concerns about her heavy
accent.
Originally from Sweden, in Hollywood Garbo quickly rose to silent film stardom based on her acting ability and her unique look.
Garbo spoke English, but with a Scandinavian accent, causing concerns that the public would reject her in talking pictures.
When
she finally spoke on-screen, Garbo's distinctive delivery and husky
accent added to her popularity, to the great relief of
studio bosses.
A live musical score for 'Wild Orchids' will be performed by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.
Rapsis specializes in creating music to help silent films connect with modern-day audiences.
"As one of the last commercial silent films produced, 'Wild Orchids' shows how fluent Hollywood had become at telling stories visually, rather than through dialogue," Rapsis said.
"These
films were intended to be seen on the big screen, with live music,
and—most importantly—with an audience. Put it all back together, and
films like 'Wild Orchids' really leap back to life."
'Wild Orchids'
(1929) will be shown on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H.
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