I have a few unusual gigs coming up, including a return to accompanying films at the Harvard Film Archive and my debut at this year's Pittsburgh Silent Film Festival. Here's a quick round-up of upcoming screenings. See you at the movies!
• Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Spies" (1928) directed by Fritz Lang; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt. Director Fritz Lang's tale of espionage was the forerunner of all movie spy sagas, packed with double agents, hi-tech gadgets, beautiful (and dangerous) women, and an evil genius with a plan to take over the world, mwah-ha-ha-ha! Join us for a series of silent films and live music in a wonderfully restored town hall in Brandon Vt. that features great acoustics. Admission free, donations accepted with proceeds to help support the silent film series. Rescheduled from Saturday, Sept. 20.
• Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, 2 p.m.: "I Was Born, But..." (1932) directed by Yasujiro Ozu; Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, Mass. (617) 496-3211. Part of the Harvard Film Archive's, "New Dog, New Tricks: Youth in Cinema" film series. A blithe portrait of the financial and psychological toils of one Japanese family, as told from the rascally point of view of a couple of stubborn little boys. For two brothers, the daily struggles of bullies and mean teachers is nothing next to the mortification they feel when they realize their good-natured father’s low-rung social status. Admission: $10 general public, discounts for students/seniors/members; Harvard students admitted free.
• Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Risky Business" (1925) starring Vera Reynolds, Zazu Pitts; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123. No, not the 1986 film starring Tom Cruise. In this silent-era 'Risky Business,' Zasu Pitts (from Parsons, Kansas) stars with Vera Ralston in a tale of a society girl's love for a country doctor in a film that is by turns harrowing, hilarious, and heart-warming. Join us for a summer season of movies and entertainment at the historic Leavitt Theatre, celebrating its 100th anniversary. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1925 and barely changed since.
• Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Seven Chances" (1925) starring Buster Keaton; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551. Buster is about to be saved from bankruptcy by an unexpected inheritance of $7 million—but only if he gets married by 7 p.m. that very day. Can Buster somehow find the girl of his dreams while being pursued by an army of women eager to marry a soon-to-be millionaire? One of Buster's best comedies, climaxed by one of the great chase scenes in all silent film comedy. Silent film series at a restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Tickets $15 per person.
• Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, 2 p.m.: "J'Accuse" (1919) directed by Abel Gance; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. French silent film directed by Abel Gance that juxtaposes a romantic drama with the background of the horrors of World War I. Work on the film began in 1918, with some scenes filmed on real battlefields. The film's powerful depiction of wartime suffering, particularly its climactic sequence of the "return of the dead," made it an international success and confirmed Gance as one of the most important directors in Europe. Silent film with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912. Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged.
• Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Metropolis" (1927) directed by Fritz Lang; Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry; sponsored by Derry Public Library. The eye-popping silent film sci-fi masterpiece of German filmmaker Fritz Lang is a vintage look at things to come. 'Metropolis' stands as an stunning example of the power of film to tell a compelling story without words, and reach across the generations to touch movie-goers from the real future that came to pass: us! Timeless silent film on the big screen and with live music. Free admission! For more information, contact the Derry Public Library at (603) 432-6140.
• Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, 6:30 p.m.: "Way Down East" (1920) directed by D.W. Griffith, starring Lillian Gish; Greenfield Garden Cinemas, 361 Main St., Greenfield, Mass.; call (413) 773-9260 or visit www.gardencinemas.net. Celebrate 'Silent Movie Day' (Sept. 29) with one of the genre's all-time classics. Griffith's enduring box-office smash sees Lillian Gish pitted against small town New England and one very large waterfall. Features Gish as a wronged woman who can't escape her past. Still-thrilling climax on ice floes heading towards the falls was filmed on the Connecticut River! Engrossing melodrama, and the silent era's fifth-highest grossing motion picture; an audience favorite for more than a century. Tickets $10.50 adults; $8.50 students, seniors, and veterans.
• Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, 7 p.m.: "The Big Parade" (1925) directed by King Vidor, starring John Gilbert, Renee Adoree; Lawrenceville/Row House Cinema, 4115 Butler St., Pittsburgh, Penn. 100th anniversary screening of sweeping World War I saga about U.S. doughboys signing up and shipping off to France, where they face experiences that will change their lives forever—if they return. Shown as part of this year's Pittsburgh Silent Film Festival, organized by the Pittsburgh Silent Film Society and sponsored by the Pittsburgh Classic Movie Club. Tickets $16.
• Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, 2 p.m.: "In The River" (1920) and other films by Edgar Jones; Colonial Theater, 139 Water St., Augusta, Maine; (207) 209-3525. More than a century ago, Edgar Jones set up a studio in Augusta, Maine. From 1919 to 1921, Jones produced a series of two-reel films shot at the studio and on location in Augusta and the Kennebec River. Most have vanished, but a few have recently been unearthed by film preservation advocate Ed Lorusso, a local resident. Three films produced by Jones will be screened at the Colonial Theater in Augusta, Maine, a moviehouse that was in operation when the films were produced, and which is currently undergoing restoration. Besides the world re-premiere of "In the River" (which Lorusso recently located in a private collection at the U.S. Library of Congress), the program will also include "Cupid, Registered Guide" and "Caught in the Rapids."
Well, that's enough! Something for everyone—so hope to see you at the movies in the next month before the annual "Halloween Silent Film Screening Staplechase" kicks in with a vengeance!
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