You know summer is rolling right along when it's time for Silent Film Night during 'Old Home Week,' held each August in Alton, N.H.
Many Granite State towns celebrate 'Old Home Day,' a tradition that started after the Civil War. Many N.H. veterans left for the much better farmland they saw elsewhere while fighting for the Union, causing many rural towns to see a notable population drop.
'Old Home Day,' usually held in summer, was designed to encourage former residents to return to the old homestead, reconnect with family and friends, and so on.
The custom of celebrating 'Old Home Day' persisted into the 21st century, often morphing in different ways over time.
In Alton, a town on Lake Winnipesaukee that sees a lot of summer tourists, they now celebrate 'Old Home Week'—actually 10 days of events that include a 5K run, a parade—and yes, an outdoor silent film screening.
Many thanks to Alton resident Phil Wittman, a vintage film buff who for many years chaired the 'Old Home Week Committee' and who some years ago began the practice of including silent film with live music among the offerings.
And yes, it's outside: as the sun sets, a screen is set up against the town's locally famous bandstand, and I cable up my digital keyboard and projector in parking lot and pray for the rain to hold off. (So far, we've not had a washout, although we've had some close calls.)
Meanwhile, people set up lawn chairs on the pavement and traffic island behind me. The scent of bug sprays wafts through the crowd. (And cigarette smoke, too—it's outside, and Alton seems to attract a lot of smokers.)
Then, as twilight takes hold, off we go, showing a silent film to those assembled, plus any motorists passing by on Route 11.
It's usually Buster Keaton, but this year it's Harold Lloyd. On Tuesday, Aug. 15, we'll screen 'Safety Last' in honor of the film's 100th anniversary.
More information in the press release below. Hope you'll join us under the stars!
Just don't forget the bug spray. (And if you light up, please try to stay downwind.)
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MONDAY, JULY 17, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com
Hang on! Alton Old Home Week to celebrate 100th anniversary of silent film classic 'Safety Last'
Thrill comedy climaxed by Harold Lloyd's iconic building climb; screening with live music on Tuesday, Aug. 15
ALTON, N.H.—It's a cinematic image so powerful, people who've never seen the movie instantly recognize it.
The
vision of Harold Lloyd hanging from the hands of a huge clock, from the
climax of his silent comedy 'Safety Last,' (1923), has emerged as a
symbol of early Hollywood and movie magic.
Celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the film's original release with an outdoor screening of
'Safety Last' on Tuesday, Aug. 15 at Alton Town Gazebo in Alton Bay,
N.H.
The screening will feature live music for the movie by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.
All
are welcome to this free family-friendly event, which will start at
dusk. Attendees are encouraged to arrive no later than 8 p.m.
Movie-goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and enjoy 'Safety Last' under the stars.
The show is part of this year's Alton Old Home Week schedule of events, which run from Aug. 11-20.
His career at a downtown department store stalls, however, until he gets a chance to pitch a surefire publicity idea—hire a human fly to climb the building's exterior.
But when the human fly has a last-minute run-in with the law, Harold is forced to make the climb himself, floor by floor, with his sweetheart looking on.
The result is an extended sequence filmed without trick photography that blends comedy and terror, holding viewers spellbound.
Lloyd, along with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, is regarded as one of the silent screen's three great clowns.
Lloyd's character, an ambitious young man ready to struggle to win the day, proved hugely popular in the 1920s.
While Chaplin and Keaton were always favored by the critics, Lloyd's films reigned as the top-grossing comedies throughout the period.
Silent film at the Alton Town Gazebo will give audiences the chance to experience early cinema as it was intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.
"Put the whole experience back together, and you can see why people first fell in love with the movies," said Rapsis, who practices the nearly lost art of live silent film accompaniment.
Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra, creating a traditional "movie score" sound.
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Harold Lloyd's iconic thrill comedy 'Safety Last' (1923) with a screening on Tuesday, Aug. 15 at dusk at the Alton Town Gazebo in Alton Bay, N.H.
All are welcome to this free family-friendly event, which will start at dusk. Attendees are encouraged to arrive no later than 8 p.m.
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