Here's a running list of upcoming screenings of silent film with live music by Jeff Rapsis.
• Saturday, July 27, 2024, 11:30 a.m.: 2nd Annual Silent Movie Fest: The Show Must Go On; Johnson Hall Opera House, 280 Water St., Gardiner, Maine. Hosted by noted film archivist Ed Lorusso. Films to be screened include 'A Tin-Type Romance' (1910); 'The Awakening of Ruth' (1917); and 'The Seventh Day' (1922). All films are set in or made in Maine; all have been preserved and restored by Lorusso. Tickets $20 to $25 per person. Presented in conjunction with the Augusta Colonial Theatre; for more info and to buy tickets, visit Eventbrite.
• Sunday, July 28, 2024, 2 p.m.: "Tramp Tramp Tramp" (1926) starring Harry Langdon; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. As part of our Silent Comedy Summer Series, rediscover forgotten comedian Harry
Langdon in his first-ever feature film. Riotous comedy about a
cross-country foot race. Co-stars Joan Crawford (unbelievably) as
Harry's love interest. Silent film
with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912.
Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged.
• Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (1921) starring Rudolph Valentino; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.com. Sweeping drama of a divided family with members caught up on opposites sides during World War I. Breakthrough film for Rudolph Valentino, introducing the sultry tango and launching him to stardom. The real deal! Shown both in honor of the 110th anniversary of World War I's outbreak and the anniversary of Valentino's untimely death in 1926. 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 continuing preservation work.
• Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, 1 p.m.: "Sherlock Jr." (1924) and "Our Hospitality" (1923) starring Buster Keaton; West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington St., West Newton, Mass.; (617) 964-8074. Admission $20 per person; buy tickets online at Eventbrite. Join us for a pair of silent comic icon Buster Keaton's classic features. In 'Sherlock Jr.,' amateur detective Buster works to bust open the mystery of who stole a watch, but instead dreams himself into the crime drama at a local theater. In 'Our Hospitality,' Keaton's film about a backwoods feud in the 1830s pokes fun at everything from southern customs to early railroad trains. Filled with great gags and a timeless story that culminates in a dramatic river rescue where Buster almost lost his life for real!
• Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Speedy" (1928) starring Harold Lloyd; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123. Lloyd's final silent feature finds him at the peak of his career playing a baseball-crazed go-getter forced to rescue the business of his girlfriend's father from being destroyed by thugs. Filled with great scenes of 1920s NYC, with notable cameo by baseball's Babe Ruth. Join us for a summer season of movies and entertainment at the historic Leavitt Theatre. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1925 and barely changed since.
• Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, 8 p.m.: "The Cameraman" (1928) starring Buster Keaton, at the Alton Town Gazebo in Alton Bay, N.H. Keaton tries to impress the gal of his dreams by working as a newsreel photographer. Can he get a break and get the girl? Classic visual comedy with Keaton at the peak of his creative powers; set in NYC and includes 1920s shots of Midtown Manhattan and the old Yankee Stadium. Silent film under the stars at the Alton Town Gazebo in Alton Bay, N.H. Sponsored by the Alton Old Home Week Committee.
• Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, 12:30 p.m.: "Wings" (1927) starring Clara Bow, Charles Rogers, Richard Arlen; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. Sweeping drama about fighter pilots in World War I; one of the great achievements of the silent cinema, winner of "Best Picture" at the first-ever Academy Awards. Compelling story, great performances, battle scenes filmed on an immense scale, and in-air aviation sequences that remain thrilling even today. See it for yourself! Silent film on the big screen at the Somerville Theatre, a 1914 moviehouse and theater. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.
• Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, 6:30 p.m.: "The Pagan" (1929) starring Ramon Novarro, Renée Adorée; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551. Rarely screened late silent film shot on location in Tahiti! A carefree South Seas native falls for the half-caste ward of a religious white man who desires her for himself. Silent film series at a restored moviehouse
in Plymouth, N.H.
• Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, 7 p.m.: "The Last Laugh" (1924) starring Emil Jannings, directed by F.W. Murnau; Ludlow Auditorium, 37 Depot St., Ludlow, Vt. Towering performance by Jannings as aging doorman at posh city hotel whose unexpected change of jobs robs him of self-respect and identity. Directed by Murnau as a purely visual tale devoid of any dialogue intertitles. A masterpiece of the silent cinema celebrating its 100th anniversary! Silent film with live music in the lovingly restored Ludlow Auditorium in Ludlow Town Hall in Ludlow, Vt.
• Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, 2 p.m.: "Spite Marriage" (1929) starring Buster Keaton; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. Our Silent Comedy Summer Series concludes with Keaton's final silent feature, which finds the poker-faced comic smitten so much by stage actress Trilby Drew (Dorothy Sebastian) that he joins the cast of her production. But the fun really begins when she impulsively asks Buster to marry her just to get even with an old flame. Classic Keaton comedy, underrated and full of great routines, and featuring a shipboard climax reminiscent of Keaton's classic comedy 'The Navigator.' Silent film with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912. Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged.
• Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, 7 p.m.: "To Be Announced"; The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 574-4826. Tickets $10 per person. Join us for a series of silent film programs with live music in a wonderful restored theater in downtown Manchester.
• Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, 6:30 p.m.: "Running Wild" (1927) starring W.C. Fields; Greenfield Garden Cinemas, 361 Main St., Greenfield, Mass.; call (413) 773-9260 or visit www.gardencinemas.net. In one of his best silent roles, W.C. Fields plays a hen-pecked husband who lacks the courage to stand up to his domineering wife—until an inadvertent encounter with a hypnotist completely upends the family's domestic status quo. A great showcase for the younger Fields' abilities in pantomime and visual humor.Tickets $10.50 adults; $8.50 students, seniors, and veterans.
• Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, 7 p.m.: Details to be announced; The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 668-5588; https://www.palacetheatre.org/rex-theatre/. Private event.
• Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, 7 p.m.: "The Cameraman" (1928) starring Buster Keaton; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123. In 'The Cameraman,' Keaton tries to impress the gal of his dreams by working as a newsreel photographer. Can he get a break and get the girl? Classic visual comedy with Keaton at the peak of his creative powers; set in NYC and includes 1920s shots of Midtown Manhattan and the old Yankee Stadium.Join us for a summer season of movies and entertainment at the historic Leavitt Theatre. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1925 and barely changed since.
• Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Speedy" (1928) starring Harold Lloyd; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.com. Harold's final silent feature cis a tribute to New York City, baseball, and the idea that nice guys can indeed finish first, highlighted by one of the most exciting races to the finish in all silent cinema. Complete with an extended cameo from none other than Babe Ruth! 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 continuing preservation work.
• Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, 2 p.m.: "The Show" (1927) directed by Tod Browning; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. Rarely screened MGM melodrama starring John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore. Performers in a Budapest sideshow encounter love, greed, and murder in a twisted and bizarre tale of backstage drama! Silent film with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912. Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged.
• Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, 6:30 p.m.: "The Gold Rush" (1925) starring Charlie Chaplin; Riverwoods Durham, 14 Stone Quarry Drive, Durham, N.H.; private screening not open to the public. The Little Tramp prospects in the Klondike in Chaplin's silent comedy epic. Full of classic laugh-out-loud sequences and heartfelt drama. Scenes include Chaplin's famous Thanksgiving Dinner made out of a shoe, the bun dance, and a scene where Chaplin's hungry cabin mate imagines the Little Tramp as a succulent chicken.
• Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, 2 p.m.: "Seven Chances"; Havenwood Heritage Heights Retirement Community, 149 East Side Drive, Concord, N.H.; (603) 229-1266. Private screening not open to the public. In this 1925 farce, 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. One of Keaton's best comedies, climaxed by one of the great chase scenes in all film, silent or otherwise.
• Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, 7 p.m.: "The General" (1926) starring Buster Keaton; Moultonborough Public Library, 4 Holland St, Moultonborough, N.H.; (603) 476-8895. Buster's Civil War-era masterpiece follows the story of a Confederate railroad engineer whose train is hijacked by Northern spies. One of the great films of any era! Enjoy a classic silent film with live music. Free and open to the public.
• Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, 6:30 p.m.: "Sherlock Holmes" (1916)
starring William Gillette; Greenfield
Garden Cinemas, 361 Main St.,
Greenfield, Mass.; call (413) 773-9260 or visit www.gardencinemas.net. Recently discovered in France after being lost for nearly a century, see
this original 1916 adaptation of Sherlock Holmes stories as performed
by William Gillette, the actor who created the role on stage and
performed it more than 1,000 times. With the blessing of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, Gillette's play combines elements of four classic short
stories into a memorable battle with arch-nemesis, Prof. Moriarty. Tickets $10.50 adults;
$8.50 students, seniors, and veterans.
• Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, 6 p.m.: "Metropolis" (1927) directed by Fritz Lang; Colonial Theatre, 95 Main Street, Keene, N.H.; (603) 352-2033; https://thecolonial.org/. 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! Silent film with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1924.
• Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, 4 p.m.: "The Cat and the Canary" (1927) directed by Paul Leni; The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Natick, Mass.; (508) 647-0097. Can a group of distant relatives survive the night in a haunted house to learn the secret of a madman's will? Find out in the original Gothic thriller from silent film director Paul Leni. Just in time for Halloween, a movie filled with deep shadows, dark secrets, and a surprisingly timeless mix of humor and horror that will keep you guessing. Remember: in silent film, no one can hear you scream! Silent film with live music in a renovated firehouse that's now a terrific arts center. Tickets $14, Center for the Arts members $12.
• Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925) starring Lon Chaney; First Congregational Church of Reading United Church of Christ, 25 Woburn St., Reading, Mass. Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber created the hit stage musical, this
silent film adaptation starring Lon Chaney helped place 'Phantom' firmly
in the pantheon of both horror and romance. Suggested donation $10 per person.
• Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925) starring Lon Chaney; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.com. Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber created the hit stage musical, this silent film adaptation starring Lon Chaney helped place 'Phantom' firmly in the pantheon of both horror and romance. Just in time for Halloween! 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 continuing preservation work.
• Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, 2 p.m.: "Der Golem" (1920); Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. In
16th-century Prague, a rabbi creates a giant creature from clay,
called the Golem. Using sorcery, he brings the creature to life in
order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution. Early German
fantasy flick from 1920 anticipates Frankenstein story. Silent film
with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912.
Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged.
• Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, 6:30 p.m.: "The Lost World" (1925) starring Wallace Beery; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551. First-ever movie adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary tale of British explorers who discover pre-historic creatures still thriving atop a remote South American plateau. Great entertainment; ground-breaking special effects by the same team that later created 'King Kong' mesmerized early movie audiences and remain impressive today. Silent film series at a restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H.
• Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Nosferatu"
(1922) directed by F.W. Murnau; Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry;
sponsored by Derry Public Library. Experience the original
silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous
'Dracula' story. Still scary after all these years—and some critics
believe this version is not only the best ever done, but has actually
become creepier with the passage of time.
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.
• Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, 2 p.m.: "To Be Announced"; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. Silent film shown in 35mm prints on the big screen at the Somerville Theatre, a 1914 moviehouse and theater. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.
• Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925) starring Lon Chaney; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123. Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber created the hit stage musical, this silent film adaptation starring Lon Chaney helped place 'Phantom' firmly in the pantheon of both horror and romance. Just in time for Halloween! Join us for a summer season of movies and entertainment at the historic Leavitt Theatre. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1925 and barely changed since.
• Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, Time TBA: "Dracula" (1931) starring Bela Lugosi; The Jane Pickens Theatre, 49 Touro St., Newport, R.I.; (401) 846-5474; https://janepickens.com/. Universal's original sound version of Dracula featured the inspired
casting choice of Bela Lugosi in the title role, but virtually no music!
So this Halloween, we present 'Dracula' with an added musical score by
Jeff Rapsis, our resident silent film accompanist. Ticket info TBA.
• Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.: Lon Chaney Halloween Creepfest! "The Unknown" (1927) and 'West of Zanzibar' (1928), both starring Lon Chaney and directed by Todd Browning; The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 574-4826.
Two very wierd late silent thrillers, both starring Chaney at the peak of
his career and directed by Todd Browning. In 'The Unknown' (1927), Chaney
plays 'Alonzo the Armless,' a circus knife-thrower (he uses his feet!)
with a dark past who lusts after trapeze artist Joan Crawford, who is
pursued by the circus strong man, but she has a phobia about being held
by a man. See where this is going? In 'West of Zanzibar' (1928),
Chaney plays a vaudeville magician who loses use of his legs in an
accident but still journeys to Africa to seek revenge on the wealthy
businessman (Lionel Barrymore) who stole his beloved. Join us for a series of silent film programs with live music in a
wonderful restored theater in downtown Manchester. Tickets $10 per person.
• Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, 7:30 p.m. "Title To Be Announced"; the Edison Theatre at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, 37417 Niles Boulevard, Niles, Calif. Wonderful vintage Edison theater from 1913 now fully restored; shows weekly programs of silent films with live music.
• Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, 6:30 p.m.: "The General" (1927) starring Buster Keaton; Greenfield Garden Cinemas, 361 Main St., Greenfield, Mass.; call (413) 773-9260 or visit www.gardencinemas.net. Buster's Civil War-era masterpiece follows the story of a Confederate railroad engineer whose train is hijacked by Northern spies. One of the great films of any era! Tickets $10.50 adults; $8.50 students, seniors, and veterans.
• Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Barbed Wire" (1927) starring Pola Negri, Clive Brook; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.com. During World War I, the French government commandeers a family farm for use as a camp for German POWs, setting the local population at each other. Intense drama about forbidden love and the human condition with a special holiday twist. 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 continuing preservation work.
• Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, 2 p.m.: "It's the Old Army Game" (1926) starring W.C. Fields, Louise Brooks; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. Burn off those Thanksgiving weekend extra calories with laughter. Uproarious 1926 silent comedy in which W.C. Fields plays Elmer Prettywillie, a druggist kept awake by clamorous garbage collectors, a nosy woman seeking a 2-cent stamp, bogus land deals, and phony fortunes in a non-stop comedy of errors. Silent film with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912. Admission free, donations of $10 per person encouraged.
• Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, 6:30 p.m.: "The Mark of Zorro" (1920)
starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.; Greenfield
Garden Cinemas, 361 Main St.,
Greenfield, Mass.; call (413) 773-9260 or visit www.gardencinemas.net. Douglas Fairbanks Sr. stars in the still-thrilling original adaptation.
Great crowd-pleaser that had an enormous impact on popular culture,
including inspiration for the "Batman" comic book series. Tickets $10.50 adults;
$8.50 students, seniors, and veterans.
• Sunday, Dec. 8, 4 p.m.: "Metropolis" (1927) directed by Fritz Lang;
The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Natick, Mass.; (508)
647-0097. The eye-popping silent film sci-fi masterpiece of German filmmaker Fritz
Lang is a vintage look at things to come. Restored version includes
nearly a half-hour of lost footage that was rediscovered in Argentina in
2008. Silent film with live music in a
renovated firehouse that's now a terrific arts center. Tickets $14,
Center for the Arts members $12.
• Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, time TBA: "The Lost World" (1925) at the 50th Annual Sci-Fi Marathon presented by the Case Western Reserve University Film Society, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. Live music for 'The Lost World,' a featured attraction in this year's annual 36-hour (!) sci-fi marathon at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. First-ever movie adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary tale of British explorers who discover prehistoric creatures still thriving atop a remote South American plateau. Great entertainment; ground-breaking special effects by the same team that later created 'King Kong' mesmerized early movie audiences and remain impressive today.
• Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Wild Orchids" (1928) starring Greta Garbo; The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 574-4826.
An older man takes his young wife across the South Pacific to the island nation of Java, where he plans to invest in
tea plantations. Aboard ship, she witnesses a passenger hitting one of
his servants. The violent man is immediately taken by the beauty of this
mysterious woman and resolves to make her acquaintance, marking the start of a dangerous romantic triangle leading to an unforgettable climax in the jungle. Join us for a series of silent film programs with live music in a
wonderful restored theater in downtown Manchester. Tickets $10.
• Friday, Feb. 21 and Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, Kansas Silent Film Festival at
Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Annual
pilgrimage to multi-day
celebration of silent film with live music. Check it out at www.kssilentfilmfest.org.
My 26th consecutive year of
attending this festival, which includes during the pandemic in 2021, when it was
held online but we recreated it in New Hampshire. See you in the Sunflower State!
• Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 7:30 p.m.: "Before They Could Speak: Laurel & Hardy in the Silent Film Era" starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; The Walker Lecture Series, Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince Street, Concord, N.H. Free and open to the public. See the famous comedy duo when they got their start during the silent film era, prior to the transition to talkies. Films include 'Two Tars' (1928), 'The Finishing Touch' (1928), and 'You're Darn Tootin'' (1928).
• Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 7 p.m.: "Show People" (1928) starring William Haines, Marion Davies; directed by King Vidor; The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 574-4826. Young Peggy Pepper (Marion
Davies) ventures to Hollywood to make her mark in drama, but finds an
unexpected (and unwelcome) flair for slapstick comedy. King Vidor
directed this entertaining valentine to an art form that would soon be
swept aside by talking pictures. Full of cameos of stars ranging from
Charlie Chaplin to Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Join us for a series of silent film programs with live music in a
wonderful restored theater in downtown Manchester. Tickets $10 per person.
