On Wednesday, June 7, travel '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' at Flying Monkey, Plymouth, N.H.

Original poster, complete with giant squid, promoting the 1916 version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.'

For a long time, I thought '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' was a reference to how deep Captain Nemo's Submarine could go, not how far. 

I now know better. A league, at least in terms of nautical measurement, is about 3 nautical miles, which translates to about 3.4 land miles. So it's like running a 5K, plus a little more.

There! Now that that's cleared up.

This week brings a rare chance to see the original silent film adaptation of Jules Verne's '20000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) on the big screen and with live music. 

I'm accompanying this early epic, the first to make extensive use of underwater photography, on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

Don't expect anything like the classic Disney classic version from 1954 with James Mason playing Captain Nemo. 

This first-ever version actually weaves together at least two other Verne tales into a strange bouillabaisse (hey, it's French!) that's really something.

On the plus side, the preserved film looks GREAT. But on the down side, several sequences involving Charles Denver are out of the correct order, lending an extra-strange element to an already bizarre movie.

But it's all part of the experience, which you can only have if you join us on Wednesday, June 7 at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse. Come by car, bus, or submarine!

Just watch out for any giant squids!

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Capt. Nemo scans the horizon from his submarine, the Nautilus.

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Flying Monkey to screen original 1916 silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'

Early adaptation of Jules Verne classic pioneered underwater photography; shown with live music on Wednesday, June 7

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—The original silent film version of the Jules Verne classic '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) will be shown with live music on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission tickets are $10 and available at door or in advance by calling the box office at (603) 536-2551 or online at www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

In production for more than two years by Universal, the original silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' is an epic retelling of the classic Jules Verne novel, and with elements from other Verne stories mixed in.

Allen Holubar stars as the domineering Captain Nemo, who rescues the passengers of an American naval vessel after ramming them with his iron-clad steampunk submarine, The Nautilus.

Incorporating material from Verne’s 'Mysterious Island,' the film also follows the adventures of a group of Civil War soldiers whose hot-air balloon crash lands on an exotic island, where they encounter the untamed “Child of Nature” (Jane Gail).

Calling itself “The First Submarine Photoplay Ever Filmed,” the film is highlighted by pioneering underwater photography, including an underwater funeral and a deep sea diver’s battle with a giant cephalopod.

The film, directed by Stuart Paton, was filmed largely in the Bahamas to take advantage of shallow seas and bright sunshine.

Several methods were devised to capture scenes underwater, including a sort of "reverse periscope lens" that used mirrors in long tubes to enable a camera onboard ship to film below the surface.

The film has little in common with a later adaption released in 1954 by Walt Disney Studios and starring James Mason.

In honor of extraordinary technical and artistic achievement, the silent version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will create a musical score for '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' live during the screening, in the manner of theater organists during the height of silent cinema.

"For most silent films, including '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,' 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 of silent cinema."

"That's one of the special qualities of silent cinema," Rapsis said. "Although the film itself is well over a century old, each screening is a unique experience — a combination of the movie, the music, and the audience reaction."

The original silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) will be screened with live music on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission tickets are $10 and available at door or in advance by calling the box office at (603) 536-2551 or online at www.flyingmonkeynh.com.
 

Head to class with Buster Keaton in 'College' (1927), screening Sunday, Jan. 29 in Wilton, N.H.

This weekend, Buster Keaton goes to 'College' (1927), with music by me, on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H. 

Don't miss this opportunity to chase away those mid-winter blahs with the silent comic's take on academic life. More info in the press release below.

For now, here's a brief recap on my recent whirlwind road trip last weekend to accompany silent film screenings in Detroit, Mich. and Cleveland, Ohio. 

Last Friday night it was Keaton's 'Battling Butler' (1926) at Cinema Detroit, which welcomed a nearly full house to enjoy Buster's boxing comedy.

In a sonic highlight, I got to use an authentic boxing bell that belongs to Ken Winokur, formerly of the Alloy Orchestra, who loaned it to me for the occasion. Thanks, Ken!

The next day it was off to Cleveland, where I accompanied the 1916 version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' during the annual 36-hour sci-fi marathon at Case Western University.

For once I wasn't the most sleep-deprived person in the room. But actually, the audience was hugely responsive to what must have seemed like an antique curiosity to many viewers. 

By that I mean, the film doesn't exactly show silent cinema at its most eloquent. Alas, it's one of those titles that reinforces the idea of early movies as primitive ancestors of today's visual entertainment.

But it's still worth screening. And it DID keep the sci-fi marathon audience engaged throughout, inspiring shouted comments of the "Time to engage your willing suspension of disbelief!" variety.

Thanks to everyone at Cinema Detroit and the Case Western Reserve University Film Society 

And then it was back home to New England, where this past Monday I accompanied Alfred Hitchcock's early thriller 'The Lodger' (1927) at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Mass.

Which takes us up to the present, where I'm looking forward to accompanying Buster Keaton in 'College' (1927) at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

Hope you'll enroll. See you at the theater!

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Buster Keaton and Anne Cornwall attend 'College' (1927).

MONDAY, JAN. 16, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more info, contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Buster Keaton comedy 'College' with live music on Sunday, 1/29 at Town Hall Theatre

Silent film series continues in Wilton, N.H. theater with screening of timeless classic send-up of campus life

WILTON, N.H.—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.

See for yourself with a screening of 'College' (1927), one of Keaton's landmark feature films, on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to help defray expenses.

The screening will feature live music by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.

'College' follows the story of a hapless university bookworm (Keaton) forced to become a star athlete to win the attention of his dream girl. Can Buster complete the transformation in time to woo her from his rival? And along the way, can he also rescue the campus from sports-related shame?

The film was released in 1927, at the crest of a national fascination with college life. In addition to being a great Keaton comedy, 'College' offers vintage glimpses into what higher education was like nearly a century ago.

Keaton, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, stands today as one of the silent screen's three great clowns. Some critics regard Keaton as the best of all; Roger Ebert wrote in 2002 that "in an extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, (Keaton) worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies."

As a performer, Keaton was uniquely suited to the demands of silent comedy. Born in 1895, he made his stage debut as a toddler, joining his family's knockabout vaudeville act and learning to take falls and do acrobatic stunts at an early age.

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

In reviving Keaton's 'College,' the Town Hall Theatre aims to show silent film as it was meant to be seen—in restored 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 accompany the film. "Recreate those conditions, and classics of early Hollywood such as 'College' leap back to life in ways that audiences still find entertaining."

Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra, creating a traditional "movie score" sound. He improvises the complete score in real time during the screening.

"Creating a movie score on the fly is kind of a high-wire act, but it can often make for more excitement than if everything is planned out in advance," Rapsis said.

Rapsis encouraged people unfamiliar with silent film to give 'College' a try.

"If you haven't seen a silent film the way it was intended to be shown, then you're missing a unique experience," Rapsis said. "At their best, silent films still connect with cinema-goers. They retain the power to cast a spell, engage an audience, tap into elemental emotions, and provoke strong reactions."

The Town Hall Theatre's silent film series was recently featured in the weekly HIppoPress in a story about discovering life-enriching activities and hobbies.

Buster Keaton's 'College' (1927) will be screened on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to help defray expenses. For more information, call (603) 654-3456. 

 

Nosferatu: Not just for Halloween anymore! (During a pandemic, any time is Nosferatu time)

I'll never travel basic economy again!

Screening 'Nosferatu' with more than two months to Halloween? Really?

Well, consider. It's Friday the 13th. And we're in pandemic. So yes, it's as good a time as any for the original screen adaptation of the plague-infused Dracula tale.

And 'Nosferatu' (1922) is what I'll be accompanying tonight, starting at 8 p.m., on the lawn outside the Custom House Maritime Museum, 25 Water St., Newburyport, Mass. 

(And all the sailing ship action makes it a good fit for the Maritime Museum, too.)

Tickets are $15 each and are still available. And it's outdoors, so the screening may or may not include bats!

I don't actively seek out outdoor screenings to accompany, as just too many things can go wrong: summertime cloudbursts, bugs swarming around the keyboard light, fire trucks responding to a call. (Hopefully not at the screening.)

But outdoors or not, a gig is a gig, and summer is the time they happen in my part of the world. 

And so I'll be playing al fresco again on Tuesday, Aug. 17 up at Alton, N.H. Town Bandstand for a screening of 'Clash of the Wolves' (1925) starring Rin Tin Tin.

I was invited up there to be part of the town's extended "Old Home Days" festival in 2019, the year before the pandemic. We ran Buster Keaton's 'Seven Chances' (1925), and the response was good enough to merit a return this summer.

However, it came with an unusual request: for this year, please run a movie with a lot more action in it. 

Wow! It's a tough audience when Buster Keaton in 'Seven Chances' doesn't offer enough action. 

So this year I went with 'Clash' because it starts off fast (Rinty rescuing his own dog family from a raging forest fire) and then just never stops moving. (Also, the raging forest fire makes it as timely as Nosferatu during the pandemic.

And in between, I'm back indoors on Sunday, Aug. 15 to do music for the early 1916 silent adaptation of Jules Verne's '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.' The voyage starts at 4 p.m. at the Center for the Arts in Natick, Mass.

Lots more info in the press release below. Hope to see you there, or under the stars (and among the mosquitos) in Newburyport, Mass. tonight or Alton, N.H. next Tuesday!

*    *    *

MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Natick Center for the Arts to screen original 1916 silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'

Early adaptation of Jules Verne classic pioneered underwater photography; shown with live music on Sunday, Aug. 15

NATICK, Mass.—The original silent film version of the Jules Verne classic '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) will be shown with live music on Sunday, Aug. 15 at 4 p.m. at the Center for the Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick, Mass.

Tickets are $18; Center for the Arts members $15.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

In production for more than two years by Universal, the original silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' is an epic retelling of the classic Jules Verne novel, and with elements from other Verne stories mixed in.

Allen Holubar stars as the domineering Captain Nemo, who rescues the passengers of an American naval vessel after ramming them with his iron-clad steampunk submarine, The Nautilus.

On board 'The Nautilus' in '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916).

Incorporating material from Verne’s 'Mysterious Island,' the film also follows the adventures of a group of Civil War soldiers whose hot-air balloon crash lands on an exotic island, where they encounter the untamed “Child of Nature” (Jane Gail).

Calling itself “The First Submarine Photoplay Ever Filmed,” the film is highlighted by pioneering underwater photography, including an underwater funeral and a deep sea diver’s battle with a giant cephalopod.

The film, directed by Stuart Paton, was filmed largely in the Bahamas to take advantage of shallow seas and bright sunshine.

Several methods were devised to capture scenes underwater, including a sort of "reverse periscope lens" that used mirrors in long tubes to enable a camera onboard ship to film below the surface.

The film has little in common with a later adaption released in 1954 by Walt Disney Studios and starring James Mason.

In honor of extraordinary technical and artistic achievement, the silent version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will create a musical score for '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' live during the screening, in the manner of theater organists during the height of silent cinema.

"For most silent films, including '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,' 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 of silent cinema."

"That's one of the special qualities of silent cinema," Rapsis said. "Although the film itself is well over a century old, each screening is a unique experience — a combination of the movie, the music, and the audience reaction."

The original silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) will be screened with live music on Sunday, Aug. 15 at 4 p.m. at the Center for the Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick, Mass.

Tickets are $18; Center for the Arts members $15. Tickets must be purchased in advance online at www.natickarts.org. For more information, call the Center box office at (508) 647-0097 or visit www.natickarts.org.
 

Show me 'The Money!' See French epic 'L'Argent' (1928) on Thursday, 5/13 in Plymouth, N.H.

Original promotional poster for the French silent film epic 'L'Argent' (1928).

Coming up next: music for 'L'Argent' (1928), one of those sprawling biggies from Europe and a film I've never tried scoring before.

Well, there's a first time for everything, and in this case it's Thursday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center. 

More details about the film and the screening are in the press release below. But first, a few notes from yesterday's screening of the silent version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

When I put this on the schedule, I didn't realize it would be Mother's Day. And it also turned out to be one of those sparkling spring days we get here in New England before the summertime humidity settles in. 

Even so, the Town Hall Theatre was about half-full with people ready for an adventure. So it was successful from the exhibitor's point of view.

Alas, I have to say Universal's restoration and reissue of the picture turned out to be something of a botched job. 

The film looks fantastic, as excellent first-generation material survives. 

But a good chunk of the middle of the film has scenes that are clearly out of order, which really really  detracts from the experience.

And the thing is, it's not one of those cases of a film being intentionally vague, or deliberately misleading, or whatever. There are just scenes that are obviously out of order. It's that simple.

Example: We get dramatic scenes of libertine adventurer Charles Denver on 'Mysterious Island,' lost and looking insane in the jungle, with no explanation of how he got there. Then, a bit later, we see him back at sea on his well-equipped yacht, deciding to get rowed ashore. And so on.

Attention Universal: if you want input about how to fix this, I have about 60 people in southern New Hampshire who would be happy to give you notes. It can't be that hard. Did anyone bother to screen this before it got released?

I wonder if it was an issue of money. And that topic takes us to the next silent film adventure on the calendar: the ambitious 1928 French epic 'L'Argent' (meaning 'Money') from director Marcel L'Herbier.

Catch a rare chance to see this piece of cinematic history on Thursday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center up in Plymouth, N.H. 

More info below. See you there! 

P.S. Badly punning promotional catchphrase: "See 'L'Argent!' The Change Will Do You Good!"

P.P.S.: "L'Argent!' You Can Bank On It!"

P.P.P.S.: "L'Argent!' A Film Of Great Interest!"

Okay, I'll stop now.

*   *   *

Another piece of original promotional art. Is it just me or do his fingers look like some kind of unusual 1920s French neckwear?

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Silent film epic ‘L'Argent’ (1928) at Flying Monkey on Thursday, May 13

Innovative French blockbuster about high finance and corruption to be screened with live music

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—A rarely shown early French movie that broke new cinematic ground is returning to the big screen at the Flying Monkey.

'L'Argent' (1928), a drama about big business corruption, will run on Thursday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth.

The screening, the latest in the Flying Monkey's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

"This is a rare chance to see a terrific film as it was intended to shown: not on TV at home or on a laptop, but on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience," Rapsis said.

Admission is $10 per person, general admission. Tickets are available online at flyinghmonkeynh.org or at the door.

The Flying Monkey continues to observe all recommended Covid-19 safety protocols. Capacity is limited to allow for social distancing, and patrons are required to wear facial coverings until seated.

Loosely based on Emile Zola's 1891 novel of the same name, 'L'Argent' (French for 'Money') follows the story of an embattled bank speculator in Paris who backs a scheme for an daredevil aviator to fly across the Atlantic.

Intended to revive his flagging business empire, this desperate adventure brings about personal and financial ruin for an ever-widening circle of people.

The movie, conceived on a grand scale by director Marcel L'Herbier, originally ran 3½ hours. The version available today has been trimmed to 2½ hours. 

At the time, L'Herbier faced intense criticism for updating the Zola's classic story from the 1860s to the 1920s.

The director argued that Zola's tale spoke to timeless truths, and that updating it to the then-present day would show its universality.

The international cast includes two performers, Brigette Helm and Alfred Abel, who played key roles a year earlier in Fritz Lang's futuristic epic 'Metropolis' (1927).

'L'Argent' won acclaim for its visual design. The movie features enormous sets (some specially built, some borrowed from real life) and memorable camerawork by cinematographer Jules Kruger.

Some scenes required location shooting with large numbers of extras. The departure of the transatlantic flight was filmed at Le Bourget airport. For three days over the weekend of Pentecost L'Herbier was allowed to take over the Paris Bourse, employing 2,000 extras in the stock-exchange scenes.

Still more challenging was a night-time scene in the Place de l'Opéra which had to be specially lit and filled with people to convey the feverish excitement of waiting for news of the flight.

Upon release at the very end of the silent era, the film enjoyed some commercial success, particularly in Germany.

Its reception among critics was more mixed, as some regarded it as a visual triumph while others found scant justification in the story for the indulgence in spectacular sets and energetic camerawork.

In the 1970s, a detailed study by critic Noël Burch, who argued that L'Argent was a ground-breaking work and one of the cinema's greatest achievements, launched a re-evaluation of the film.

As a result, Marcel L'Herbier's  assessment that this was the summit of his silent career has found wider endorsement

In creating music for silent films, accompanist Jeff Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

For each film, Rapsis improvises a music score using original themes created beforehand. No music is written down; instead, the score evolves in real time based on audience reaction and the overall mood as the movie is screened.

'L'Argent' (1928) will be shown on Thursday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H. Admission is $10 per person general admission. Tickets are available online at flyingmonkeynh.com or at the door. For more information, call the Flying Monkey at (603) 536-2551.