Prepare for St. Patrick's Day with 'Hangman's House' (1928), drama set in Ireland, screening 3/15 at Flying Monkey in Plymouth, N.H.

The dogs are big in John Ford's 'Hangman's House' (1928).

St. Patrick's Day is nearly upon us! Movie lovers, let's celebrate with a vintage drama set in Ireland and directed by John Ford, and with John Wayne in it.

It's 'The Quiet Man' (1952), right? 

Wrong!

It's 'Hangman's House' (1928), a much earlier movie directed by Ford released near the end of the silent era. I'll be accompanying the picture tonight (Wednesday, March 15) at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H.

Showtime is 6:30 p.m. More details in the press release pasted in below.

Although John Wayne appears in it, he's not the star. Instead, Victor McLaglen leads an ensemble cast.

But 'Hangman's House' is the first film in which Wayne can be spotted in a prominent cameo—in a scene where he gets so excited watching a horse race, he leads a group of villages in tearing down a fence.

Quite a contrast to the character that movie-goers would see a quarter-century later in 'The Quiet Man'!

Hope you're done shoveling in time to head to Plymouth to take in this rarely screened John Ford silent set in the Emerald Isle.

Sure'n it'll put you in the mood for all the green beer to come later this week!

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A vintage poster promoting 'Hangman's House' (1928).

MONDAY, FEB. 20, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more info, contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Silent drama 'Hangman's House' with live music at Flying Monkey on Wednesday, 3/15

Early John Ford horse-racing story set in Ireland; features prominent cameo by very young John Wayne

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—The silent film era returns to the big screen at the Flying Monkey with a showing of 'Hangman's House' (1928), a classic John Ford-directed silent drama accompanied by live music.

Showtime is Wednesday, March 15 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.

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 scores for silent films.

Set in Ireland, 'Hangman's House' follows wanted man Denis Hogan (Victor McLaglen) who returns in disguise to his Irish homeland to seek revenge.

Once back, he becomes embroiled in an intense romantic drama involving a local judge (Hobart Bosworth), his daughter (June Collyer), a forced marriage and surprising revelations about his own sister.

A vintage lobby card from 'Hangman's House' (1928).

The film is highlighted by a high-stakes horse race. Among the spectators is a very young John Wayne, clearly visible as an extra who gets so excited he single-handedly destroys a fence.

The story culminates in a spectacular fire sequence that mesmerized the film's original audiences and still maintains its power today.

'Hangman's House' is praised for taut story-telling and evocative camerawork. Ford returned to Ireland as a setting in his later film 'The Quiet Man' (1952), this time starring John Wayne.

Later in his career, Ford would win a total of four Academy Awards for 'Best Director,' a record that stands to this day.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will improvise an original musical score for 'Hangman's House' live as the film is shown.

"When the score gets made up on the spot, it creates a special energy that's an important part of the silent film experience," said Rapsis, who uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of a full orchestra for the accompaniment.

Upcoming titles in the Flying Monkey's silent film series include:

• Wednesday, April 12, 6:30 p.m.: 'The Ten Commandments' (1923). Long before Charlton Heston played Moses in Technicolor, director Cecil B. DeMille filmed this silent blockbuster on a grand scale.

• Wednesday, May 10, 6:30 p.m.: 'Girl Shy' (1924) starring Harold Lloyd. Join us for the original rom-com featuring an unforgettable race-to-the-church finish.

• Wednesday, June 7, 6:30 p.m.: '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916). Early version of the classic Jules Verne tale, with a few other stories mixed in. Feature film that pioneered underwater photography techniques.

• Wednesday, July 19, 6:30 p.m.: 'The General' (1927) Buster Keaton's Civil War-era masterpiece tells the story of a Confederate railroad engineer whose train is hijacked by Northern spies. One of the great films of any era!

• Wednesday, Aug. 30, 6:30 p.m.: 'My Best Girl' (1927) starring Mary Pickford. In a big city department store, what happens when romance blossoms between a humble clerk and the store owner's son?

• Wednesday, Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m.: 'Scaramouche' (1923). When a nobleman murders his best friend, a lawyer becomes a revolutionary with his heart set on vengeance. Swashbuckler based on best-selling novel by Rafael Sabatini.

• Wednesday, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m.: Lon Chaney creepy double feature. Just in time for Halloween. In 'The Unknown' (1927), Chaney plays "Alonzo the Armless," a circus knife thrower who uses his feet; in 'West of Zanzibar' (1928), Chaney plays a vaudeville magician who loses use of his legs in an accident and journeys to Africa to seek revenge.

• Wednesday, Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m.: 'The Three Musketeers' (1921) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Original screen adaptation that set the bar for future versions of the famous story, as well as the swashbuckler genre itself.

‘Hangman's House’ (1928), a classic silent drama directed by John Ford, will be shown with live music on Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H. Admission is $10 per person. For more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

 P.S. Is it just me, but isn't the artwork style of the above poster eerily similar to the style of the old Wacky Packages product parody stickers of my youth?

Heading west once again, this time with John Ford: two early features at Town Hall Theatre

A darkly lit scene from 'Hell Bent' (1918), directed by a very young John Ford.

Heading west today—west to Wilton, N.H., that is—to accompany two early John Ford dramas starring Harry Carey.

It's the latest installment in our summertime salute to silent film Westerns at the Town Hall Theatre.

This afternoon, we're screening 'Straight Shooting' (1917) and 'Hell Bent' (1918), a pair of features that mark the first westerns directed by a very young John Ford. (Billed in these here titles as "Jack" Ford.)

So gather round the cinematic campfire (not the best image for nitrate film) and take in two rarely screened tales from long ago. More info in the press release below.

Also, I'd like to report that silent Garbo remains a top box office attraction. Last night in Brandon, Vt., 'Wild Orchids' (1929), a late MGM silent starring the Swedish sphinx, drew a sizeable crowd on a humid evening.

Perfect conditions for a steamy, tropical romantic thriller! 

Original promotional materials for 'Wild Orchids' (1929).

But I've found 'Wild Orchids,' with its "stalking big game" metaphor threaded throughout a cat-and-mouse story, always makes a strong impact on audiences. Coming as it did at the very end of the silent era, it was produced by people who were at their peak of fluency in the medium.

And the result is a film that really holds up well. After last nights screening, I had an interesting conversation with a couple who said that for a silent film, they were surprised at how sophisticated it was.

Well, I'm surprised that 'Wild Orchids' is not more embraced by critics. But then Garbo always wanted to be left alone, anyway.

If you're eager to see 'Wild Orchids' on the big screen, I'll do it again later this month—on Wednesday, Aug. 18 at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine.

In the meantime, hope to see you at this afternoon's double helping of John Ford silent westerns. The round-up begins at 2 p.m.!

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Early cowboy star Harry Carey plays as "Cheyenne Harry" in two early John Ford westerns.

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

Director John Ford's first two Westerns to be shown in Town Hall Theatre double feature

Summer series of rare silent Westerns with live music continues with Harry Carey films on Sunday, Aug. 8 in Wilton, N.H.

WILTON, N.H.—Even if you've won four Oscars for Best Director (more than anyone else), you had to start somewhere.

See the very first Westerns helmed by John Ford, who would later win multiple Academy Awards, in the next installment of the Town Hall Theatre's summer salute to silent film westerns.

'Straight Shooting' (1917) and 'Hell Bent' (1918), both directed by Ford when he was in his early 20s, will be shown as a double feature on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 2 p.m.

The screening is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to support the Town Hall Theatre's silent film programming.

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

"Both of these early John Ford Westerns are more than a century old," said Rapsis. "They didn't need to pretend to be in the 'Old West' because it was there all around them."

Critics regard 'Straight Shooting' as a landmark in the history of the Western. The first feature directed by Ford, it revived the career of early superstar Harry Carey, who gives a rough and tumble performance as a hired gun who turns on his employers to defend an innocent farmer and his family.

In 'Hell Bent,' "Cheyenne Harry" (Harry Carey playing the same character from Straight Shooting) flees the law after a poker game shootout, and arrives in the town of Rawhide, where he becomes friendly with local cowboy Cimarron Bill and dance hall girl Bess Thurston.

When gang leader Beau Ross kidnaps Bess, Harry goes to desperate lengths travelling across the deadly desert in order to free Bess from her hard-bitten captor.

“Cheyenne Harry” is a role Carey would play into the 1930s, an amiable antihero who pals around with outlaws but who really has a heart of gold. Carey's work was a pivotal influence on John Wayne, a later Ford collaborator.

Carey's rugged frame and craggy features were well suited to westerns and outdoor adventures. When sound films arrived, Carey displayed an assured, gritty baritone voice that suited his rough-hewn screen personality.

As he aged, Carey transitioned from leading roles to character parts, including the President of the Senate in Frank Capra's 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.' (1939).

John Ford, the only four-time 'Best Director' Oscar winner, stands as an iconic figure in American cinema. In a career spanning five decades, Ford directed more than 140 films. He's widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation.

Ford's work was held in high regard by his colleagues, with Orson Welles and Ingmar Bergman among those who named him one of the greatest directors of all time.

Ford made frequent use of location shooting and wide shots, in which his characters were framed against a vast, harsh, and rugged natural terrain.

Upcoming titles in the Town Hall's summer series of silent Westerns include:

• Sunday, Aug. 22 at 2 p.m.: Set in western Canada, 'Mantrap' (1926) tells the story of a New York divorce lawyer on a camping vacation to get away from it all, but gets more than he bargained for with Clara Bow, then fast on her way to becoming Hollywood's 'It' girl. Directed by Victor Fleming, who would go on to helm 'Gone With the Wind' (1939) and 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939).

• Sunday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m.: Our look at silent-era Westerns concludes with the genre's lighter side. In 'Womanhandled' (1925), Richard Dix tries to win his girlfriend by taking up the rugged cowboy life, only to find it not so rugged. In 'Go West' (1925), Buster Keaton sends up the legends of the West with his timeless brand of visual comedy; includes perhaps the most unlikely love story in any mainstream 1920s Hollywood film.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will create musical scores for each film live during its screening, in the manner of theater organists during the height of silent cinema.

"For most silent films, 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."

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

'Straight Shooting' (1917) and 'Hell Bent' (1918), two early westerns directed by John Ford and starring Harry Carey, will be screened on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H. Free admission; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to support the Town Hall Theatre's silent film series.

For more information, visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com or call (603) 654-3456.

Drama, comedy, history, ethnic stereotypes: 'The Iron Horse' (Thursday, 6/14) has it all!

Thursday, June 14 is Flag Day, one of those quasi-holidays that doesn't quite meet the "three-day" weekend test.

But at a time of divisiveness, why not use the occasion to celebrate something that helped bring us together as a nation?

I'm thinking of the Transcontinental Railroad, built after the Civil War to link California and the Wild West with the nation's settled East.

And I'm thinking specifically about 'The Iron Horse,' an epic 1924 silent drama that tells its story as only Hollywood (even then) could do.

This movie, directed by a very young John Ford for the Fox Studio, will be screened on Thursday, June 14 at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington, Mass.

More details in the press release below.

Laying track, with locomotive in wait, in 'The Iron Horse' (1924).

For now, let me just say that 'Iron Horse' is from the P.T. Barnum school of filmmaking: there's a little something (and sometimes a lot) for everyone.

Drama? Check. Slapstick comedy? Check. History and geography? Check. Ethnic stereotypes? Check. Cameo by Abraham Lincoln? Check. Lots of steam engine and train action? Double check!

All this made for a really successful picture in 1924—one that holds up pretty well today, I think, as long as you understand what Ford and his collaborators were going for.

They weren't trying for straight drama, or pure comedy, or really any kind of disciplined genre. Rather, they were celebrating a national achievement that was in living memory of many in the audience at the time. The continent-spanning railroad was something of which most Americans were still quite proud, and justifiably so.

And in the new-fangled movie business, there was a market for this kind of a feel good "parade" film—one that brought to life one of the many true-to-life legends that fed into the American story. 'The Covered Wagon' (1922) was another one.

So not really a documentary, and not completely fiction, either. Instead, 'The Iron Horse' comes off as a refreshingly upbeat and uncynical Valentine to an era when big things seemed possible.

Wow, I think we need films like this more than ever. See you at the Capitol!

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I'll be watching you: a vintage poster promoting 'The Iron Horse' (1924).

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

John Ford's 'The Iron Horse’ with live music Thursday, June 14 at Capitol Theatre

Building of transcontinental railroad is focus of legendary director's groundbreaking silent film epic

ARLINGTON, Mass.—The battle to complete the transcontinental railroad provides the setting for 'The Iron Horse,' a John Ford-directed silent film epic that mixes history and fiction.

Shot in the wide open spaces of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada, 'The Iron Horse' set new standards for location photography and was a huge hit for Fox Studios when released in 1924.

'The Iron Horse' will be screened with live music on Thursday, June 14 at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre, 204 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, Mass. Admission is $12 adults, $10 kids and seniors.

A live musical score will be performed by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

Though based on actual historical events, 'The Iron Horse' weaves fictional story lines into the massive effort to build a railroad across the West, linking California with the rest of the nation.

The project, authorized by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 at the height of the Civil War, was not completed until 1869 with the driving of the Golden Spike in Utah.

Although only a half-century in the past when 'The Iron Horse' was made, the completion of the transcontinental railroad had already taken on a mythic status as part of the nation's story.

The film's narratives includes appearances by iconic historical figures such as Lincoln, Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok.

Director John Ford was just 31, but already a veteran of 35 features and dozens more two-reelers, many of them westerns, when he lobbied William Fox to helm 'The Iron Horse.'

Madge Bellamy and George O'Brien, and horse, on location in 'The Iron Horse' (1924).

For the leading role of Davy Brandon, Ford cast an unknown. George O'Brien had been a stuntman, extra, and camera assistant when Ford, impressed by his screen tests and his pluck, cast him over the studio's reservations.

'The Iron Horse' made O'Brien a western star and his subsequent career included many more Ford films as well as the lead in F.W. Murnau's masterpiece 'Sunrise' (1927).

The female lead was played by Madge Bellamy, a major leading actress of the silent film era.

Taking advantage of the movie camera's flexibility, Ford and his crew shot the film on location in New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. Locations were chosen for wide open spaces and dramatic landscapes.

The production battled snow constantly, and the shooting day often began with the entire company shoveling and sweeping the snow off the streets of the sets.

To add authenticity, Ford brought in real Native Americans to play the "Indians" (they also doubled as Chinese laborers for a few shots) and hired local cowboys for the riding scenes and stunts.

The film opened to rave reviews and became one of Fox's biggest hits of the silent era, earning over $2 million on a negative cost of $250,000.

Yet another vintage poster for 'The Iron Horse' (1924). If nothing else, the flick was well-promoted.

Ford would go on to win a total of four Academy Awards for directing, a record that still stands today. His later films include 'Stage Coach' (1939); 'The Grapes of Wrath' (1940); 'How Green Was My Valley' (1941); and 'The Quiet Man' (1952).

'The Iron Horse' is the latest in a series of monthly silent film screenings at the Capitol Theatre. The series aims to recreate the lost magic of early cinema by assembling the elements needed for silent film to be seen at its best: superior films in best available prints; projection on the big screen; live musical accompaniment; and a live audience.

“These films are still exciting experiences if you show them as they were designed to be screened,” said Rapsis, accompanist for the screenings. “There’s a reason people first fell in love with the movies, and we hope to recreate that spirit.”

For each film, Rapsis improvises a music score using original themes created beforehand. None of the the music is written down; instead, the score evolves in real time based on audience reaction and the overall mood as the movie is screened.

Upcoming titles in the Capitol's silent film series include:

• Thursday, July 5, 8 p.m.: 'The Beloved Rogue' (1926) starring John Barrymore. Epic costume adventure based on the life of the 15th century French poet, François Villon

• Thursday, Aug. 16, 8 p.m.: 'Her Sister from Paris' (1925) starring Constance Talmadge, Ronald Colman. Talmadge in top form playing two very different sisters in this effervescent battle-of-the-sexes romantic comedy.

• Thursday, Sept. 13, 8 p.m.: 'The Last Laugh' (1924). In this ground-breaking character study from director F. W. Murnau, Emil Jannings delivers a tour-de-force performance as a doorman in a swanky Berlin hotel.

• Thursday, Oct 18, 8 p.m.: 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1923). Just in time for Halloween: Lon Chaney stars as Quasimodo in this sprawling silent film adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic story.

John Ford's 'The Iron Horse' will be shown on Thursday, June 14 at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre, 204 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, Mass. Admission is $12 adults, $10 kids and seniors. For more info, call (781) 648-6022 or visit www.capitoltheatreusa.com.

Below: a vintage newspaper ad promoting 'The Iron Horse' (1924).

Back to the piano bench: four days, four shows, three states, and one foreign country...

Accompanying 'The Iron Horse' (1924) in Brandon, Vt. on Saturday, June 25.

...if you count Canada as a truly foreign country.

Well, either way, I'm back at it, having last night done music for 'Don Q, Son of Zorro' (1925) at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine.

A strong turnout of about 60 folks cheered and hooted and hollered as Doug battled rivals to clear his name. Great flick!

Later today I head up to the Franklin (N.H.) Opera House, a new venue for me, to do music for Keaton's 'Sherlock Jr.' (1924).

On Saturday, it's up to Vermont for 'The Iron Horse' (1924), the next installment in a monthly program of silents at the Brandon (Vt.) Town Hall.

And then it's off to Toronto on Sunday, June 26 for a quick out-and-back to play for King Vidor's 'Show People' (1928) at the Revue Cinema.

From 'Show People' (1928): William Haines and Marion Davies meet a funny little man, name of Chaplin.

Yes, and I guess somewhere in there I'll have to make room for eating and sleeping. And updating this blog. :)

I will say that the weekend will be highlighted by two people I'm looking forward to seeing.

On Saturday, when I'm up in Vermont, silent film accompanist Ben Model is also in Vermont, playing for a screening of 'Steamboat Bill Jr.' not far away from my Brandon Town Hall show.

Ben's show is in the afternoon, so I'm hoping to stop by on my way to Brandon. How odd to have two silent film shows in nearby locations, but on the same day in rural Vermont!

And on Sunday, I'll get to see Alicia Fletcher and other members of Toronto's vintage film community. They're a nice bunch and looking forward to hanging with them, if only briefly.

On the to-do list in Canada: get a haircut! This will allow me to continue to observe my "domestic haircut boycott" while Mr. Trump remains a candidate for the presidency. Expect a photo album on Facebook.

And that's all I have time for right now.

If you'd like more info about this weekend's shows, details are posted my schedule page, which is accessible via the right-hand links on the home page.

But to help orient you (and for me to keep track as well), here's a quick thumbnail schedule of the weekend's upcoming performances:

• Thursday, June 23, 8 p.m.: Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr., at the Leavitt Theatre, Ogunquit, Maine.

• Friday, June 24, 7 p.m.: Sherlock Jr. (1924) starring Buster Keaton, at the Franklin (N.H.) Opera House.

• Saturday, June 25, 7 p.m.: The Iron Horse (1924) directed by a very young John Ford, at the Brandon Town Hall in Brandon, Vt.

• Sunday, June 26, 4 p.m.: Show People (1928) starring Marion Davies and William Haines at the Revue Cinema, Toronto, Canada.

You know how on 'Wheel of Fortune' you can buy a vowel?

Well, in the game show called "Life," I wish i could buy an hour so that I can continue writing.

But I can't, and time is up for this installment. See you next time!

Tonight: John Ford's silent 'Hangman's House' at Flying Monkey theater in Plymouth, N.H.

Okay, here's one I've been looking forward to.

Tonight (Thursday, Sept. 10) our monthly silent film series in Plymouth, N.H. takes a turn for the dramatic with 'Hangman's House' (1928).

It's the final silent film from young director named John Ford, who would go on to win four Academy Awards for his later work.

'Hangman's House' isn't regarded a masterpiece. But that's what I find exciting about it.

Unencumbered by legend or expectations, it's a picture that simply shows silent film at the top of its expressive power.

To me, it's a prime example of how filmmakers had learned how to naturally use the motion picture medium to tell a story visually, and for maximum effect.

And it helped that German director F.W. Murnau had come to Hollywood to make 'Sunrise' at Fox studios at the same time Ford was working there.

'Sunrise,' widely regarded as one of the most beautiful pictures of any era, set new standards for what a silent film could look like.

'Hangman's House,' set in Ireland, shows Murnau's influence in the scenes played out amid the ground-hugging fog and shadows.

A fireplace becomes a window into terrifying visions for a dying judge in 'Hangman's House.'

There's also a terrific visual fluidity to 'Hangman's House.' Although the story proceeds naturally, Ford is able to weave in vivid fantasy images that show the inner feelings of characters and underscore the drama.

'Hangman's House' is one of those late silents that came and went quickly, released when talking pictures were already the rage.

At the time, I think few people appreciated how absorbing even a non-masterpiece silent could be.

So it's a special pleasure to present a film such as 'Hangman's House' to audiences today. Uncorked after all these years, it's a time-capsule of drama that plays just as strongly as when it was new—perhaps even more so, because silent film is such an unusual experience for modern audiences.

People are often surprised to find a well-made movie with all the techniques of silent film story-telling at its disposal, and a director who knew how to use them.

And I'm so pleased to do accompaniment that I hope helps facilitate this discovery. The music will definitely be of the "less is more" school, with just a hint of Irish coloring.

Another attraction of 'Hangman's House' is that it includes one of the earliest on-camera appearances by a clearly identifiable John Wayne.

There he is!

Wayne shows up in a crowd of lively villagers watching a horse race. The Duke's response is so exuberant that he destroys the fence holding back the crowd!

It's a perfect cameo for Wayne, who indeed would not be held back. He'd later work with Ford on 14 major motion pictures, including classics such as 'Stagecoach' (1939) and 'The Searchers' (1956).

One major Ford/Wayne collaboration would be 'The Quiet Man' (1952), taking the pair back full circle to a story set in Ireland.

So join us tonight for a rarely screened movie that you may never have heard of—but which you surely won't forget.

Showtime is 6:30 p.m., so you'll be out in time for the Patriots kick-off.

More info is in the press release below. Hope to see you there!

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MONDAY, AUG. 24, 2015 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Silent drama 'Hangman's House' with live music at Flying Monkey on Thursday, Sept. 10

Early John Ford horse-racing story set in Ireland features prominent cameo by very young John Wayne

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—The silent film era returns to the big screen at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center with a showing of 'Hangman's House' (1928), a classic silent drama accompanied by live music.

Showtime is Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey, 39 Main St., Plymouth. All are welcome to this family-friendly event; admission is $10 per person general admission.

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 scores for silent films.

Set in Ireland, 'Hangman's House' follows wanted man Denis Hogan (Victor McLaglen) who returns in disguise to his Irish homeland to seek revenge.

Once back, he becomes embroiled in an intense romantic drama involving a local judge (Hobart Bosworth), his daughter (June Collyer), a forced marriage and surprising revelations about his own sister.

The film is highlighted by a high-stakes horse race. Among the spectactors is a very young John Wayne, clearly visible as an extra who gets so excited he single-handedly destroys a fence.

The story culminates in a spectacular fire sequence that mesmerized the film's original audiences and still maintains its power today.

'Hangman's House' is praised for taut story-telling and evocative camerawork. Ford returned to Ireland as a setting in his later film 'The Quiet Man' (1952), this time starring John Wayne.

The screening of 'Hangman's House' is the latest in the Flying Monkey's monthly series of great silent films shown on the big screen with live music.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will improvise an original musical score for 'Hangman's House' live as the film is shown.

"When the score gets made up on the spot, it creates a special energy that's an important part of the silent film experience," said Rapsis, who uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of a full orchestra for the accompaniment.

The Flying Monkey originally opened as a silent film moviehouse in the 1920s, and showed first-run Hollywood films to generations of area residents until closing several years ago.

The theater has since been renovated by Alex Ray, owner of the Common Man restaurants, who created a performance space that hosts a wide range of music acts.

But movies of all types are still a big part of the Flying Monkey's offerings, and the silent film series is a way for the theater to remain connected to its roots.

‘Hangman's House’ (1928), a classic silent drama directed by John Ford, will be shown with live music on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth. Admission $10 per person. For more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com. For more on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.

Updating the era of railroad dominance to understand John Ford's 'The Iron Horse' (1924)

Tonight we're screening a great silent, 'The Iron Horse' (1924), at 7 p.m. at Red River Theatres in downtown Concord, N.H.

Directed by a young John Ford, the film depicts the building of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. It's notable for many reasons, not the least of which is its amazing location photography.

Because most Americans today do not use railroads for travel, a film such as the 'Iron Horse' is unlikely to connect with contemporary audiences the same way it would have at the time of its original release. In the 1920s, everyone travelled by train.

So how to make up for that? In introducing the film, I plan to point out that a good way to look at 'The Iron Horse' is that when it was released, the completion of the transcontinental railroad was only about a half-century in the past, or within memory of a lot of people still around.

Here was this amazing era-defining accomplishment that helped shape so much of American life and society, and yet there were people around who had been born before it had been created.

How can we relate to this today? Well, today the function of our passenger rail network has largely been taken over by the Interstate Highway System. And isn't it convenient that the Interstate system was created in 1956, which is almost precisely as far in our rear-view mirror as the transcontinental railroad was in the 1920s?

So to understand the impact of 'The Iron Horse' on its original audiences, you need to not only remember how new movies were, but you also have to allow for how prevalent railroads were in everyone's lives back then. And to do that, you might try imagining a film celebrating the heroic construction of...(drum roll, please)...the Interstate Highway System!

And this raises the question: Who's going to play Dwight D. Eisenhower?

One more thought about 'The Iron Horse.' Silent films being a niche activity, I'm willing to consider any avenue to get an audience. So for this train-related picture, I posted a notice on a local railfan bulletin board. You'll find it listed someone down the roster of topics. As of now, the post has had 183 views.

I don't know if this will get any attendees from the world of "foamers." (That's the term for railfans used by actual railroad employees, and refers to the tendency to foam at the mouth in the presence of a train.) But I was amused by the registration process to post on the board, which required you to prove your expertise.

How? In order to gain access to the railfan bulletin board, you needed to know the train-related character who was once used to promote the popular "Good & Plenty" candy!

I knew it, hence my ability to post. Do you?

I'll give the answer at tonight's screening, so there's another incentive to make the trek. In the meantime, for more info, here's the text of the press release. Hope to see you there!

* * *

TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2014 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

John Ford's 'The Iron Horse’ to be screened with live music on Friday, June 13 at Concord's Red River Theatres

Construction of transcontinental railroad is setting
for legendary director's groundbreaking silent film epic

CONCORD, N.H.—The battle to complete the transcontinental railroad provides the setting for 'The Iron Horse,' a John Ford-directed silent film epic that mixes history and fiction.

Shot in the wide open spaces of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada, 'The Iron Horse' set new standards for location photography and was a huge hit for Fox Studios when released in 1924.

'The Iron Horse' will be screened with live music on Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m. at Red River Theaters, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H. Tickets are $10 per person.

Though based on actual historical events, 'The Iron Horse' weaves fictional story lines into the massive effort to build a railroad across the West, linking California with the rest of the nation.

The project, authorized by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 at the height of the Civil War, was not completed until 1869 with the driving of the Golden Spike in Utah.

Although only a half-century in the past when 'The Iron Horse' was made, the completion of the transcontinental railroad had already taken on a mythic status as part of the nation's story.

The film's narratives includes appearances by iconic historical figures such as Lincoln, Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok.

Director John Ford was just 31, but already a veteran of 35 features and dozens more two-reelers, many of them westerns, when he lobbied William Fox to helm 'The Iron Horse.'

George O'Brien and Madge Bellamy in 'The Iron Horse.' O'Brien is the one in the saddle.

For the leading role of Davy Brandon, Ford cast an unknown. George O'Brien had been a stuntman, extra, and camera assistant when Ford, impressed by his screen tests and his pluck, cast him over the studio's reservations.

'The Iron Horse' made O'Brien a western star and his subsequent career included many more Ford films as well as the lead in F.W. Murnau's masterpiece 'Sunrise' (1927).

The female lead was played by Madge Bellamy, a major leading actress of the silent film era.

Taking advantage of the movie camera's flexibility, Ford and his crew shot the film on location in New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. Locations were chosen for wide open spaces and dramatic landscapes.

The production battled snow constantly, and the shooting day often began with the entire company shoveling and sweeping the snow off the streets of the sets.

To add authenticity, Ford brought in real Native Americans to play the "Indians" (they also doubled as Chinese laborers for a few shots) and hired local cowboys for the riding scenes and stunts.

The film opened to rave reviews and became one of Fox's biggest hits of the silent era, earning over $2 million on a negative cost of $250,000.

John Ford's first American epic is about the nation's physical and symbolic unification in the wake of the Civil War. It is, in many ways, the birth of Ford's essential themes: the meeting of cultures (the Irish, the Italian, and in a rather token way, the Chinese laborers of the West Coast), the sprouting of civilization (at least as defined by the American settlers) in the wilderness, and the building of a community in a shared purpose.

The frontier towns that spring up like desert weeds and pull up roots to follow the construction crews are pockets of both wild anarchy and native justice, and Ford's location shooting set the human drama against the magnificent Western landscapes.

The screening at Red River is a chance to experience 'The Iron Horse' as it was intended to be seen: in a high quality print on the big screen, with live music and with an audience.

'The Iron Horse' will be screened with live music performed by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.

Rapsis, who uses original themes to improvise silent film scores, said silent film dramas such as 'The Iron Horse' focused on big and universal human emotions such as Love, Despair, Anger, and Joy.

Because of this, audiences continue to respond to them today, especially if they're presented as intended — with a live audience and live music.

"Dramas such as 'The Iron Horse' were created to be shown on the big screen as a communal experience," Rapsis said. "With an audience and live music, they can give audiences today a sense of why people first fell in love with the movies."

Red River Theatres, an independent cinema, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to screening a diverse program of first-run independent films, cult favorites, classics, local and regional film projects, and foreign films.

The member-supported theater’s mission is to present film and the discussion of film as a way to entertain, broaden horizons and deepen appreciation of life for New Hampshire audiences of all ages.

Upcoming events in Red River's silent film program include:

• Friday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m.: 'The Last Command' (1928). Emil Jannings snagged the first-ever Best Actor Academy Award for his towering portrayal of a Czarist general and patriot forced to contend with the Russian Revolution in this sweeping late silent drama directed by Josef von Sternberg. One of early Hollywood's most creative and challenging looks at World War I.

• Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.: 'Nosferatu' (1922). Celebrate Halloween by experiencing the original silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous 'Dracula' story. Still scary after all these years—in fact, some critics believe this version is not only the best ever done, but has actually become creepier with the passage of time.

• Friday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.: 'Charlie Chaplin Comedy Night.' Spend part of Thanksgiving weekend with the Little Tramp on the 100th anniversary of his first screen appearances. The whole family will enjoy restored prints of some of Chaplin's most popular comedies shown the way they were intended: on the big screen, with live music, and an audience.

'The Iron Horse' will be shown on Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m. at Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H. Admission is $10 per person; for more info, call (603) 224-4600 or visit www.redrivertheatres.org. For more information about the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.

Deaf people, crazy kids, John Ford, and the Sherman Brothers

We drew a good-sized audience last night (Tuesday, March 6) for our showing of 'Hangman's House' (1928), a rarely screened Fox silent directed by John Ford that holds up really well. Although it includes a lot of horse action and the first notable cameo appearance by a very young John Wayne, the film isn't a Western, but is a drama set in Ireland. (Okay, maybe it's western Ireland.)

The music turned out well, I thought — I used a new "fanfare" theme for the main male character that worked wonderfully under a galloping rhythm during a key horseracing scene, and also a "fake Irish" tune that proved versatile in pumping up the drama. About 40 people stayed afterwards for a half-hour question/answer period, and many said they really liked the film.

But the experience was also notable for what happened off-screen. While setting up at the Manchester (N.H.) Public Library, a man I'd never seen before came up and began loudly telling us to make sure we had the closed captioning on. "For a silent film?" I asked, in the middle of cueing up a projector, but then realized what was going on.

Turns out, yes, he's completely deaf. Years of asking for the closed captioning to be turned on had made him a creature of habit, and he'd forgotten it was a silent film. We chatted a bit — although he can't hear anything (including the music, which might have been to his advantage), he can read lips and communciate quite easily with others. I was so pleased he attended and hope to see him again soon.

I can't say the same, exactly, for a group of kids who noisily came into the auditorium about a half-hour into the screening and proceeded to act like they were in their living room at home and watching the big-screen TV. Well, this is what happens at the library, where everyone is welcome, so you need to have a "big tent" philosophy as far as audiences go.

But these kids were running in and out of the auditorium and creating a distraction for me, and for the audience as well. It never got so bad that I had to stop playing and say knock it off, but it came darn close. Still, new audiences have to come from somewhere, and afterwards they returned and we chatted briefly about "old movies." (One of them wanted to know if the movies we show are older than 'Titanic,' from 1997!)

And after the screening, when opening the auditorium's rear entrance to start loading out my gear, I was startled when the door bumped into a homeless man sleeping on the stoop. (He was startled, too.) The guy was nice enough, considering the situation, and he vanished quickly into the night, leaving me alone to ponder the glamour of cinema in New Hampshire on my own.

Coupla thoughts from last night's "talk" period with the audience. I think it's important to remember that 'Hangman's House' is not regarded as an all-time silent film classic. It's more of a typical release — the kind of film that Hollywood was cranking out on a routine basis in the late silent era. And yet it still has an astonishing ability to hypnotize an audience. So it stands as yet another good example of why people fell hard for the movies.

Directors such as Ford, with little background in the stage, were coming up with films that hold up well today because they're more natively cinematic, I think. The acting is more realistic, at least to our eyes, and a lot of the basic tools of cinema (close-ups, moving cameras, location shots, imaginative visuals) are present. They really knew what they were after by 1928, and that proficiency helps the films work today, even on an audience not used to silent film.

The other thing is to mention Robert B. Sherman, one of the songwriting Sherman brothers, who died yesterday in London at age 86. (The younger brother, Richard M. Sherman, is still with us. That's them with Walt Disney; Robert, generally the "word" guy, is standing.) Perhaps it's because I was marinated in their work as a child, but I regard the Sherman Brothers as the gold standard for simple, memorable melodies.

They had a knack for using very basic musical ideas to create tunes that sound like they've existed all along, but the Shermans somehow discovered them. (It reminds me of what I once heard about sculpture: it's already there in the stone. The sculptor just "finds" it.) And because their most popular work was for musicals such as Disney's 'Mary Poppins,' a lot of it has a theatricality that I find especially appealing. I recall as a child being tremendously excited by the tunes in the non-Disney film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," and just as thrilled (as a big kid) when it was adapted a few years ago for a stage version in London.

And they're one of the models I have in mind when I do my own music for a silent film. Ideally, I try to create simple but memorable tunes that, by virtue of their recognizability, help a film score hold together as it unfolds in real time. And, once it's established, switching it around (using bits of it as connective tissue, changing from major to minor or back again, reharmonizing it) adds a whole other dimension to the possibilities — but only if people can recognize it in the first place.

So it all starts with simple, recognizable melodies, and I can say from experience that this sort of simplicity is not easy to achieve. So my hat is off to the Sherman Brothers, songwriters of my misspent youth, for showing how much potential remains in those white and black keys, even if you're courageous enough to aim for simple tunes, and persistent enough to burnish them to a high gloss.

Rest in peace, Robert!