In which I am mistaken for a fellow traveler, and a religious non-debate ensues

Mary Pickford approaches the baptismal font in 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922).

A full century after they were made, silent films attract an audience for reasons that are many and varied.

A cousin of mine attends because he's into antiques. He likes seeing chairs and tables and whatever else was in people's homes back then.

But last night, I was reminded that not all reasons are created equal.

We had just finished screening 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922), a great Mary Pickford melodrama, as the main attraction of a "Christmas Past" program.

Our audience at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H., seemed to enjoy it. Afterwards, I asked for questions and comments.

Mary Pickford in 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922).

I guy I'd never seen before raised his hand.

"That film showed the America that USED to be!" he said loudly.

I didn't understand quite what he was getting at...maybe how times were simpler and people knew their roles?

"Yes, yes," I said. "It was certainly another era."

I mentioned something about how the rich family behaved like the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age (or today), and we moved on. But afterwards the guy came down to talk one-on-one.

And he said it again, as if to congratulate me: "That film showed the America that used to be," he said, and then continued. "You know, all the original 13 colonies were founded because of religion."

Ah! That's what he was getting at. He likes his America heavy on Christianity, and here was a film that showed the good old days when people feared and respected God as imagined in scripture.

Like many films of the era, 'Tess of the Storm Country' is saturated with Christian imagery and suffused with a kind of of innocent, sentimental piety. This was seen as good box office: just look at Cecil B. DeMille's 'King of Kings' (1927) to see this principle used in the most cynical fashion, with the cast required to attend Catholic Mass every day on set.

In 'Tess,' the whole story is told in a Christian framework of "Peace on Earth, good will to men." This is nice and fits the story its characters, and is one of the reasons it works as a Christmas movie, I think.

A two-page spread promoting 'Tess.'

Well, my new friend found that the world as depicted in 'Tess' matched the world he'd like to see in 2018, apparently. It's a world where rich and poor alike are subject to the judgment of Almighty God, and the fate of all was in large part determined by how dedicated they were to observing Christian scripture, i.e. the Bible.

And he continued for a bit, lecturing me about how this country was founded on religious belief and faith in God and Jesus Christ, and so on.

I like to think I'm tolerant of all points of view, and I'm grateful for any fan's support. But this guy irritated me, as he was taking this melodrama and reading into it so much that I felt just wasn't there.

Also, he was using it to justify a misunderstanding of American history and civics that borders on religious bigotry, I felt.

So when he paused, I found myself saying this:

"But we have this document called the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of worship, so people of all faiths are welcome and encouraged to play full roles in society. Isn't that great?"

We chatted for a bit more, and I can't recall his responses, mostly because I was tired, but also because I was no longer really interested in what he had to say.

Also, he realized that he had mistaken me for a fellow traveler. When he found out that wasn't the case, he beat a hasty retreat, presumably because I might burst into flames at any moment.

Like I said, people come to silent films for many reasons. But it's disappointing to me when the reasons involve an nostalgia for an imagined past that never was, or even worse, use them to support a worldview that endorses superiority of one religion over another.

Full disclosure: I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, but have since become a religious free-thinker. I'm officially a member of the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Nashua, N.H., but have no direct involvement in the church as even that is too structured for me.

But I'm not an atheist. I find I'd like to someday take my life experiences and use them to create a spiritual system that reflects what I've encountered. I don't know for sure, but it'll probably revolve around recognizing human awareness as a sacred thing.

A good example of human awareness is our ability to recognize paradox. What other being has the ability to recognize and contemplate a paradox? Consider: a gasoline tanker truck on the side of the road, not moving. Why? It's out of gas. Paradox!

Speaking of out of gas, so am I. And it's a good time to be that way, as the silent film calendar is finally slowing down after a very busy Halloween / Armistice Day period.

Coming up: a handful of screenings through mid-January, including a rare Russian film at an Academic Convention this Friday in Boston; Harold Lloyd's 'Grandma's Boy' (1922) next Sunday (Dec. 9) in Natick, Mass.; and D.W. Griffith's rarely screening 'Hearts of the World' (1918) on Dec. 30 in Wilton, N.H.

Details on the "Upcoming Screenings" page. See you at the movies!

'Christmas in July' plus Mary Pickford feature tonight (7/21) at Ogunquit's Leavitt Theatre

Mary Pickford in 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922), playing tonight at 8 p.m. at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine.

Busy lately, so I'm a little behind in the silent film postings.

But still, tonight's program at the Leavitt Theatre out in Ogunquit, Maine is a worthy one, so here goes.

Tonight at 8 p.m., we're running a 'Christmas in July' show that includes some shorter holiday silents and Mary Pickford's great 1922 melodrama 'Tess of the Storm Country.'

This program is one that's worked well during the actual holiday season.

People respond well to the early one-reel versions of 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' and Pickford's film (with its Yuletide ending) still packs a punch.

But this is the first time I've tried it out in mid-summer, decked out with a "Christmas in July" theme. So we'll see how it goes.

For more info, check out the text of the press release below. See you there!

* * *

Promotional ad for the 1914 version of 'Tess of the Storm Country.'

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2016 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

'Christmas in July' silent film program at the Leavitt on Thursday, July 21

Celebrate the season with holiday classics from a century ago, brought to life with live musical accompaniment

OGUNQUIT, Maine—What did people watch before special holiday TV programs such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" made their debut in the 1960s?

See for yourself with a special program of holiday classics from way back during the silent film era, all accompanied by live music.

Included will be the first-ever film versions of such popular tales as 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' the poem by Clement C. Moore; each are more than a century old and less than 10 minutes long.

The family-friendly program will be presented on Thursday, July 21 at 8 p.m. at the Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. in downtown Ogunquit, Maine. Admission is $10 per person.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who performs regularly at screenings around the nation.

The evening will be highlighted by a screening of 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922), a full-length drama starring Mary Pickford that features a special Christmas-oriented ending.

"Even in the early days of cinema, the movies helped popularize classic holiday stories," Rapsis said. "So it's a real treat for us to turn back the clock and see where the tradition of holiday movies and TV specials first began."

The program will include the first known movie versions of 'A Christmas Carol' (1910) and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' (1905).

The films each run less than 10 minutes long and were both produced as novelties by Thomas Edison, the inventor credited with pioneering the motion picture.

'Tess of the Storm County' (1922), a full-length feature, has been hailed as among Mary Pickford's best pictures.

The film tells a story of conflict between residents of a poor fishing village who live near the the estate of a wealthy family.

As the feisty daughter of a village leader who is unjustly put in jail, Pickford plays a key role in a melodramatic plot that takes many surprising turns.

Pickford, a pioneering film superstar, was a major force in early Hollywood, helping establish the United Artists studio and serving as a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the annual Oscar awards.

However, Pickford's films receive comparatively little attention today, in part due to the myth that Pickford often played wholesome and traditional female characters that conformed with society's expectations at the time.

A slide promoting 'Tess of the Storm Country.'

In truth, Pickford's best movies often featured her in roles that required her to take action, challenge authority, and play strong roles uncommon for a woman of the era.

The "Christmas in July" Program at the Leavitt will give local audiences a chance to experience silent film as it was meant to be seen—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 improvises a movie's musical score live as it screens. "Recreate those conditions, and the classics of early Hollywood leap back to life in ways that can still move audiences today."

Rapsis performs on a digital keyboard that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

Critics review 'Tess of the Storm Country':

"The most insistently moving picture ever made, its climax is the most stunning visual event ever arranged for a film comedy."
—The New York Times

"The reason to watch is Pickford's elfin grace; she is at her criminally cutest here. Tess boasts rapturous pictorialism and an all-stops-out-climax."
—Richard Corliss, Film Comment

The Leavitt, a summer-only moviehouse, opened in 1923 at the height of the silent film era, and has been showing movies to summertime visitors for nine decades.

The silent film series honors the theater's long service as a moviehouse that has entertained generations of Seacoast residents and visitors, in good times and in bad.

Upcoming shows in this year's silent series include:

• Thursday, Aug. 11 at 8 p.m.: 'Tramp Tramp Tramp' (1926); comic Harry Langdon enters a cross-country foot race to impress his dream girl, Joan Crawford!

• Thursday, Aug. 25 at 8 p.m.: 'The Sheik' (1921) and 'Son of the Sheik' (1926), two popular films of silent screen icon Rudolph Valentino on the 90th anniversary of his death.

• Thursday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m.: 'The Winning of Barbara Worth' (1927); Ronald Colman and Gary Cooper compete for a woman's favor in this epic Western filmed on location.

• Saturday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m.: 'The Man Who Laughs' (1928); celebrate Halloween with a creepy but riveting historical tale about a man forced to go through life with a maniacal grin.

A 'Christmas in July' silent film program featuring Mary Pickford in 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922) will be shown on Thursday, July 21 at 8 p.m. at the Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St., Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine. Admission $10 per person. For more info, call (207) 646-3123 or visit www.leavittheatre.com.

"Go Midwest, Middle-Aged Man!" Prepping for my first-ever "Pre-Holiday Midwest & Canada Silent Film Tour"

Geez! I could fly in much less time than driving, and avoid all that construction.

Perhaps it's fitting that Horace Greeley grew up in nearby Amherst, N.H., as I'm about to Go West!

(Yes, that's a Buster Keaton film. And a later one by the Marx Brothers. But I digress.)

Next week, I head west for my first-ever mini-tour of accompanying silent films at venues outside my New England base.

Here's the line-up:

• Thursday, Dec. 10: A holiday-themed silent film program featuring Mary Pickford's 'Tess of the Storm Country' at the Carnegie Center in Covington, Kentucky. (It's just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.)

• Friday, Dec. 11: An all-35mm film program featuring Laurel & Hardy in 'Big Business' (1929) and Harry Langdon's rarely screened comedy/drama 'Three's A Crowd' (1928) at the Cleveland Cinematheque.

• Saturday, Dec. 12: Yasujiro Ozu's final silent film, 'Passing Fancy' (1933), again at the Cleveland Cinematheque.

• Sunday, Dec. 13: Fritz Lang's epic 'Woman in the Moon' (1929) at the Revue Cinema in Toronto, Canada.

So it's more like "Go Midwest, Young Man!"

But the Revue screening marks my international debut! It's the first time I've needed a passport for a gig.

I'm bringing my keyboard and sound system, so I'll be driving out and back.

I want to thank everyone at the venues for programming silent film with live music, and for their kindness in bringing me in to do the accompaniment for some great programs.

The stage at the Carnegie Center, set up for when I did music for Keaton's 'The General' (1926) in 2013.

The Carnegie show got on the calendar first, based on a show I did there two years ago.

Since I would be driving there out and back, I reached out to a few other places that run silent film to see if anyone else could use me.

Turned out I was able to schedule two screenings in Cleveland and then another in Toronto—all on consecutive days, and all within easy driving distance.

Hence my first-ever tour. All that's missing is T-shirts: Cincinnati! Cleveland! Toronto!

Thankfully, the weather looks to be clear and calm into next weekend. Hope the forecast holds, which would allow me to get some running in while I'm on the road.

For more info on the screenings, I'm pasting in the text of a press release that I sent to some of the local papers in our area. As a tuba player, I understand the value of tooting one's horn when appropriate.

I'll be reporting from the road. For now, thanks to everyone who's encouraged me to accompany silent films.

It's evolved to the point where it's my major form of artistic self-therapy—a kind of musical wellness program that helps keep me sane.

As I sometimes joke: Blue Cross / Blue Shield should reimburse me!

* * *

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2, 2015 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Local silent film accompanist to embark on tour of venues in Midwest and Canada

Bedford, N.H. resident to perform original scores to vintage film screenings in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Toronto

BEDFORD, N.H.—For a musician who specializes in a dead art form, Jeff Rapsis is one busy guy.

Rapsis, who improvises live musical accompaniment for silent film programs, will cap off 2015 with a pre-holiday tour of venues in the U.S. Midwest and Canada.

The tour finishes off a year that's seen Rapsis perform live music for more than 100 screenings of classic films from Hollywood's early years, before the era of synchronized sound and recorded dialogue.

Using a digital synthesizer that recreates the texture of the full orchestra, Rapsis plays his way through dramas, comedies, Westerns, thrillers, and all manner of pictures from the silent era.

Most shows are at venues close to his New England base: in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, and at theaters in the Greater Boston area.

But December's Pre-Holiday Midwest and Canada Silent Film Tour will bring Rapsis to the Carnegie Center in Cincinnati, Ohio; two shows at the Cleveland Cinematheque in Cleveland, Ohio; and the Revue Cinema in Toronto, Ontario.

The Toronto engagement marks Rapsis' international debut.

"These screenings are a great chance for me to bring the art of creating live music for great silent films to places where audiences may not have had a chance to experience it," Rapsis said.

Rapsis uses no sheet music for his performances, but improvises scores in real time while a film is being run. Typically, he'll use three or four musical elements and weave them together in real time to fit the film's actions and support the mood.

Rapsis performing at the Wilton (N.H.) Town Hall Theatre.

"It's kind of a high wire act, but I find it's the best way for me to stay completely with a film," Rapsis said. "When it works, it creates a bridge that helps modern-day audiences experience a film's intended impact."

At Cincinnati's Carnegie Center, Rapsis will accompany a holiday-themed program on Thursday, Dec. 10. The show includes early silent film versions of 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' both produced by motion picture pioneer Thomas Edison.

The Carnegie program will be highlighted by 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922), a full-length drama starring silent era icon Mary Pickford that features a holiday ending.

In Cleveland, Rapsis will accompany Harry Langdon's comedy/drama 'Three's a Crowd' (1928) on Friday, Dec. 11.

On Saturday, Dec. 12, he'll create music for a screening of Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu's 1933 silent film 'Passing Fancy.'

Rapsis will finish the tour by accompanying Fritz Lang's early sci-fi adventure 'Woman in the Moon' (1929) at the Revue Cinema in Toronto, Canada on Sunday, Dec. 13.

Rapsis, 51, is Associate Publisher and co-owner of the Hippo, a weekly publication based in Manchester, N.H. He's a native of Nashua, N.H.

A lifelong interest in vintage film and music led him to begin actively accompanying silent films in 2006.

"It's like I put chocolate and peanut butter together—two things I enjoyed were even better when combined together," he recalled.

He's since worked to recreate the silent film experience for audiences in local theaters, churches, university classrooms, town halls, and the occasional unheated barn.

To Rapsis, it's worth it.

"These are films that caused people to first fall in love with the movies," Rapsis said. "And they still maintain power to entertain and inspire audiences, if shown the way their creators intended: on a big screen, with live music, and in a theater with a live audience."

"Put those elements back together, and the films come to life, sometimes in surprising ways. Because the stories are told visually, it's really quite a different art form than what we have today in movies and television," Rapsis said.

The Pre-Holiday Midwest and Canada Silent Film Tour completes a year that saw Rapsis perform in a wide range of venues from coast to coast, including the Library of Congress Packard Theatre in Culpeper, Va.; the Kansas Silent Film Festival in Topeka, Kansas; and the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in San Francisco, Calif.

"It's great to find audiences for these films at screenings all over the nation," Rapsis said. "But it doesn't surprise me, as the films have a timeless appeal that transcends the era in which they were made."

— 30 —

Hitting the road: Performing in California, Virginia, Ohio—and my international debut

A poster for 'Regeneration' (1915), which I'm accompanying on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont, Calif.

Okay, with Halloween 2015 in the books, it's time to shake the cobwebs off my boots and see the world! (With apologies to Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in 'It's a Wonderful Life.')

In the next few weeks, I'll be accompanying silent film screenings in several far-flung locations.

Before listing the details, let me say thanks in advance to everyone at all these venues.

People have been very generous in their encouragement of what I do, in the form of providing opportunities to create music for silent film screenings in so many different places.

To mention just a few names: Dorothy Bradley of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, Rob Stone of the Library of Congress Packard Center, Maggie Perrino at the Carnegie Center in Cincinnati, John Ewing at the Cleveland Cinematheque, and Alicia Fletcher at the Revue Cinema in Toronto, Canada.

The interior of the Niles screening room, which looks very much as it would have when it was opened as an Edison Theater in 1913.

I'm humbled by this support. I'm also thrilled because sitting in the dark and making music to moving images has emerged as a way for me to keep my sanity. I'm a junkie and I need my fix.

Actually, It's my public creative outlet and now my compulsion, and at this point (more than 100 shows this year) I don't know what I'd do without it.

I sometimes think of silent film accompaniment a "wellness activity." It really should be covered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

So to all who've invited me to perform—thank you! In addition to giving me a chance to practice this unusual craft, you're saving me thousands on therapy.

Okay, about the upcoming shows...

I didn't actually plan this out. The long-distance screenings (outside my New England base) just sort of piled up one after another.

But now I look at the calendar to find myself heading out all over the place. And I think of back to high school when I felt studying music wasn't the right plan for me.

I never dreamed that one day I'd be traveling the country making music this way.

The fun begins this weekend in the San Francisco area:

• Saturday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m.: 'Regeneration' (1915) starring Rockcliffe Fellowes and Anna Q. Nilsson; the Edison Theatre at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, 37417 Niles Boulevard, Niles, Calif. A gem of a film directed by Raoul Walsh near the start of his career depicting the grim life of the streets in New York City. Early feature-length Fox drama thought lost for many years but rediscovered in the 1970s. Wonderful vintage Edison theater from 1913 now fully restored; shows silent films with live music every week. Suggested admission $5 per person for members, $7 for "not yet members."

And then the weekend after that, I'm down at the Packard Theater in Culpeper, Va. for a double-bill of W.C. Fields, part of a Fields retrospective being run by the Library of Congress:

• Saturday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m.: 'Running Wild' (1927) and 'So's Your Old Man' (1926) starring W.C. Fields; Packard Campus Theater, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress Packard Campus, 19053 Mount Pony Road, Culpeper, Va; http://www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/schedule.html. A double feature of Fields silent comedy.

In 'Running Wild,' meek Elmer Finch (W.C. Fields), browbeaten both at home and at work, volunteers to subject himself to a vaudeville hypnotist. While under the mesmerizing spell, his personality undergoes a dramatic and aggressive transformation.

In 'So's Your Old Man' (1926), Fields plays inventor Samuel Bisbee, who is considered a vulgarian by the town's elite. His road to financial success takes many hilarious detours. Free and open to the public, but children 12 younger must be accompanied by an adult. Open seating is on a “first come, first served” basis.

After Thanksgiving comes my first-ever bona fide "tour." I drive out to Cincinnati for a program at the Carnegie Center in Covington, Kentucky (just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati), then bomb up to Cleveland for two days of screenings at the Cleveland Cinematheque. The next day, it's my international debut at Toronto's Revue Cinema.

• Thursday, Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m., 'Holiday Silent Film Program'; Silent film program at The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1028 Scott Boulevard, Covington, Kentucky. (859) 491-2030; www.thecarnegie.com. On the program: a selection of short films, and then the great Mary Pickford feature 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922), which has an ending that's perfect for the holidays.

• Friday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., 'Three's A Crowd' (1927) starring Harry Langdon plus 'Big Business' (1929) starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy; Cinematheque at the Cleveland Institute of Art, 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio; (216) 421-7450. Holiday-themed program of silent film with live accompaniment. 'Three’s a Crowd' (shown in 35mm) was the directorial debut of Harry Langdon, the baby-faced comedian considered the fourth great clown (after Chaplin, Keaton, and Harold Lloyd) of the American silent screen. Special admission $12; members, CIA I.D. holders, age 25 & under $9; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

• Saturday, Dec. 12, 6:55 p.m., 'Passing Fancy' (1933) directed by Yasujiro Ozu; Cinematheque at the Cleveland Institute of Art, 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio; (216) 421-7450. Winner of Japan’s Kinema Junpo Award for best film of 1933, 'Passing Fancy' is a touching tale of a poor, widowed, illiterate, middle-aged (but warm-hearted) brewery worker, his feisty 8-year-old son whom he is raising alone, and a young woman who comes between them. One of Yasujiro Ozu’s last—and best—silent films. With Chishu Ryu. Subtitles, shown in 35mm. Special admission $12; members, CIA I.D. holders, age 25 & under $9; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

• Sunday, Dec. 13, 4 p.m., 'Woman in the Moon' (1929) directed by Fritz Lang; The Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2M9, Canada; (416) 531-9950; http://revuecinema.ca/ A grand sci-fi adventure about the first rocket ship to the moon. The rarely-screened final silent feature from German filmmaker Fritz Lang (director of 'Metropolis'), 'Woman in the Moon' laid the groundwork for all of the great outer space movie tales to come, complete with melodramatic plot and eye-popping visuals. And, in a surprisingly contemporary twist, the moon rocket is built and launched not by a government, but by private entrepreneurs! Ponder a vision of the future as imagined by one of yesterday's great moviemakers. (Note: the abridged version, not the full-length film.)

And after that, I drive back home to continue to procrastinate about holiday cards and shopping.

Pickford's 'Tess of the Storm Country' coming on Sunday, Jan. 26 in Wilton, N.H.; then other Pickford screenings next week

Saturday, Jan. 25 finds me on the road to one of my favorite yearly silent film gigs: the dead-of-winter "Silent Movie Night" and pot luck supper held each January at Liberty Ridge Farm in the small town of Schagticoke, N.Y., about 20 miles north of Albany, N.Y.

The Gifford family, which runs the recreational farm, won me in an auction several years ago, and the resulting performance in their barn/function room proved popular enough for me to be invited back each January. Everyone stuck in town for the winter (everyone from kids to old folks) comes out for a night of silent film and live music.

This year's featured attraction is Buster Keaton's great comedy 'Steamboat Bill Jr.' (1928), plus some short films to warm up both me and the audience. Plus there's more food than anyone could possibly eat. So if you're in the area and didn't get invited, I encourage you to come anyway. Bring a pot luck dish and no one will turn you away!

And after that I begin a week-long communion with Mary Pickford, courtesy several screenings that I have high hopes for.

On Sunday, Jan. 26, I'm doing music for Pickford's drama 'Tess of the Storm Country' (1922) at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H. Admission is free but we request a $5 donation to help defray expenses.

And then on Thursday, Jan. 30, I'm doing music for a special Pickford program in Concord, N.H.: a screening of the recently discovered Pickford short drama 'Their First Misunderstanding' (1911), a print of which was found in a barn in Nelson, N.H., of all places. The film has been restored in an effort overseen by Prof. Larry Benaquist of Keene (N.H.) State College.

The program, which also includes Pickford's great full-length feature 'Sparrows' (1926), is at Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, and will be hosted by Christel Schmidt, author of "Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies." Showtime is 7 p.m. and tickets are $15 a head. In case you're wondering, the show is in the "Lincoln" cinema, one of Red River's two big "main" theaters, rather than the much-smaller screening room, where we usually run silent film.

And then Christel and I are hauling down to Boston the next night for a Pickford tribute in 35mm at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. The program includes the first-ever screening of the restored 'Their First Misunderstanding' in 35mm. Also on the bill is another short drama titled 'The Dream' (1911) and then 'Sparrows' (1926), both in 35mm. The show starts at 8 p.m. and admission is $10 per person.

The Somerville's Pickford program is special not only because it's a rare chance to see some excellent Pickford material in 35mm in a real theater, but also because it launches the Somerville's own four-month "Centennial Celebration" to celebrate the theater's 100th birthday this coming May.

They'll be screening a dazzling list of titles representing the best cinema of the past century. And the weekend includes two more silents in 35mm: D.W. Griffith's melodrama 'Way Down East' (1920) on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m., and then the great World War I aviation epic 'Wings' (1927) on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. All seats $10.

So lots of great silent film coming up in our part of the world. If I was hoping to get "in training" for appearances coming up at the Kansas Silent Film Festival (Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28 and March 1) and Cinefest in Syracuse, N.Y. (from Thursday, March 13 to Sunday, March 16), then I'm getting my wish.

Here's the press release for the Pickford program on Thursday, Jan. 30 at Red River. I'll post more info on the Somerville screenings as we get closer to the big weekend, which I'm already psyched about.

* * *

Mary Pickford and her then-new husband Owen Moore work through 'Their First Misunderstanding' (1911).

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

'Lost' silent film found in N.H. barn
to highlight Mary Pickford program at Red River

Screening on Thursday, Jan. 30 hosted by noted author;
includes feature film 'Sparrows' (1926) with live music

CONCORD, N.H.—A film thought lost for nearly a century until a copy was discovered in a New Hampshire barn will highlight a program at Concord's Red River Theatres on Thursday, Jan. 30.

The event, hosted by noted film scholar Christel Schmidt, will feature a screening of 'Their First Misunderstanding,' a short drama starring Mary Pickford and her then-husband Owen Moore that was produced in 1911.

The program, which starts at 7 p.m., will also include a screening of Pickford's full-length feature film 'Sparrows' (1926), regarded as one of the masterpieces of the silent film era. The program will be held in Red River's 'Lincoln' cinema. General admission is $15 per person.

Long thought lost, 'Their First Misunderstanding' is notable because it was the first credited screen appearance of Pickford, who would go on to be one of Hollywood's first superstars and among the most powerful figures in Hollywood.

A 35mm print of the film was discovered in 2007 in a barn in Nelson, N.H. by a contractor who was hired to tear down the structure. The film has since been restored by Keene State College and the Library of Congress; its "re-premiere" at Keene State College last October was hailed by film experts worldwide as a major rediscovery.

The screening at Red River will be only the second time 'Their First Misunderstanding' has been publicly screened since its restoration.

The films will be accompanied by live music created by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film musician and Red River's house film accompanist.

Hosting the event is Christel Schmidt, noted Pickford expert and editor of 'Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies,' a book recently co-published by the Library of Congress and the University Press of Kentucky.

Schmidt will be on hand to sign copies of her book, an anthology of writing about one of the most important — and misunderstood — figures in American film history. Copies will be available for purchase and signing before and after the show.

Also on the program is Larry Benaquist, professor emeritus of film at Keene State, who coordinated the restoration of 'Their First Misunderstanding' and several other films discovered in Nelson, a small town about 10 miles north of Keene.

Only about 20 percent of all silent films produced in the U.S. survive today. Most were lost to decay, neglect, or deliberate destruction after silent film was superceded by talking pictures in the late 1920s. As a result, the rediscovery of any film title thought lost is considered rare and unusual.

Screening 'Their First Misunderstanding' at Red River helps the theater fulfill its mission to bring out-of-the-ordinary cinema to New Hampshire residents.

"We're thrilled to be hosting only the second-ever screening of this early Pickford film that was discovered right here in New Hampshire," said Shelly Hudson, executive director of Red River. "It's amazing that this piece of cinema history has been unearthed in our own backyard, and we're glad to be able to give Granite State residents a chance not only to see it, but also understand more about its importantance."

Perspective on Pickford and her career will be provided by Schmidt, an independent researcher affiliated with the Library of Congress who has specialized in cataloging and tracking down all surviving Pickford films.

Pickford, an early superstar, was a major force in early Hollywood, helping establish the United Artists studio and serving as a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the annual Oscar awards.

However, Pickford's films receive little attention today, in part due to the myth that Pickford often played wholesome and traditional female characters.

In truth, Pickford's movies often required her to take action, challenge authority, and play strong roles uncommon for a woman of the era. In 'Sparrows' (1926), also on the Red River program, Pickford must single-handedly protect a group of orphans from an evil guardian, and then battle a pack of criminals. In a dramatic higlight, she leads the orphans on a perilous journey through a dangerous alligator-infested swamp.

"We hope this program helps people understand what a dynamic woman Mary Pickford was, both on screen and in her career," Hudson said. "If you've never experienced a silent film with live music, I encourage you to join us on Thursday, Jan. 30."

The screening is supported in part by HippoPress, the region's arts and entertainment newspaper.

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.

Red River Theatres includes silent film in its programming to give today's audiences a chance to experience the great films of cinema's early years as they were intended: in restored prints, on the big screen, and with live music and an audience.

“These films are still exciting experiences if you show them as they were designed to be screened,” said Rapsis, Red River's accompanist. “There’s a reason people first fell in love with the movies, and we hope to recreate that experience with the Pickford program and the other silent films we show at Red River. At their best, silent films were communal experience—one in which the presence of a large audience intensifies everyone’s reactions.”

"Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies" will be presented on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. at Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H. Admission is $15 per person; for more info, call (603) 224-4600 or visit www.redrivertheatres.org. For more information about 'Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies, visit https://www.facebook.com/MaryPickfordQueenOfTheMovies. For more information about the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.