Thursday, February 21, 2019

Upcoming Kansas Silent Film Festival

The 2019 Kansas Silent Film Festival is set to take place Friday & Saturday, February 23 & 24, 2018, at White Concert Hall, Washburn University, in Topeka, Kansas.

The theme of this year's festival, the 23rd annual event, is "Lost films, recovered or restored." The festival notes, "In thinking about what we wanted to do for our 23rd event it dawned on us that we talk a lot about what is lost—there is a pretty high percentage out there of silent films that are lost and gone forever. But what about the successes? What about the films that were thought lost but were found in foreign archives, with collectors, and in some really lucky cases, tucked in the hay in a barn. All the films showing this year were lost then found, or simply needed restoration to bring them back to life."

It is an admirable theme, one I think also exciting -- imagine seeing something once thought gone forever! My only quibble is that the festival didn't program the recently found Louise Brooks' fragment, Now We're in the Air (1927). It would have been a great fit, and marked something of a return. Kansas is Louise Brooks' home state; the actress was born in Cherryvale, and grew up in Independence and Wichita.
  FREE ADMISSION for all showings
Fri. Feb. 22, 2019, 7:00-10:00 p.m.
@ White Concert Hall, Washburn University
Overture by Jeff Rapsis
Welcome and Intros by Denise Morrison, Film Historian
Many of these films were considered lost at one time

Frankenstein
14 min.
(1910)
Edison Company
Music by Marvin Faulwell & Bob Keckeisen
Metropolis
148 min.
(1927)
directed by Fritz Lang
Music by the
Alloy Orchestra, with intermission
Sat. Feb. 23, 2019, 9:00 a.m.-Noon
@ White Concert Hall, Washburn University
Overature by Bill Beningfield
Welcome
and Intros by Denise Morrison
, Film Historian
  On DVD, a special presentation by KSFF
(1914)
with Charlie Chaplin
Music by
Bill Beningfield
Hard Luck
23 min.
(1921)
with Buster Keaton
—Music by
Jeff Rapsis
(1924)
with Annette Kellerman, partly in Prizma color
—Music by Jeff Rapsis and Bob Keckeisen


Lunch Break (on your own), resuming at 1:30 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 23, 2019, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
@ White Concert Hall, Washburn University
Overature by Marvin Faulwell
Welcome and Intros by Denise Morrison, Film Historian
(1908)
with Segundo de Chomón
—Music by
Jeff Rapsis
The Cook
20 min.
(1918)
with Roscoe Arbuckle & Buster Keaton
—Music by Bill Beningfield
(1920)
a Native American Film
—Music by Marvin Faulwell & Bob Keckeisen


Intermission

Warm-up Music by Jeff Rapsis
Intros by Denise Morrison, Film Historian

(1913)
with Francis Ford (courtesy of Keene College)
—Music by Jeff Rapsis
(1917)
with Harry Carey / a John Ford Film
—Music by Jeff Rapsis

Dinner


Special Dinner Event, Our Eleventh Annual
CINEMA-DINNER
,
Seating begins @ 5:15 p.m.
Dinner: 5:15-7:15 p.m.
Ben Model, who has played piano and organ with us before. His presentation "Undercranking: The Magic Behind the Slapstick" describes a technique which made action sequences (and especially comic action sequences) appear to be running much faster than usual. Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd knew all about Undercranking, but it appears others in the silent film era knew about it and employed it, too. Ben will illustrate his presentation with some incredible film clips.
— This event is by reservation only. Dinner is $40. Contact Bill Shaffer at bill.shaffer@washburn.edu to reserve your space



Sat. Feb. 23, 2019, 7:30-10:00 p.m.
@ White Concert Hall, Washburn University

Overature
by Ben Model

Welcome and Intros by Denise Morrison, Film Historian
(1927)
with Laurel and Hardy / Special 16mm film print
—Music by Marvin Faulwell & Bob Keckeisen
(1922)
with Marion Davies
Music by Ben Model


No comments:

Post a Comment

Relevant and respectful comments are welcome. Off-topic comments and spam will be removed, and you will be disliked henceforth.