Hi New England railfans,
On Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m., I'll be doing live music for a screening of Buster Keaton's classic Civil War train film, 'The General' (1926), at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse in downtown Plymouth, N.H. Admission is $10 per person. The film, later remade by Disney as 'The Great Locomotive Chase,' is full of authentic scenes of Civil War-era railroading. Buster himself loved railroads and took great care to get it right, and the results show on screen. Plus, the tracks of the former B&M line to Lincoln, N.H. run right behind the theater. Hope you'll join us. For more information, I'm pasting in the text of the press release below. Thanks!
TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2014 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • [email protected]
Silent film classic 'The General' with live music at Flying Monkey on Wednesday, July 9
Buster Keaton's comic masterpiece set during U.S. Civil War to be screened at historic downtown Plymouth theater
PLYMOUTH, 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. Acclaimed for their originality and clever visual gags, and also admired for their realistic stories and authentic location shots, Keaton's films remain popular crowd-pleasers today.
See for yourself with a screening of 'The General' (1926), one of Keaton's landmark feature films, at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H. on Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. General admission is $10 per person.
The program, the part of a monthly series of silent films at the Flying Monkey, will be accompanied by live music performed by silent film composer Jeff Rapsis.
The Flying Monkey usually shows silent films on the second Thursday of each month. July's screening was moved up one day, to Wednesday, July 9, due to a scheduling conflict.
'The General,' set during the U.S. Civil War, tells the story of a southern locomotive engineer (Keaton) whose engine (named 'The General') is hijacked by Northern spies with his girlfriend onboard. Keaton, stealing another train, races north in pursuit behind enemy lines. Can he rescue his girl? And can he steal his locomotive and make it back to warn of a coming Northern attack?
Critics have called 'The General' Keaton's masterpiece, praising its authentic period detail, ambitious action and battle sequences, and its overall integration of story, drama, and comedy. It's also regarded as one of Hollywood great train films, with much of the action occurring on or around moving steam locomotives.
Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film musician who has accompanied shows at venues across New England, said Keaton's films were not made to be shown on television or viewed at home. In reviving them, the Flying Monkey aims to celebrate its roots as a silent moviehouse by showing silent film as it was meant to be seen—in high quality 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 improvise the score on the spot as the films 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 synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.
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."
While making films, Keaton never thought of himself as an artist, but merely as an entertainer trying to use the then-new art of motion pictures to tell stories and create laughter.
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.
Critics review 'The General':
"The most insistently moving picture ever made, its climax is the most stunning visual event ever arranged for a film comedy.”
—Walter Kerr
"An almost perfect entertainment!"
—Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
"What makes the film so special is the way the timing, audacity and elegant choreography of its sight gags, acrobatics, pratfalls and dramatic incidents is matched by Buster’s directorial artistry, his acute observational skills working alongside the physical élan and sweet subtlety of his own performance."
—Time Out (London)
Buster Keaton's 'The General' (1926) will be shown on Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, N.H. General admission is $10 per person. For more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit flyingmonkeynh.com. For more info on the music, visit http://www.jeffrapsis.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
On Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m., I'll be doing live music for a screening of Buster Keaton's classic Civil War train film, 'The General' (1926), at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse in downtown Plymouth, N.H. Admission is $10 per person. The film, later remade by Disney as 'The Great Locomotive Chase,' is full of authentic scenes of Civil War-era railroading. Buster himself loved railroads and took great care to get it right, and the results show on screen. Plus, the tracks of the former B&M line to Lincoln, N.H. run right behind the theater. Hope you'll join us. For more information, I'm pasting in the text of the press release below. Thanks!
TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2014 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • [email protected]
Silent film classic 'The General' with live music at Flying Monkey on Wednesday, July 9
Buster Keaton's comic masterpiece set during U.S. Civil War to be screened at historic downtown Plymouth theater
PLYMOUTH, 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. Acclaimed for their originality and clever visual gags, and also admired for their realistic stories and authentic location shots, Keaton's films remain popular crowd-pleasers today.
See for yourself with a screening of 'The General' (1926), one of Keaton's landmark feature films, at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H. on Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. General admission is $10 per person.
The program, the part of a monthly series of silent films at the Flying Monkey, will be accompanied by live music performed by silent film composer Jeff Rapsis.
The Flying Monkey usually shows silent films on the second Thursday of each month. July's screening was moved up one day, to Wednesday, July 9, due to a scheduling conflict.
'The General,' set during the U.S. Civil War, tells the story of a southern locomotive engineer (Keaton) whose engine (named 'The General') is hijacked by Northern spies with his girlfriend onboard. Keaton, stealing another train, races north in pursuit behind enemy lines. Can he rescue his girl? And can he steal his locomotive and make it back to warn of a coming Northern attack?
Critics have called 'The General' Keaton's masterpiece, praising its authentic period detail, ambitious action and battle sequences, and its overall integration of story, drama, and comedy. It's also regarded as one of Hollywood great train films, with much of the action occurring on or around moving steam locomotives.
Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film musician who has accompanied shows at venues across New England, said Keaton's films were not made to be shown on television or viewed at home. In reviving them, the Flying Monkey aims to celebrate its roots as a silent moviehouse by showing silent film as it was meant to be seen—in high quality 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 improvise the score on the spot as the films 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 synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.
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."
While making films, Keaton never thought of himself as an artist, but merely as an entertainer trying to use the then-new art of motion pictures to tell stories and create laughter.
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.
Critics review 'The General':
"The most insistently moving picture ever made, its climax is the most stunning visual event ever arranged for a film comedy.”
—Walter Kerr
"An almost perfect entertainment!"
—Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
"What makes the film so special is the way the timing, audacity and elegant choreography of its sight gags, acrobatics, pratfalls and dramatic incidents is matched by Buster’s directorial artistry, his acute observational skills working alongside the physical élan and sweet subtlety of his own performance."
—Time Out (London)
Buster Keaton's 'The General' (1926) will be shown on Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, N.H. General admission is $10 per person. For more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit flyingmonkeynh.com. For more info on the music, visit http://www.jeffrapsis.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
