Three classic silent
film comedies will be shown with live piano accompaniment at the Wilton
Cannon Grange, Wilton, CT on February 18, 2006 at 7 pm. Children and adults will
enjoy a short feature and two 12-minute comedies from the golden age
of silent cinema.
Buster Keaton's The General (1927), one of the most celebrated silent films
is the feature, with Laurel and Hardy's Big Business (1929), and the pre-Russian
Revolution "Revenge of a Kinematographic Cameraman" (1912).
Noted
silent film accompanist and film historian John Mucci of Wilton will
play a live score. Refreshments will be served at 7:00 pm, and the
films will begin at 7:30 pm, with an intermission. Admission is free.
The Wilton Cannon
Grange Hall, at 25 Cannon Road has ample parking available at the Cannondale
Railroad Station. Click here for directions.
ABOUT THE FILMS:
THE GENERAL (1927)
The feature film, Buster Keaton’s
“The General” (1927) is generally regarded as one of the greatest of all
silent comedies, and
was Keaton's own favorite. The Civil War epic is undoubtedly the best
train film ever made. The plot centers around the youthful Johnny Gray (Buster
Keaton), a brave little Southern engineer on the Western & Atlantic
Rail Road running through Georgia. When the Civil War is declared Johnny
tries to enlist, but is told that he is more valuable as an engineer.
When his train, containing his girlfriend Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack),
is stolen
by Union spies, Johnny takes another locomotive and the most memorable
chase in silent film history ensues. Insisting on accuracy in every detail,
Keaton
created a remarkably authentic historical epic, replete with hundreds
of costumed extras, full-scale sets, and the breathtaking plunge of an
actual locomotive from burning bridge into a river.
BIG BUSINESS (1929)
Laurel
and Hardy are selling Christmas trees door-to-door in southern California
with little success, not even to getting advance orders for the next year.
They decide to use all their salesmanship skills with James Finlayson, who
proves to be adamant in his refusal. A few simple mistakes quickly develop
into a ritual of mutual destruction that ruins their business, Fin's home and
the boys' car. William K. Everson calls "Big Business" The
apotheosis of all Laurel and
Hardy films, and goes on to call it "one of the comedy classics from
any star, any country and any period." It is certainly one of the tightest
edited films of Laurel and Hardy, also featuring James Finlayson, one of the
Hal Roach Comedy All-stars, who appeared in 33 of
their films.
A tacit thank you to a number of web contributors
for content.
Buster Keaton