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Performance Notes for this free eventFeb. 28 & Mar. 1, 2003

twinkling star animation

Promo | Program | Notes | Recap

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Introductions by Denise Morrisonblank
Music provided by Dr. Marvin Faulwell
and by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

Friday, Feb. 28, 2003

Begins: 7:00 p.m.

--Overture by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

REVENGE OF A KINEMATOGRAPH CAMERAMAN (1912 / Starewicz) - Another delightful color-tinted animated film from the great Russian animator Ladislaw Starewicz. This comical tale shows how a grasshopper/cameraman gets revenge on a philandering cockroach. You must see it to believe it!
12 min. -- Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

THE COURTSHIP OF MILES SANDWICH (1923 / with Snub Pollard) - Snub is a Puritan just off the boat who wants to woo and win his lady fair. Of course, he's opposed by the rascally Jimmy Finlayson in a bizarre comedy that stretches history pretty far. Snow skis and automobiles? Anything for a laugh.
18 min. -- Music by Rodney Sauer on solo piano

--Short Break
--Organ piece by Dr. Marvin Faulwell
--Introduction by Denise Morrison

The Gold Rush (1925 / a color-tinted version starring Charlie Chaplin) - A cinema classic! One of the great films of the silent era. Chaplin's tale has the little tramp lost in the Alaskan gold rush where he is befriended and ridiculed by a saloon girl, who steals his heart. One of Chaplin's most memorable films. It was also the first feature length film in which he both starred and directed. Few films have ever been so funny and so sad at one and the same time.
80 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

Saturday - Mar. 1, 2003

Morning - starts at 10 a.m.

--Overture by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
--Introductions by Denise Morrison

SHOULD HUSBANDS PAY? (1925 / Jimmy Finlayson) - A Hal Roach comedy short that teams Jimmy Finlayson and Tyler Brooke for a riotous romp with semi-innocent husbands constantly being found in compromising situations. This film was directed by Stan Laurel (co-written with Charley Chase) and shows a remarkable comic timing that should remind you of how versatile this great comedian really was.
20 min. -- Music by Rodney Sauer on solo piano

BEGGARS OF LIFE (1928 / starring Louise Brooks) - An American film starring the Kansas-born sex symbol, Louise Brooks, who found her fame and legendary status in later foreign films. Louise disguises herself as a boy and heads for Canada with a pair of vagabonds (Richard Arlen and Wallace Berry).
100 min. -- Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

--Lunch Break

Afternoon - starts at 1:00 p.m.

--Overture by Dr. Marvin Faulwell
--Introductions by Denise Morrison

BRONCO BILLY & THE WESTERN GIRLS (1915 / starring Bronco Billy Anderson) - One of the most popular movie stars of his time, G.M. (Bronco) Billy Anderson is considered the first movie cowboy star. His short film adventures were a staple at nickelodeons and movie theaters across the country and he produced, wrote and directed most of these films himself. After making over 200 short films, he graduated into features and continued to appear in bit parts in westerns up until the mid-1960s.
10 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

HIS BITTER PILL (1916 / with Mack Swain) - Comic villain Mack Swain (Chaplin's pal in The Gold Rush) is clever in this spoof of westerns and their code of ethics. Mack even gets the girl in the climax of this film.
20 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

HELL'S HINGES (1918 / starring William S. Hart) - Another western classic with the stalwart William S. Hart. Hell's Hinges is a rare tough western epic about civilizing and 'christianizing' the Wild West. At the core of this story is the internal battle being fought by 'bad guy' Hart to become a responsible citizen himself.
56 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

--Short Break
--Short Organ Piece by Dr. Faulwell

Mrs. Jones Lover or Where's My Hat? (1911 / by D.W. Griffith) - Another short gem by legendary director D.W. Griffith.
16 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1926 /starring Greta Garbo) - A sizzler if ever there was one. Sex goddess Greta Garbo comes between pals John Gilbert and Lars Hanson in a complex plot of love, lust and friendship. Real sparks ignite between Garbo and Gilbert and it was not accidental. The two became lovers off-screen as well. Directed by Clarence Brown.
109 min. -- Music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell

--Dinner Break

Evening - starts at 7:00 p.m.

--Overture by Dr. Marvin Faulwell
--Introductions by Denise Morrison

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD* (1924 / starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr.) - Fairbanks greatest epic, this immense tale of the Arabian Nights is pure Hollywood hokum. There are dragons, underwater worlds, gigantic sets, political intrigue, exotic romance, armies that appear out of nowhere and (yes) flying carpets! This was the biggest film Fairbanks ever made and it rivaled all others in sheer size and spectacle for years to come. It's ideal family entertainment. It's long, but never dull.
* Intermission with Entre Acte music by Dr. Marvin Faulwell
140 min. -- Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

About Denise Morrison:

Denise MorrisonDenise Morrison is a film historian from Kansas City, Missouri, with a special focus on silent film. She works as an archivist with Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, and has been involved with the Kansas Silent Film Festival since the beginning. She was quite active with the Granada Theatre in Kansas City, Kansas, when they were showing a full schedule of silent movies. Denise will give an overview of the silent film era and also provide introductions to each film.

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About Marvin Faulwell:

Dr. Marvin FaulwellDr. Marvin Faulwell is a dentist from Kansas City who is a very accomplished theatre organist. He has played for all of the previous five Silent Film Festivals in Topeka. He has a large theatre organ in his home, and he also restores the instruments. He has appeared in concert and accompanied silent film programs in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Minnesota. Dr. Faulwell has also accompanied many silent films shown at the Granada Theatre in Kansas City, Kansas.

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About the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra:

Mont Alto Motion Picture OrchestraThe Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra comes from Boulder, Colorado and will be making their fourth appearance at the Silent Film Festival. The orchestra consists of a piano, violin, cello, clarinet, and trumpet. They are quite active in their hometown, have appeared several times in California, at the Buster Keaton Celebration in Iola, Kansas, and have also made three CDs of salon and silent film music. Currently the Mont Alto can be heard supplying the music for the DVD releases of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1920) and Blood and Sand (1922) for Kino Video.

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