Silent Feature - Which One do you recommend

[gentlemanfarmer]

The orchestra I serve, The Ivy Leaf, has been asked to do a fall 2013 feature film screening, we've been give free reign as to the film.

I think that it would serve the venue best if it is a comedy. I'm also strangely stuck as to which film, I want the program to be a success, and I want the audience to laugh and have a good time and see silents for the excellent entertainment and films that they truly are aside from any preconceived notions people may have about them.

This is in a community with no recent history of live silent performances, no restored theater (no movie theater of any kind), and I'm heavily leaning toward a Lloyd feature.

Perhaps - The Freshman, Grandma's Boy or For Heaven's Sake

Question to those who attend screenings, play for, or organize festivals - what would be the best silent comedy feature to introduce the genre to a general audience?

My thanks for any input.

[FrankFay]

If you go with Lloyd how about Doctor Jack? It's one of his lesser features but a very funny one and it plays well with an audience.

[gentlemanfarmer]

If you go with Lloyd how about Doctor Jack? It's one of his lesser features but a very funny one and it plays well with an audience.

This was one of my favorites and I've been toying with a score for it, my only concern - and this goes for any selection - does it hurt if it isn't one of the well known titles or one that possesses a well know image - like Safety Last. For those that do know silents and might come out, I thought about trying to do one that isn't usually screened.

I love Dr. Jack - thanks for the suggestion!

[Rodney]

Also keep in mind that the Lloyd features (other than Captain Jack and Grandma's Boy) are under copyright, so you'll need to license them. Ditto for Keaton, except for the public domain titles (The General, Steamboat Bill Jr., College, Three Ages, and The Saphead). And don't go near Chaplin unless you want to rent the orchestra versions of the Chaplin scores. They're lovely, but can be expensive.

Good luck with the project! Have fun.

[gentlemanfarmer]

Also keep in mind that the Lloyd features (other than Captain Jack and Grandma's Boy) are under copyright, so you'll need to license them. Ditto for Keaton, except for the public domain titles (The General, Steamboat Bill Jr., College, Three Ages, and The Saphead). And don't go near Chaplin unless you want to rent the orchestra versions of the Chaplin scores. They're lovely, but can be expensive.

Good luck with the project! Have fun.

Indeed, we are well aware of the need for proper licensing, and thus endeth the Chaplin, the question is more a matter of a feature than could bridge those the are experience with silents and those who are new...and that have a good track record of laughter.

[Gagman 66]

Besides A SAILOR MADE MAN and GRANDMA'S BOY, I'm pretty sure that DR. JACK is also Public Domain, but I'm not sure there are great prints outside of the Lloyd Trust? I'd also think about the Two-Reeler I DO. or the Three-Reeler's AMONG THOSE PRESENT or NOW OR NEVER. These are positively hilarious!

[sc1957]

I suppose you'd prefer a film that has a star people might recognize (like Harold Lloyd), but how about The Italian Straw Hat? It's a great comedy.

[gentlemanfarmer]

I suppose you'd prefer a film that has a star people might recognize (like Harold Lloyd), but how about The Italian Straw Hat? It's a great comedy.

This is one of those pictures I've been wanting to see for a long time, and it sounds like a great film to score - I gave it the pass this time because it had very mixed reviews here on Nitrateville, can you say more to recommend it?

Thanks!

[Rodney]

I suppose you'd prefer a film that has a star people might recognize (like Harold Lloyd), but how about The Italian Straw Hat? It's a great comedy.

This is one of those pictures I've been wanting to see for a long time, and it sounds like a great film to score - I gave it the pass this time because it had very mixed reviews here on Nitrateville, can you say more to recommend it?

Thanks!

I have to say that if this is the first silent comedy you're showing in the area with orchestra, don't sweat the decision -- the first Buster Keaton film my mother saw was The Saphead (which she pulled at random from a library VHS shelf), and she loved it and checked it out again to watch with my kids (who also loved it). The fact that more polished Keaton work was to come did not make The Saphead unenjoyable. Then you'll be able to say before your next show "this one's even better than The Saphead!"

The first two films we ever scored were The Whirl of Life and Beau Geste, and both were popular, though the first is (in many ways) among the worst films ever made, saved only by the ironic detachment of its dancing stars. Just going to a show with a live orchestra is exciting enough to put over 90% of silent films currently available.

Think first about a film that will play to the strengths of your ensemble. A film with scenes in nightclubs calls for Charlestons and foxtrots -- do you have players comfortable with that genre? A film with a twenty-minute battle or chase sequence can be exhausting. Can they get through that and still put across the love theme for the closing clinch?

Also, think about what films a live orchestra would actually contribute to -- I find that A Sailor Made Man, funny as it is, is largely about running around. Do you really need an orchestra for that? While a film like The Cameraman has such a strong love story that an orchestra can cut loose and add much to the experience.

It's easy enough to check out The Italian Straw Hat on Flicker Alley. The "mixed reviews" came from a pretty small but vocal subset who don't care for French comedy; and should be taken in that context. You'll find a list of thoughtful reviews here, plus the reviews at amazon.com. It would be a hit with your audience.

And consider duration (at 116 minutes, The Italian Straw Hat is pretty long for the orchestra and you'll need an intermission). Starting with Sherlock Jr. would guarantee an excellent audience response, and it's only 45 minutes long, so it's not too tough on your musicians. I also like that it shows the interior of a 1920s theater with musicians in it.

[fwtep]

I agree about Sherlock Jr. The other thing is that it works on so many levels that will blow away what most people think of when they think of silent films. For one thing, they'll be amazed at how much they enjoy it. For another, it's a kind of humor that feels modern enough that they'll be comfortable and laughing right away. And it's inventive as hell. And exciting. And the acting isn't the hokey kind of thing people expect, but it somewhat acknowledges that and spoofs it since it makes fun of the mustache-twirling villain.

You could start with a short then too. Just make sure it's as surefire as Sherlock Jr. Just about any Keaton or Lloyd would do, and there have been some good suggestions in this thread so far.

[gentlemanfarmer]

I agree about Sherlock Jr. The other thing is that it works on so many levels that will blow away what most people think of when they think of silent films. For one thing, they'll be amazed at how much they enjoy it. For another, it's a kind of humor that feels modern enough that they'll be comfortable and laughing right away. And it's inventive as hell. And exciting. And the acting isn't the hokey kind of thing people expect, but it somewhat acknowledges that and spoofs it since it makes fun of the mustache-twirling villain.

You could start with a short then too. Just make sure it's as surefire as Sherlock Jr. Just about any Keaton or Lloyd would do, and there have been some good suggestions in this thread so far.

Thank you both for the suggestions, we just performed Sherlock Jr with my own score compiled from period photoplay music this February in a town about 15 miles away, so I'm wary of repeating it too soon. It was a big hit, but I didn't want to overlap with my audiences - which may or may not happen. We also performed my score for The Freshman in another community last fall about 15 miles in the other direction - so same applies, again both the scores and more importantly the films were very popular and we had excellent audience response.

[Bob Birchard]

The orchestra I serve, The Ivy Leaf, has been asked to do a fall 2013 feature film screening, we've been give free reign as to the film . . . what would be the best silent comedy feature to introduce the genre to a general audience?

My thanks for any input.

While it is true that pre-1923 films like Dr, Jack, Grandma's Boy and A Sailor Made Man are PD, the real issue is access. There are some 16mm dupes out there, but you'll have to go to Harold Lloyd Entertainment if you want 35mm and the opportunity to play live music.

If a Lloyd film is the desired choice, I would not suggest Dr. Jack as an introduction for an uninitiated audience. I would lean toward Hot Water, The Kid Brother, Girl Shy, Safety Last, and Why Worry? --pretty much in that order. Not only are these among Lloyd's best, but they are proven audience pleasers.

[missdupont]

While it's not strictly a comedy, Douglas Fairbanks' THE MARK OF ZORRO is always a crowd pleaser. You get drama, comedy, and incredible action, and different moods in which an orchestra can show its diversity.

[Penfold]

Am I the only one that thinks Speedy is a cracking film ???? You don't say where you're based......if you're in a rural area, I would go for The Kid Brother....

[Gagman 66]

HOT WATER is definitely one of the Funniest and most overlooked. I have found memories of me and my mother watching this on the Thames VHS release for the first time. My two favorite Lloyd films are still THE FRESHMAN and GIRL SHY. Make sure you have complete prints, because the Tim-Life cut downs of these don't cut it. I know THE KID BROTHER is the critics darling, but to me it's probably Lloyd's least funny Silent feature. Not one of my favorites. Personally, I much prefer GIRL SHY, or THE FRESHMAN. WHY WORRY is seldom screened, and it is hilarious. And I've always loved GRANDMA'S BOY as well.

[Rodney]

I know THE KID BROTHER is the critics darling, but to me it's probably Lloyd's least funny Silent feature.

"Funny" is of course only one element in the success of a film to a general audience. I think The Kid Brother has probably the best romance and one of the most sympathetic main characters of a Lloyd film, and plenty of situations that lend well to orchestra accompaniment. And there's plenty of humor, which rises from the plot rather than being stuck awkwardly on, which can be a flaw in other Lloyd features. We've never played The Kid Brother without a standing ovation, which I am the first to admit says as much about the film as it does about us. People like it.

[Gagman 66]

Rodney,

All well an good, but I feel the same way about GIRL SHY. It's not the chase that makes the film for me, it's the chemistry between Harold and Jobyna. One of the greatest Romantic comedies ever produced. I've never understood any of these critics who say that the chase or race to the church overwhelms the rest of the film. Couldn't disagree more strongly. THE FRESHMAN likewise has some beautiful tender sequences as well.

[Rodney]

I've never understood any of these critics who say that the chase or race to the church overwhelms the rest of the film.

Maybe that's because you haven't tried to play for it

No, we're in the realm of opinion here, and yours is just as valid as mine. And I like all of those films, and would go see any of them any time they are being screened near me.