Silent films from the 1920s will once again grace the silver screen, presented as they originally were this Sunday at the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC).
The three-film event titled “The Silent Kings of Comedy” will be presented by the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) and Cal Poly Arts. Live music provided by an organist and two string ensembles will accompany the movies. The program includes “The Scarecrow” starring Buster Keaton, “High and Dizzy” starring Harold Lloyd and “The Vagabond” starring Charlie Chaplin.
Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton used mime, slapstick and other visual comedy routines to bring humor to a silent film. Many of the scenes involve outlandish stunts the actors performed themselves. This acting style has been influential to comedians today, festival director Wendy Eidson said.
“These guys were absolutely brilliant and fearless. Harold Lloyd lost his hand in a movie-related accident and carried on with a fake hand (always in a glove) from then on and still did a lot of wild stunts,” Eidson said. “They were incredible athletes as well as creative geniuses.”
Eidson said these actors were the first stars to bring attention to film, an art form that is relatively new when compared to other mediums. Silent movies started about 100 years ago, and by paying homage to them, she said she hopes audiences get a sense of how much the industry has developed, due to technological advances such as sound and color.
“It’s also quite a feat to make a film without dialogue and keep it entertaining, funny and in some cases, dramatic or even scary. The skill of these early filmmakers is worth celebrating, and the SLOIFF is proud to do just that,” Eidson said.
In the past, the festival would screen silent films at the PAC and in 1997 sold out the venue when it presented “Phantom of the Opera” with silent era organist Bob Mitchell. Mitchell was expected to perform alongside the film “High and Dizzy” but passed away last summer.
He was replaced by local organist Christian Elliot, who in the fall accompanied the film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” which played at the PAC.
Since this year they decided to include the organist Cal Poly Arts program manager Peter Wilt said they decided to help with the event.
This will be the first time Cal Poly Arts and the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival collaborate on an event.
“We thought it would be nice to partner with them to put a little twist on our programming and to broaden our horizons. You bring a whole new audience when you add film to it,” Wilt said.
Eidson and Cal Poly Arts will present the films as they were originally shown in the 1920s. The four-piece, string ensemble, the Candle Light Strings, will accompany “The Scarecrow.” Elliot will then take the stage to perform alongside the film “High and Dizzy.” The event will conclude with the Chaplin film “The Vagabond,” which will be accompanied by a gypsy-theme score from the group, the Fishtank Ensemble.
It is not easy for musicians to sync music to a film when they are playing without a sound track piped to their ears, like most studios do when recording soundtracks. They have to keep their eyes on the cues on the screen, as well as on the music to adjust tempos to the action and every member of the quintet has to try to stay together as tempos adjust, said Bette Byers, the violinist from the Candle Light Strings.
“This is the second year that I have written music for the silent movies for the San Luis Obispo film festival. I love silent movies and I really enjoy writing music, and when the chance came up to work on the festival here, I jumped on the opportunity,” Byers said.
Byers and Eidson are both very excited to be a part of recreating film history by presenting some of the earliest comedies ever created as they originally were shown.
“Screening them in a magnificent hall with live musical accompaniment is the way they were originally screened, so it’s exciting to have that opportunity to share this unique slice of history with our community,” Eidson said.
“The special events help to bring some attention and awareness to the general public in between film festivals,” Eidson said. “These events are fundraisers and do help to bring in a little income in a typically slow time of the year for the festival.”
The “Silent Kings of Comedy” will start at 3 p.m. in the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $25 for the general public and $15 for students and members of SLOIFF.