starlite cinema series - silent night

starlite cinema makes a triumphant return to the smiths' abode in december with a twist on a holiday theme - silent night.

we are going to take advantage of this year's bevy of notable silent film restorations and show you two of the best of the lot. first up will be buster keaton's sherlock jr. (1924).

buster plays a lovelorn projectionist/amateur sleuth who is competing for the object of his affection with a conniving scoundrel who frames him for stealing the young lady's father's watch. dejected, he retreats to the sanctuary of the projection booth. our hero then falls asleep and dreams himself right into the melodrama happening on the screen. from that point, it is filled with daring and imaginative sights. as always, keaton does his own elaborate stunts, all in real time. this film is a perfect link between the non-stop gags of his two-reelers and the more plot driven features like the general (1927). it is my favorite silent comedy ever made and an enduring testament to the power of movies to spark our imaginations.

our feature presentation will be the new, complete restoration of fritz lang's metropolis (1927).

there really aren't the words to tell you how beautiful i think this film is. there are some shots in it that just make my heart ache to live in that vision of the future, ultimately dystopian or not. the particular version we will be showing has twenty-five minutes of footage in it that had been though lost for the last eight decades. in 2008, a museum curator in buenos aires discovered a 16mm negative that contained the lost footage and, in conjunction with the murnau foundation, went to work putting together the most complete version of the film anyone has seen since its premiere in berlin. it changed the face of film. come see it as fritz lang intended for the first time.

there may be one or two other, more christmas-oriented surprises, if you've been good. if not? cole in your stocking! hey-o!

the screening will take place on friday, 12.17.10 at 7 p.m. here is the facebook event page. as always, if you're not facebook-equipped and you would like to attend, just send me a message and i will make sure you get all the pertinent details. i can't wait for this one. hope to see you there.

p.s. kino international is the fine company responsible for both of these sterling releases. no other company can touch them when it comes to the quality and quantity of significant silent film holdings they have. if you are of a fan of silent cinema and you somehow don't already know their work, your whole world is about to change.