LizzieMaine
Bartender
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- Location
- Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
Introduced and projected a screening of the definifitve Harold Lloyd film, 1923's "Safety Last," with a live score performed by the Maine-based jazz-ish combo "Les Sorcieres Perdus."
This is of course one of the iconic silent comedies of all time -- even people who wouldn't know Harold Lloyd from Lloyd George have seen, at some time in their lives, the image of the thin man with the straw hat and glasses handing from the hands of a clock. And it's also the film I find to be the best of all silent comedies for introducing newcomers to the form. It's punchy, well-paced, and most of all has a likeable, believable figure at its center -- with plenty of buildup to get the audience to care about the character before he starts up the side of the building.
Lloyd's films are foolproof with live audiences -- even those who've never seen any silent picture are laughing with, not "at" the film well before the climax, and this has been true of every Lloyd picture I've ever seen on the big screen. He designed them that way, timing the gags specifically to work with large audiences, and all the triggers work as well as they did nearly a hundred years ago (and to think that these films are that old is highly disturbing.)
We had quite a few kids at today's show -- some of whom seemed noticeably skeptical as they filed into the theatre. And every single one of them, without exception was bouncing with excitement and enthusiasm for what they'd just seen as they were leaving the show. All this stuff about how modern kids won't sit still for black and white films or silent pictures is the bunk. All you have to do is choose the right films -- and present them properly. And I guarantee the kids will get it.
This is of course one of the iconic silent comedies of all time -- even people who wouldn't know Harold Lloyd from Lloyd George have seen, at some time in their lives, the image of the thin man with the straw hat and glasses handing from the hands of a clock. And it's also the film I find to be the best of all silent comedies for introducing newcomers to the form. It's punchy, well-paced, and most of all has a likeable, believable figure at its center -- with plenty of buildup to get the audience to care about the character before he starts up the side of the building.
Lloyd's films are foolproof with live audiences -- even those who've never seen any silent picture are laughing with, not "at" the film well before the climax, and this has been true of every Lloyd picture I've ever seen on the big screen. He designed them that way, timing the gags specifically to work with large audiences, and all the triggers work as well as they did nearly a hundred years ago (and to think that these films are that old is highly disturbing.)
We had quite a few kids at today's show -- some of whom seemed noticeably skeptical as they filed into the theatre. And every single one of them, without exception was bouncing with excitement and enthusiasm for what they'd just seen as they were leaving the show. All this stuff about how modern kids won't sit still for black and white films or silent pictures is the bunk. All you have to do is choose the right films -- and present them properly. And I guarantee the kids will get it.