Movie diary: The way-back machine
The Tramp (1915) / Shadows (1922)
Forrest Burdette UMC, Hurricane
This was the season-ender for the Pipesounds series using FB's massive six-keyboard organ. John Schwandt, tonight's keyboardist of record, is known as a live silent-film accompanist.
He provided tonight's soundtracks for the films of Charlie Chapin and Lon Chaney, respectively. Considering that he has to provide 95 minutes of music between the two films while his hands jump from keyboard to organ-stop to keyboard, he did a fantastic job.
But to the movies:
The Tramp is your basic Charlie Chaplin short, with his iconic character rescuing the farmer's daughter from some belligerent hobos. While he's invited back at the farmer's behest, it turns out The Tramp is not suited for farm life, and leaves once he discovers the daughter's fiancé.
Shadows was a somewhat odder picture.
It was an ahead-of-its-time picture, focusing on the inherent racism against the Chinese and the holier-than-thouism that can creep up in organized religion. So why did Lon Chaney play the Chinese man? Now he didn't play it stereotypically, although the dialogue cards were sprinkled with "velly"s and "flinds" and his character was the local launderer. It just seemed to put a mixed message to 21st-century viewers.
Another mixed message? The minister was played by Harrison Ford.
That's right... Harrison Ford (1884-1957).
Forrest Burdette UMC, Hurricane
This was the season-ender for the Pipesounds series using FB's massive six-keyboard organ. John Schwandt, tonight's keyboardist of record, is known as a live silent-film accompanist.
He provided tonight's soundtracks for the films of Charlie Chapin and Lon Chaney, respectively. Considering that he has to provide 95 minutes of music between the two films while his hands jump from keyboard to organ-stop to keyboard, he did a fantastic job.
But to the movies:
The Tramp is your basic Charlie Chaplin short, with his iconic character rescuing the farmer's daughter from some belligerent hobos. While he's invited back at the farmer's behest, it turns out The Tramp is not suited for farm life, and leaves once he discovers the daughter's fiancé.
Shadows was a somewhat odder picture.
It was an ahead-of-its-time picture, focusing on the inherent racism against the Chinese and the holier-than-thouism that can creep up in organized religion. So why did Lon Chaney play the Chinese man? Now he didn't play it stereotypically, although the dialogue cards were sprinkled with "velly"s and "flinds" and his character was the local launderer. It just seemed to put a mixed message to 21st-century viewers.
Another mixed message? The minister was played by Harrison Ford.
That's right... Harrison Ford (1884-1957).