Silent Movie Mondays resume with early Chaplin
The Little Tramp is coming back ... to the Paramount Theatre when Trader Joe's Silent Movie Mondays returns for a four-week run starting Sept. 10. The series features Charlie Chaplin in 12 short films from the early days of his career.
Each Monday's progam will consist of three films that run about 20 minutes apiece. They were made in 1916 and 1917 when Chaplin was only 27 years old. At the time he had already spent almost half his life on the stage, mostly in England. A trip to the United States in 1907 and another in 1912 built up a following for the young vaudevillian, and in 1913 he had his first American movie contract.
By the time Chaplin joined the Mutual Film Corporation where he made the films in this series, he was being paid $670,000 per year - not bad at all these days, astronomical then. It wasn't unwarranted, however. Chaplin is still regarded by many as film's greatest comic artist.
These early Chaplin films provide a full range of his slapstick genius. He's the misfit, the guy who does everything wrong, whether it's in the department store or the health spa, whether he's on foot or on roller skates. Chaplin was among the first to capitalize on sight gags; think of revolving doors, identity mix-ups and other comic standards. He was also among the first to write, direct, perform and execute his own stunts in his films.
But he's not just about laughs. Chaplin had great empathy for the common man and was an advocate for equality and social justice. In "The Immigrant," which plays on Oct. 1, he speaks for the millions of newcomers to American shores who have to navigate their way through the bureaucracy and cultural norms of a new society. The film is as packed with social commentary as it is with humor.
The restored films in the Paramount series have the power to pull you back into the early years of the 20th century. It's not just the films in this series that transport audience members into the past. The time-machine quality of the evening is above all achieved by Dennis James on the mighty Wurlitzer.
Mr. James is considered by many to be the finest silent-film accompanist in the world today. In addition to his appearances in Seattle, he plays theater organs throughout the country from Radio City in New York to San Diego's Copley Symphony Hall. He also tours inter-nationally.
James has been a major force in creating new appreciation for silent films presented with live music and has amassed one of the largest private libraries of that musical genre. His performances feature original scores or, when those aren't available, his own compositions, which are written to be historically accurate recreations of theater music of the period.
Theater organs are remarkable instruments, capable of producing sound of symphonic proportion. The Wurlitzer at the Paramount was ordered in 1927, even before the theater opened in 1928. It cost the grand total of $46,500, a veritable fortune in those days. Today its upkeep runs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But what a sound it produces! And with James at the keyboards, the audience gets to experience the full capabilities of the instrument.
The Monday-night music reinforces and magnifies the mood sought by the filmmaker. Be it romance or horror, humor or despair, the organ sets the tone. It heightens the exciting moments and deepens the sad ones.
James has been playing at the Paramount since 1999 when the theater reopened after its extensive renovation.
For those audience members who arrive by 7 p.m., there's an added dimension to the evening. James or a guest lecturer provides a short preamble to the films, offering historical background or alerting viewers to special moments to watch for in the movie. Then, to make the evening complete, its sponsor, Trader Joe's, provides free munchies for all.
'TRADER JOE'S SILENT MOVIE MONDAYS'
Sept. 10, 17, 24 and Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
The Paramount Theatre 911 Pine St.
Tickets: $12 adults, $9 students and seniors
292-2787, www.theparamount.com
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