VOC Silent Film Harmonic: Cinema Surrealism

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Oct 20th, 7:00pm. Live musical accompaniment by the VOC Silent Film Harmonic to landmark Surrealism short films, Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog) and La Chute de la Maison Usher (The Fall of the House of Usher)

Film 1 (16 minutes): Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog) Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.

"Luis Bunuel described it as 'nothing other than a desperate, impassioned call for murder'. Salvador Dali wanted it to 'plunge like a dagger into the heart of Paris'. They both wanted it to be as mysterious and illogical as a dream - indeed the script emerged during a conversation each had about the other's dreams. Bunuel later wrote, 'we had to open all doors to the irrational.'" (Little White Lies, 2017)

Film 2 (66 minutes): La Chute de la Maison Usher (The Fall of the House of Usher) Allan visits the sinister Usher family mansion, where his friend Roderick is painting a portrait of his sickly wife Madeline. The portrait seems to be draining the life out of Madeline, slowly leading to her death.

"Avant-garde cinema arose in the 1920s when inspired amateurs schooled in other arts turned to film. The Fall of the House of Usher is the most renowned and technically accomplished work of these pioneers." (National Film Preservation Foundation)


The VOC Silent Film Harmonic, under the direction of Ted Harms, was formed in the summer of 2007 with the idea of performing live & improvised music to accompany silent films. The group takes its inspiration from how many silent movies were originally presented - taking themes and using them as the basis for improvisation. The overall goal is for the music to reflect, enhance and support the movie, not to overtake or distract.

Previous Playhouse screenings with the VOC Silent Film Harmonic:

The Phantom Carriage

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Dragnet Girl

Nosferatu

Vampyr

When: 
Thu, Oct 20 2022 - 7:00pm

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