Contrary to popular perception, silent films are not actually silent. I mean, you don’t get to hear the characters talk, of course, but you do get music and all that visual energy that started this whole crazy business we call show. And to unsuspecting audiences, silent films are fun—especially when the music is performed live.
You heard right: live music during a film. Fact is, that’s how it used to be done back in the day, and there continues to be a few old-school purists who still practice the art of playing silent-film music. Fortunately for us film lovers in Salt Lake City, we don’t have to travel to L.A. or New York City to take part in this uncommon entertainment. The Organ Loft is currently in the thick of its Winter 2008 Silent Film Series, with one of the original action stars of the film industry, Douglas Fairbanks, starring in the quintessential adventure The Mark of Zorro.
Blaine Gale, the resident musician, will play on the Wurlitzer pipe organ, with pipes and special-effect instruments along the walls and from above. It’s a real surround-sound experience. So, if you are suffering from a little Sundance fatigue from last month, take a step back to a time that will deliver some good humor and pure film entertainment.
The Mark of Zorro @ The Organ Loft Winter 2008 Silent Film Series, 3331 S. Edison St., Feb. 21-22, 7:30. Tickets $5.
Originally published in the Salt Lake City Weekly, 02.20.2008
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