Seattle Theatre Group (STG) presents Trader Joe's Silent Movie Mondays this March at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Mondays at 7pm. This all-classic silent film series, SILENTS FROM THE SOUTH SEAS, is accompanied by live music featuring the historic Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, one of the last three remaining organs of its kind to reside in its original environment, played by critically acclaimed organist Jim Riggs.
SILENTS FROM THE SOUTH SEAS brings us to the cultural vastness of the South Pacific where the early masters of the cinematic silents turned their lenses on the beautiful landscapes and tribal customs of the island's inhabitants.
The region's exotic culture, handsome (mostly topless) natives and fascinating religious ceremonies, such as the dances and the funeral pyres, attracted directors like F.W. Murnau (Sunrise) and Henry de la Falaise whose film, Tabu: A Story of the South Seas, captured the pristine and idyllic lives of the native inhabitants by enlisting them to be players in the semi-ethnographic fictions whose frank sensuality embraced both the lush scenery and the glowing bodies of his half-nude subjects.
Contrasted against these natively integrated productions, Raoul Walsh's Sadie Thompson takes a different approach to casting. Rather than use the natives, Walsh infuses the island with the glitz of Hollywood's biggest silent era stars, Gloria Swanson and Lionel Barrymore.
All three films in SILENTS FROM THE SOUTH SEAS represent impressive sensitivity to native customs as well as an eye for the natural beauty of the islands, remaining enduring masterpieces of tropical splendor.
March 8, 2010 - LeGong: Dance of the Virgins
Henry de la Falaise and Gaston Glass, 1935, 35mm
"A garden of Eden with dozens of Eves!" In the 1930s, the island of Bali was an American cultural obsession, appearing as the setting of many films and becoming a popular tourist attraction. This exploitation film tells a sad, simple tale of love denied and reflects that sentiment. Filmed in Bali by Marquis Henry de la Falaise (husband of both Gloria Swanson and Constance Bennett), and shot in glorious two-color Technicolor, LeGong depicts Bali as an exotic paradise, reveals de la Falaise's personal connection to the island in his meticulous presentation of various Balinese dances and religious rituals. The film follows a young girl, Poutou, who represents her community as a Legong dancer, a holy assignment. She is to remain "the chaste maiden and sacred dancer of the Temple" until she falls in love, when she will dance her last Legong in celebration of marriage. The trouble begins when Poutou falls for the young musician Nyoung, a talented newcomer to the local Gamelan (orchestra). LeGong is both a feast for the eyes and the imagination, and the ultimate demonstration of the documentary conceived as an arresting, escapist spectacle.
March 15, 2010 - Sadie Thompson
Raoul Walsh, 1928, 35mm
This 1928 silent film masterpiece, staring Gloria Swanson, Lionel Barrymore and Raoul Walsh, and directed by Walsh is based on a Somerset Maugham short story Rain. With her enormous expressive eyes, Swanson turns out what must be her best role before Sunset Boulevard. Here she stars as the South Sea island lady of the night who seduces a hellfire preacher. The reformer Alfred Davidson, played here by the great Lionel Barrymore, threatens to send her back to San Francisco unless she converts to his puritan brand of religion. The change is immediate and frightening, and in a testament to Swanson's talent. It also won her accolades with an Academy Award nomination for best actress. The films lusty moments barely survived the Hays Office scissoring, though audiences could still lip-read some of the racy dialogue. The film remains both an iconic exotic fare and is among the finest dramatic achievements of the 1920s!
March 22, 2010 - Tabu: A Story of the South Seas
F.W. Murnau, 1931, 35mm
Tabu: A Story of the South Seas brought F.W. Murnau and pioneering documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty together to create the last film of the silent era. Also Murnau's last work (he died in a tragic car accident just weeks before the film's premiere), this unique collaboration between two silent cinematic legends, tells of the love of a sun-bronzed Tahitian fisherman for a young woman whose body has been consecrated to the gods, rendering her tabu for mortal men. The filmmakers had their differences, and Flaherty ended up relinquishing control of the film to Murnau. But it was Murnau's knack for the rhythms of editing, the lyricism and simplicity of tone that makes Tabu: A Story of the South Seas a masterpiece.
