A combination of performance and discussion focuses on the history and importance of pantomime in early cinema. This weekend of exploration includes an illustrated lecture by Gillian B. Anderson, examples of pantomime in the cinema with an eleven-instrument ensemble, and early animations by renowned Spanish cinéaste Segundo de Chomón. Special effects and lighting design by Lidia Bagnoli.
The pantomimes A Modern Garrick and Taming of the Shrew honor William Shakespeare on the four hundredth anniversary of his death and the restoration work necessitated by the dramatic rediscovery of these two prints at the bottom of a swimming pool in the Yukon. All in all, the program is a unique celebration of the spectacle of early cinema.
With special thanks to the Library of Congress, Museo Nazionale del Cinema di Torino, Italian Cultural Institute, and Museum of Modern Art.
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SEPTEMBER 3 at 2:00pm
Ciné-Concert: Broken Blossoms preceded by The Taming of the Shrew and A Modern Garrick
with new scores composed by Virginia Guastella, pianist
Gillian B. Anderson, conducting Cinemusica Viva
MORE INFO: HERE
SEPTEMBER 4 at 3:30pm
Ciné-Concert: The Early Animation of Segundo de Chomón
with new scores composed and performed by Virginia Guastella, pianist
Segundo de Chomón (1871–1929), the brilliant Spanish trickster and filmmaker, is frequently compared to his French contemporary Georges Méliès. (In fact, the two men worked together briefly in Paris while Chomón was producing films for Pathé Frères.) Chomón’s fantastic narratives are filled with animation and special effects, surprising twists, and tricks of the eye that amaze and amuse. This program features Le Spectre Rouge (1907), La Guerra e il Sogno di Momi (1917), and Lulù (1923). New scores composed and performed by Virginia Guastella of Bologna, Italy.
Preservation and restoration by Museo Nazionale del Cinema di Torino and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna. Presented with the cooperation of the Italian Cultural Institute.
MORE INFO: HERE
LOCATION:
National Gallery of Art
East Building Auditorium