San Francisco Disney Screening of Silly Symphonies

[Snowflake]

Okay, I am SO there for both of these programs. Anyone else care to join in the fun at the Castro in SF in December?

ANNOUNCEMENT OF OUR
DECEMBER 2ND EVENT!


Dear Friend of The Silent Film Festival,

We received such positive response from our special presentation of BEYOND THE ROCKS last November that we’ve decided to do another one! This year, however, we are thrilled to announce that we'll present not just one, but two spectacular programs: the original filmed version of the great Broadway hit CHICAGO (1927), starring Phyllis Haver as tough-as-nails Roxie Hart, and a rarer-than-rare 35mm presentation of Walt Disney's pioneering SILLY SYMPHONIES - great cartoons, and great examples of how a silent-era filmmaker met sound head-on in a dazzling display of music, creativity and imagination. It's all set for Saturday, December 2nd at the Castro Theatre, and you won't want to miss it!

CHICAGO (one show only at 7:30pm)
An instant smash-hit when it premiered on Broadway in 1926, CHICAGO is based on the true-life story of two women who dealt with their no-good lovers by gunning them down in cold blood. Cecil B. DeMille, master of ripped-from-the-headlines sensationalism, knew a good thing when he heard it, and he grabbed the rights to produce the film. In a career-defining performance, Mack Sennett Bathing Beauty Phyllis Haver throws everything she's got - and more - into the role of two-timing, gin-swigging jazz baby Roxie Hart. Fast-paced, relentlessly hard-boiled and wildly high-spirited, the 1927 version of CHICAGO is a straight-up mug shot of the era. There may be other versions - Bob Fosse's 1975 Broadway musical starring Gwen Verdon, and the 2002 adaptation starring Renée Zellweger that took the Academy Award for Best Picture – but you haven't seen CHICAGO until you've seen the original – right out of the Roaring Twenties!

It's been impossible to see the full-length, roadshow version of CHICAGO for decades, but a brand-new, completely restored 35mm print has now been created by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and we are proud to present its Bay Area Premiere – with hot live accompaniment by an authentic 1920s jazz ensemble!

SILLY SYMPHONIES (one show only at 1:30pm) Our mini-festival will kick off with a program of Walt Disney's SILLY SYMPHONIES, groundbreaking cartoons that wowed audiences of the era with their remarkable fusion of image and music. Composer Carl Stalling inspired Disney to make a series of cartoons built around a mix of musical genres - classical, popular, opera and folk - which would give the animators plenty of room to explore new ideas. No one had seen - or heard - anything like them before. They're rightfully legendary, both for their wondrously inventive animation, and for the place they occupy in the history of the transition from silent to sound filmmaking. They're also extraordinarily difficult to see on the big screen, as they were originally meant to be shown, so we are doubly delighted to present, straight from the Disney archives, a 35mm program of SILLY SYMPHONIES. Here's what we'll be showing:

THE SKELETON DANCE (1929, Walt Disney)
NIGHT (1929, Walt Disney)
HELL'S BELLS (1929, Ub Iwerks)
THE CHINA PLATE (1931, Wilfred Jackson)
EGYPTIAN MELODIES (1931, Wilfred Jackson)
THE UGLY DUCKLING (1931, Wilfred Jackson)
FLOWERS AND TREES (1932, Burt Gillett)
MUSIC LAND (1935, Wilfred Jackson)

Your host and expert guide for this tribute to SILLY SYMPHONIES will be Russell Merritt, renowned silent film historian and co-author of two invaluable studies of early Disney animation: Walt in Wonderland; and the soon to be released (and years in the making!) Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series.

But wait, there's more!

DUCKS, DEVILS, DOWNBEATS AND DISNEY:
An Animated Conversation On Animation

Many people told us how much they enjoyed hearing about film preservation at this year's AMAZING TALES FROM THE ARCHIVES presentation, so we've decided to stage a similar event in conjunction with our SILLY SYMPHONIES program. Immediately following the screening, Russell Merritt will moderate a lively panel discussion. We can't reveal everyone who's going to be joining us just yet, but we can tell you that two of our special guests will be Leslie Iwerks, granddaughter of the legendary animator Ub Iwerks, and Jere Guldin of the UCLA Film & Television Archive, Preservationist and past President of the Hollywood branch of the International Animated Film Society. More guests will be announced shortly!

Complete details on how to purchase advance tickets for CHICAGO and the SILLY SYMPHONIES programs will be coming soon.

By the way, Russell Merritt's new book Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series is being released by Cineteca del Friuli. They're the presenters of the phenomenal Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, which takes place every October in northern Italy – and which Stacey will be off to next week!

SF Silent Film Festival Site is www.silentfilm.org

[Alex]

It's been a few years since I've found reason to haul myself out to the Castro Theater.

But I'm torn. I don't really have much interest in watching an hour's worth of animated shorts but I really want to see the panel.

[Not Afraid]

I'd go if I wasn't so far away.

[Snowflake]

I'd go if I wasn't so far away.
Ever hear the phrase road trip?
:evil:

I have a kitty waiting to be spoiled (more than she already is)

[Snowflake]

Thought I'd bump this up if anyone in the Bay Area is planning on visiting the Castro for the Disney offerings at the Castro this coming Saturday, December 2nd. If you are and want to say hello, pm me and I'll give you my cell number.

[mousepod]

I'll be at the Disney one. I'll be excited to get my copy of "The Hand Behind the Mouse" signed.

[cstephens]

I don't think that I would have been able to go anyway, but I would have thought about it seriously if I'd happened to have seen this before. The moderator of the panel for the Silly Symphonies is a former professor of mine from Cal that I still periodically keep in contact with. I'd heard about his new book, which I think was supposed to have been published this year and which I guess has been pushed back.

*sigh*

[Snowflake]

Okay, I was SO there for this event. I'm really glad I went. The afternoon program was hosted by Russell Merrit and they screened 8 Silly Symphonies, only one of which I had seen before (Skeleton Dance). I really enjoyed seeing the progression from 1929 to 1935. By the time we got to Musicland (something of which I'd always wanted to see based on the gorgeous concept art in "The Art of Walt Disney") I was totally blown away. This program really made me want to see many more of the Silly Symphonies.

After the screening there was a panel discussion with Russell Merrit, J.B. Kaufman, Neal Gabler, Jere Guldin (of UCLA) and Leslie Iwerks which was informative, fascinating and humourous, too.

After the panel discussion, who was in front of me in line for autographs? Our Mousepodding master, Jesse, naturally. It was great to say hello and spend a few minutes catching up. Thanks again for the Mousepod pin! I'm wearing it proudly.

Then, I had the great pleasure to be part of a nice dinner party since one of my dearest friends came to town for the weekend screening, and also happens to be vry good friends with both Russell Merrit and J.B. Kaufman. So, a whole group including Mr. Merrit and Mr. Kaufman ended up at Catch for dinner (after a time killing visit to the Twin Peaks bar). Everyone could not be more friendly and I've made some lovely new friends out fo this dinner, not the least of which was the totally charming and unassuming J.B. Kaufman. Both he and Russell have agreed to join me for a Stolen Moments podcast in 2007, to promote the Silly Symphony book and to (no doubt) talk about Walt in Wonderland and animation in general. I'm not sure when exactly this will happen, but I will as soon as I know.

The evening screening was, in a word, totally awesome. The film was the 1927 version of Chicago. One of the few independently produced films of Cecil B. DeMille (it was not directed by DeMille, thank heaven) and it was a terrific film in every respect. Phylis Haver was Roxie Hart and Victor Varconi was Amos Hart (both names I am sure you are quite familiar with, tongue firmly in cheek here). Haver was more than a little over the top, but in this case it totally worked. The film had a slight tongue in cheek manner and quite a bit of sarcastic humor, so her over the top flapper muderess was perfect. Rather than have the great Dennis James play the organ, the film was scored by the Baker-Mehling Hot Five, and they were. Using mostly period tunes from the 1920's, they supported the film and made this one of my silent film highlights. The print, from UCLA, was gorgeous and from a first generation negative. Spectacular from start to finish

[Alex]

I've seen all of the shorts shown several times and actually dozed off during Egyptian Melodies (which I've never cared for). It was good see them (particularly Music Land) on a big screen but seeing eight in a row really emphasized why they showed one or two shorts and then a feature and not a dozen in a row.

Like I said, I'd seem them all several times so I was there for the panel which was interesting but, in my opinion, a little dull. Part of the problem, I felt, was that Russell Merritt was trying to pull things around to justify why an all sound program was being shown as part of the Silent Film Festival. It was nice that Leslie Iwerks was there but she seemed like a bit of a spare wheel since they only stopped talking about Walt for brief moments to force a question in her direction.

While nothing particularly new was said (though I'm sure a lot of it was new to most of the audience) it is always interesting to hear it discussed in detail and I'm glad I went. And the opportunity to talk to them afterwards would have been wonderful (I didn't feel like stacking in a very crowded small space for signed books) since that is the environment where the best insights are shared.

Also once we were there it occured to us that we hadn't been to the Castro since we saw a full slate of shows for the Asian Film Festival (culminating with Flower Drum Song several years ago). That was too long and hopefully we'll get back up there for the Bogie double feature later this month.

Followed it up with some time in Japantown and a wonderful dinner at one of the few restaurants there we haven't tried before (Maki, strongly recommended).

[mousepod]

I had a ball.

Six of the eight Silly Symphonies presented are already available on the Treasures DVD (and the other two will be on the collection released this month), but it was nice seeing them on the big screen.

I agree with Alex that the panel wasn't particularly illuminating, but I really didn't expect to learn anything new, anyway. The fact that a discussion about the early years of Disney was being held in front of an attentive audience at the Castro Theatre was delightful, particularly in a city that seems generally apathetic to things like this.

It was nice to exchange a few words with the panel members during the book signing, and it was especially pleasant to see my first Snowflake of the season.

The highlight of the afternoon for me, though, was the audience. There were many children in the crowd, and the reaction to the the various gags was heartwarming. I'm so used to watching vintage cartoons alone in my living room, that I've forgotten that these pre-television shorts were meant to be viewed in a theater full of people. Hearing children laugh at Flowers and Trees forced me to watch it as a cartoon, and not as "the very first color cartoon from the Disney Studios", if you know what I mean.

[Snowflake]

See? That's the diff, I guess. Since I'm still new or renewing my Disney interest, so much is new to me. I can see Alex's point that seeing the films back to back can be harder. Of course, they never were intended to be, but I found it interesting from an academic standpoint to see the progression. I would have liked, if I am going to bitch, to have seen more of a spread between 1929 and 1935. Flowers & Trees was nice, but Musicland was just terrific.

Again, since so much was new, I enjoyed the panel discussion. Does anyone have comments on Gabler's bio of Walt? That was not one I picked up this weekend.

[Alex]

I first became aware of Gabler's biography almost a year ago when Tim O'Day told me a new comprehensive biography was on its way and he thought it was likely to be the best Walt bio ever written.

That's enough of an endorsement for me. I was supposed to review the book for MousePlanet but the reviewer's copy we were supposed to get never made it to me so I haven't actually read it yet.

[Snowflake]

I first became aware of Gabler's biography almost a year ago when Tim O'Day told me a new comprehensive biography was on its way and he thought it was likely to be the best Walt bio ever written.

That's enough of an endorsement for me. I was supposed to review the book for MousePlanet but the reviewer's copy we were supposed to get never made it to me so I haven't actually read it yet.

Okay, I'll add it to my list. I probably should have, but I overspent at the Booksmith table already....and had to schlep for the rest of the day.