Just got back from the Cinema Arts Centre's showing of F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans". What a great film. Beautifully directed. Of course as always the highlight is the wonderful live score by Ben Modal. For me the real joy was the silent short that Ben provided. Stan and Babe in "Big Business". I've seen the movie more times than I can remember, but never with a live audience. It's like seeing it for the first time. Laurel and Hardy have brought me so much joy. Seeing and hearing an audience's reaction seems to validate my love for them. And Ben did not disappoint, launching into the familiar "Call of the Cuckoo" theme song to start the film.
Funny that after the film, my friend Jim turned to me (he had never seen it) and said, "Finlayson, could have been billed as the star of the movie." During this viewing, I was even impressed with how good he is in the film. It's a tribute to L&H that they were comfortable letting a supporting player shine.
Next up in January, Harold Lloyd in "Speedy". Another film I've seen maybe 10 time, but never live. Can't wait. The Lloyd film I really want to see with an audience is " The Kid Brother". It's Lloyd's classic, as far as I'm concerned, and quite possibly one of the best silent feature comedy films ever made.
No comments:
Post a Comment