One of the long-standing traditions of the Kansas International Film Festival continues this year with a live appearance by Boston’s Alloy Orchestra, a three-man ensemble (Terry Donahue, Roger Miller, Ken Winokur) specializing in original scores for silent films.
"Dream of a Rarebit Fiend" (1906)
This year’s Alloy offering (scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2) features the boys’ new project, “Wild and Weird,” a collection of classic silent shorts.
The 10 films on the program include such noteworthy titles as “Dream of a Rarebit Fiend” (1906), “Red Spectre” (1907), “The Acrobatic Fly” (1908), “Princess Nicotine, or the Smoke Fairy” (1909), “Artheme Swallows His Clarinet” (1912) and “The Life and Death of 9413, A Hollywood Extra” (1927).
These titles come from the U.S., France, Great Britain, Switzerland and Russia and lean toward the fanciful and surreal.
Interspersed with the films is a collection of vintage slides used during the silent era to advise and admonish audiences, promote coming attractions and advertise local merchants.
| Robert W. Butler
Butler's Cinema Scene 