Imagine yourself in the idyllic French countryside; the time is the 1930’s. Sometime before dark, a caravan sets up camp in an unused field outside of town. Locals are drawn to the scene, knowing that these visitors are always good for an evening’s entertainment. This troupe has gotten their hands on a film projector which they’ve pointed at the side of a barn. As the images flicker to life beneath the stars, musicians play their instruments, matching every movement on the screen with characteristic virtuosity, passion and humor. On this night, the very same scene may be repeated at a hundred such campsites scattered across Europe, each tribe with its own small collection of discarded films, perhaps never to be shown in a theater again.
Reviving this lost tradition, The Hot Club of San Francisco presents Cinema Vivant, an evening of silent films accompanied live by the group’s original jazz scores.
Many works of art can be seen as attempts to give life to an idea, a mood, or a fantasy. While we can all look at lifeless objects and fantasize about their secret lives away from prying eyes, it is a true artist who can make that dream live and breathe for our enjoyment. Bringing the familiar into the the realm of the fantastic is the theme of Cinema Vivant, a celebration of imagination and innovation.
Before World War I, European filmmaker Ladislaw Starewicz pioneered stop-action animation, creating a never-before-seen movie experience which can still be enjoyed today. A gifted storyteller who used the new medium of animation to illuminate his fantastic imaginings of the secret lives of ordinary objects, Starewicz has become an obscure cult hero. The two Starewicz films which are featured in Cinema Vivant—The Cameraman’s Revenge, a charming piece about the marital troubles of Beetles; and The Mascot, an adventure story about lost toys—are two of his most extraordinary efforts. On the other side of the Atlantic, American Charlie Bowers patented techniques for combining animation with live action in the 1920’s. There It Is, a recently rediscovered film by the eccentric and irrepressible Bowers which will round out the evening’s entertainment, is a whimsical comedy about a mysterious occurrence in need of Scotland Yard detectives.
The Hot Club of San Francisco is an ensemble of accomplished and versatile musicians celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s pioneering Quintette du Hot Club de France. The ensemble borrows the all-string instrumentation of violin, bass and guitars from the original Hot Club, but breathes new life into the music with innovative arrangements of classic tunes and original compositions from the group’s superb lead guitarist, Paul Mehling. Hearing the ensemble live, or on any of their twelve albums, carries the listener back to the 1930’s and the small, smoky jazz clubs of Paris or the refined lounges of the famous Hotel Ritz. Often called gypsy jazz, the music of The Hot Club of San Francisco has entranced audiences around the globe for over 20 years. Critics have hailed the group’s playing as “intricate, scorching and often brilliant…” (Acoustic Guitar). From international music festivals to concert halls across North America, The Hot Club of San Francisco keeps this historic music fresh and alive.
Film Titles:
There It Is, Charlie Bowers (1928)
The Cameraman’s Revenge, Ladislaw Starewicz (1912)
The Mascot, Ladislaw Starewicz (1933)
