The Cameraman (1928)
Starring Buster Keaton
Silent Film with Organ Accompaniment
Played by Donald MacKenzie (Odeon, Leicester Square)
Friday 6th May 2016, 8.00pm (doors open 7.00pm)
Film Running time: 67 minutes
At St John's Notting Hill, London, W11 2NN
Images from the evening:
THIS FILM SCREENING IS NOW SOLD OUT
Thank you to everyone who has purchased a ticket, and apologies if you couldn't buy one this time. Two silent films are shown per year at St John Notting Hill with restored organ accompanying - one in May and one in October/November. Add your name to the list towards the bottom of this page if you would like to hear about future screenings - you will not be spammed, only two emails will be sent for each film screening.
A limited supply of return tickets may be available at the door.
Steamboat Bill Jr at St John's Notting Hill, May 2015.
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Buster Keaton's classic comedy caper will be accompanied by the evocative music of the restored organ, played by Donald MacKenzie, resident organist at the Odeon, Leicester Square.
Donald is returning to St John's Notting Hill after playing for sell-out shows The Wind in October 2015, Steamboat Bill Jr in May 2015, Wings (click to see a video from that evening) in November 2014 and The Hunchback of Notre Dame in October 2013. Organs have a wide range of sounds and voices, perfect for accompanying silent film. Donald is a master at bringing out the emotions, stories and effects in these films with his virtuosic playing: tense, lyrical, sensitive and resounding. Come along for a captivating atmosphere - a film show and concert all in one. Advanced booking is highly recommended, as all previous silent film screenings at St John's Notting Hill have sold out in advance. Don't miss this special event. This screening is part of this year's Notting Hill Mayfest, a multi-disciplinary arts festival happening in several Notting Hill venues throughout May. Doors open at 7.00pm for an 8.00pm film start. Film running time: 67 minutes Age rating: U There will be popcorn and a bar available on the night, with the church candlelit. Seating is unreserved. Good sight lines are available throughout the church. Despite being heated, the church may be a little cold, so please wear warm clothing. The Cameraman has an IMDB rating of 8.3 out of 10: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018742/ Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100% Fresh: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-cameraman-1928/ The Cameraman is number 37 in the 100 best silent films of all time on silentera.com: http://www.silentera.com/info/top100.html The Film
The Cameraman is the last truly great film from Buster Keaton, one of silent cinema’s trailblazers. Like all his best work, it remains as charming as it is hilarious, and it gives us an opportunity to reflect how far, at the time of its making, the medium of film had come in terms of storytelling and technique, due, in part at least, to the artistic and commercial success of people like Keaton. The story sees Keaton, as always, trying to win the heart of a pretty girl, this time the secretary at a newsreel production company. Deciding to trade in his tintype camera, he tries to make it in the world of moving pictures, but faces an array of obstacles, including, amongst other things, a jealous rival Cameraman, his own lack of experience, and an interfering monkey. The plot moves along at a brisk pace, with more than enough of the three vital ingredients for a Buster Keaton movie; firstly, memorable scenes, particularly the trip to the Yankee stadium – in the absence of an actual game, Buster simply mimes an imaginary one against himself. Secondly, his trademark brilliant physical comedy; in one notable example, Keaton is forced to squeeze into a small changing room with a large man, the two men becoming entangled in each other's clothes. This was largely improvised on the day of the shoot. Thirdly, there are the jaw dropping, bone crunching stunts; watch how he scales the outside of a moving bus in order to regain his seat next to his date. A special mention also must go the real co-star of the film, Josephine, an Organ Grinder’s monkey whom Keaton adopts. Apart from providing some vital plot strands, she actually gives an excellent and genuinely funny performance, as full of pathos and well-timed comic moves as any of her human colleagues. By the time of The Cameraman, the language and skills of cinema had progressed in a relatively short space of time. Static camera shots were customary in earlier films, however in this film, the camera moves a great deal, and in one scene in particular, it follows Keaton, via a split building set, as he runs up and down a long flight of stairs from the roof to the basement in one cut. But, rather than just always being a clever technical gimmick, the movement helps tell the story and at times, by forcing the audience viewpoint, helps set up visual jokes. The Cameraman was the first of a three-picture deal with MGM for Keaton. After years working for Joseph Schenk, with a minimum of interference, the expense and poor box office performance of The General had led to strict curbs both on spending and on Keaton’s directorial independence. The new set-up didn’t seem to have any great impact on the making or content of this film. However, unfortunately, this state of affairs wasn’t to last, as new boss Irving Thalberg seemed unwilling or unable to understand Keaton’s working methods, namely, using the same small crew, and keeping an air of freewheeling spontaneity in the creative process. The result would see control over the personnel and product wrenched away from Keaton, leading to a steep drop in the quality of his films, and his eventual decline into poverty, obscurity and alcoholism, before his rediscovery in the 1960s, a few years before his death. However, this was all much further down the line, and The Cameraman still gives us “The Great Stone Face” in his prime, risking everything for the girl and the laughs, somehow always keeping both his body and his deadpan expression in one piece. Above review taken from: http://staticmass.net/early-films-and-cinema/the-cameraman-movie-1928-review/ Cast:
Buster Keaton: Buster Marceline Day: Sally Harold Goodwin: Stagg Sidney Bracey: Editor Harry Gribbon: Cop Credits:
Directed by Edward Sedgwick Buster Keaton Produced by Buster Keaton Lawrence Weingarten Written by Clyde Bruckman Lew Lipton Joseph Farnham (titles) Edited by Hugh Wynn Distributed by MGM Release date September 22, 1928 (US) |
Donald MacKenzie
In July 1992 Donald began his long association with the Odeon Leicester Square Compton organ, by playing it for a number of events including a preview of 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Chaplin'. In November 1993 he was engaged to play the organ for 5 weeks before each performance of the film, 'Aladdin'. He was then appointed House Organist and has appeared regularly at film premières, special events and organ concerts. He has broadcast from the Odeon on BBC Radios 2, 3, 4 and the World Service. He has been featured on a number of television programmes and Donald has played for numerous Royal Film Performances, including four in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen.
Donald accompanied his first film when he was 14 for a special evening screening at Paisley Town Hall. He has now more than twenty feature films 'under his fingers' including the major classics of the silent screen - The Phantom of the Opera, Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, King of Kings, Carmen, The Black Pirate, Metropolis - as well as many different types of short silent films. His now renowned accompaniments have led to numerous bookings throughout the UK (including the Victoria Hall Hanley, Bournemouth Pavilion, in at Wolverhampton City Hall and the Lighthouse Media Centre, in London at the Odeon Leicester Square, Alexandra Palace and St Martin in the Fields, Somerton Arts Festival, in Tywyn at the Neu Pendre Hall), Ireland (in Belfast at St Annes Cathedral and Clonard Monastery), Germany (Weikersheim), USA (Boston University, Rivieria Theatre in Tonawanda), Holland (Scheidam Theatre) and most recently Poland. One of his most treasured memories was playing for the film 'Nosferatu' at the Usher Hall Edinburgh in October 2005 to a very enthusiastic full house. In December 2005 Donald appeared at the Odeon on an ITV programme, demonstrating the art of silent film accompaniment. |
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Tickets
This event is now SOLD OUT.
Tickets are just £10. All profits go to putting on more organ events and film nights at St John's Notting Hill. Use the Paypal button to the right to purchase tickets. You do not need a Paypal account for payment, you can select the 'Pay with card' option on the payment screen. Tickets are not issued; instead, names are recorded on a list which will be at the door on the evening. This means we avoid charging an extra booking fee. All ticket buyers will receive an email confirming their purchase, which will be sent to the email address used at payment.
Tickets are just £10. All profits go to putting on more organ events and film nights at St John's Notting Hill. Use the Paypal button to the right to purchase tickets. You do not need a Paypal account for payment, you can select the 'Pay with card' option on the payment screen. Tickets are not issued; instead, names are recorded on a list which will be at the door on the evening. This means we avoid charging an extra booking fee. All ticket buyers will receive an email confirming their purchase, which will be sent to the email address used at payment.
With thanks to the following websites for listing this event:
www.organrecitals.com
www.silentfilmcalendar.com
www.busterkeaton.co.uk
www.allinlondon.co.uk
www.nottinghillpost.com
www.londonorgan.co.uk
www.citylivinglocallife.wordpress.com
www.timeout.com
www.theresident.co.uk
And to the following printed magazines:
The Hill Resident (page 11)
The Kensington Magazine (page 26)
Time Out - To Do in West London