Prior to the invention of synchronized sound on the silver screen, silent films were all the rage. Music would swell and dramatic facial expressions and gestures would showcase the plot lines and emotions of the pictures.
Silent films are hard to find in today’s theaters, but look no further than Downtown Madison’s Overture Center for the Arts.
Several times per year, the Overture Center hosts special events paying homage to silent films of the past in the historic Capitol Theater, which opened in 1928. Coined as the “Duck Soup Cinema Series,” the events feature silent film screenings opened with vaudeville-style acts by local performers and pre-show lobby entertainment. Saturday, Oct. 14, the Overture Center presents one of the Duck Soup Cinema screenings, “Nosferatu.”
“Nosferatu” is a 1922 silent horror film by F.W. Murnau. Featuring Max Schreck as the menacing vampire Count Orlok, the film is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” The film portrays Count Orlok rising from the dead to prey upon the townspeople.
This season of Duck Soup Cinema presents films that challenge or disrupt societal norms in some way, highlighting tensions between tradition and change, according to the Overture Center website.
The Duck Soup Cinema event at the Capitol Theater features organist Jelani Eddington performing along with the film, just like it was done in 1928. The music mirrors each action, emotion and plot point played on a Grand Barton Organ.
The event also includes an emcee and raffle prizes according to the Overture website. Saturday’s screening of “Nosferatu” is in preparation for Halloween, so guests are encouraged to arrive in costume to enjoy the spooky film.
The screening of “Nosferatu” is not the only attraction of the night — while you’re waiting for the show to start, enjoy pre-show lobby entertainment. The October event features Doc The Rube and Wayne the Wizard. James The Magician will be featured as the opening vaudeville act of the night.
The Oct. 14 event will host two screenings — one at 2 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. Standard tickets are $9 and children’s tickets for those 12 and under are $3.
