Silent Movie Festival-Day ONE (2 Day Event)
June 16 @ 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
DAY ONE – FRIDAY, June 16, 2023, from 12-5 pm
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
You may also purchase tickets to Day TWO as a bundle for both days.
The early 1920’s saw Augusta as a center for the silent movie industry, and the Augusta Colonial Theater as the center for that activity.
Six films that were made locally during this period are known to survive and they are remarkable. Along with highlighting Augusta, Belgrade, local lakes and forests, and the Kennebec River, these films have solid stories, good acting, and surprisingly good production values. The films take full advantage of the area’s natural scenic beauty as well as all four seasons.
Join us to celebrate and enjoy the quality of life in the historic downtown area in the capital city of Maine.
(TITLES IN RED ARE MAINE FILMS).
WHERE THE WINDS BLOW (1910) 15 mins
Simple story of love lost and found. Stars Florence Turner and Jean the Vitagraph Dog, often named as the first canine star in American movies. Jean was owned by writer/director Laurence Trimble from Robbinston, Maine. Jean starred in more than two dozen films between 1910 and 1916. Filmed in the Portland area by the Lubin Film Company. Music by David Drazin. Print: Northeast Historic Film Archive.
JUST MAINE FOLKS (1912) 15 mins
Story about two rivals for the hand of a rich widow. Stars Ethel Clayton and Harry Myers as the young lovers. This is the way Maine was often depicted in silent films: rural settings and rather eccentric folks. Filmed in the Portland area by the Lubin Film Company. Music by Ed Lorusso.
ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1917) 60 mins
On the verge of entering World War I came this drama starring Carlyle Blackwell and Gail Kane. He plays a medical student and she plays the mysterious woman who enlists him as her husband so they can get secret papers out of Germany. Kane retired from films in the 1920s and married an Augusta businessman. Music by Ed Lorusso. Print: Library of Congress.
OUT YONDER (1919) 65 mins
Beautifully filmed on the Maine coast, this story stars Olive Thomas as a lighthouse keeper’s daughter named Flotsam. When she saves Edward (Huntley Gordon) from drowning after he falls off his yacht, can love be around the corner? A jealous rival tries to stop the romance. Directed by Ralph Ince. Music by David Drazin. Print: Library of Congress. Special thanks to Joe Harvat.
THE GOLD RUSH (1925) 95 mins
One of Charlie Chaplin’s biggest productions. The Little Tramp heads to the frozen north to prospect for gold and falls in love with a saloon girl (Georgia Hale) and has a memorable run in with Big Jim (Mack Swain) in a lonely cabin. Chaplin worked on this masterpiece for more than a year. Produced and directed by Chaplin.
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DAY TWO – SATURDAY, June 17, 2023, 12-5 pm
You may also purchase tickets to this separate ticketed event (Day Two), or as a bundle for both days.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
(TITLES IN RED ARE MAINE FILMS).
BORDER RIVER (1919) 25 mins
The oldest surviving film from Edgar Jones’ Augusta period. Here he plays a Canadian Mountie who’s out to get his man (Carlton Brickert). Trouble is, the man is his sweetheart’s brother. What will happen when the outlaw crosses the border river into the USA? The sweetheart is played by Evelyn Brent, who would go on to a big career in silent films. This one was filmed in Augusta. Directed by Edgar Jones. Music by David Drazin. Print: Library of Congress.
A KNIGHT OF THE PINES (1920) 20 mins
Jones again stars and directs this frozen north film about a man who pines for a woman (Edna May Sperl) and who goes off the rails when she marries another man (Ben Hendricks). Filmed in the Augusta area in the dead of winter. You can see how cold the actors are. Music by David Drazin. Print: Library of Congress.
CUPID, REGISTERED GUIDE (1921) 20 mins
Jones stars and directs as a “cupid” who helps Doc Lang (Carlton Brickert) in his pursuit of a young heiress (Edna May Sperl) when he learns that her rich daddy wants her to marry a sap from the city (Ben Hendricks). Based on a story by Holman Day, there’s a memorable scene on a “carry” over a river. Music by David Drazin. Print: Library of Congress.
CAUGHT IN THE RAPIDS (1921) 22 mins
Jones again stars and directs this story about a lovelorn man who rescues the woman he loves (Edna May Sperl) from the raging rapids only to have her marry another man. Probably filmed in the Ripogenus Gorge. Great photography. Another story from Holman Day. Music by Ben Model. Print: Library of Congress.
MY LADY OF THE PINES (1921) 25 mins
After the departure of Edgar Jones, Holman Day brought new actors and director Philip Carle to Augusta. This one has rival gangs of lumbermen fighting over forest land. Leading lady Mary Astor was only 15 years old. She’d go on to movie stardom and she won an Oscar for THE GREAT LIE opposite Bette Davis. Music by David Drazin. Print: Northeast Historic Film.
BROTHER OF THE BEAR (1921) 28 mins
Mary Astor again stars in this story about a man (Huntley Gordon) who can’t control his rages … until he adopts a tamed bear and meets young Astor. This film boasts the only movie footage of the old Belgrade Hotel, which burned to the ground in the 1950s. This is another story by Holman Day. Music by David Drazin. Print: Northeast Historic Film.
LAZY BONES (1925) 85 mins
Small-town romantic drama set in Milo, Maine and starring Buck Jones as an easy-going loafer who unexpectedly takes on the responsibility of raising a fatherless girl, causing a scandal in town. But the town gossips really have something to whisper about when he returns a hero from World War I and the kid is grown up. Music by Tim Curran.
SEVEN CHANCES (1925) 60 mins
One of Buster Keaton’s funniest features. He’s about to inherit a $7M fortune, but only if he gets married by 7 pm. A story in the newspaper brings out the would-be brides … hundreds of them! Jean Arthur has a small role as the receptionist. Directed by Buster Keaton. Music by Robert Israel.