July 21, 2008 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Silent Western 'Nevada' (1927) to be screened free on Sunday, July 27
Classic film stars young Gary Cooper; free event features live new music
WILTON, N.H. - 'Nevada,' a silent Western that helped launch the career of a
young Gary Cooper, will be screened on Sunday, July 27 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton
Town Hall Theatre on Main Street in Wilton, N.H. The program also includes Western-themed
silent short subjects prior to the main feature. The films to be shown with new
original scores performed live by local composer and musician Jeff Rapsis. Admission
is free.
'Nevada' tells the story of a drifter (Cooper) in the old West who tries live
down a checkered past by taking honest work on a rich man's cattle ranch. However,
the love of a woman (Thelma Todd) leads him to confront a band of cattle-rustling
outlaws, forcing him to put his reputation on the line to save the ranch and
win the girl. 'Nevada,' which features many authentic outdoor locations, was
one of Cooper's first starring roles for Paramount Pictures, which released the
film in August, 1927. In just a few years, Cooper's quiet "aw, shucks" manner
would make him one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading men.
The film also marked an early screen appearance of Lawrence, Mass. native Thelma
Todd, who would soon turn to comedy and become a popular collaborator with Laurel & Hardy,
the Marx Brothers, and other legends before her untimely death in 1935. 'Nevada'
also features a young William Powell as Cooper's competitor for the girl. Like
Cooper, Powell would go on to a long and illustrious Hollywood career, starring
alongside actress Myra Loy in the popular "Thin Man" series of pictures in the
1930s and '40s.
Though a silent film, 'Nevada' helped set the tone for generations of Westerns
to come, with its expansive scenery, fast-paced action, stunts on horseback,
abundant gunfire, and focus on the battle between the law and outlaw that defined
Hollywood storylines about the old West. Live music will help evoke the era and
underscore the drama of the film, which was helmed by studio director by John
Waters.
"Silent films were designed to be shown with live music, and on the big screen
and in a theater full of people," said Jeff Rapsis of Manchester, N.H., who will
accompany the film live using a Korg Triton LE synthesizer that recreates an
orchestral sound. "When they're screened under the proper conditions, these older
films really come to life and can be experienced and enjoyed as they were intended.
Unlike talking pictures, they have a timeless quality that helps them reach audiences
even today."
The films will be projected from a DVD transfer authored by Dave Stevenson of
Looser Than Loose Vintage Entertainment, a Manchester, N.H.-based firm that specializes
in restoring and archiving silent and early sound film. 'Nevada' is the next
in a series of silent free film screenings that take place the last Sunday of
every month at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre.
Admission to 'Nevada' is free, but donations are encouraged to help defray expenses.
The program is also a fund-raiser for the next edition of Mirthquake, New England's
largest vintage film festival, which is set for Oct. 23-26, 2008 in Manchester,
N.H. For more info on 'Nevada,' visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com.
The Sunday silent film screenings at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre are sponsored
by HippoPress, the Manchester Express, and Looser Than Loose Vintage Entertainment.
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For more info, contact:
Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jrapsis@gmail.com