Flesh and the Devil to screen this Sunday in Wilton!

Here's the latest press release from Dangerous Crosswinds composer Jeff Rapsis, who'll be providing live music for this upcoming screening:

Wednesday, Feb. 11 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Garbo and Gilbert as lovers in 'Flesh and the Devil' in Wilton, N.H. on Sunday, Feb. 15

WILTON, N.H. - Rediscover the passionate romance between Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in a Valentine's Day weekend screening of 'Flesh and the Devil' (1927), the classic silent melodrama that first brought the legendary Hollywood couple together. Set in Germany, 'Flesh and the Devil' tells the story of a love triangle between two boyhood friends (Gilbert and Lars Hansen) and the amoral seductress (Garbo) who comes between them. The two men are eventually forced into a violent struggle over the woman, who marries one but carries on an affair with the other. During the shooting, Garbo and Gilbert developed their own highly charged off-screen romantic affair, the passion of which director Clarence Brown captured on camera. Though Garbo and Gilbert eventually went their separate ways, 'Flesh and the Devil' marked the beginning of of one of the legendary romances of early Hollywood.'

Flesh and the Devil' is the latest in a series of monthly silent film screenings being held at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre. The series aims to recreate the lost magic of early cinema by bringing together four crucial elements needed for silent film to work: the best films in best available prints; projection on the big screen; live musical accompaniment; and a live audience.

"These films are still moving and intense experiences if you can show them as they were designed to be screened," said Jeff Rapsis, who provides musical accompaniment for the screenings. "There's a reason people first fell in love with the movies, and we hope to recreate the right atmosphere for these films to be seen to its best advantage. At their best, they were communal experiences in which the presence of a large audience intensifies everyone's reactions."

For 'Flesh and the Devil,' Rapsis will improvise a music score for the two-hour film using a selection of original themes he recently created. However, none of the the music is written down; instead, the score will evolve in real time as the movie screens based on audience reaction and the overall mood. The appeal of 'Flesh and the Devil' has withstood the test of time. In 2006, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Reviewers have continued to praise the picture's many good qualities, often singling out Garbo's performance as particularly memorable. "

Pulsatingly romantic, beautifully filmed, probably the best Garbo-Gilbert love match," wrote critic Leonard Maltin, while David Parkinson of Empire Magazine wrote that "Garbo is mesmerizing in this wild and heated romance..." Carol Cling of the Las Vegas Review proclaimed 'Flesh and the Devil' as "Garbo & Gilbert at their steamy, sultry silent peak."

'Flesh and the Devil,' a great way to round out Valentine's Day weekend, will be shown on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H. Free admission; donations encouraged to help defray expenses. For more info, visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com/ or call (603) 654-3456. The Wilton Town Hall Theatre runs silent film programs with live music generally the last Sunday of every month. See for yourself the films that made audiences first fall in love with the movies! The Wilton Town Hall's silent film series is sponsored by HippoPress, the Manchester Express, and Looser Than Loose Vintage Entertainment of Manchester.

PHOTO CAPTION: John Gilbert and Greta Garbo star in 'Flesh and the Devil' (1927), to be screened with live music on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H. Admission free, donations accepted. (Courtesy Image)

--- 30 ---

For more info, contact:Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jrapsis@gmail.com
Images attached.
More high-resolution digital images available upon request.