WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Dust off your vintage dresses and fedoras and relive the excitement and carefree attitude of the Roaring 20s when world famous jazz band The Hot Club of San Francisco brings “Cinema Vivant” to the West Plains Civic Center stage at 7 p.m. May 7.
Hosted by the University/Community Programs (U/CP) Department at Missouri State University-West Plains, this special event will pair authentic silent movies from the early 1900s with live music from this internationally-acclaimed band, and it will be capped off with a swinging after-party, complete with Prohibition-era “mocktails” and hors d’oeuvres straight out of the pages of an antique cookbook.
Tickets are $10 each and available at the civic center box office at 110 St. Louis St., or by calling 417-256-8087. University students with a BearPass ID will be admitted free.
The event will take area residents back in time to a bygone era as they experience some of the very first black and white silent movies – often comedic or romantic – on the big screen with live music accompaniment, organizers said.
“Imagine yourself in the idyllic French countryside in the 1930s. Sometime before dark, a gypsy caravan sets up camp in a field outside of town, luring the locals out for an evening’s fun. The wanderers travel with a film projector, pointing it at the side of a barn. As the images flicker to life beneath the stars, gypsy musicians play their guitars and fiddles, matching every movement on the screen with characteristic virtuosity, passion and humor,” according to a description from the band’s repping agency, Baylin Artists Management.
Describing ‘Cinema Vivant’ as “a celebration of imagination and innovation,” the band’s management team explained, “Before World War I, European filmmaker Ladislaw Starewicz pioneered stop-action animation, creating a never-before-seen movie experience. A gifted storyteller who used the new medium of animation to illuminate his fantastic imaginings of the secret lives of ordinary objects, Starewicz has become an obscure cult hero. Two Starewicz films are featured in ‘Cinema Vivant,’ ‘The Cameraman’s Revenge,’ a charming piece about the marital troubles of beetles, and ‘The Mascot,’ an adventure story about lost boys.”
A third silent film, “There It Is” by legendary 1920s American filmmaker Charley Bowers, also will be shown. This recently rediscovered film by Bowers is a whimsical comedy about a mysterious occurrence investigated by Scotland Yard.
“We’ve set up a special ‘event’ page for this on our U/CP Facebook page, ‘Missouri State University-West Plains University/Community Programs.’ We’d love to see locals post pictures of their grandparents and relatives from the 1920s there to help us all get ready for this fun night,” said Jennifer Moore, coordinator of U/CP’s theater and event programming.
Everyone is encouraged to grab a group of friends, a date, or the whole family and enjoy this unforgettable experience. Period dress from the 1920s is optional. “Part of the fun is that we’re encouraging attendees to go all out with their 1920s dresses, hats and hair accessories,” Moore said. “It was such a remarkable era, and film was a big part of that. You’ll be able to experience an ‘evening out’ like your grandparents or great-grandparents did.”
For more information about The Hot Club of San Francisco and ‘Cinema Vivant,’ visit the group’s website. For more information about U/CP events, call 417-255-7966 or visit the department’s website.